(CNN) – In the Great Karoo, a vast semi-arid expanse in South Africa, lions and cheetahs once roamed. But then came the grounds and the fence and the guns. By the 1840s the lions were gone; Then by the 1870s, the cheetah too.
Much of what is now the Samara Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape became home to livestock. That was until 1997, when nature was once again allowed to take its course on thousands of acres of land. Now, after 25 years of careful management, both cheetahs and lions have not only returned to this part of South Africa – they are thriving.
The Samara Private Game Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape has spent 25 years returning the farm to nature and watching the wildlife come back.
Successful reintroduction of these big cats is down to the vision of Mark and Sarah Tompkins.
The couple purchased 11 farms totaling 27,000 hectares (67,000 acres) over five years with the aim of returning the land to its former glory. “It was not a wooded area,” explains Isabel Tompkins, their eldest daughter and business development manager in Samara. “All migratory animals were essentially locked up, and surely the hunter (he) would be with them.”
To dream big, the family had to start small. This meant seeing what was beneath their feet. When the land was bought, much of it was grazing on the ground, and barren land and drains had sunk into the ground. The fence was removed along with the livestock, and efforts to restore ground level literally began.
“Despite being a semi-arid region, there is a remarkable amount of biodiversity, especially endemic plants,” says Isabel, noting that there are nine types of plant habitats native to South Africa within Samara.
Cheetahs were reintroduced to Samara in 2003 after a 130-year absence. Starting with three cheetahs, the population has increased significantly.
Courtesy Sacha Specker (Black Bean Productions) / Samara Private Game Reserve
Over time, the vegetation of the area returned. Forests and meadows, rivers and streams, mountains and valleys spread across the reserve, providing habitat and grazing for herbivores (about 20 antelope species live in the reserve today) and megaherbivores such as elephants. “Gradually, we’ve introduced pieces to the puzzle of what this ecosystem looks like,” Isabel says.
About 50 cheetah cubs have been born in the reserve since the animal was reintroduced.
Courtesy David Niederberger / Samara Private Game Reserve
return of the king
Once the cheetah territories were firmly established, the climate was just right for the lions to be brought back—an important step for the territory of both Samara and the Great Karoo.
Male Titus and female Sickle were introduced in January 2019, and female Shiba followed soon after. Two years later and the sickle has given birth to two litters, the sheba one, with the reserve’s first litter now sometimes hunting on its own, Tompkins says.
“Lions being apex predators, they were always going to make a big impact,” Tompkins says.
The return of the lions to the land has changed the dynamics of Samara. There are now more carcasses for jackals to scrape, which means less springbok hunting, resulting in an increase in their population. Black wildebeest, on the other hand, are producing more young, Tompkins says, probably as a reaction to lions preying on the species.
A young cub with a juvenile male. The first cubs born in Samara in about 200 years are now about two years old.
Joe Muniki
The rewilding program has proved so successful that Samara has seen a species return of its own accord: the leopard. Leopards can jump fences, and in April 2021 a large male was seen inside the reserve and repeatedly on camera traps in the months that followed. “(It) is incredibly exciting and means that the conditions for its existence are fine again,” Isabel and Sarah Tompkins said in an email.
“We don’t have the luxury of not being ambitious about this”
The Samara Private Nature Reserve funds the resumption efforts through its tourism operations. Visitors can stay in the reserve at the lodge or sleep under the stars, and participate in luxury safaris and cheetah trekking, all earnings reinvested in its various programs.
But perhaps its greatest plan extends beyond the borders of Samara. The reserve is involved in a long-term initiative to create a land corridor connecting Karoo’s Camadebu National Park and Mountain Zebra National Park, opening up historic migratory routes and returning more land to nature.
Sarah and Isabel Tompkins.
Courtesy Sacha Specker (Black Bean Productions) / Samara Private Game Reserve
Tompkins says it has the potential to be “the last great mega-reserve in South Africa”, covering 1.3 million acres (more than 526,000 hectares). The region is one of 36 global biodiversity hotspots, but will rely on voluntary agreements with private landowners to manage the area in an environmentally friendly manner, rather than involving land purchases by the government body that oversees national parks. . ,
Visitors to the reserve can participate in bush walks and hikes.
Courtesy Samara Private Game Reserve
“We are running out of time,” Isabel says, citing UN goals. “That’s why it’s so important to me. It has to happen. We don’t have the luxury of not being ambitious about it.”
Still, he is optimistic about the future. “I think if humans can focus on their sphere of influence, and make a difference in their own little backyard (there will be a positive change),” she adds. “Our backyard covers only 27,000 hectares.”