Meet the Team

Stretch Combrink

Stretch originally arrived in Namibia in 1991 to work as a volunteer at NARREC (Namibian Animal Rehabilitation Research and Education Centre) for three months. He is still here. After NARREC he founded a snake park at Mokuti Etosha situated right at the Eastern gate to Etosha National Park. He lived in the area for 15 years working in tourism in Etosha in between curating the Ontouka Reptile Park. He came to Swakopmund in 2014 and began working with Stuart Hebard, the original founder of The Living Desert Snake Park. In 2019 Stuart hung up his snake hook and retired and Stretch and his partner Angela took over the snake park.

Stretch has been interested in animals, especially snakes, since he was a child. Before coming to Namibia he worked at OWL, an animal rehabilitation centre at Oribi Gorge in KZN in South Africa, served as a voluntary ranger for the Natal Parks Board removing and rescuing snakes from conflict situations and founded his own garden services company.

Stretch giving a snake demonstration to a group of environmental assessment professionals at their annual conference. Snake and reptile education for schools, tourists and corporations. Safe snake handling lessons. Black mambas, cobras and adders.

Angela Curtis

One of Angela’s earliest memories are of watching a line of ants walking past the back stairs. The fascination with all animals has continued to this day. Angela has lived in Namibia since she was 6 years old. She used to volunteer at the SPCA in Windhoek after school and was always collecting and caring for a variety of animals and training dogs. On leaving school she embarked on a B.Sc in Zoology and Chemistry part time while working as a guide in Etosha National Park based at Mokuti Etosha. After that she ran a guesthouse in Windhoek for a number of years among other jobs, started training and breeding White Swiss Shepherd Dogs and became a professional dog trainer. She also completed an Honours degree in Psychology which helped considerably with dog training. Her life took a whole new direction when she was chosen to study bats at Gobabeb Desert Research Institute where she obtained an M.Sc in Nature Conservation. This was the beginning of an obsession learning about and working with bats. She has worked with bats over most of Namibia, part of South Africa and spent 3 months working on bats on Zanzibar. She still works as a bat consultant when work arises. In 2019 she and Stretch took over The LIving Desert Snake Park when Stuart retired.

A woman in a blue shirt and patterned pants stands in a desert landscape holding an orange sign, with equipment on the ground nearby connected to a tall antenna, under a cloudy sky.

John Mpande

John Mpande, a snake handler at the Living Desert Snake Park. Snake conservation, Safe Snake handling, education about reptiles for tourists and schools alike. The Living Desert Snake Park in Swakopmund, Namibia

John Mpande comes from Shamburu near Rundu in the Kavango Region in Northern Namibia. His home language is Gciriku and he speaks English as a second language. Swakopmund, in the Namib Desert, couldn’t be more different for the lush, warm tropical environment of Rundu. John started at The Living Desert Snake Park in 2005 having never handled a snake in his life before. Now he works as Assistant Curator and handles snakes everyday and working with and learning about snakes has become his passion He has a very calm, gentle way with the snakes and has built up a remarkable relationship with many of them.

Jeneal Sass

Jeneal is usually the first person you meet when you come to the snake park. She is in charge of the front of house, welcoming visitors, making sure the snake park is presentable, running the little curio shop and general administration. She was born in Windhoek but has been living in Swakopmund for the last ten years. She enjoys building meaningful relationships with people and believes in providing friendly professional service. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, focusing on personal growth, exploring new places and maintaining a healthy work life balance.

Jeneal working for the Living Desert Snake Park in Swakopmund Namibia. Snake Conservation and education for tourists and schools alike. Black Mambas, cobras and adders. Learn about Namibia's fascinating snakes

Leonard Uugwanga

Leonard started working at The Living Desert Snake Park in 2013. He comes from Okahao in North Central Namibia. His home language is Oshiwambo and he also speaks English and Afrikaans. He loves working with animals and is predominantly involved in caring for the rat and mice colonies which we breed at another location. He assists at the park on one day a week and by assisting with the cleaning and maintaining the garden. In his spare time he enjoys playing soccer and spending time with his three children

Leonard working for the Living Desert Snake Park in Swakopmund, Namibia. Snake conservation and education. Many snake species on display. Learn about Namibia's fascinating reptiles. Black mambas, cobras and adders.

Willow and Honey

Willow and Honey grew up at the Snake Park and work as public relations officers. They like meeting new people and making new friends especially with children. Their hobbies are running on the beach and up and down sand dunes as well as finding treasures in the desert and burying them for posterity.

Close-up photo of a brown and white dog with a black collar, looking to the side against a dark background. An employee at the Living Desert Snake Park in Swakopmund, Namibia. Snake Conservation and education, Tourism and school groups
Close-up of a brown, long-haired dog with soulful eyes, sitting indoors near a window. An employee at the Living Desert Snake Park in Swakopmund Namibia, Working as a human relations manager. Snake Conservation and education.