Game & Wildlife

When Abel Erasmus bought five stock farms near Philippolis in the Free State to establish the 14 000ha Otterskloof Private Game Reserve, he focused on breeding rare game species, including disease-free buffalo, roan antelope and sable antelope. Mike Burgess spoke to him about his success converting stock farms into a game reserve.

Ultrasound scans aren't new in the livestock industry, but they're now being increasingly used in the high-profit game industry. And that's just the start - researchers say embryo transfer is the next big thing. Heather Dugmore investigates.

Few farming enterprises can offer the returns of a well-managed buffalo breeding operation.

South Africa’s stud game industry is making great strides in breeding genetically superior stock, but are the high prices being paid at auctions healthy – or the start of a big problem? Heather Dugmore investigates.

Spanish hunters expect comfortable accommodation, Germans want value for money – Roelof Bezuidenhout breaks down a recent survey into what foreign tourists want from safaris, and how operators can cater for them.

Two wildlife ranching experts call for more support from the authorities but warn that over-regulation could kill the industry.

The Garingboom Guest Farm near Springfontein in the southern Free State has had 15 000 guests pass through it in the past 14 years, many of whom came to catch a glimpse of two new bird species discovered as late as the 1990s. Mike Burgess visited the farm.

The fierce debate around alien and invasive species regulations highlights the conflict between long-term sustainability, sought by conservation authorities, and short-term financial gain, important to game ranchers. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.

When stocking game in the Little Karoo, farmers must be aware of the fragility of this veld. Careful monitoring of veld, starting with the right species, as well as the animals already on a farm, should all be considered, so says Ken Coetzee of Conservation Management Services. Glenneis Erasmus spoke to him about how to get stocking rates right.

A scientific analysis of price trends at last year's game auctions indicates that despite the economic downturn, demand for certain species was high and more animals were being sold directly to game capturers.

Parasites play an important part in natural ecosystems, and wildlife can bear their tick burdens and still stay healthy - if humans stop interfering. So says Professor Ivan Horak (left) of the University of Pretoria's Onderstepoort campus. Cornelia du Plooy investigates.

Ron Thomson has written a refreshing and hard-hitting book to remind hunters, game ranchers and ordinary nature lovers where they fit into the bigger conservation picture. Roelof Bezuidenhout reviews a book that pulls no punches.