Considered South Africa’s own ‘Steve Irwin’, it was only fitting that South African wildlife crusader, Dingo Dinkelman, was invited as a guest of Australia’s Victorian Herpetological Society (VHS) last month, where he got the chance to meet other snake wranglers and even handle three of the most venomous snakes on the planet.

“It was an honour and a privilege to be invited by the VHS to share what we know about our African wildlife and get the opportunity to meet some of Australia’s incredible reptiles,” commented the award-winning conservation crusader who was the guest speaker at the 2023 VHS Expo in Melbourne. “We’re looking forward to hosting our Australian counterparts for an authentic African bush experience in August this year.”

The VHS, which is a non-profit organisation, was formed over three decades ago to bring together like-minded reptile enthusiasts. After meeting and greeting fans at the VHS expo, Dingo and his wife, Kirsty, enjoyed the opportunity to travel around Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane in search of Australia’s many famous reptile species.

“We don’t really stick to the inner cities or do much tourist sightseeing on these trips, but we have some memorable wildlife experiences like no other!” enthused Dingo. “Handling the three most venomous snakes in the world was definitely a highlight.”

These included the inland taipan (also known as the fierce snake) which is an extremely venomous snake species endemic to Australia’s semi-arid regions. The second most venomous snake in the world is the eastern brown snake followed by the coastal taipan – a species that features on Dingo’s 7 Deadliest Snakes to Handle YouTube series.

Fans of his incredibly popular YouTube series can look out for some incredible footage from his Australian trip, as Dingo and the team spend a week-and-a-half filming on location. His videos, renowned for his unmatched close encounters with some of the planet’s most dangerous (and misunderstood!) creatures, have amassed more than 75 million views and over 400 000 followers in the last five years.

This trip not only gave Dingo the chance to meet some of his Australian fans, but to build valuable wildlife connections, and set up an exchange visit with 25 volunteers in August. During this 12-day outing, Dingo and his team will keep the volunteers busy with an African wildlife experience that includes de-horning rhinos in the fight against poaching, caring for animals at the rhino orphanage, as well as many engagements with everything from elephants to snakes and crocodiles.

Don’t miss out on any of Dingo’s Australian adventures and upcoming activities by visiting www.dingowild.com,  following ‘Dingo Dinkelman’ on Facebook, Instagram, Rumble, Patreon, and ‘Dingo Dinkelman Reloaded’ on YouTube. Dingo Dinkelman is proudly sponsored by Toyota.