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Four Addo elephants released at Samara

By ffc_content

These elephants are part of an initiative to establish a population of elephants on a new part of the reserve that has not had elephants for an estimated 150 years. This translocation forms part of broader elephant conservation measures within South Africa to expand the habitat available for elephants to thrive. As one of the … Continued

Zorillas and gorillas

By ffc_content

My great and alas late friend John Burton, the maverick genius of conservation, was a great one for the underdog. He always maintained that elephant shrews were more interesting than elephants. I never asked him, but I have no doubt whatsoever that he believed zorillas are more interesting than gorillas. The zorilla or striped polecat … Continued

Plan A for Aardvark

By ffc_content

I saw an aardvark near the foot of Aasvogelberg: it was a night of rejoicing, and not just because of those glorious double-As. I was in Samara and the fact that I saw not one but two aardvarks says a great deal about the land I was visiting. Aasvogelberg, by the way, is the mountain … Continued

Trusted by Cheetahs

By ffc_content

Dusk was falling. I had almost completed a new personal best: the 13-hour game-drive. But what else could we do? We had commuted across Samara from one wonder to the next, all the time savouring a single miracle: this was a land that had, more or less literally, been farmed to death, and was now … Continued

Where Eagles Stare

By ffc_content

Eagle Rock looks out over the Plains of Camdeboo in the great Karoo north of Cape Town. I surveyed this apparently endless stretch of land, keeping a cautious few paces from the edge, and thought about loss. And what follows. There was a time not long past when this rock provided one of the greatest … Continued

Introducing Samara Karoo Reserve

By ffc_content

Samara Private Game Reserve near Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape’s Great Karoo region is honouring and celebrating this unique, remarkable and soulful landscape of infinite horizons by changing its name to Samara Karoo Reserve. Since time immemorial the Karoo – a landscape of space, stars and silence – has held a special place in the … Continued

Celebrating Vultures

By ffc_content

Vultures have been much-maligned in popular culture as harbingers of death and disease. However quite the opposite is true. The very presence of vultures is the sign of a healthy ecosystem and the scavenging function they perform helps to prevent the spread of disease. Populations of vultures face a number of risks. The poisoning of … Continued

Could cheetahs form prides?

By ffc_content

The Samara Team observed and filmed two female cheetahs, both with cubs, exhibiting what is known in scientific parlance as “allo-mothering” – when young are cared for by individuals other than their biological mother. This phenomenon is commonly seen in elephant herds, lion prides and among several bird species, but until now had only been … Continued

All about aardwolves

By ffc_content

1. They’re not actually wolves at all Aardwolves (Afrikaans for “earth wolves”) are not actually wolves. In fact, they are part of the hyaena family. That hasn’t stopped them from gaining a variety of less-than-accurate designations though. For example, they are nicknamed “maanhaar jackals” for their characteristic mane which grows from head to tail. This … Continued