The wildlife industry rises to the challenge

“The people whose livelihoods are dependent on the sustainable use of any living resource are those who are the most concerned about its proper management.” These are the opening words of wildlife management authority and author Ron Thomson’s keynote address at the first annual congress of the Wildlife Ranchers of South Africa (WRSA) at Castle de Wildt in Modimolle.
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Jan Oelofse: The man who revolutionised game capture

Independent, brave and headstrong, the legendary Jan Oelofse pioneered a mass game capture technique which transformed the practice of antelope capture. Heather Dugmore reflects on his life.
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Fresh wind blows in the Kalahari for the Khomani San

The first game and hunting ranch owned and managed by the clan of the legendary Bushman Dawid Kruiper is open for business. Those with a love of pure hunting skills say the experience is unequalled. Heather Dugmore reports.
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Game auction trends in 2012

Better than average prices and a number of high value species and colour variants traded during 2012 helped notch up the biggest official live game auction turnover yet recorded, says Dr Flippie Cloete of the Unit for Environmental Science and Management at North-West University.
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Economy and ecology of Karoo agriculture

Sheep farming has long been the mainstay of the agricultural economy in the Karoo, but agricultural economists Dr Thula Dlamini and Prof Gavin Fraser say that springbok ranching offers a viable alternative to farmers, with environmental resource benefits. Lindi van Rooyen reports.
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Game on for Kruger Park Wildlife Services

Every year, hundreds of wild animals are moved from SA’s national parks to other parks, reserves and game farms within the region. Game capture and translocation is a highly specialised field, as Dr Markus Hofmeyr, SANParks’ head of Veterinary Wildlife Services, told Peter Mashala.
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Restoring the renosterveld

With no previous farming experience but with a love of conservation and wildlife and a large dose of business and common sense, the Bhorat family has turned an undeveloped and overgrazed piece of land into a successful game farm in only four years. Denene Erasmus reports.
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Colour under investigation

Research on springbok in the Free State focuses on the implications of selecting game animals for their colour. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
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Castle De Wildt’s opening sale on 7 July

Bernard Groenewald of LBG Holdings opened a game marketing facility, Castle De Wildt, outside Modimolle (Nylstroom) last weekend.
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Eastern Cape’s sable pioneer

In 1994 Hennie Barnard became the first person to successfully breed sable antelope in the Eastern Cape. This finalist in the Wildlife Ranching South Africa’s 2011 Game Rancher of the Year competition has fine herds of sable and buffalo on his farm near Aberdeen. Heather Dugmore paid him a visit.
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