Dinokeng Game Reserve

Last updated
Dinokeng Game Reserve
Dinokeng Map.png
South Africa adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Dinokeng Game Reserve
Location in South Africa
Africa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Dinokeng Game Reserve
Location in Africa
LocationDinokeng Game Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa
Coordinates 25°40′00″S28°40′00″E / 25.66667°S 28.66667°E / -25.66667; 28.66667
Area210 km2 (81 sq mi)
Established2011

The Dinokeng Game Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary in the province of Gauteng, South Africa and can be accessed via the N1 route. It is a 40-minute drive from Pretoria or 75 minutes from the O. R. Tambo Airport and Johannesburg. The reserve has the Big Five game animals, and is open for visitors to explore. It covers an area of approximately 21,000 hectares. The name, Dinokeng, is derived from the language of the Tswana and Bapedi people, and is translated as “a place of rivers”.

Contents

History

The Dinokeng Game Reserve is part of the Gauteng government's “Blue IQ" project (an entity of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development). [1] The initiatives for conservation taken by the Gauteng Provincial Government have led to the establishment of the Dinokeng Game Reserve that has promoted the concept of ecotourism in Dinokeng. [2] In 1997, the then Premier of Gauteng, Tokyo Sexwale, announced a project to develop “Big Five” wild animal sanctuaries in the northeastern part of Pretoria. The main purpose of the government to establish Dinokeng Game Reserve was to develop tourism through the use of local natural resources, thereby increasing the employment rate and living conditions of local people. [1]

The goal is to promote local socio-economic development through the development of “all Africa” destinations, especially those that are historically disadvantaged. [1] The government will help with this project and will work with local landowners to attract private sector investment and ultimately achieve a self-sufficient tourism-based local economy. The Gauteng Provincial Government and more than 170 landowners have developed the concept that ecotourism can be a source of sustainable rural employment for rural communities. [1] The formal planning of Dinokeng and negotiations with landowners began in early 2000, and Dinokeng Game Reserve was officially opened on September 22, 2011. Big Five animals such as leopard, lion, elephant, and buffalo were gradually re-introduced. When a group of black rhinoceros was re-introduced into the reserve in 2018, a Big Five Reserve had been established in the true sense. [3]

Geography and climate

The Pienaars River is the main watercourse in the reserve Pienaarsrivier, stroomop vanaf R724-brug, Dinokeng, a.jpg
The Pienaars River is the main watercourse in the reserve

Dinokeng Game Reserve is located in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, in northeast Gauteng, 130 km (81 mi) from Johannesburg, close to the western N1 and N4 motorways. It covers an area of approximately 21,000 ha (52,000 acres). It has a latitude of between 25°40'00"S and 25°10'00" and a longitude of between 28°15'00"E and 28°40'00"E, including the current 18,500 ha (46,000 acres).

The Dinokeng area experiences summer rainfall patterns in the form of thunderstorms, which are changeable and varied. Most of the rainfall occurs during the summer, and from December to February, temperatures rise to more than 20 degrees. Rainfall varies from 350 mm (14 in) to 750 mm (30 in) per season. [4] In winter, from May to August, the temperature is relatively mild, sunshine is sufficient, but the temperature difference is large in one day, cold in the morning and evening, and sometimes may drop to zero. [4] During a year, the temperature varies between 0° and 40° with a long-term daily average of 21°. The south area of Dinokeng has a relatively mild climate with hot summers and usually rains in the afternoon. It is cool to very cold in winter. The Dinokeng Game Reserve is free of malaria. [4]

Wildlife

The migratory icterine warbler at Dinokeng Game Reserve Icterine warbler, Hippolais icterina, at Dinokeng Game Reserve, Gauteng-Limpopo, South Africa (16186669007).jpg
The migratory icterine warbler at Dinokeng Game Reserve

In addition to the Big Five animals (lion, leopard, elephant, cape buffalo and rhinoceros), there are cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, brown hyenas, wildebeests, red hartebeests, tsessebe, eland, kudu, impalas, monkey, hippopotamus and crocodiles. [3] And more than three hundred species of birds, including ostrich, osprey, a pair of breeding martial eagles, the endangered blue crane, guineafowl, herons, the avocet, stilt, jacana and various plovers, go-away-bird, hornbills, kingfishers, woodpeckers, shrikes, larks, bulbuls, swallows, starlings, thrushes, weavers and waxbills. [5] Martial eagles have been classified as a vulnerable species by the IUCN. [6] Also, Dinokeng Game Reserve may be counted among South Africa's main bird watching sites, rivalling areas like Ndumo Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal province in terms of its number of birds. [7] Due to the unique environment, the relatively close positions of water, grass and bush, various groups of birds are attracted. [7]

Tourism

Ndlovu (i.e. elephant) Gate on the R734, one of five access points to the reserve. The others are Ts'ukulu on the R734, Tau and Yingwe on the D48, and Nyati on the D1333 road. Ndlovu-hek van Dinokeng-wildtuin, Gauteng, a.jpg
Ndlovu (i.e. elephant) Gate on the R734, one of five access points to the reserve. The others are Ts'ukulu on the R734, Tau and Yingwe on the D48, and Nyati on the D1333 road.

Many adventure tourism companies are located in the metropolitan areas of South Africa, which is an important part of the South African urban tourism market. [8] Dinokeng is one of the popular tourist destinations in Gauteng that offers the natural, historical and cultural sites for visitors. There are four famous tourist hubs: Dinokeng Central, A Birder's Paradise, the Roodeplaat Dam, and the Dinokeng Game Reserve. Boat cruises, self-drive tours, professional game-drives, cultural tours, fishing, spa treatments, hot air ballooning, and restaurants are located in the reserve. [3] In the Dinokeng Game Reserve, users of self-driving routes can choose from three different picnic sites along the route. These picnic sites are built and maintained by private landowners who do not charge for use unless they want visitors to leave these locations. Like most picnic spots in the game reserve, in order to provide a tighter jungle encounter, they are not fenced. [3]

During game-drives visitors are asked to use the cars in the protected area instead of their own because the latter minimize damage to and erosion of the terrain. In order to avoid excessive interruptions to animals, people are allowed to do game drives only at certain times, one is when the animal is awake in the morning, and the other is when the animals return to the shelter in the evening. [3] Dinokeng Game Reserve tries to make travel more than enjoyment but to integrate learning and promote attitude and behavioral change. [2] There are many posters of endangered species in the reserve, to appeal to locals and tourists to protect animals. Camping visitors are expected to use existing camping camps to prevent the felling of trees. [2] One measurement Dinokeng Game Reserve has taken is to use a hot air balloon to show visitors from an aerial perspective. When visitors saw wildlife activities and some documentaries filmed, it helped them to connect with nature. [2] People who encountered this experience will more likely assume responsibility for protecting the natural environment. [2]

Conservation

Taurotragus oryx, Phakama, a.jpg
Phacochoerus africanus sundevallii, Phakama, a.jpg
Resting common eland and drinking common warthog near Phakama Lodge

Dinokeng game reserve partnered with the South African government to enforce laws that protect the natural resources of protected areas. [2] Most employees in Dinokeng Game Reserves are local residents living in protected areas and local residents from the communities surrounding the Reserve. [3] At Dinokeng, it implemented different actions that helped spread environmental awareness to surrounding communities and visitors. Wildlife and Ecological Investment (WEI) conducted ecological surveys and biodiversity monitoring in the Dinokeng Game Reserve. [9] Protected areas use the data collected and analyzed by WEI to review changes in protected areas, and management can gain insight into the operation and health of protected areas. In addition, baseline data can contribute to future professional research or management decisions. [9]

Lion conservation

There are two wildlife sanctuaries large enough to self-regulate, Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi Park in South Africa. [3] All other reserves such as the Dinokeng game reserve must be managed by people to maintain a predator-prey balance and avoid inbreeding. The Dinokeng game reserve is a member of the Lions Management Forum (LiMF), a community of reserve managers from all over the country who shares management experience, discuss and find a management solution that is suitable for long-term subsistence of lions. [3] Although the Dinokeng game reserve has successfully managed the total number of lions through selective contraception, the reserve must address the existence of too many young males. In a vast ecosystem, nature will provide solutions. [3]

As sexual maturity, young males will be driven out by the dominant males, and eventually, they will find new pride in themselves. But this natural rule is not applicable to the small reserves, such as Dinokeng. Pressure from the dominant male lion has caused young males to try to escape from the reserve. This can cause serious damage to the perimeter of the reserve. At Dinokeng game reserve, managers make decisions based on evidence and apply ethical principles to determine the management scheme for lions. [10] They value the overall ecosystem approach rather than species-specific approaches, consistent with regional and international laws, policies, guidelines and strategies. [10]

Fatal lion attacks

On 27 February 2018 a young woman, Megan van der Zwan (22), was mauled to death by a lioness that was under the care of Kevin Richardson. [11] Richardson lost track of the lioness when she pursued an impala for some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), whereupon the lioness attacked the day visitor to the reserve. [12] [13] Wildlife biologist Luke Dollar responded to the killing in an article by National Geographic, stating that "behaviors and programs that skirt the reality of our place in the food chain seem to be an accident waiting to happen." [14] On 13 August 2023, Johannes Matshe (30), an employee of a land owner at Dinokeng, was killed by three lions while navigating the reserve on foot after dark. [15]

Cheetah conservation

The cheetah is the second most threatened carnivore in South Africa after the African wild dog. They are listed as an endangered species in South Africa. [16] Cheetahs have disappeared from 76% of Africa's historical geographic regions and almost all of Asia's vast historical regions. [3] In the past 13,000 years, cheetahs have been killed because of threats to livestock and human security. [3] Over time, due to crop cultivation and urban development, the cheetah population has been insufficiently spaced. Most importantly, wildlife and humans do not coexist well. [3] One way to deal with this problem is to establish wildlife sanctuaries and isolate humans from animals to ensure the safety of both parties.

The challenge with this solution is the limitation of natural gene flow. [3] Wild cheetahs appear in three locations in South Africa. First, huge reserves, such as Kruger National Park and Kgalagadi, with a large enough gene pool of more than 600 cheetahs in total, so they do not require human intervention and management. Second, in the farmland on the border of Botswana, the free-roaming population is 350–400. Third, there are about 340 scattered cheetahs distributed in 54 reserves including the Dinokeng game reserve. Each protected area has an average of 6 or 7 cheetahs, which means that inbreeding is a problem that needs to be avoided. [3] Therefore, the Dinokeng game reserve is part of the EWT (Endangered Wildlife Trust) Cheetah Metapopulation project. The purpose of the Metapopulation project is to prevent this inbreeding and to ensure the long-term viability of cheetahs in small, fenced reserves, also ensure the long-time genetic and demographic integrity of the collective population. [17]

Administration

Dinokeng Game Reserve is a wildlife area in which tourism and conservation are combined, and it was created through a public-private partnership that required the collaboration of local landowners and the South African government. The Dinokeng project is funded by public funds and managed by the government, but the private landowners retain ownership of the land.

As a part of the municipal spatial planning process, an environmental management framework (EMF) is utilized to promote sustainable development through holistic planning efforts. Regional planning initiatives such as the EMF project and regional space development frameworks contribute to strengthening the planning framework. The EMF process integrates stakeholders from both physical and virtual environments and has a specific goal of creating a self-sustaining tourism economy in the case of Dinokeng Game Reserve. The EMF has established resources and parameters to ensure the sustainable development of various natural activities, which directly or indirectly influence planning decisions related to natural resources. [8] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maasai Mara</span> National Reserve in Narok County, Kenya

Maasai Mara, also sometimes spelled Masai Mara and locally known simply as The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honour of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: "Mara" means "spotted" in the local Maasai language, because of the short bushy trees which dot the landscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nature reserve</span> Protected area for flora, fauna or features of geological interest

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for purposes of conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. They may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park. Various jurisdictions may use other terminology, such as ecological protection area or private protected area in legislation and in official titles of the reserves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nairobi National Park</span> First national park in Kenya, Africa

Nairobi National Park is a national park in Kenya that was established in 1946 about 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Nairobi. It is fenced on three sides, whereas the open southern boundary allows migrating wildlife to move between the park and the adjacent Kitengela plains. Herbivores gather in the park during the dry season. Nairobi National Park is negatively affected by increasing human and livestock populations, changing land use and poaching of wildlife. Despite its proximity to the city and its relative small size, it boasts a large and varied wildlife population, and is one of Kenya's most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park</span> Transfrontier conservation area in Botswana and South Africa

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liuwa Plain National Park</span> National park in Zambia

Liuwa Plain National Park is a 3,369-square-kilometre (1,301 sq mi) national park in Zambia's Western Province. "Liuwa" means "plain" in the local Liuwa language, a dialect of Lozi language, and the plains originally served as a hunting ground for Lubosi Lewanika, the Litunga of the Lozi people. The area was designated as a protected area by Lubosi Lewanika in the early 1880s, and as a national park in 1972, when Zambia's government took over management. The nonprofit conservation organization African Parks has managed Liuwa in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and the Barotse Royal Establishment since 2003.

Liwonde National Park, also known as Liwonde Wildlife Reserve, is a national park in southern Malawi, near the Mozambique border. The park was established in 1973, and has been managed by the nonprofit conservation organization African Parks since August 2015. African Parks built an electric fence around the perimeter of the park to help mitigate human-wildlife conflict. In early 2018, the adjacent Mangochi Forest Reserve was also brought under African Parks' management, almost doubling the size of the protected area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife tourism</span>

Wildlife tourism is an element of many nations' travel industry centered around observation and interaction with local animal and plant life in their natural habitats. While it can include eco- and animal-friendly tourism, safari hunting and similar high-intervention activities also fall under the umbrella of wildlife tourism. Wildlife tourism, in its simplest sense, is interacting with wild animals in their natural habitat, either actively or passively. Wildlife tourism is an important part of the tourism industries in many countries including many African and South American countries, Australia, India, Canada, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Maldives among many. It has experienced a dramatic and rapid growth in recent years worldwide and many elements are closely aligned to eco-tourism and sustainable tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Botswana</span>

The wildlife of Botswana refers to the flora and fauna of this country. Botswana is around 90% covered in savanna, varying from shrub savanna in the southwest in the dry areas to tree savanna consisting of trees and grass in the wetter areas. Even under the hot conditions of the Kalahari Desert, many species survive; in fact the country has more than 2500 species of plants and 650 species of trees. Vegetation and its wild fruits are also extremely important to rural populations living in the desert and are the principal source of food, fuel and medicine for many inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Zimbabwe</span>

The wildlife of Zimbabwe occurs foremost in remote or rugged terrain, in national parks and private wildlife ranches, in miombo woodlands and thorny acacia or kopje. The prominent wild fauna includes African buffalo, African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several antelope species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communal wildlife conservancies in Namibia</span>

Namibia is one of few countries in the world to specifically address habitat conservation and protection of natural resources in their constitution. Article 95 states, "The State shall actively promote and maintain the welfare of the people by adopting international policies aimed at the following: maintenance of ecosystems, essential ecological processes, and biological diversity of Namibia, and utilization of living natural resources on a sustainable basis for the benefit of all Namibians, both present and future.".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timbavati Private Nature Reserve</span>

The Timbavati Private Nature Reserve is located at the border line between Hoedspruit and Acornhoek, north of the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve on the western edge of Kruger National Park. Geographically and politically, Timbavati is located in Mpumalanga Province. In Xitsonga, the name 'Timbavati' means "the place where something sacred came down to Earth from the Heavens", and refers to the rare white lions of Timbavati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majete Wildlife Reserve</span>

Majete Wildlife Reserve is a nature reserve in southwestern Malawi, established as a protected area in 1955. The reserve's animal populations were decimated during the late 1970s and 1980s due to poaching and other human activities. Majete has been managed by African Parks since 2003, when the nonprofit conservation organization entered into a public–private partnership with the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW). Since then, wildlife has been restored, the park has achieved big five game status, and tourism has increased.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve</span> National park in Malawi

Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, is the largest and oldest wildlife reserve in Malawi, near Nkhotakota. The park's hilly terrain features dambos and miombo woodlands as the dominant vegetation, which support a variety of mammal and bird species. Poaching has greatly reduced the number of elephants and other large mammals in Nkhotakota, but conservation efforts to restore the elephant population started when African Parks began managing the reserve in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balule Nature Reserve</span> Protected area in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Balule Nature Reserve is a protected area in Limpopo Province, South Africa which forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park as a member of the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR). As part of a wildlife conservation initiative, all fences separating APNR reserves – Balule, Timbavati, Klaserie, Umbabat, – and the Kruger National Park have been removed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Richardson (zookeeper)</span> South African animal behaviourist

Kevin Rene Richardson, known as "The Lion Whisperer", is a South African YouTube personality, wildlife conservationist and self-taught sanctuary owner who works with African lions, black leopards, spotted hyenas and striped hyenas.

Samara Private Game Reserve is a 28,300 hectare private game reserve, located near Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Previously a network of 11 livestock farms, Samara was created in 1997 with the vision to restore the area to its natural state. This is being achieved by slowly rehabilitating the land and reintroducing the natural biodiversity. The South African cheetahs are at the forefront of Samara's conservation initiatives, and forms part of the Cheetah Metapopulation Programme, managed by the Endangered Wildlife Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ol Pejeta Conservancy</span> Not-for-profit wildlife conservancy in Central Kenyas Laikipia County

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 360 km2 (140 sq mi) not-for-profit wildlife conservancy in Central Kenya's Laikipia County. It is situated on the equator west of Nanyuki, between the foothills of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy works to conserve wildlife, provide a sanctuary for great apes, and generate income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprises for re-investment in conservation and community development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nkasa Rupara National Park</span> National park of Namibia

Nkasa Rupara National Park, also Nkasa Lupala National Park, formerly Mamili National Park, is a national park in Namibia. It is centered on the Nkasa and Rupara islands on the Kwando/Linyanti River in the south-western corner of East Caprivi. Botswana lies to the west, south and east, and Sangwali village to the north. It is Namibia's largest formally protected wetland area. It is one of Namibia’s protected areas that benefits local communities surrounding parks. The unfenced park forms a trans-boundary link for wildlife migration between Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. Nkasa Rupara is part of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Namibia</span>

The protected areas of Namibia include its national parks and reserves. With the 2010 declaration of Dorob National Park, Namibia became the first and only country to have its entire coastline protected through a national parks network. Protected areas are subdivided into game reserves and/or nature reserves, such as special protected area, wilderness areas, natural areas, and development areas. There are also recreation reserves. Facilities in the national parks are operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. Over 19% of Namibia is protected, an area of some 130,000 square kilometres. However, the Ministry of Environment & Tourism auctions limited hunting rights within its protected areas. The Namibia Nature Foundation, an NGO, was established in 1987 to raise and administer funds for the conservation of wildlife and protected area management. Communal Wildlife Conservancies in Namibia help promote sustainable natural resource management by giving local communities rights to wildlife management and tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast African cheetah</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Southeast African cheetah is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa. The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okavango Delta, and the grasslands of the Transvaal region in South Africa. In Namibia, cheetahs are mostly found in farmlands. In India, four cheetahs of the subspecies are living in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh after having been introduced there.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mafika (2002-06-13). "Blue IQ invests in mega-projects". Brand South Africa. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Trust Antony Chinyama (2017). "To evaluate if Dinokeng Game Reserve can be classified as an ecotourist destination?". Unpublished. doi:10.13140/rg.2.2.19509.47849.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Dinokeng Game Reserve – Big 5 Game Reserve Gauteng" . Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  4. 1 2 3 "Gauteng weather – Gauteng Tourism Authority". www.gauteng.net. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  5. "Martial eagles rule the roost in Dinokeng Game Reserve". Gauteng.
  6. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  7. 1 2 "A flight of fancy for bird lovers – Gauteng Tourism Authority". www.gauteng.net. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  8. 1 2 McKay, Tracey (2017-09-26). "The South African Adventure Tourism Economy: An urban phenomenon". Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series. 37 (37): 63–76. doi: 10.1515/bog-2017-0025 . ISSN   2083-8298. S2CID   6111261.
  9. 1 2 "SA75 – Assessing human-wildlife interactions in Dinokeng Game Reserve". Operation Wallacea. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  10. 1 2 "LiMF – Lion Management Forum of South Africa" . Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  11. "The Tragedy Of Reality". Facebook. Captive Wildlife Watchdog. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  12. Torchia, C. (2018-02-28). "Lion kills woman at refuge of South African 'lion whisperer'". The Washington Times . Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  13. Feingold, S. (2018-03-02). "Lion mauls woman to death at popular South African wildlife sanctuary". CNN . Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  14. "Fatal Lion Mauling Highlights Controversy of Private Reserves". National Geographic . 2 March 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  15. Ncwane, Nokwanda (18 August 2023). "Dinokeng Game Reserve to euthanise lions who mauled employee to death". thesouthafrican.com. The South African. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  16. "Cheetah Fact File | Wildlife South Africa". www.wildlifesouthafrica.com. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  17. "The Endangered Wildlife Trust". The Endangered Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 2019-06-05.