On the 17 May 2017 a pride of three lion (1 male and 2 female) arrived at their new home – Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, from AndBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve. This translocation was carried out as part of Phinda’s lion management strategy, supported by Empowers Africa and inspired by a feature documentary – Blood Lions™.
“Unfortunately all did not go according to schedule due to torrential rains earlier this week,” said David Gilroy – Wildlands Strategic Manager of Conservation. “We managed to dart and relocate the male lion to a boma at Phinda on Friday night (12th of May) but had to put the capture of the lionesses on hold while we waited for things to dry up. We managed to locate and dart the lionesses early on Wednesday morning and were relieved to have the pride safely on route to their new home.”
When the lion arrived at Somkhanda they were moved into a boma where they will stay for a period of around 10 weeks in order for the pride to bond and become acclimated to their new surroundings. They will then be released into the greater reserve where they can roam freely over approximately 30,000 acres.
When asked what benefit the lion had for Somkhanda Gilroy said: “Introducing lion onto Somkhanda means that it will be repopulated with all the natural occurring species to an ecological balance (it was previously a game farm). The reserve will also now be a Big 5 reserve and ultimately contribute to KZN conservation and biodiversity targets. It will also benefit the community and boost tourism and investment. This is indeed a historic day for the Gumbi community – who are leaders in conservation, always setting an example for other community owned reserves.”
Nathi Gumbi a member of the Gumbi tribe and Wildlands’ Strategic Manager for Community Engagement (Northern KZN) said: “As a person who has been involved with the Somkhanda Game Reserve project (since inception) I speak not only for myself but for the Gumbi community as a whole. 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 reserve as our dream is now a reality. It has been a long journey with a lot of effort from Wildlands, the Emvokweni Community Trust as well as the various partners involved. The Gumbi community are pioneers in their own right and this is evidence that community engagement can yield positive and inspiring results.”
“We hope this will be one of many partnerships with Wildlands and Blood Lions™,” said Krista Krieger Executive Director and Trustee of Empowers Africa. “We congratulate Wildlands, Blood Lions™, Phinda Private Game Reserve, andBeyond Travel, Different.org and all the other partners who have made this initiative possible! Empowers Africa is thrilled to have had the opportunity to participate as a partner in this project! We were also grateful to be accompanied by Black Bean Productions for the documentation of this incredible initiative.”
“The Somkhanda release is good news for the lion conservation community as it focuses attention on the real issues and solutions to securing the future of lions, rather than the misdirected messages coming from the predator breeding sector,” said Consultant and lead character for Blood Lions™, Ian Michler. “The release should also enhance the eco-tourism opportunities in the region.”
“Special fencing and a meticulous lion management plan have been implemented for the safety of nearby communities and this would not have been possible without the support of Different.org,” said Gilroy. “Jonsson Workwear have also raised their hands to get involved in this exciting initiative and are kitting out all the field rangers based at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in their Combat gear.”
“Jonsson Workwear are inspired by ‘people with purpose’ and who is more inspiring than the very people that stand between our beloved wildlife and poachers,” said Debbie Nortje, Head of Marketing at Jonsson.
“We cannot thank our loyal donors and partners for their support in making this translocation possible,” said Wildlands’ CEO and Executive Producer of Blood Lions™, Dr Andrew Venter. “We must extend huge thanks to Empowers Africa, the Emvokweni Community Trust, Blood Lions™, Different.org, Jonsson Workwear and Phinda Private Game Reserve.”
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)