Sentience

20/03/2026

In 2025, the African Pet Health Summit made history as the first platform to bring a world-class, integrative veterinary conversation to South African soil. We didn’t just host a conference; we started a movement.

As we return for our 2nd Annual Summit in Stellenbosch, we aren't just presenting "new ideas", we are building on a proven legacy of clinical excellence and evidence-led innovation.

Why APHS remains the gold standard:
✅ We were the first to host international legends Dr. Nick Thompson, Dr. Conor Brady, Dr. Brendan Clarke and Dr. Anna Hielm-Björkman in SA.
✅ Built on the success of 2025, where the real conversation began.
✅ Advanced systems biology, not just introductory concepts.

APHS is not a first-time experiment.
Join the established community that is leading the future of pet health.

🔗 Secure your seat at the summit that set the tone:
📲 WhatsApp "ORIGINAL" to 063 403 8581.
📧 Email: [email protected]

📍 APHS 2026: Where Science Meets Soul.
18–20 Sept 2026 | Protea Hotel Stellenbosch & Conference Centre
Dedicated Vet Professional Day on 18 September

18/03/2026

I am not a w**d.
I am the first restaurant of spring.

I’m a dandelion.

When you see me, you think winter failed to clean up your lawn.
But outside the human calendar, something much more important just happened.

The ground warmed.

And suddenly, thousands of insects woke up to a world with almost no food.

Right now there are:
• Queen bumblebees crawling out of the soil after 6 months underground
• Honeybees leaving the hive on their first cleansing flights
• Overwintered butterflies like mourning cloaks and question marks flying before trees leaf out

Nothing is blooming yet.

Except me.

My flowers open at the exact moment pollinators need sugar the most — the week they are closest to starvation.
A single warm afternoon in March can decide whether a queen bee lives long enough to start a colony… or dies before April.

Birds depend on me too.
Goldfinches and sparrows feed on my seeds, and my hollow stems shelter tiny insects that become food for nestlings weeks later.

I’m not here by accident.

My taproot breaks compacted soil and pulls minerals up from deep underground.
My leaves decompose fast and feed the microbes your lawn actually depends on.
For 400 years I’ve followed people, repairing the disturbed ground we create.

Your lawn looks tidy to you.

To wildlife, it’s a parking lot.

I’m the first crack in that pavement — the first place life can start again after winter.

Before you spray this month, wait a little.
By the time trees bloom, I’m already done.

But in early spring… I’m carrying the whole season on my petals.

16/03/2026

It is here!

Enjoy the March 2026 edition of Sentience Magazine here for free!

02/03/2026

In 2025, our office was engaged to conduct a comprehensive legal and constitutional assessment aimed at halting the live export of animals by sea from South Africa.

Prolonged confinement, extreme heat exposure, dehydration, disease transmission, and high mortality rates raise serious concerns under the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962, which prohibits unnecessary suffering. Where suffering is inherent to a practice, the legality of the practice itself comes into question.

The matter also intersects with biosecurity and trade regulation. Temporary bans during Foot-and-Mouth Disease outbreaks demonstrate that export restrictions are lawful when public health is at stake. The same legal logic invites scrutiny where systemic cruelty is involved.

International obligations under the World Organisation for Animal Health further elevate the compliance threshold, while Section 24 of the Constitution, guaranteeing the right to an environment not harmful to health or well-being, introduces constitutional dimensions to the debate.

This matter is significant because it moves beyond enforcement into structural reform. It sits at the intersection of animal welfare, constitutional law, biosecurity, and trade policy, and illustrates how strategic legal intervention can reshape regulatory landscapes where cruelty is embedded within commercial practice.

12/01/2026

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Costa Rica Bans Trophy Hunting Forever And Makes Wildlife Protection A Permanent National Promise Today

A historic decision has stunned the world as Costa Rica officially ended sport and trophy hunting across the entire nation. By banning recreational hunting permanently, the country has declared that wildlife is not a resource for entertainment, but a legacy meant to be protected.

This move transforms conservation from a policy into a lifelong commitment, ensuring that animals are no longer targets for profit or prestige. It also places Costa Rica among the strongest global leaders in environmental ethics and biodiversity protection.
The ban sends a powerful message to every nation watching. When a government chooses life over trophies, it proves that real progress is not about temporary rules, but about permanent responsibility toward nature and future generations.

06/01/2026

On this day we are reminded of Tilikum.

No animal should ever be subjected to the cruelty of captivity for the sake of human entertainment.

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Today, we're remembering Tilikum, who died on January 6, 2017 after 33 agonizing years in captivity.

The star of Blackfish, the documentary which highlights the inherent cruelty of the captive marine mammal industry, should have spent his entire life interacting with other orcas, hunting and foraging, and feeling the ocean currents.

Instead, he was stolen from his ocean home in 1983, at approximately two years old, and endured both physical and psychological torment for entertainment.

We won't ever forget him and continue to fight for an end to animal entertainment in his memory. We urge you to read his story and never support venues that hold wild animals captive for entertainment.

Swim free, Tilikum. 🌊

25/12/2025

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17/12/2025

Our 4th edition, December issue is now available to enjoy during your holiday break!

The very best wishes to all for a joyous, blessed and safe festive season filled with compassion and kindness - from all of us at Sentience magazine 🙏🏼✨⭐🐾

Sentience - Magazine

08/12/2025

Will we ever truly understand the depth of emotion and the way in which nature grieves?
This is a unique and first time ever capture of "last respects" being bestowed and final farewell being wished on the soul of a departed family member. These touching images speak a thousand words...

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07/12/2025

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07/12/2025

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“The ministry of the environment is reviewing Saving the Wild’s proposal of minimum sentencing for the poaching of rhino and other endangered species. The deputy minister saw first-hand, when he attended Gwala’s trial, how he had turned the courts into a circus. Enough already — we need political will, and we need to honour the rangers with justice.”
- Jamie Joseph, Director of Saving the Wild | change.org/rhino-laws

Alleged rhino poaching kingpin Dumisani Gwala was shot dead in his home in the Thandizwe area in Manguzi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Wednesday. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Capt Ntathu Ndlovu confirmed Gwala’s death. “Emanguzi police are investigating a case of murder after an incident in which a 64-year-old man was fatally shot after three unknown armed suspects allegedly gained entry to his residence in the Thandizwe area in eManguzi on December 3,” she said.

Despite reports that Gwala’s killing may be linked to a rival trafficking gang, police have not commented on the motive or whether it may be linked to any other investigations.

Gwala previously stood trial in one of South Africa’s most controversial rhino poaching cases. His death comes just over two years after the conclusion of his high-profile court matter. He was arrested during a rhino horn sting operation in the Zululand region, where he faced multiple charges, including unlawful possession of rhino horn and resisting arrest.

His trial, marked by repeated delays and allegations of interference and intimidation, ended in July 2023 when the Mtubatuba regional court acquitted him of the wildlife crime charges after ruling key evidence inadmissible. He received a suspended sentence and fine related only to resisting arrest.

The case drew international attention and generated heated debate about the integrity of certain justice system processes. Civil society groups, including , had long criticised the slow progress of the case and what they described as systemic weaknesses enabling high-level wildlife crime suspects to escape conviction.

“We expect the bill to be tabled in parliament in the first quarter of 2026,” Joseph said.

Saving the Wild |

18/11/2025

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