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| "Only three rhinos have been killed here by poachers in 26 years. This is the number that are butchered every day in South Africa" CREDIT: GETTY |
The safest place in the world for a rhinoceros to roam free is an African kingdom ruled by a lion and an elephant. Anyone daring to kill a rhino for its horn in this country, or any other protected wildlife, is likely to be shot by rangers or jailed for a minimum of five years. They would also have to pay for replacing the animal, or face a further two years in prison. As a result, only three rhinos have been killed by poachers in 26 years. This is the number that are butchered every day in South Africa.
The remarkable success of wildlife conservation in Eswatini, known until recently as Swaziland, is largely due to Ted Reilly, the farmer son of a British horse soldier in the Anglo-Boer War, with the support of King Mswati III (whose siSwati title is Ngwenyama, the lion) and the approval of the queen mother (revered as Ndlovukazi, the matriarch elephant). Between them, they have transformed a country not much bigger than Yorkshire from a slaughterhouse of wildlife to a sanctuary where animals roam free of human predators and are content to share their domain with visitors. The land of the Lion King thus offers some of the best close encounters with wildlife in Africa.
In the Sixties, Reilly established a game reserve on his farm at Mlilwane and set about restoring 22 larger species decimated by hunters. His family now owns and manages three game parks, and for a few days my family and I are based at Mlilwane in a small camp of traditional beehive huts of woven grasses. The huts are spacious, well-appointed African igloos with en suite facilities and, as often as not, antelope grazing outside. As night falls, the air is full of birdsong and you feel as if you are in a bird sanctuary. Then you remember that you are.
By Gavin Bell.
Full story at Telegraph.
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