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These lions will be the first free-roaming lions in 180 years to set foot back in this area, providing a much-needed conservation good news story for South Africa, whose poor track record of lion conservation has made news headlines in recent months. The lion has declined in numbers by 43% over the past 24 years, … Continued
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Our children will inherit a world fraught with more pressing ecological reverberations as a result of human interference than our ancestors ever imagined possible. Our natural world is threatened by increased climate change, rapid urbanisation, air and water pollution, a drain on natural resources and calamitous species extinction. Fervent conservation efforts are being made to … Continued
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We usually associate majestic migrations with the rolling plains of the great Serengeti; where a vast, collective herd of wildebeest, zebra, Grant’s gazelle, Thompson’s gazelle, eland and impala follow rainfall patterns to cross expansive open-ground distances of treacherous terrain, thick with waiting predators, to find new grazing and fresh water. This annual migration is said … Continued
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Research convention dictates that elephants from the same family group being studied or monitored be given names starting with the same letter. In Samara’s case, the letter N has been chosen for the founder herd to designate their study name. Each elephant has also been given an everyday name, as a tribute to those generous … Continued
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Samara Private Game Reserve is located within easy reach of arguably the country’s most beautiful and accessible coastline, which stretches along the Garden Route from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth. One particularly popular resort is Plettenberg Bay, originally named Bahia Formosa – ‘Beautiful Bay’ – by early Portuguese explorers. Its long sandy beaches, excellent surf, multitude … Continued
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We sit at a critical juncture in Earth’s history, a time when the forces of greed and destruction threaten our environment’s very existence, and therefore our own. Our only hope is that people around the world stand up for the environments and places that they hold dear. Already countless acts of love have preserved precious … Continued
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Sarah and Mark Tompkins, founders of Samara Private Game Reserve, explain that when they first established the reserve in 1997, their aim was to restore the area to the wildlife haven it had been before species like cheetah, rhino, Cape lion, springbok and elephant were eradicated by early farmers and settlers. “This is an extremely … Continued
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Hers was a tale that struck a chord with the many Samara guests that saw her, and the tens of thousands that read about her in magazines and newspapers worldwide. Born a wild cheetah in South Africa’s North West province, Sibella’s life nearly ended at the hands of hunters. Mauled by dogs, her tendons ripped … Continued
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It has a certain beauty, yes, but it is a stark and desolate beauty, with few trees, animals or other signs of life. At Samara, however, this could not be further from the truth. Nestled at the foot of the Sneeuberg – Snow Mountains – Samara is uniquely situated at the meeting point of five … Continued
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We stood in silence for a minute, then two. Balanced precariously on a steep mountain slope, we looked out over the plateau grasslands beyond, dotted here and there with bushes, hearts in our mouths, and waited. The vehicle stood a ten-minute walk away, out of sight over the crest of the hill. We had walked … Continued
