Susanne Hart

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Biographical Information

Sue Hart (died in 2010) "was born in Austria in 1927; she spent her childhood in England and was educated at the Royal Veterinary College in London. She married immediately after qualifying as a vet post war and went to live in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The African continent has been her home ever since. It was not until some years later, as a single parent with two young children to bring up, that she moved to the Lowveld area of the eastern Transvaal (now Mpumulanga) and started her own full-time general country veterinary practice. Close to the Kruger National Park, she became interested in wildlife practice and conservation of the natural environment at this time.

"Nine years later, Dr. Hart rekindled an old friendship from her student days with Dr. Toni Harthoorn, whom she subsequently married. In 1964 this duo vet team left for Kenya and were based in Nairobi. Together they researched the immobilisation of large-hooved animals and engaged in wildlife practice in the field. Pioneering operations were performed on many wild animals including the lions and cheetahs under the care of George and Joy Adamson. During this time Dr. Hart wrote the best seller "Life with Daktari" which proved to be a world-wide hit.

"Sue left East Africa in the mid 70's and returned to the Lowveld where she entered a new phase in her life becoming increasingly involved in African teacher training seminars and conservation awareness projects. In 1985, she founded Ecolink, a non-government organisation that works closely with the disadvantaged rural communities in Mpumalanga. "