Sue Hart moved to Africa in the early 1950s after training at the Royal Veterinary College in London. She was bestowed the name "Daktari" by the Kenyan people in recognition of her pioneering work with wild animals. The word “Daktari” comes from a very old African language, Swahili; it means doctor, in its broadest sense: a “healer”.

Sue Hart had more than a dozen books published, for both adults and children, including the bestseller, “Life with Daktari: Two Vets in East Africa” and “Tales of the Full Moon”, a series of short stories for
children. 

Together with her husband, their work was the inspiration for the 1960s television series "Daktari", and film "Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion".