Rhino conservation project 

Jurie Van Zyl, is the co-director of the reserve Selati and the PP Maré boerderij-farm as well as the founder of the rhino conservation project. 

The reserve and farm is located in a small village called Gravelotte, in the  Limpopo province in South Africa. The farm is a 1000 ha breeding farm with a vaste diversity of species ; Buffaloes, sable antelops, nyalas, kudus, elands, impalas, bushbucks,waterbucks, white rhino, wildebeest, giraffes… 

The reserve Selati is 30,000 ha and has various South African wild species: Sable antilop, nyalas, lions, hyenas, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, ... everything. It is a natural area, there is not hunting or reproduction plan made. Farmers who own the place  watching and protecting from poachers. Lumon, is one of the owner and the co-director of Selati reserve and owns a house in the middle of it. Luxury tents have been builted around the house to accomodate students. There is also a swimming pool next to the house to take a dive after an exhausting and warm day in the bush. Everning over there are just amazing. There is nothing else than us eating a braai and listening and watching to the South African nature. A water hall has place 10 meter away from the house, and everynight it is a wild animals parade

Lumon and Jurie worked on different "game farms". Jurie works there for more than 12 years now.

In South Africa farmers own game farms: which are breeding farm and hunting farms.

The breeding farm where Lumon and Jurie are working is called PP Paré Boerderij. It is a breeding farm from 2800 ha in which Nyalas, sable antilop, buffaloes, elands, giraffes, ...and are breed in free-roaming.

Small other area around this farm are also used as breeding farm.

Hunting farms are farms where animals with "bad genetic" is relocated. There will live there natural life like in a reserve and die from natural death, or by predation or by hunting. 

Animals are breeded and solded in other farms as " breeders" or places in hunting farm 

 ils sont élevés pour ensuite être revendus dans d’autres fermes en tant que reproducteurs, ou lorsque leur potentiel génétique n’est pas assez bon (principalement basé sur la taille des cornes), sont déplacés dans la « hunting farm », une ferme de 8000hectares, où ils sont également en total liberté et pourront y être chassés, ou mourir de mort naturelle. Parlons justement de cette chasse, en effet en Afrique du Sud, la chasse à l’éléphant est autorisée, tout comme la chasse à l’hippopotame, au buffalo, au lion… 

In South Africa, hunting is tolerate and controlled. Very strict rules are made. A hunter who wants to kill an animal can not just pay and go in a farm to shot any animal they which. 

Firstly, hunters have to get a hunting licence, weapon licence as well as shooting training. The permis cost a lot of money; around 10,000 € for an example, to hunt a buffalo. 

Secondly, there is specific period to hunt; breeding seasons are prohibided. 

 Hunting is made to keep a balance between all the species. A define number of each species can be hunt a year in all South Africa. Like deers hunted in the Ardennes in Belgium or Kangourou hunted in Australia. It also allows to have a controlled on all the hunting. If hunting was prohibited, there will be a lot of illegal hunting, killed females and important animals. I am completely against hunting and do not understand how people likes killing animals like an hobby.  

Furthermore, the hunter cant killed the first animal seen from his baki. Only old sick non reproductive males can be hunt. The client is accompagned by a professional hunter and can only move around the farm on foot. The hunting reserve is 8000 ha.It can takes days or weeks without any guaranty to find the right animal. Once the animal is found it have to be shot following very strict rules. The client is allowed to keep the animal's head and skin as a trophy. Whereas, the meat is given to local population and public schools.