Tiffany Soechting • Executive Director
Tiffany started her career at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch in 1985, less than a year after their opening. During that over 30 year span of time, she has been an active part of their giraffe program. She has witnessed first hand the growth spawned from the founding sire and dam into a program with two established breeding herds. that have produced over 35 offspring and now the 4th generation to live and thrive in their safe home away from home. Tiffany is the head caretaker of giraffe babies that have required extra nurturing and hand rearing. Her 'biggest baby', Buddy, was born in 2013. He is one of the 9th known living giraffe twins born in the last 200 years. Buddy was the spark of inspiration and the first step of a journey that lead to the formation of this organization. Her career and personal life revolve around her family and their collective interest in raising and caring for animals. She has developed the educational programs and materials for Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, as well as the marketing and public relations programs. That 30 years of knowledge and experience is what she is bringing to help Save The Giraffes.
Jason Pootoolal • Vice President
Jason Pootoolal is a zoologist and conservationist from Ontario, Canada. He has worked in the management and care of animals for over 20 years and has been an active participant in conservation-focused research for over a decade. Although he has worked with nearly every animal species, he found his true passion is working with ungulates.
When he first started working with giraffe in the early 2000s, their rapidly declining numbers in the wild were ignored and within the zoological world, giraffes were often misunderstood as unintelligent and fearful. Acknowledging what so many of us see in giraffe, a truly amazing and inspiring species. Jason has dedicated his career to advancing their care in human partnership and protecting wild giraffes and the ecosystem they share with so many unique people, plants and animals.
Having collaborated with some of the best and most dedicated giraffe professionals across 5 continents, he has extended our knowledge of giraffe survival and reproduction, as well as advanced care for giraffes living under human stewardship. Jason has assisted in the pioneering of giraffe reproduction for use in proper captive management as well as wild genetic conservation. He has worked towards developing the best practices of caring for the most vulnerable captive giraffes: compromised neonates and the geriatric.
Catherine Carter Land is a Texan with a huge passion for creativity and adventure. She grew up raising raccoons, whitetail deer, foxes, squirrels, coyotes… basically any animal that her dad would bring home from the field that was in need of help before being released back into the wild. Catherine received her degree in Film and Digital Media from Baylor University in 2013 and began her career in news reporting before moving on to become producer of NatGeoWILD’s Walking With Giraffes. It was during the production of this film that she met Buddy, the twin giraffe born at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. It was their friendship that encouraged her to set out on a journey to help this magnificent species. She is a member of the Coastal Conservation Association, New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce, Safari Club International and the Wild Sheep Foundation. Catherine’s family taught her the importance and value of protecting and enjoying the great outdoors at a very young age, instilling a deep love and appreciation for wildlife and conservation. She has made it her goal to share that same love and appreciation with people around the world for the betterment of our environment.
