Happy Birthday Amakhala Game Reserve! To celebrate our 20th birthday, we have launched an exciting new wildlife coffee table book: Celebrating Twenty Years of Conservation and Community. It is a visual celebration of the spectacular landscapes and wildlife guests and visitors can enjoy at Amakhala, that also commemorates Amakhala’s amazing
transformation from agricultural land into a collaborative, viable 8 500-hectare ecotourism game reserve and details Amakhala’s significant contributions to conservation and community over the last 20 years.
Today, our guests come from all over the world to enjoy unforgettable, authentic safari experiences in a magnificent landscape which encompasses five of South Africa's seven biomes and abundant African wildlife, including lion, elephant, rhino, giraffe and cheetah; as well as warm hospitality at Amakhala’s owner-managed safari lodges, tented camps and restored 19th century country houses – all situated in the tranquil, secluded African bush.
Celebrating Twenty Years of Conservation and Community also commemorates Amakhala’s exceptional contributions to protecting wildlife and uplifting the surrounding community. It showcases one of our most significant conservation milestones: being awarded Protected Area Status by the Provincial Government in
2018 as part of the Indalo Game Reserves Protected Environment. This is in recognition of Amakhala’s contribution to biodiversity conservation, including multi-layered anti-poaching measures, a dedicated Ecology Unit, and the Amakhala Volunteers programme. The book also highlights the many initiatives of the Amakhala Foundation
to uplift the local community, including the Amakhala Conservation Centre and the Amakhala Craft Centre. Celebrating Twenty Years of Conservation and Community is available from the Amakhala Game Reserve lodge shops and Amakhala Craft Centre.
International Cheetah Day:
A Special Occasion at Amakhala
Raising awareness of the threat of extinction facing the cheetah –Africa’s most endangered big cats –International Cheetah Day (#IntlCheetahDay) on 4 December each year was
designated by the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
This International Cheetah Day was a special occasion at Amakhala: welcoming our newest cheetah, Ivory – the first captive-born cheetah to be translocated into the wild in South Africa. This is another milestone in our management and ecology team’s contribution to re-establishing healthy, self-sustainable
and wild cheetah in southern Africa.
Only at Amakhala can guests experience the rare opportunity of viewing wilded cheetah revelling in newfound freedom, and of savouring the knowledge that they are contributing to the survival of this threatened and iconic species.
This year, Amakhala joined the Ashia Cheetah Conservation and Kuzuko Lodge Breeding, Wilding and Release Project that primarily focuses on the wilding and introduction of captive-bred cheetahs into the protected wild. Ivory, a 5-year-old male cheetah, is the first captive-born cheetah to be successfully relocated from Kuzuko Lodge to a wild reserve as part of the South African Cheetah Metapopulation project managed by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT).
Ivory is thriving in his new home at Amakhala and joined up with a female cheetah of wild origin, which was also recently released at Amakhala, and the pair has already provided some amazing sightings!
Since the reintroduction of cheetah to the reserve in 2003, Amakhala’s cheetah population has shown exciting growth and the reserve has become a source of wild, hardy and healthy cheetah for the EWT Cheetah Metapopulation Project.
At Amakhala, we treasure and protect our cheetah, take pride in our role in cheetah conservation in southern Africa, and delight in providing our local and international guests with amazing opportunities to appreciate the wonderful nature of this iconic species. Amakhala Foundation Celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary
Amakhala Foundation's 10 Year Anniversary event, hosted on 13 September 2019, was a wonderful community celebration of the successes achieved over the last 10 years. Established in 2009, coinciding with Amakhala Game Reserve’s 10th anniversary at the time, the Amakhala Foundation is home to Amakhala Game Reserve’s community and conservation
projects.
The event was attended by 120 Grade 4 learners from seven schools, as well as teachers, supporters, guides, lodge managers and representatives from associated organisations. The kids enjoyed fun 20-minute activities presented by Amakhala staff and Rhodes University student volunteers. The Graeme College Steelband provided musical entertainment, while the kids enjoyed a soccer game with Coaching for Conservation®. At the same time, celebrating the Foundation’s anniversary in Grahamstown to
raise funds, professional storyteller Rob Caskie delivered a spellbinding talk. The day’s celebrations culminated with a fascinating snake demonstration by Basil Mills and, of course, a giant birthday cake.
There was much to celebrate, including the Foundation’s new 15-seater bus; our first full-time Environmental Educator; extra lessons for learners at Hendrik Kanise Combined School; a new weekly “Library and Literacy” hour at Sidbury Primary School and our second ABC Reading Camp. In addition, one of our Amakhala Foundation bursary holders, Akona Smayile, completed his Diploma in Administrative Management. We also celebrated the Foundation’s many ongoing initiatives including the Amakhala
Conservation Centre, where thousands of school children learn about the environment every year; the Amakhala Craft Centre, where visitors purchase unique local handmade items; workshops and training for community members; bursaries for the local Sidbury Primary School; and funding for the iJosi preschool and the Isipho Charity Trust, which cares for 300 orphans.
Amakhala Foundation
Wildlife Calendar 2020
One of the year’s most exciting projects is the annual release of the Amakhala Foundation Wildlife Calendar. Featuring stunning photos of the natural beauty and magnificent wildlife at Amakhala Game Reserve, this is a must-have for wildlife fans, a great gift for the upcoming holidays and a wonderful keepsake for visitors.
The photos are donated by the Reserve’s passionate field guides and game rangers. These are bordered by patterns drawn by local school kids, who win a calendar if their pattern is selected. The proceeds from the calendar sales contribute to the funding of the Amakhala Foundation and the projects it manages through the Amakhala Social Development Programme and Amakhala Conservation Centre.
Get your 2020 Amakhala Foundation Wildlife Calendar at the lodge shops or by contacting the Amakhala Foundation directly, from where it can be posted worldwide. For more information about this initiative, please contact Tammy at conservation@amakhala.co.za or on +27 (0)79 615 3419. Meet Our New Reserve Manager
Amakhala welcomes Dwain Strydom as our new Reserve Manager, with the prime responsibility to ensure the territorial and biological integrity of our protected conservation
area.
His position covers a range of multi-faceted tasks, from ensuring the day-to-day health and well-being of the wildlife on Amakhala and ongoing infrastructure and equipment maintenance, to research and monitoring, game capture and introductions, population management and burning programs, as well as public relations, environmental education and local community liaison.
Fortunately, Dwain is both qualified and experienced for his important role at the ‘coal face’ of conservation. He holds a Nature Conservation Diploma from UNISA, and has worked at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve; he developed a community game reserve inside the Kruger National Park with SANParks and has held the position of warden at Umbabat Game Reserve.
Originally from Johannesburg, Dwain enjoyed a rugby career in England, where he met his wife Gayle and where his kids were born, before returning to South Africa to pursue his passion for conservation.
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Leeuwenbosch Country House
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Leeuwenbosch was delighted to welcome our first Fitness Goes Wild group from the UK. It was a
great success, with a fantastic mixture of fitness, wildlife activities and motivational talks. Many of the group members have already booked to return again in November 2020 and we can’t wait to welcome them back. We also hosted a fantastic group from South America, whose love of life and enthusiastic enjoyment of every aspect of our wildlife was inspirational! We look forward to sharing amazing wildlife experiences with many more guests and we thank all our Agents for their continuous
support.has proudly hosted several amazing groups of visitors, many from universities in the UK and US, who came to enjoy our beautiful reserve and discover all we have to share and show. They were incredibly fortunate to witness the arrival of our baby elephant and our baby giraffe – amazing and unforgettable experiences! They also enjoyed the wonderful game drives, adventurous bush walks and sunny mid-mornings by the pool side, overlooking the unspoilt African wild.
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After being briefed by their guide, Seamus, on the Do’s and Don’ts of game drives in a Big 5 environment, our guests were excited to begin their afternoon safari. Their first sighting came sooner than any of them could have expected – as they
rounded the corner of the road from the lodge, a large elephant bull blocked the gate! He was unfazed by the presence of the vehicle, and a bit of patience was required before the big fellow moved off. What a way to start the drive! Even Seamus had to admit he didn’t have to do much tracking on this occasion.
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Guests at Hlosi Game Lodge stood in awe recently, witnessing incredible scenes when one of our youngest elephant
herd members slipped and fell into the water while drinking! Within a matter of seconds, it was all hands on deck! True to their caring and protective nature, the whole herd immediately came to the rescue and, after a short struggle and combined team effort, they managed to heroically pull the little fellow out to safety. A unanimous sigh of relief could be heard throughout the lodge as the little one was safely reunited with his family, leaving our guests with a truly unforgettable
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Bukela Game Lodge has become part of our elephant herds’ daily routine over the last couple of weeks, with
elephants visiting the lodge almost daily, much to the delight of our guests who, while lounging and relaxing around the lodge, enjoy watching the elephants frolic and play. After a leisurely wash-and-wallow at the lodge, the elephants head to the main lodge for a quick snack, with the vegetation just outside the bar being the firm favourite! Bukela is the
ideal getaway to truly experience the amazing nature of these wonderous animals and to marvel at the full splendour and majestic beauty of an elephant herd roaming its natural habitat. welcome. He thoroughly enjoyed a scented hot towel and a short meet and greet before going on his way. Guests were asked to stay within their lodgings and in the communal areas during the visit, but had ample opportunities to snap some great pics from a safe distance.
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The deck at Woodbury Tented Camp provides great views of the grassy plains alongside the meandering Bushman’s
River. The deck is elevated and therefore there is no fence beyond it, allowing animals to move freely past the camp. It’s not uncommon for wildlife to be seen from this vantage point, but guests were in for a real treat while they were relaxing by the pool recently, when a bull elephant decided to pay a visit! As often happens these days, the exciting moment was captured on video. Click here to watch the elephant calmly browsing among the bushes just meters in front of the deck. |
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As part of our ongoing conservation efforts, HillsNek Safari Camp is planting one Spekboom cutting for every
guest that visits our camp, with the aim of achieving a zero carbon footprint. The HillsNek’s Green Team celebrated the occasion with a picture of some our newly-planted Spekboom cuttings. #didyouknow that just one mature Spekboom can process 4-8kg of carbon dioxide per year, making it 100 times more effective than one pine tree in comparison? One hectare of mature Spekboom is 10 times more effective in processing carbon dioxide compared to one hectare of the Amazon forest! It is truly a
wonder plant. #jointhemovement - let’s all plant our 10 Spekboom this year! |
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