This is the most wonderful thing to do as a family or with a group of friends or just as a couple! There is a fabulous owner managed lodge in South Africa, owned and managed by Ant Baber and his wife, Tess. Apart from being in the most beautiful area – framed by the Waterberg Mountains – one has the added benefit of being able to spend the day assisting with game capture.
This takes safari life to a completely different level! There are two lodges on the property, which consists of 12 000 hectares. Although historically this is more of a riding property (they have 90 horses for all levels!), for one week a year, it turns into a frenzy of activity and cohesion as guests of like minds join forces to assist and learn about wildlife, conservation and game capture. The reason for the game capture is twofold; the first is to conserve and protect the rhino.
As you may or may not know, South Africa is losing more than 2 rhino per day. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand how unsustainable this is - and the devastating consequences from anti poaching, directed by China and Vietnam. Therefore, they are capturing the rhino, darting them and filling the horns with a dye, to make them unsalable. The rest of the game capture is down to game management. Given that the reserve is fenced, it can only hold a certain amount of wildlife.
Therefore, when those numbers are reached or exceeded, they are required to be sold, or for example, Ants now has Roan Antelope – a rare and beautiful species, alongside the other notable –being Sable Antelope. But it’s more the knowledge one gains, learning how to handle wildlife and getting an insight into the conservation issues facing South Africa.
Elsewhere in South Africa, in the Eastern Cape, at the beautiful Kwandwe Game Lodge, one can also be involved in rhino capture. Here for a donation, one can pay for the capture of the rhino, for its sedation and for the vet to come and collar or chip it, so that these animals can be tracked at all time in the reserve, tracing their steps for the anti poaching game scouts. Here one is making a tangible difference to this rhino’s life – for the most part, probably saving it.
We also have translocations of elephant in Malawi – there is a project coming up to relocate a large herd to the newly proclaimed Africa Parks reserve near Nkhotakhota.
So for a safari to South Africa with a twist, involving up close and personal encounters with wildlife, please do contact us if you would like any details or be part of one of these amazing safaris.
