Dr. Silke Pfitzer graduated from the veterinary faculty of the Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany in 1997.
She soon afterward relocated to South Africa, where she pursued her interest in African wildlife. She worked as a wildlife veterinarian for 20 years and was involved in the breeding, capture, research, and translocation of most wildlife species in intensive as well as extensive environments. Among Silke's professional highlights were translocations of bull elephants, predator population management on large reserves, and escorting a marine shipment of 120 wild animals to Dubai. She enjoys educating herself further and earned an MSc in Veterinary Tropical Diseases, a South African specialization in wildlife (MMed Vet (Fer)), and a Ph.D. on opioid immobilization in African antelope species.