Game & Wildlife

In a candid and sometimes emotional interview, Dr Dave Cooper, an award-winning wildlife veterinarian with Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, reveals the toll that the rhino poaching scourge is taking on him and his colleagues.

Aspiring and current game farmers must carefully consider the factors that influence a ranch’s value.

Your consultant might not be your employee, but if you’re expecting excellent results, you need to apply sound management skills to the relationship.

The NOSA Five Star Safety System goes beyond safety issues. It offers a proven way of ensuring excellence in your operation and increasing profits.

Game farms may be uncommon in the Western Cape, but Fernando Rueda, a rare-game breeder on Arc-en-ciel, near Wellington, is convinced that the province has great potential for aspiring game farmers. Fernando and farm manager Schutz Marais spoke to Jeandré du Preez about unlocking the industry’s potential.

Landowners and trophy and biltong hunters should ensure they are up to date with the legal requirements for carrying ammunition and transporting meat as well as the environmental conservation ordinances.

The geometric tortoise is thought to be one of the most endangered species of tortoise on earth. It occurs only in the Western Cape, where over 90% of its habitat has been lost due to agricultural conversion of land. Jay Ferreira reports on efforts to save the species from extinction.

In 2009, Petri Snyman introduced game breeding to his Somerset East livestock operation in an attempt at vertical development. Mike Burgess visited him recently to see how the game component, spearheaded by blesbok colour variants, has transformed the earning potential of Kroonkop Farms in the Eastern Cape.

Managing human-wildlife conflict should be based on science rather than hearsay, as this failed attempt at controlling baboons with prisms in the Western Cape shows.

Klein Buisfontein Ranch is an intensive game-breeding enterprise run on relatively small land.

The Koup jackal-proof fence project shows it is possible for farmers and government to work together successfully on community ventures.

According to Riaan Crous, cattle simply cannot beat the income/ha earned from game.