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The students at Selati were
given the opportunity to visit the sable breeding farm in the far north of the
reserve. The diversity of the course
offered by EcoTraining is such that students are exposed to not only
fascinating facts about the bush, but also how conservation management fits
into the equation. Sable are one of the
rarest antelope to be found in southern Africa and their value is such that
entire reserves are able to exist through their sales and breeding. Selati is one of those areas and the 33,000
hectares are fully funded, not by commercial lodges, but exclusively through
the funds generated by Sable breeding project.
We were met by the farm manager Hannes, a
former guide who started with almost no knowledge about breeding Sable, but
after 7 years of hard work is now one of the pioneers into Sable breeding and
is the man responsible for generating the funds that allow Selati to
prosper. Hannes’ enthusiasm and love of
sable is evident and he gave the students a detailed lesson in how they are bred
and generate the income through the programme, as well as insightful
information about the behaviour of this stunning animal. The students were fascinated by the process
and Hannes was subjected to a barrage of questions about the various processes!
After a couple of hours, we stopped for a
packed breakfast in the bush before heading back to camp. On the way, we stopped off at the largest
baobab tree on the Selati reserve and received a quick lesson on this
magnificent tree. Although not as big as
some specimens, for many it was their first time to see the fabled behemoth and
all delighted in the experience. The
road back to camp was peppered with elephant damage and much energy was
expended as the students discovered the delights of working in an area that
comes complete with its own set of landscape gardeners! Quite why the elephants seem to revel in
felling trees across roads was beyond us, but we all enjoyed a bit of physical labour
after to get the blood pumping!
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