Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Location Data (GPS)

Our App requires access to your device's location services to provide core functionality, specifically:

Displaying your current position on the map (both online and offline).
Calculating distances to points of interest (camps, gates, picnic spots).
Navigating along routes within the park.

Important: This location data is processed locally on your device. We do not transmit, store, or share your location history on our servers. Your movement data stays on your phone.

1.2 User Accounts

The App does not require you to create an account. We do not collect your name, email address, or phone number.

1.3 User-Submitted Conservation Reports

If you choose to submit sighting reports, invasive species reports, environmental incident reports (trash, road damage, erosion) or disease alerts through the App, the following information is collected at the moment of submission:

GPS coordinates of the reported location
Photograph (if attached)
Report type and description
Date and timestamp

All conservation reports are anonymised before processing. No personal identifiers are attached to any report visible to our team or to third parties including SANParks.

1.4 Donated Data

The App includes an optional Donate Data feature. If you choose to activate this feature, you voluntarily share anonymised sighting coordinates, species identifications and timestamps for conservation and research purposes. Data donation is entirely voluntary and the App functions fully without it. See Section 3 for details on how donated data is shared.

1.5 Anonymous Usage Analytics

We collect anonymous, aggregated data about how the App is used — such as which features are accessed and session frequency — to improve the App. This data cannot be used to identify you personally.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect solely for the following purposes:

Location data — to show your position on the park map, calculate distances and provide navigation. Processed locally on your device only.
Conservation reports — to process, anonymise and display incident data, and to share with SANParks under a formal data sharing agreement.
Donated sighting data — to contribute anonymised records to conservation research programmes.
Anonymous analytics — to improve App performance and features.
Community submissions — to review and publish user-submitted experiences and ratings on our website, as described in Section 4.3.

We do not use your information for advertising profiling. We do not sell your data to any third party.

3. Third-Party Services

3.1 SANParks and Conservation Partners

If you activate the Donate Data feature, your anonymised sighting data may be shared with SANParks Scientific Services and other named conservation partners under a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Only anonymised data is shared — no personal identifiers are included. You may withdraw consent to future data donation at any time via the App settings.

3.2 OpenStreetMap / Leaflet

The App uses OpenStreetMap and Leaflet for rendering online maps. When fetching map tiles, your IP address may be received by OpenStreetMap servers. This is a standard technical requirement of how map tile services function. No other personal data is shared with OpenStreetMap or Leaflet.

OpenStreetMap Privacy Policy: openstreetmap.org/privacy

3.3 Google Cloud Infrastructure

Server-side data (anonymised conservation reports and donated data) is stored on Google Cloud infrastructure. Google acts as a data processor on our behalf and is contractually bound to process data only as we instruct. We aim to use the africa-south1 (Johannesburg) region where technically feasible.

4. Website — Cookies and Local Storage

This section applies to our website at krugercompanion.com and is separate from the mobile App.

4.1 Cookies and Tracking

Our website does not use tracking or advertising cookies. We use the following local storage technologies:

Essential storage: We store your cookie consent preference so we do not ask you repeatedly.
Functional storage: If you accept functional storage, we save your packing list selections and community voting history in your browser's localStorage for your convenience. Voting history prevents you from rating the same accommodation twice.

Your choice: When you first visit our website, a consent banner lets you choose between "Accept All" (essential + functional) or "Essential Only". You can reset this preference at any time by clearing your browser's localStorage.

4.2 Fonts

All fonts are hosted locally on our servers. No requests are made to third-party font services such as Google Fonts.

4.3 Community Features

Our website allows anonymous ratings and experience submissions. Community ratings are stored on our server without any personally identifiable information. When you use the "Share your experience" feature or submit a blog article, you are sending an email directly to us via your own email client. We do not store these submissions on our server until they are manually reviewed and published by our team.

5. Data Retention

Location data — never transmitted to our servers. Retained locally on your device only, subject to your own device storage management.
Anonymised conservation reports — retained on our servers for a maximum of 7 years for conservation research continuity, after which records are deleted or further anonymised.
Donated sighting data — retained for a maximum of 7 years.
Anonymous usage analytics — retained for 12 months.
Community ratings on the website — retained indefinitely in anonymised form.

6. POPIA Compliance

Tusker Trails is committed to compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa. In line with POPIA:

We collect only the minimum personal information necessary to operate the App and website.
All conservation and incident reports are anonymised — no personal information is attached to any report visible to third parties.
You have the right to access, correct or request deletion of any personal information we hold about you.
We have appointed an Information Officer responsible for POPIA compliance. Contact details are provided in Section 10.
We will notify affected users and the Information Regulator in the event of a data breach, as required by POPIA Section 22.

7. EU Users — GDPR Alignment

For users based in the European Union, we aim to align our data practices with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The lawful basis for processing your data is either your consent (for data donation and functional storage) or our legitimate interest in operating a functional conservation app (for anonymous analytics and crash reporting). EU users may exercise data subject rights under GDPR by contacting us at the address in Section 10.

8. Children's Privacy

Our App is intended for general audiences and wildlife enthusiasts. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 13. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to delete it.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. You are advised to review this page periodically for any changes. Material changes will be communicated via an in-app notification. The effective date at the top of this document will always reflect the most recent version.

10. Contact Us

Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd

Email: hello@krugercompanion.com

Information Officer: Alexander Hoppenrath

Postal Address: 1120 Vienna, Austria

Kruger Companion Privacy Policy | Tusker Trails (Pty) Ltd | Effective June 2026

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