Economics of private game reserves in South Africa

In South Africa, a private game reserve either has the Big Five or it doesn’t.

The “Big Five” label refers to lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses and buffalo. Originally coined by hunters to designate the five most dangerous African animals to hunt on foot, the term is now used by game reserves eager to attract wildlife-viewing enthusiasts.

While many tourists pine for lions, the big cats are not the most valuable of the Big Five. Matt, a ranger at Mabula Private Game Reserve, which is about a three-hour drive north of Johannesburg, says a lion can be bought for a mere 500 rand, which is about $50 at current exchange rates, while a disease-free buffalo can cost as much as 200,000 rand, or about $20,000.

In the wild, lions can kill as many as five buffalo a month, which would make it financially devastating for a small reserve like Mabula. The solution? You keep the two apart, which is what Mabula has done by putting its seven lions in a separate fenced enclosure. “You don’t want your 500-rand asset eating 1 million rand worth of assets a month,” says ranger Matt.

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/south-africa/090224/economics-private-game-reserves-south-africa