Marlice Elretha Jansen van Vuuren (born 14 May 1976 as Marlice Elrethra van der Merwe) is a Namibian
conservationist. Together with her husband Dr.
Rudie van Vuuren, she runs the
N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary in central Namibia.
Van Vuuren has been working with animals in film productions since the age of 13; she has worked on a number of well known movies with various celebrities including
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie (; born Angelina Jolie Voight; June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, humanitarian and former Special Envoy to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award ...
. Her life is covered in the 2008 documentary "Marlice – A Vision for Africa" by Philip Selkirk. Marlice van Vuuren and her three legged
cheetah
The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
Lucky featured in an advert for a
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...
, shown on South African TV in May 2009.
VW Golf ad featuring Marlice van Vuuren
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Family
Marlice van Vuuren grew up on her parents' farm in Namibia where for more than 30 years injured or orphaned animals have found refuge. She also grew up closely with the San people
The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia ...
, and is one of only a handful of white people who can speak one of their languages. She married Dr. Rudie van Vuuren in December 2000 with whom she has two children.
See also
* Tippi Degré
Tippi Benjamine Okanti Degré (born June 4, 1990) is a French woman best known for spending her youth in Namibia among wild animals and tribes people. In 1997, she was the protagonist of ''Le Monde selon Tippi'', filmed in Namibia and Botswana. Wh ...
* Sabine Kuegler
Sabine Kuegler (born 25 December 1972 in Patan, Nepal) is a German author. She has written several books, two of which have been translated into English. These two books are related to her uncommon childhood: from age 7 to age 17 she lived with he ...
References
External links
Naankuse website
Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia run by Marlice and Rudie van Vuuren
1976 births
Living people
Namibian Afrikaner people
Namibian conservationists
Nature conservation in Namibia
White Namibian people
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