Wildlife on the Move!

UmPhafa, like many other nature reserves, has a responsibility to capture and introduce new game each year…

Our wild animals live within a contained system and their population numbers need to be closely monitored to prevent inbreeding and over population. Animals are therefore moved in and out of reserves to maintain the integrity of the gene pool. Animals are also removed where there is an environmental change (drought, disease, bush fires) or a high level of poaching.

This year, UmPhafa Nature Reserve, has so far has introduced 101 Blesbok, 10 Ostrich and 2 male giraffes, and we are hoping for further introductions in the next few months of a female buffalo, Red Hartebeast, Eland and Reedbuck.

Game capture has started with the removal of 30 male Kudu, 30 male wildebeest, 4 giraffe and 82 zebras. We are still in the process of looking to reduce the numbers of our female Kudu!

We used 2 methods to capture the game! The zebra was done as a mass capture involving a canvas funnel set up on the reserve with the helicopter flying behind the animals to encourage them into the funnel to the transport. The wildebeest and kudu capture were done individually – a much more time consuming and labour intensive activity.

The interns with us during this time joined in during the activities and gained invaluable experience in seeing this vital management function of a game reserve.