|
Home
How to sponsor
Suni-Ridge
Donate by Credit
Card
Sponsor KHOLA
Campaign
Sponsor ECO-Ambassadors
Sponsor SCHOOL
Campaign
Share Your Support
Stay at our Lodge
Buy Wildlife Art
Wildlife
Sanctuary
Suni
& Red Data Wildlife
Wildlife
Orphanage
Young
Ambassadors Course
False Bay
School
Community
Orphanage
Environmental
Rehabilitation
Water
Catchment Forum
Suni-Ridge
Sand Forest Park
Maputaland,
Kwa Zulu Natal
Contact
Us
|
Wildlife in and around Suni-Ridge
When we bought Suni-Ridge in 1991, it was a derelict pineapple farm.
We have spent an enormous amount of time and dedication rehabiltating
the land. First we removed snares and alien vegetation, and left the
land fallow to recover (read more in Environmental
Rehabilitation).
|
Water holes were also created and wildlife started pouring in.
Today the sanctuary supports more than 8 red
data mammal species, over 340 species of birds and a huge diversity
of other animal life including our namesake, the rare Suni Antelope.
On occassion, we sometimes see a leopard passing through our reserve.
Another great compliment is the unusual
Aardvaark that has started calling Suni-Ridge "home".
Preserving our environment is paramount, as Kwa Zulu Natal has
already lost 33% of it’s indigenous forest.
Less than 50% of wetlands remain in South Africa and worldwide
deforestation and pollution of land and ocean are causing global
warming.
In our immediate area rivers that feed the St. Lucia lake are utilized
extensively, but no water is being allocated to sustain the lake
(read more about the Water
Catchment Forum). |
Suni-Ridge is a flourishing wildlife sanctuary -
also thanks to our policy of bonafide
wildlife protection.
This photo is of some of our baby impalas (Nov 2007)
Janet Cuthbertson with Zebra and Wildebeest
at Suni-Ridge Sand Forest Park
|
Wildlife Scouts/Guards
| Sadly, the wildlife in and around our reserve still falls prey to
the inhumane practice of snaring. Wire nooses are placed in trees
and bushes, which are difficult for the animals to see. |
|
They get stuck in the nooses and suffer a very painful,
slow death. We need your support to set up and maintain a desnaring
and poaching prevention control unit to prevent this from happening.
Please sponsor an ad for the Khola Campaign?
Old Boy was our "tame" zebra stallion
that was killed in a snare (read his full
story).
Environmental Course for Communities
In spite of these terrible setbacks, we are even more determined
to prevent this from happening. We're working with the local communities
to increase awareness of why wildlife is important, and why we need to
preserve and nurture our amazing natural heritage, by offering the Young
Ambassador's Environmental Leadership Course.
| The course we provide offers an understanding of biodiversity protection, water and sanitation management, animal husbandry and leadership skills to teenagers who ... read further |
|
“The main reason for the decline of species world wide, is the
loss of habitat and we felt that we should be giving something back. Many
of us are great lover’s of the environment, but we are not always
able to give back to mother nature, that which we are taking from her,
at a much faster rate than she can sustain. To rehabilitate our land was
a tiny gesture, but a huge undertaking, to at least do something, however
small it may be.” ~ Janet Cuthbertson
Wildlife Orphanage (future project)
Look at the story
about Silky and her mother, which makes us even more determined
to protect the wildlife in our area. |
When an adult animal dies (normally from poaching / snaring), their
young are left helpless, often unable to fend for themselves.
The general approach is to "let nature take its course".
Which normally means that little ones don't survive, because they've
not yet had the chance to learn the necessary survival skills.
We'd like to offer a safe
haven for young orphaned animals and need your help! |
|
