Founded in 1998, The Bateleurs is a South African non-profit organisation with a unique mission offering aerial perspectives to support environmental and conservation projects. With over 200 volunteer pilots and aircraft, the organisation has conducted more than 1,000 missions across South Africa and the continent.
These missions range from wildlife monitoring to tracking the spread of human development along rivers and coastal zones. By aligning with the UN Millennium Development Goals, The Bateleurs ensures their work contributes to long-term sustainability and environmental policy development.
"We're not limited to working with wildlife," says COO Steve McCurrach. "We assist anyone working on habitat protection or environmental research." For instance, their aerial monitoring along the Umgeni River catchment helped Umgeni Water assess human impact on this vital resource.
The organisation also tackles illegal activities such as the mining of building sand from wetlands and floodplains practices that erode ecosystems and cause downstream damage. Flights enable swift surveillance and documentation of these threats.
The Bateleurs works closely with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), which lacks its own aircraft. This partnership supports EWT's critical Wild Dog Expansion Project an initiative vital to the survival of this endangered species. "Without aerial support, EWT would struggle to manage wild dog conservation efforts," McCurrach adds.
Requests for assistance are reviewed by a board, ensuring projects serve the greater environmental good and have no commercial intent. "Every mission must be legitimate," McCurrach explains. "We've turned down projects that appeared ethical on the surface but had questionable outcomes."
McCurrach shares highlights from his 23-year involvement, including dramatic lion relocations and supporting wattled crane breeding efforts. "Flying low to locate crane nests for conservation work helped move the species off the endangered list that's extremely rewarding," he says.
He also recalls recent daily missions transporting rhino embryos for in vitro fertilisation an ambitious and hopeful frontier in conservation. "Acting as dispatcher for those flights was exhilarating," McCurrach says.
After more than two decades of dedicated service, The Bateleurs continues to provide free aerial support to NGOs, researchers, and environmentalists contributing to South Africa's conservation legacy and broader ESG objectives.
If you'd like to partner with The Bateleurs or apply for aerial support for your conservation project, contact Steve McCurrach at
+27 82 891 1689 or email
info@bateleurs.org.
