Game reserve

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A game reserve is an area of land set aside for maintenance of wildlife for tourism or hunting purposes. Many game reserves are located in Africa. Most are open to the public, and tourists commonly take sightseeing safaris or hunt wild game.

A game reserve is more than just a piece of land or a place to keep wildlife; it is a place where ecosystems are protected and conservation is a key. Indigenous wildlife in its natural habitat makes for an ideal situation as this helps in providing an environment where growth in numbers at a natural rate can occur.

Some game reserves boast more than one ecosystem, sometimes even five, ranging from valley bushveld, savannah grassland and fynbos to riverine forest and acacia woodland; this provides a dramatic improvement on the types of wildlife that are present and the numerous species of birds that thrive on in these environments.

The biggest attraction is the Big Five game (Africa) - rhinoceros, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion, so named because when hunted these were the most fearsome and dangerous of prey. Of course this is not done on game reserves anymore and is mostly illegal. The reasoning behind it is that although they are dangerous, they are magnificent and truly a sight to behold.

The Eastern Cape of South Africa is one of the most popular safari destinations in the world as it enjoys a malaria-free environment along with a vast variety of wildlife. Photo Safari is the term more commonly used for game reserves as it makes a point that no hunting is involved.