The pride, comprising two males and two females was sourced from sister reserves, world-renowned Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape and Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in the Western Cape, to enable a diverse genetic composition for the founding populations. These lions have been monitored from birth, and the Mantis Wildlife Team is confident that they will adapt well to life in the new reserve, Nkomazi Game Reserve.
The presence of free-roaming lions in Nkomazi signifies an important milestone in Nkomazi's objective of becoming one of the foremost destinations in wildlife conservation and tourism in Mpumalanga, and the flagship reserve in the southern Mpumalanga, Komati River Valley region.
Over the following months and years, wildlife section manager, Manzi Spruit and animal monitor Stefan Swanepoel, will have their work cut out for them as they carefully monitor the lions' movements and feeding patterns. This information is vital in enabling the reserve to make informed wildlife-management decisions.
“The sense of excitement and achievement at Nkomazi is almost tangible, and makes the months of careful preparation all the more worthwhile,” said Spruit. “It adds a whole new dimension to this breathtakingly beautiful game reserve.” No small accolade from a dedicated conservationist, who took her first steps in the Kruger National Park.
Nkomazi Game Reserve, a Mantis property, joins its sister reserves in South Africa by offering great wildlife encounters in Africa with its diversity of predators: lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, rhino and a variety of herbivore species.
For more information on Nkomazi, go to www.mantiscollection.com
