Lions rule again in Zululand game reserve

The King of the Beasts has returned to rule over an old cattle and game ranch in KwaZulu-Natal which local land claimants chose to convert into a Big Five game reserve.

Three wild lions - one male and two females - arrived at the 12‚000 ha Somkhanda Game Reserve north of Mkhuze last week‚ completing the lengthy re-introduction process of the Big Five listing seen as vital to attract wildlife tourists.

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Although there have been several successful land claims on public and private game and nature reserves across the country‚ Somkhanda is one of the few community-owned game reserves protecting two critically-endangered species - black rhino and wild dogs.

The Gumbi community was evicted from their land in the late 1960s‚ but when their land claim succeeded just over a decade ago they opted to preserve the natural landscape and establish a Big Five game reserve.

Black Bean Productions

Heavily sedated, two lionesses are loaded into the back of a bakkie for the journey to their new home in Somkhanda Game Reserve. Photo: Black Bean Productions

They have gradually acquired the other four flagship species – elephant‚ rhino‚ buffalo and leopard – along with endangered African wild dogs and a much wider variety of more common game species ranging from giraffe to impala.

The lions will remain in a holding boma for the next six to nine weeks to get used to the new environment before being released into the main reserve. Thereafter they will be tracked on a daily basis by wildlife monitors.

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The three lions were sourced from the &Beyond (Phinda) Game Reserve near Hluhluwe.

Conservation manager Simon Naylor said: ”Lions were introduced into &Beyond back in 1992 and have flourished to the point that‚ on regular occasions‚ the lions have exceeded the carrying capacity of the reserve and have had to be translocated to other reserves in South Africa.”

Community spokesman Nathi Gumbi said: “We are very happy about the lions coming to Somkhanda. The community feels privileged that the reserve is now going to be a Big Five tourist attraction. Our dreams are becoming a reality. The Gumbi community are pioneers in their own right and this is evidence that community engagement can yield positive and inspiring results.”

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The Wildlands Trust‚ which has been closely involved in conservation work in the reserve for several years‚ says Somkhanda is one of the last big areas in KZN that can potentially create migratory corridors between neighbouring reserves for large mammals‚ such as critically endangered black rhino‚ as well as African wild dogs that range over large distances.

- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE