WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT & CONSERVATION

With Pretoria Wildlife Services

By Phillip Fouché & Tobia von Zwietring

At The Hills Eco Estate, we are committed to preserving our unique wildlife while maintaining a balance between nature and the needs of our community. To achieve this, we partner with the experts at Pretoria Wildlife Services, who handle the management, capture, and relocation of animals on our estate. Here’s an inside look into how Pretoria Wildlife Services cares for our wildlife and the steps they take during the capture process.

Monitoring and Veterinary Oversight

Whenever wildlife is captured or relocated, a registered veterinarian from Pretoria Wildlife Services is always present. The veterinarian is responsible for determining which tranquilizers and medications are used in the dart gun, ensuring that the animal’s well-being is closely monitored throughout the process. This professional oversight ensures that the animals are treated humanely and safely.

Disease Prevention and Medication

To keep our wildlife healthy, Pretoria Wildlife Services consults and advise on when medical management is required. Most often these practises are applied through the supplementary feed we provide, but occasionally individual animal veterinary care is applied when needed. For external parasites, passive dipping stations at feeding sites apply treatments as the animals feed. The frequency of these applications is dependent on tick load and is typically necessary from the end of January, with follow-up treatments in March or April if needed.

Feeding and Supplements

Our estate provides specific feed and supplements, under the guidance of Pretoria Wildlife Services, to meet the nutritional needs of our wildlife, particularly during winter.

The supplements used

include:

• Combined Mineral Blocks: These round blocks contain essential micronutrients and minerals, and are placed at feeding stations for a variety of species.

• Sodium Chloride Blocks: Large salt blocks, specifically beneficial for zebras and blue wildebeest.

• Wildlife Blocks: Hard, dark brown blocks placed in green containers to prevent zebras from chewing through them. These blocks are rich in vitamins and minerals, especially useful in winter.

• Garlium: A garlic-based supplement given during summer to help control external parasites.

• Superblock 150: A high-protein block used to supplement wildlife diets during winter.

• Whole Yellow Maize: Scattered on the ground for leaf-feeding animals like nyalas, kudus, and impalas. It provides energy serving as a substitute for seedpods that are scarce in winter.

• Lucerne: Occasionally provided for its high protein value.

Feeding takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, typically around 8 AM. It’s essential that residents do not feed the wildlife, as their diets are carefully balanced to ensure they receive the right nutrients in the right amounts.

Wildlife Capture and Relocation by Pretoria Wildlife Services

The estate operates under a wildlife management plan, aligned with our permit and overseen by Pretoria Wildlife Services. This plan ensures that the number of animals on the estate is sustainable and that the environment can support them with minimal supplementary feeding.

Here’s how they manage wildlife capture:

Population Control: The team maintains a balance between male and female animals, with a typical ratio of one male to ten females. Extra breeding males are left to establish dominance naturally.

Wildlife Sales and Transfers: Young or older males are usually removed during capture and sold or exchanged with other estates. Wildlife from our estate stays within Gauteng mostly, where the animals are already adapted to our sourveld environment. Animals moved to areas with very different vegetation, may struggle to adapt to the new vegetation and habitat.

Species Limits: We have reached the maximum number of species allowed by GDARD (Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) on our CPJ (Exemption) permit, meaning No new species are allowed to reintroduce in future to our estate in general. Larger animals, such as giraffes, also cannot be kept due to the size limitations of our land.

A Day with Pretoria Wildlife Services: The Wildlife Capture Process

Recently, we had the opportunity to witness a wildlife capture operation performed by Pretoria Wildlife Services.

It was an incredible experience to see their team in action. The process is swift to minimize stress on the animals. Once an animal is darted, the team works quickly to ensure its head remains upright to prevent bloat and stomach content aspiration complications. This is particularly important for ruminants, as they can regurgitate and choke if not handled promptly.

Here’s how Pretoria Wildlife Services manages the capture:

• Drone Assistance: The first step involves using a drone to locate the animal to be darted. The drone stays focused on the animal to track it until it is found, preventing it from hiding in dense vegetation.

• Darting: A veterinarian then darts the animal, and the team quickly moves to transport it, with the drone still focused on the animal.

• Animal Handling: It requires a team of people to move the tranquilized animal, which is like moving dead weight, out of the bush and into the transport trailer.

• Measuring and Transport: The animal’s horns are measured, and it is carefully loaded into the trailer. Branches are placed inside to make the animal feel secure when it wakes up.

• Reversal of Tranquilizer: A reversal agent is administered to counteract the tranquilizer, which takes about 10 minutes to wear off. The animals are also given a calming agent to reduce stress during transport.

Through the dedicated efforts of Pretoria Wildlife Services, we ensure the sustainable management of our wildlife population while maintaining the natural balance of the ecosystem at The Hills Eco Estate. We are proud to work with such a professional team, committed to protecting the beauty and diversity of our wildlife.

For more information, feel free to reach out to the estate management team!