Who We Are

Dr. Yolanda Pretorius is a reborn Christian, qualified Wildlife Ecologist, Elephant Specialist and Young-Earth Creation Scientist from South Africa. She completed her pre-graduate BSc(Agric) degree in Animal- and Wildlife Science in 2000 followed by a BSc(Honours) degree in Wildlife Management in 2001 through the University of Pretoria (South Africa). In 2004 she completed her MSc degree in Biology through the University of KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) with her thesis focusing on tourism and disrupted social structure as potential causes of stress for a population of elephants on a fenced game reserve in the Waterberg. 

After working for Ezemvelo-KZN Wildlife as an elephant monitor at Ithala Game Reserve for a year in 2004, she decided to continue her studies and completed a PhD degree in Animal Ecology with Wageningen University in the Netherlands. As part of this degree she had the privilege to live in a tent in the Greater Kruger National Park for 3 years whilst collecting data on the free roaming large herbivores in the surrounding area.

After this she spent some time in Zululand trying to setup a field research station on Thanda Private Game Reserve in 2009 but eventually ended up managing a disease-free buffalo breeding project for Magudu Private Game Reserve just north of Thanda. When the breeding program closed down at the end of 2010, Yolanda made a full circle by returning as elephant and cheetah monitor to Mabula Private Game Reserve in the Waterberg with permission to run her business with foreign volunteer students on the side. In 2013 she decided to return to formal academia and got accepted for a lecturing position at the Centre for Wildlife Management (University of Pretoria).

Most of her research throughout her academic career focused on the African elephant, and she had students and projects in national parks and private game reserves all over the northern and eastern parts of South Africa, including Madikwe, Pilanesberg, Mabula, Shambala, Ithala and the Greater Kruger National Park. 

At the end of 2014 she accepted Jesus and got saved. This event changed her entire life and how she viewed the world, especially science. After going through some deliverance sessions and being baptised, she completed some courses in inner healing, spiritual warfare, intercession and how to support survivors of occult related abuse. In 2017, the Lord opened doors for her to move back to her favorite part of the world, which is in the Hoedspruit region (Limpopo) next to Kruger National Park. Up until 2021 she remained in secular academia and worked as qualifications manager, lecturer and material developer for the Southern African Wildlife College. During her academic career Yolanda published several peer reviewed articles in internationally renowned scientific journals. However, at the end of 2021 she received word from the Lord that she should take a step of faith, resign and move into fulltime ministry as a creation scientist, which she did.

Since then, Yolanda has been studying the Bible and researching the field of creationism and general apologetics. This together with an intensive inner healing, spiritual warfare and deliverance journey, which the Lord put her on after she resigned, resulted in her writing and publishing a book in 2023/2024 called, The Biblical Nature of All Things. She also completed a Higher Certificate in Pastoral Counselling in 2024 and is currently enrolled in a Christian-based course to become a herbalist. 

For a more comprehensive CV of Dr. Yolanda Pretorius, please lodge a formal request on the Contact Us page.