UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

The UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve is a 6,000 hectare reserve encompassing a wide range of habitats from acacia savannah and bushveld to mountainous terrain. Due to previous agricultural practices, many of the natural inhabiting species were lost.

Although some mammal populations remained and have thrived since the reserve was established, additional species have now been released and UmPhafa has become home to a wide range of fauna.

These include giraffe, kudu, impala, common reedbuck, mountain reedbuck, zebra, blesbok, red hartebeest, wildebeest, waterbuck, nyala, warthog, aardvark and porcupine – to name only some. Leopard and spotted hyena have more recently returned to the area naturally and are regularly recorded through camera trapping, tracking, and – on rarer occasions – sightings!! Small to medium sized carnivores such as black-backed jackal, caracal, serval, genet, and several species of mongoose are also common.