Snake bite claims legendary Dingo Dinkelman, SA’s own Steve Irwin

NATIONAL NEWS - On Saturday 26 October, having spent a month in ICU in an induced coma following a snake bite, South African wildlife crusader, YouTube sensation, and our dedicated family man, Dingo (Graham) Dinkelman (44) passed away.

Dingo’s love for all animals was legendary, with videos of handling crocodiles, snakes, and a variety of African wildlife propelling him to internet fame.

An allergy to snake venom resulted in anaphylactic shock after he was bitten by a green mamba at home in KZN in September.

Family has always been close to his heart. Dingo’s father – who passed away a year ago – inspired his love of nature. He worked for the (then) Natal Parks Board which allowed Dingo to grow up exploring nature reserves during holidays and rehabilitating wildlife in his home.

Our three children Taylor (14), Maddy (12), and Rex Dinkelman (9) were central to Dingo, who never missed an opportunity to express his love and pride for his family.

While Dingo was renowned for his involvement with snakes and other reptiles, his compassion extended to all creatures.

There was a special place in his heart for African mammals, his favourites being elephants, rhinos and lions, as well as our own giraffe, Elliot. But it was truly his love for his family that was always behind his purpose, drive, and passion.

Dingo, Kirsty, Rex, Maddy and Taylor Dinkelman.

Anyone who met Dingo was immediately entranced by his larger-than-life personality. He was a fearless conservationist with a contagious enthusiasm that made others simply want to be around him.

His passion was matched only by his incredible sense of humour which, all who knew him can attest, made every day with Dingo one to cherish.

Affectionately known as ‘South Africa’s Steve Irwin’, Dingo first reached a global audience in 2017 after winning the Cell C and Blink Pictures #BreakTheNet (#BTN) competition with his series of YouTube videos.

The content featured Dingo’s antics with South African wildlife, aimed at grabbing the audience’s attention and sharing important messages of conservation through YouTube.

Dingo saw an opportunity to use social media as a platform for widespread positive change.

Rather than speaking to those who already had an affinity with nature, he used his enigmatic personality and adrenaline-inducing content to reach a global audience who didn’t necessarily have a connection with nature – some of whom had never even encountered wildlife – but who could through his YouTube series.

As he once said: “My passion, my calling, the reason I have been put on the face of this Earth, is to help people to connect with animals. As things change, you have to change with them to ensure your message stays relevant.

"I’ve always believed that we need to convert the unconverted – to reach people who’ve had absolutely no experience with nature and wildlife, who are scared of snakes and afraid of getting dirty, and to get them passionate about conservation. We can achieve this goal by sharing the right content on these social media platforms.”

He achieved this goal, racking up more than 400 000 subscribers on his Dingo Dinkelman YouTube channel – one of the fastest growing channels in the country – averaging 3 million monthly viewers and more than 40 million views a year.

Beyond the online world, Dingo gave people a chance to get back into nature, starting with Dingo’s Wildlife Club in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal where kids got their feet dirty while learning more about wildlife with some hands-on experience.

He and his team also put on animal exhibitions and interactions around KZN – including many school shows – as well as establishing ‘Voluntourism: Dingo’s Africa Experience’ which welcomed visitors from across the world to participate in conservation efforts.

He also presented at a number of international conservation events, connecting with other YouTube celebrities such as ‘Danger’ Danny Perich and Savannah Boan from Gatorland, and Kevin McCurley, founder and owner of New England Reptile Distributors (NERD).

Last year, he was invited as a guest of Australia’s Victorian Herpetological Society (VHS), as well as hosting Australian environmentalists for an African adventure.

Featured in his videos are his immense contributions to conservation, such as dehorning rhino, collaring elephants, relocating lions and working with some of the planet’s most threatened species, including the pangolin and brown hyena.

He also ran specialist breeding programmes for endangered reptiles and amphibians, and hosted wildlife training programmes.

One of Dingo’s greatest joys was being able to have his family work so closely with him and be so heavily involved in his work. Working together, we recently started a new YouTube channel, ‘The Dinkelmans’ which focuses on wholesome family content, animal adventures, and conservation.

Dingo once said:

“My kids are fortunate to live life in the African bush, enjoying experiences that very few others have experienced, particularly from such a young age, and they’ve always wanted to share this with other kids. Our conservation efforts, everything we’re doing to save the natural environment, really means nothing if the next generation doesn’t get involved. I can take it so far with my wildlife videos, but for kids to hear and see it being done by people their own age, I feel it can make an even bigger impact.”

Sharing his passion for all creatures, we will continue his legacy, promoting conservation and continuing to share his sense of awe and wonder with the world.

His presence has brought so much warmth, love, passion and laughter to our lives, as well as all of those who knew him, loved him and supported him. We love you Dingo and we will always celebrate your incredible impact on each of our lives.