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“It was a long drive for the two bulls, but it could not have gone better. Every time we checked on them en route, they were calm, with Kahle (the older bull) resting his trunk on a tusk or on the roof outside the vehicle,” said Hansen.
Tompkins, who founded Samara Private Game Reserve with her husband, Mark, 21 years ago, has long held a vision of restoring the area to its original state.
“Before early farmers and settlers eradicated the Karoo’s wildlife, it boasted a wonderfully rich biodiversity, and was home to species like cheetah, rhino, Cape lion, springbok and elephant,” she commented.
Thanks to the Tompkins’ dedication, and the conservation ethos which remains at Samara’s heart, their vision is steadily becoming a reality.
“The population of African elephants is in a state of crisis, having declined by an alarming 30% in just 10 years.
“To safeguard the future of the species, there is a need to manage elephants as part of meta-populations; a group of spatially-separated populations between which translocations can take place to ensure genetic diversity and to establish founder populations in areas where elephants previously occurred but have since been eradicated,” noted Tompkins.
She added that Samara is committed to playing its part in the conservation of this iconic gentle giant.
For more information, visit www.samara.co.za or www.erp.ngo.
