About Us

Robynn’s Bio

Robynn has been in the zoological industry for more than 30 years. Her career started as a volunteer at Johannesburg Zoo in 1996. She started the first Enrichment Officer position which still exists today and is run by Candice Ward. In 1999, she worked at FreeMe where she applied her skills to rehabilitation for local wildlife. She then volunteered at the National Zoo in Pretoria and was again appointed to establish an enrichment position which she held for 13 years.

Within that timeline she became good friends with Valerie Hare and they established SHAPE-Africa as a Branch of The Shape of Enrichment (SoE) in 2007. In 2009, she was awarded the Bernard Harrison & Friends Award through Dave Morgan due to her work on promoting and highlighting the importance of enrichment in the field of animal care within Africa.

She has coordinated many workshops, facilitated many events and opportunities on the subject of enrichment around South Africa and abroad.

Robynn left the NZG to join Bester Birds (2014-2017) and then joined Lory Park Zoo (2017 – 2026). In that time she applied herself as a keeper and learned hands-on the difficult and rewarding experiences of welfare and the well-being.

SHAPE-Africa has, since 2019, collaborated with LOOP Abroad through Natasha Sibilski and Kara Heynis to facilitate enrichment at Lory Park Zoo.

In 2024 Robynn and others started the South African Animal Keepers Association (SAAKA). In early 2026, SHAPE-Africa re-established itself to focus on the future of staff development and skills awareness in the community of zoological and like-minded animal care organizations.

Robynn would like to thank a few amazing people who have supported and taught her so much. They are Gabby Harris, Dave Morgan, Valerie Hare, Robert Young, Louise Gordon, Mark Kingston-Jones, Rynette Coetzee, Jill Mellon, Temple Grandin, Jon Coe, David Shepherson, Gerald Durrell, Dominic Moss, Hayley Tennent, Willie Labuschagne, Kara Heynis, Matty and Eddy Van Eck, Mike Bester, Carin Cloete, Beth Hammond, Margaret Hawkins, Ryne Ferguson, Marie Ingle, Donn Ingle and Michael Moller.

Ayrton’s Bio

Ayrton King has worked professionally in the animal care industry for over 11 years, gaining experience with a wide variety of marine animals and birds. He is currently an Aquarist II at the Two Oceans Aquarium, where he plays an active role in the daily care, husbandry, and well-being of marine species.

A significant part of Ayrton’s career has been dedicated to working with African Black-footed Penguins and Rockhopper Penguins. Spending years caring for these intelligent and charismatic birds sparked a deeper curiosity about how animals experience the environments we create for them. Observing their behaviour and individual personalities inspired him to look beyond basic husbandry and focus more intentionally on welfare, behavioural needs, and environmental enrichment.

Through this experience, Ayrton developed a strong passion for understanding how enrichment can improve the lives of animals in human care. He believes enrichment is not simply about stimulation, but about providing animals with opportunities to express natural behaviours, solve problems, and interact with their environments in meaningful ways.

Ayrton’s journey with penguins ultimately shaped his commitment to continually improving animal welfare standards. Through his work with Shape Africa, he hopes to help develop thoughtful, innovative enrichment strategies that support both animals and caregivers, creating environments where animals can truly thrive.

Traci’s Bio

Traci Wright started at a Bird park in Mpumalunga early on in her career. She later joined Monte Casino Bird gardens, where her first exposure into the world of Enrichment, was through attending an enrichment conference. Since then she has applied enrichment into her daily activities. She has worked with most terrestrial animals with in a zoological capacity and now applies enrichment to her role as house sitter. She has joined SHAPE-Africa with the objective to share her experience in the field of welfare and well-being.

Karin’s Bio

Karin began her career in animal behaviour therapy after completing her studies in Animal Behaviour Science in the United Kingdom in 1997. She is a published author, a COAPE Certified Animal Behaviourist (C.C.A.B), and sits on the UK Behaviour and Training Charter Director Committee as the CABTi’s representative, as well as being an ICAN Certified Animal Behaviourist (C.A.B). She is also a member of the South African Animal Keepers Association (SAAKA), reflecting her active engagement with professional communities working directly in animal care and welfare.

She presents extensively at conferences both locally and abroad about animal emotionality. Karin is the creator of the MHERA™ method, a structured, science-based framework designed to assess, track, and support the emotional and behavioural wellbeing of animals across species and environments. Grounded in affective neuroscience and applied behavioural science, MHERA™ translates complex emotional processes into practical, decision-ready insights for professionals working at the front line of animal care.

To support real-world application, she developed the MHERA App, a professional-grade tool that standardises assessment, reduces reporting burden, and enables consistent, measurable welfare tracking. Together, the method and platform form a globally applied system used by practitioners to improve welfare outcomes with clarity and precision.

MHERA™ has been successfully implemented across a wide range of species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and in settings ranging from domestic companion animal care to captive wildlife management. Her work also includes collaborating with SHAPE Africa on enrichment projects, contributing to the development of practical, welfare-focused strategies that enhance the lived experience of animals in professional care. Her first book, Mood Matters: MHERA – An Innovative Assessment Approach to Animal Emotionality in the Treatment of Behaviour Problems, was published in 2023 by DogWise (USA). She is currently writing her second book, which explores the application of MHERA to improve the wellbeing of animals living under professional human care.

In addition to her academic and professional contributions, Karin plays an active role in policy and welfare initiatives. She serves on the South African Government’s task team for the safe guardianship of Pitbulls and sits on the African Association for Wildlife in Human Care (AAWHC) Welfare Committee.

Donn’s Bio

Donn Ingle is a Graphic and Website designer with over 40 years experience. He has assisted in the past in developing art both physically and electronically for ICEE, PAAZA, Butterfly World, AKAA and more recently for SHAPE-Africa and the newly formed SAAKA (South African Animal Keepers Association).

Donn has offered and given of his time to generate art and products for SHAPE-Africa and SAAKA, such as; badges, websites, and developing software programs for the Creature Credits for SAAKA. Donn is a critical player and partner and works closely with SHAPE-Africa to make it alive and tangible.