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Wildlife

Kwa Madwala is a smaller reserve of some 4,000 hectares which offers a diverse range of wildlife. Many of the smaller animals thrive here in a regular social structure with herds of zebra, impala, kudu, nyala and wildebeest. The reserve offers herd sizes in accordance with its size which are less in overall number than for instance the herds at Kruger National Park which often has many thousands of animals of one species.

Animal diversity

Crocodiles and hippopotamus numbers are plentiful in the water areas of the reserve and the big cat numbers are in line with the number of antelope. There are currently 8 white rhino.

The animal populations are subject to nature so there is no guarantee of the exact numbers on the reserve at any one time.

There are a few species which Kwa Madwala does not have. These include buffalo, black rhino and cheetah. Buffalo were removed due to some disease prevalent in this species such as TB to stop the potential spread to cattle.

As the vegetation at Kwa Madwala is thick and dense it is not an ideal cheetah area, however there are discussions underway with the cheetah conservation project to introduce cheetah on a trial basis as they believe the cheetah are capable of adapting to the vegetation

Black Rhino Expansion Project

Kwa Madwala is also in negotiation with the World Wild Life Fund who have a very successful black rhino expansion project in the Kwa Zulu Natal province. They intend to hopefully move into the Mpumalanga province (Kwa Madwala) as part of their 2010 expansion.

The last major independent animal audit conducted in July 2009 concluded that Kwa Madwala has a healthy game population and a broad diversity of species which has achieved a suitable balance between herbivores and carnivores with no overgrazing encountered.

Head Ranger Animal Count

Kwa Madwala Tracker Policy

It is common practise in the safari lodge industry to find trackers who travel with rangers in safari vehicles seated on a separate special seat on the front of the vehicle as a bush navigator and spotter in terms of assisting the ranger in tracking game, both large and small.

Due to the very thick vegetation at Kwa Madwala we have taken the decision to withdraw trackers from this position on drives. Instead we now have a tracker team who are sent out on a daily basis into the bush to establish game movement and location. This team are in constant radio contact with the rangers and update them frequently to guide them to areas with the most potentially fruitful sightings.

This method has proven far better suited to the Kwa Madwala eco system and conservancy.