Petronel Nieuwoudt

Petronel Nieuwoudt is a South African wildlife conservationist. In 2011, she established the Care For Wild rhinoceros sanctuary in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It is the largest such sanctuary in the world. She is also the chief executive officer of the foundation.

Early life Raised in the 1970s on a rural farm in Roedtan, Limpopo, Nieuwoudt attended Rand Afrikaans University between 1988 and 1991. Her father ran the farm; her mother was a teacher.

Career Niewoudt joined the public-relations department of the South African Police Service's Endangered Species Protection Unit in 1991, She founded The Game Capture School, which educated people on the capture, treatment and management of wildlife. The sanctuary gained its first orphan rhinoceros the following year. Four others followed shortly thereafter. Nieuwoudt set in motion a registration of her sanctuary as a non-profit organisation.