One of the very important functions of the foundation is to help taking care of the school (Vrederust) close to Buffelsdrift. Government funds are limited and the foundation contributes towards teachers salaries, the education material needed as well as the upkeep of the school facilities.
Buffelsdrift Game Lodge is involved in the community by helping a local underprivileged primary farm school. The children in the school come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Upliftment -As a truly South African Foundation and true to the preamble of the constitution of South Africa to “…improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person” the foundation is committed to contributing to the community. Buffelsdrift Game Lodge has been involved in supporting local education of underprivileged children for many years and is building on this to change lives and to empower children.
Buffelsdrift Game Lodge is involved in the community by helping a local underprivileged primary farm school. The children in the school come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Some children come to school just to get out of their environment into an environment where they can play and feel safe. The children need simple “everyday” supplies such as meals, toiletries, and clothes.
We donate what is needed at the school (e.g. stationery, toiletries, cleaning supplies and much more) we are also in the process of building a jungle gym where they can play. We are also involving a social worker to assist in the assessment of children and to support teachers and children in general.
The teachers at the school have a very small income. The teachers must drive long distances to get to the school and a large portion of their monthly salary goes towards getting them to school.
Funds for the Buffelsdrift Foundation are derived from tourism and from external funders. The Foundation aims to support projects that are focused on the long-term sustainable conservation of wild populations of threatened or endangered species.
Our habitat conservation seeks to conserve, protect and restore firstly the unique quartz-soil habitat on the Buffelsdrift Reserve and to prevent plants unique to this area from extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range.
Funds for the Buffelsdrift Foundation are derived from tourism and from external funders. The Foundation aims to support projects that are focused on the long-term sustainable conservation of wild populations of threatened or endangered species.
Our habitat conservation seeks to conserve, protect and restore firstly the unique quartz-soil habitat on the Buffelsdrift Reserve and to prevent plants unique to this area from extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range.
We have a specific focus on the Spekboom habitat, due to its abnormal quality of removing approximately 10 times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than for instance plants in the Amazon forest.
Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world, habitats and biological diversity. South Africa is home to some incredible wildlife species, and it is our opportunity to protect them by living a conservation life.
At Buffelsdrift Game Lodge this means, that we act with a conservation mindset. Our guides are trained to think conservation and to educate all visitors to think conservation as well. Our Wildlife Conservation Project includes:
We actively contribute to grow and strengthen the genetic pool of the cheetah population in Southern Africa. We are privileged to be associated with the world-renowned EWT (Endangered Wildlife Trust) and through EWT we are the proud custodians of two cheetahs. The purpose of having these cheetahs is to let them roam freely and breed. The offspring will then be relocated to other reserves to ensure a clean and strong bloodline which prevents inbreeding and the extinction of the cheetah. The cheetahs are collared with VHF (Very High Frequency) devices, to enable the tracking of the cheetah for research purposes.
We have three elephants formerly from the Kruger National Park. Their parents were poached because of constant conflict with the nearby commercial farmers. There is a similar problem in the North East of Namibia where a group of 125 free-roaming African elephants are in conflict with commercial farming in the Mangetti area. A portion of the funds accumulated by the Buffelsdrift Foundation are used for the research and conflict mitigation in the North East of Namibia.
After two years of intense preparation, we became custodians of three young lions in January 2018. The first project on the list was to relocate the three young lions from a farm in the Western Cape to Buffelsdrift Game Lodge with the help of Cape Nature. The cubs, two females (already sterilised) and one male, were approximately nine months old at the time. The cubs were welcomed at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge on Wednesday the 4th of January 2018 at their new large camp, not far from the Buffelsdrift Game Lodge tented camp, from where the lion’s spectacular roar can sometimes be heard.
We actively contribute to grow and strengthen the genetic pool of the cheetah population in Southern Africa. We are privileged to be associated with the world-renowned EWT (Endangered Wildlife Trust) and through EWT we are the proud custodians of two cheetahs. The purpose of having these cheetahs is to let them roam freely and breed. The offspring will then be relocated to other reserves to ensure a clean and strong bloodline which prevents inbreeding and the extinction of the cheetah. The cheetahs are collared with VHF (Very High Frequency) devices, to enable the tracking of the cheetah for research purposes.
We have three elephants formerly from the Kruger National Park. Their parents were poached because of constant conflict with the nearby commercial farmers. There is a similar problem in the North East of Namibia where a group of 125 free-roaming African elephants are in conflict with commercial farming in the Mangetti area. A portion of the funds accumulated by the Buffelsdrift Foundation are used for the research and conflict mitigation in the North East of Namibia.
After two years of intense preparation, we became custodians of three young lions in January 2018. The first project on the list was to relocate the three young lions from a farm in the Western Cape to Buffelsdrift Game Lodge with the help of Cape Nature. The cubs, two females (already sterilised) and one male, were approximately nine months old at the time. The cubs were welcomed at Buffelsdrift Game Lodge on Wednesday the 4th of January 2018 at their new large camp, not far from the Buffelsdrift Game Lodge tented camp, from where the lion’s spectacular roar can sometimes be heard.
The decision to move the three lions was based on the fact that the lions were born at a farm where the breeding of lions is strictly prohibited by Cape Nature. A mistake occurred with the infertility precautions and the lions were born with no certain future. Buffelsdrift Game Lodge assisted Cape Nature to find a home for these lions whose faith was not certain.
The meerkat or Suricata is a small carnivoran belonging to the mongoose family. Our reserve is home to three wild meerkat families. It is one of the most unique species that occur in the Klein Karoo. Unfortunately, because of land developing, farming and the lack of knowledge these species have diminished over time. At Buffelsdrift Game Lodge we are dedicated and passionate to learn how these little ones live and operate in their natural habitat. Monitoring these clans provides us with crucial information that helps us understand them better and hopefully can help them to survive in the long run. At the end of the day we can make life-changing decisions on scientific evidence collected by monitoring these clans. This kind of research helps us to mitigate the conflict between the meerkat families and farmers and people keeping meerkats as pets.
The meerkat or Suricata is a small carnivoran belonging to the mongoose family. Our reserve is home to three wild meerkat families. It is one of the most unique species that occur in the Klein Karoo. Unfortunately, because of land developing, farming and the lack of knowledge these species have diminished over time. At Buffelsdrift Game Lodge we are dedicated and passionate to learn how these little ones live and operate in their natural habitat. Monitoring these clans provides us with crucial information that helps us understand them better and hopefully can help them to survive in the long run. At the end of the day we can make life-changing decisions on scientific evidence collected by monitoring these clans. This kind of research helps us to mitigate the conflict between the meerkat families and farmers and people keeping meerkats as pets.
Whereas the Founder is desirous of creating the trust herein referred to and which shall be active in Southern Africa in the protection of biodiversity through sustainable conservation practices. The Trust’s vision is to actively mitigate the difficult crisis of human-wildlife conflict, and to actively address this complex, multi-faceted, challenge by becoming global leaders and ultimately setting the conservation example of mitigation that the world can reliably and optimistically follow.
Also, as a proudly South African foundation/trust the founder and trustees are aware of the intricate demographic composition of the country and committed to contribute towards reconciliation through the trust’s vision of empowerment, development, education and mentor-ship of the beneficiary community.
A portion of the funds accumulated by these conservation projects is donated towards entities that support animals to be free-roaming.
Sign up to our newsletter. News about Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, offers, special dishes from the chef's table, Wildlife and much more.
A unique South African Bushveld experience in the heart of the Klein Karoo within the Garden Route, only 5 hours drive from Cape Town, Western Cape.
