Speak to any ranger that has worked at MalaMala Game Reserve, past or present, and ask what keeps them here and, in many cases, what brings them back. You will get one simple answer: “It’s all about the wildlife…” So, one has to ask what makes the game viewing so special at MalaMala? There is no single reason but rather the culmination of a number of factors which result in the ‘Magic of MalaMala’ that so many have revelled in over the decades.
For as long as I can remember I have been enraptured by nature. The fascination of how an ant colony selects a new queen, how trees create food, why a zebra has stripes or how a bat can pinpoint a mosquito in the dark. My journey into conservation although inevitable in retrospect, was neither simple nor easy.
We are proud to announce that one of our rangers has recently had one of his photographs chosen to feature in the Remembering Wildlife series of coffee table books. A series which was created by wildlife photographer Margot Raggett after she was moved to take action upon seeing a poached elephant in Kenya.
Out of all the animals in the animal kingdom, there are very few that fascinate me as much as the leopard. Their secretive nature, elusive behaviour and tremendous adaptability has resulted in many gaps in scientific literature. They have the uncanny ability to continually surprise the observer.
As a ranger in South Africa, you often hear of this mystical place called MalaMala Game Reserve (aka "The Promised Land"). Stories, as we all know, can sometimes sound too good to be true and so I found myself wondering if these unconfirmed reports were fact, or simply fiction, hyped up by the ‘bush telephone’. I decided to find out for myself…
What does it take to become a ranger? Do we study something ranger-related at university? Do we have to take special off-road driving courses? These are questions often asked by guests.
Percy Khoza is a great example of how, in the words of Nelson Mandela, something always seems impossible until it is done. Percy started working at MalaMala in May 2013, with no experience. But, she has since grown in leaps and bounds. Percy was recently promoted to a full-time receptionist and we are extremely proud of her.
Whilst on safari at MalaMala Game Reserve there’s a good chance that you’ll bump into our resident ecology student, Priscilla. She’s a passionate and driven individual, a devoted single mother and a strong woman who stands confidently in a male dominated industry. Priscilla took a break from her busy schedule to tell us a little bit about herself.
On Friday, a stone throw away from Sable Camp, we experienced all the pre-fight drama one might expect before a world title clash between two heavyweight boxers. The contestants: the Inyathini male and the Senegal Bush male.
