Kwandwe Private Game Reserve is in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. This special destination has flown under the radar of safari goers as it’s outside of the well-known Kruger area and not located near any large cities. But, Kwandwe has a lot to offer to the discerning safari enthusiast. There are two luxury lodges and three luxury private multi-room villas in the game reserve surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and valleys.
Kwandwe means “place of the blue crane” in Xhosa, one of South Africa’s official languages. There, guests can indeed see South Africa’s national bird and many other avian species such as dark-capped bulbuls, white-fronted bee-eaters and African fish eagles.
On Kwandwe’s 74,000+ acres of rolling hills and plains, big game abounds including lions, leopards, cheetah, buffalo, elephant, wildebeest, waterbuck, greater kudu and Cape bushbuck. But where Kwandwe truly excels is in its rhino conservation, and that’s what I focused on during my visit.
Black rhinos remain critically endangered because of demand for rhino horns, mainly in Asia, where rhino horns are used for traditional medicine. There are only about 6,400 black rhinos left in the world. The white rhino is classified as near threatened. There are approximately 10,000 adults left in the world, and their population is decreasing.
However, Kwandwe has a thriving population of black and white rhinos, one of the greatest concentrations in all of Africa. They spend millions of dollars annually to protect them by using state of the art, solar powered ankle collars, drones, micro-chipping and computer monitoring, along with traditional methods such as fencing, armed guards and an anti-poaching K9 unit.
Every so often, new rhinos need to be fitted with tracking collars and have their ears notched for identification. Sometimes, older rhinos need to have their collars replaced or need medical treatment. During these planned events, guests can tag along with the vets and rangers to observe and assist with performing DNA sampling, micro-chipping and ear notching. The experience is available for up to eight guests and costs roughly $5,400 per group.
Here’s how our morning went…
First, the head veterinarian and a team of associate vets, rangers and staff educated us on rhino immobilizations and how the process works. At the same time, a helicopter buzzed in circles nearby, trying to identify our target rhino and herd it to a good spot to conduct immobilization.
Turns out, we got a two-for-one with an adult female white rhino and her calf that hadn’t been notched or collared before. Once darted, the tranquilized rhinos went down close to each other. They were unconscious but shook a bit like sleeping dogs when they are dreaming. The vets checked their vitals, handlers covered their eyes with masks and scouts and volunteers used ropes and brute strength to reposition the rhinos.
From there, the ankle monitor of the female was cleaned and replaced. Monitoring continued, and volunteers helped out by giving shots of vitamins, notching and dressing ears and even taking stool samples. I got to touch the mother’s massive horn and the rhinos’ rough skin. Of course, lots of photos were taken and then, after about an hour, everyone but the vets returned to our nearby vehicles while the vet administered the antidote to the sedative. Slowly, the mother and offspring awoke and stood, albeit a bit shakily at first. And soon, the female started grazing and calf mewed to find its mother who was a few yards away behind some bushes. They soon were reunited and went happy along, seemingly no worse for wear.
Angus Sholto Douglas, the founder and managing director of Kwandwe, always stresses that these immobilizations are done only if needed for conservation purposes. They are not done for show or just because a guest wants to do it. But, if there’s a need and a guest is willing to make the donation, it can be arranged with advanced notice.
This was one of the most amazing wildlife experiences I’ve had in more than 25 years of safaris and I recommend it to travelers who love rhinos, are interested in conservation, who want to be a large animal veterinarian or just want to do something unique on their safari.
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Photos courtesy AAC President Kent Redding and Kwandwe Private Game Reserve