By Khanyisa Khenese
Amakhala Game Reserve, about 50km outside Makhanda, recently celebrated 25 years of conservation and community engagement.
The reserve also opened a new historic underpass wildlife corridor where Bushman’s River runs, underneath the N2 highway, to allow the movement of wildlife not seen in these parts for over 200 years.
According to a press statement, Amakhala Game Reserve’s Silver Jubilee celebration reflected not only its remarkable past, but also its commitment to the future of conservation in the Eastern Cape.
“The opening of the corridor is a vital achievement in the larger land expansion plans. Without this corridor, those plans cannot become a reality. I feel that this will be a catalyst for further developments in expansion to take place in the not-distant future,” said Andy Hughes, the general manager of Amakhala.
Dr William Fowlds, a renowned wildlife vet and founding member of Amakhala added, “The reserve’s working model or approach of a communal has been a resounding success. The vision is to expand a similar model into the greater landscapes, joining with other reserves into a mega-reserve stretching from Addo to the Fish River.”
The opening was attended by 2 500 people, among them 25 children from the local Sidbury Primary School, who received literacy and outdoor education from the Amakhala Foundation.
Amakhala Foundation member, Giles Gush, said Amakhala is built on three interdependent principles: Conservation, Community and Profitable lodges, which can be illustrated by a three-legged African pot, with each leg equally important.
“Without one of these legs the pot will fall over,” he said.
In delivering his speech during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, chairperson Matt Harts acknowledged the courage of the Amakhala family’s forebears and the promise of the next generation.
