Ikkos Equine Sanctuary and Animal Haven Petting Farm
We are now offering you a unique in the world opportunity.
You could be involved with Ikkos Equine Sanctuary and Animal Haven Petting Farm AND The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project in a very special way to help us pioneer a new project - A project that will save many animals lives!!!
We can't do it without your support!
Please contact me for more information.
You could be involved with Ikkos Equine Sanctuary and Animal Haven Petting Farm AND The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project in a very special way to help us pioneer a new project - A project that will save many animals lives!!!
We can't do it without your support!
Please contact me for more information.
How to contact Grant Mc Ilrath at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project - www.meerkatmagic.com
The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project will give all guests to this wildlife research/ conservation/ education/ film and tourism Project, preference on wildlife Tours, if they stay with clients who support The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project (due to very limited Tour group sizes).
HOW TO BOOK ANY SUPPORTED TOURS THROUGH THE MEERKAT MAGIC CONSERVATION PROJECT:
To learn more about Grant M. Mc Ilrath- A.K.A - The Meerkat Man and the amazing world of Wild meerkats / suricates for a morning Sunrise Tour (when available), you can now experience "Your very own unedited wildlife documentary, and Walk With Wildlife in their natural environment!”, please contact him at: (an SMS - mobile text is the best method, or an e-mail - it may take a few weeks to answer e-mails as hundreds are received daily and each is answered personally by Grant between field work) Tel: +27 (0) 44 272 3077 / Cell: (SMS +27 (0) 82 413 6895) or e-mail Grant at: gmmcilrath@mweb.co.za
After each tour you have the chance to buy meerkat themed merchandise from the Meerkat Magic Mall shop Mobile.
HOW TO BOOK ANY SUPPORTED TOURS THROUGH THE MEERKAT MAGIC CONSERVATION PROJECT:
To learn more about Grant M. Mc Ilrath- A.K.A - The Meerkat Man and the amazing world of Wild meerkats / suricates for a morning Sunrise Tour (when available), you can now experience "Your very own unedited wildlife documentary, and Walk With Wildlife in their natural environment!”, please contact him at: (an SMS - mobile text is the best method, or an e-mail - it may take a few weeks to answer e-mails as hundreds are received daily and each is answered personally by Grant between field work) Tel: +27 (0) 44 272 3077 / Cell: (SMS +27 (0) 82 413 6895) or e-mail Grant at: gmmcilrath@mweb.co.za
After each tour you have the chance to buy meerkat themed merchandise from the Meerkat Magic Mall shop Mobile.
About The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project
Please note it is ILLEGAL to keep meerkats / suricates as pets in South Africa, with large associated fines as they are classified as wildlife.
The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project does not support the unsustainable and harmful commercial trade of wild meerkats / suricates. Or capturing of wild meerkats / suricates for pets. None of the study animals at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project have ever been fed, captured or handled in any way.
The animals do not have hair cuts that can interfere with their heat regulation / thermoregulation, or other artificial markings that can break up their camouflage and give their location away to predators, and none of the study animals have been fitted with telemetry / radio collars that could get caught in vegetation and make the animal more obvious to predators, and need to have the animal captured and handled for this.
The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is a behavioural observation and conservation project especially interested in ecology to understand and implement conservation of wildlife habitat by investigating alternative land usage and sustainable practices in highly sensitive ecosystems.
The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is self funded by Observe and Conserve Sustainable Eco- Tourism and Alternative land usage management practices with UNFED wild free study animals. Your Tour helps to cover the high running costs of The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project - the Tour costs are given with booking requests. Please check with The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project that you have the correct Tour costs as these are subject to change over time.
Tour income is also used for providing charity educational presentation work for local schools and paying wildlife tracker salaries for previously unemployed local people on or around the main study areas, who are always given preference for employment here.
All meerkat friendly supporters and meerkat veterans are recognised under the Meerkat Friendly Supporter gallery in the Picture Album section of The Wild Web Site visitors. It may take a number of years before all images are added from each visit, but in time they are updated. Or under the "Special Thanks" or "Sponsors / donations" categories over the years.
The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project does not support the unsustainable and harmful commercial trade of wild meerkats / suricates. Or capturing of wild meerkats / suricates for pets. None of the study animals at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project have ever been fed, captured or handled in any way.
The animals do not have hair cuts that can interfere with their heat regulation / thermoregulation, or other artificial markings that can break up their camouflage and give their location away to predators, and none of the study animals have been fitted with telemetry / radio collars that could get caught in vegetation and make the animal more obvious to predators, and need to have the animal captured and handled for this.
The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is a behavioural observation and conservation project especially interested in ecology to understand and implement conservation of wildlife habitat by investigating alternative land usage and sustainable practices in highly sensitive ecosystems.
The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is self funded by Observe and Conserve Sustainable Eco- Tourism and Alternative land usage management practices with UNFED wild free study animals. Your Tour helps to cover the high running costs of The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project - the Tour costs are given with booking requests. Please check with The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project that you have the correct Tour costs as these are subject to change over time.
Tour income is also used for providing charity educational presentation work for local schools and paying wildlife tracker salaries for previously unemployed local people on or around the main study areas, who are always given preference for employment here.
All meerkat friendly supporters and meerkat veterans are recognised under the Meerkat Friendly Supporter gallery in the Picture Album section of The Wild Web Site visitors. It may take a number of years before all images are added from each visit, but in time they are updated. Or under the "Special Thanks" or "Sponsors / donations" categories over the years.
Tour times
Tour times Tours usually start before sunrise at any stage of the year and last for around three hours or just over - as visitors need to travel to a study site and be ready and waiting for meerkats / suricates to emerge before the earliest meerkat / suricate wakes up and leaves - to arrive once meerkats / suricates have left would result in the visit being cancelled. In the morning the Sunrise Tours- Currently have a MEETING TIME BEFORE 7:00 am and a DEPARTURE TIME of 7.02 am at the VERY latest, late arrivals WILL unfortunately miss the Tour, and we will have to leave.
It is STRONGLY suggested that guests meet at least five to ten minutes before the meeting time or else we can miss the meerkats / suricates getting up and the entire Tour would be cancelled. The Tour currently ends at around 10.30 am, and sometimes later depending on what is being watched and on visitors requests.
The Sunrise and Sunset Tour times DO change throughout the year, according to weather and Wild meerkat / suricate activity times, please ALWAYS check the Tour times before your visit directly with The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project.
The Tour booking deadline is always at 15: 00 or 3 pm each day for any afternoon Sunset Tours on that day (when available), throughout the year! This is a first booked first served principle. Please ensure that your Tour is confirmed the day before your Tour for any reservations at the above time also, or it will be assumed that you are not on the Tour. This needs to be done to ensure that Wild meerkat / suricate groups are located for any Tours the next day before they go to sleep, as the study animals use different sleeping areas daily (it takes a few hours to locate a study group daily, and NO Tours are taken in the morning unless a study group has been located in time).
There are a limited number of openings for guests who may visit on any Tour day and currently there is only one morning Sunrise Tour available and no afternoon Sunset Tours (afternoon Sunset Tours are usually reserved for filming only). Tour spaces are only kept open once they are confirmed again the day before the Tour.
Only once a group of meerkats has been located at their sleeping burrow for the night, usually around sunset, will guests be contacted to confirm that the Tour is happening the next day, with current times and the current meeting area. Sometimes the weather is bad for watching meerkats (very overcast or raining), or they are fighting with other groups and can't be watched. The meerkats may have been trapped in an unknown burrow by a predator and they can not be found on occasion due to this.
It is very worthwhile to spend a minimum of four or more days in the area, in the event that any Tours have to be postponed due to the above. The meerkats are wild animals of course, so only once they have been located the day before once they go to sleep in a known burrow, can we expect to see them on a morning Tour the following day and confirm the visit is on for certain and experience The Meerkat Magic!
EXTENDED TOURS
On advanced request with any Tour booking made, guests may request to extend their Tour BEYOND the normal duration - once other guests leave, the EXTENDED MEERKAT / SURICATE TOUR continues for an additional number of hours. The Tour is then charged per additional hour or part thereof. Guests may even spend the ENTIRE day with the meerkats - so a morning Sunrise Tour all the way to a Sunset Tour on special very advanced request. This offer is only available on certain days and depends on the number of guests wanting this extension on the standard Tour. ******
It is STRONGLY suggested that guests meet at least five to ten minutes before the meeting time or else we can miss the meerkats / suricates getting up and the entire Tour would be cancelled. The Tour currently ends at around 10.30 am, and sometimes later depending on what is being watched and on visitors requests.
The Sunrise and Sunset Tour times DO change throughout the year, according to weather and Wild meerkat / suricate activity times, please ALWAYS check the Tour times before your visit directly with The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project.
The Tour booking deadline is always at 15: 00 or 3 pm each day for any afternoon Sunset Tours on that day (when available), throughout the year! This is a first booked first served principle. Please ensure that your Tour is confirmed the day before your Tour for any reservations at the above time also, or it will be assumed that you are not on the Tour. This needs to be done to ensure that Wild meerkat / suricate groups are located for any Tours the next day before they go to sleep, as the study animals use different sleeping areas daily (it takes a few hours to locate a study group daily, and NO Tours are taken in the morning unless a study group has been located in time).
There are a limited number of openings for guests who may visit on any Tour day and currently there is only one morning Sunrise Tour available and no afternoon Sunset Tours (afternoon Sunset Tours are usually reserved for filming only). Tour spaces are only kept open once they are confirmed again the day before the Tour.
Only once a group of meerkats has been located at their sleeping burrow for the night, usually around sunset, will guests be contacted to confirm that the Tour is happening the next day, with current times and the current meeting area. Sometimes the weather is bad for watching meerkats (very overcast or raining), or they are fighting with other groups and can't be watched. The meerkats may have been trapped in an unknown burrow by a predator and they can not be found on occasion due to this.
It is very worthwhile to spend a minimum of four or more days in the area, in the event that any Tours have to be postponed due to the above. The meerkats are wild animals of course, so only once they have been located the day before once they go to sleep in a known burrow, can we expect to see them on a morning Tour the following day and confirm the visit is on for certain and experience The Meerkat Magic!
EXTENDED TOURS
On advanced request with any Tour booking made, guests may request to extend their Tour BEYOND the normal duration - once other guests leave, the EXTENDED MEERKAT / SURICATE TOUR continues for an additional number of hours. The Tour is then charged per additional hour or part thereof. Guests may even spend the ENTIRE day with the meerkats - so a morning Sunrise Tour all the way to a Sunset Tour on special very advanced request. This offer is only available on certain days and depends on the number of guests wanting this extension on the standard Tour. ******
Tour cancellation and photography policy
TOUR CANCELLATION
Please make sure that you have a definite booking at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project BEFORE you book accommodation. The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is not responsible for accommodation arrangements, and if you are unable to go on a Tour and have booked accommodation in advance! Please do make absolutely sure you have confirmed your Tour booking as far in advance as possible, before planning your accommodation, to avoid disappointment.
Please remember that on a rainy day all Meerkat Magic Tours are cancelled! Any Tour deposits given to The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project directly by prior arrangement and not through ANY other third parties, will be refunded in the advent of a Tour being cancelled, this does not apply to accommodation arrangements, or third party Tour bookings as The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project works independently of accommodation and third party arrangements, and can only be held responsible for The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project direct bookings based on our Terms and conditions of any cancellations made.
ANY Tour cancellations can be made at the SOLE discretion of The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project, nobody else is responisble for any of our choices and this includes accommodation or Tour operators, guides etc. Please DO NOT blame or hold responsible any of the above individuals for choices made by The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project.
Sometimes Tours have to be cancelled, and there are many reasons for this. If a guest is ever unhappy about a Tour being cancelled PLEASE always address your queries / complaints directly to The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project and ONLY to The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project as nobody else is responsible for choices made by The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project except for The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project thank you.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographs are taken of all guests on their Tour watching Wild meerkats / suricates when possible by the The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project with the project equipment, for their own private NON - COMMERCIAL use as part of their Tour at NO EXTRRA CHARGE (as can be seen all over The Wild Web Site), these images can be e-mailed to guests on request, and are added into the visitors / supporters gallery by day and year of the visit over time.
Guests may not however bring their own photographic or film equipment as The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is an International filming site for conservation related film only, films and articles that benefit study species conservation are allowed to film on special arrangement made well in advance and pre-visit only. For enquiries regarding possible commercial / conservation related filming please visit the following category: Press here for more information about filming wildlife at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project.
Please make sure that you have a definite booking at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project BEFORE you book accommodation. The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is not responsible for accommodation arrangements, and if you are unable to go on a Tour and have booked accommodation in advance! Please do make absolutely sure you have confirmed your Tour booking as far in advance as possible, before planning your accommodation, to avoid disappointment.
Please remember that on a rainy day all Meerkat Magic Tours are cancelled! Any Tour deposits given to The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project directly by prior arrangement and not through ANY other third parties, will be refunded in the advent of a Tour being cancelled, this does not apply to accommodation arrangements, or third party Tour bookings as The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project works independently of accommodation and third party arrangements, and can only be held responsible for The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project direct bookings based on our Terms and conditions of any cancellations made.
ANY Tour cancellations can be made at the SOLE discretion of The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project, nobody else is responisble for any of our choices and this includes accommodation or Tour operators, guides etc. Please DO NOT blame or hold responsible any of the above individuals for choices made by The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project.
Sometimes Tours have to be cancelled, and there are many reasons for this. If a guest is ever unhappy about a Tour being cancelled PLEASE always address your queries / complaints directly to The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project and ONLY to The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project as nobody else is responsible for choices made by The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project except for The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project thank you.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographs are taken of all guests on their Tour watching Wild meerkats / suricates when possible by the The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project with the project equipment, for their own private NON - COMMERCIAL use as part of their Tour at NO EXTRRA CHARGE (as can be seen all over The Wild Web Site), these images can be e-mailed to guests on request, and are added into the visitors / supporters gallery by day and year of the visit over time.
Guests may not however bring their own photographic or film equipment as The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is an International filming site for conservation related film only, films and articles that benefit study species conservation are allowed to film on special arrangement made well in advance and pre-visit only. For enquiries regarding possible commercial / conservation related filming please visit the following category: Press here for more information about filming wildlife at The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project.
Tour payments
All Tour payments must please be paid directly to Grant after the Tour in cash and NOT to accommodation owners, not by cheque, or credit card - unless a previous arrangement has been made directly with Grant in this regard. The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is the only business responsible for any arrangements made by it, please ensure you have made direct contact with Grant to ensure your Tour. A booking name and mobile contact number must please be given to Grant with any booking so that guests can be contacted in case of an emergency, Tour update etc.
All Tour costs go towards making sure that The Meerkat Magic Conservation project continues it's work. Guests who attend Tours are regarded as Meerkat Friendly Supporters and on Tour completion they become Meerkat Veterans who aid our conservation work.
Only Tour cost quotes given on booking requests directly from The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project can be regarded as valid and current. The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is not responsible for any arrangements made with old Tour rates from thrid parties or associates / booking agents. Please ensure you have made your booking at the current Tour rate from The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project, or have the current Tour information checked by any booking agent directly please. This information is ALWAYS current on our online database under the Tour information sections.
Once a Tour price quote has been given directly The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project, it remains valid, even if the Tour costs change later after the booking was made.
All Tour costs go towards making sure that The Meerkat Magic Conservation project continues it's work. Guests who attend Tours are regarded as Meerkat Friendly Supporters and on Tour completion they become Meerkat Veterans who aid our conservation work.
Only Tour cost quotes given on booking requests directly from The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project can be regarded as valid and current. The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project is not responsible for any arrangements made with old Tour rates from thrid parties or associates / booking agents. Please ensure you have made your booking at the current Tour rate from The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project, or have the current Tour information checked by any booking agent directly please. This information is ALWAYS current on our online database under the Tour information sections.
Once a Tour price quote has been given directly The Meerkat Magic Conservation Project, it remains valid, even if the Tour costs change later after the booking was made.
