Ithala Game Reserve

Ithala Game Reserve is situated in 290 km2 of rugged, mountainous thornveld, about 400 km north of Durban, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is one of the youngest game parks in South Africa. The altitude varies from 400 m along the Phongolo River to 1,450 m along the Ngotshe Mountain escarpment. The reserve consequently encompasses a great variation of terrain, from densely vegetated river valleys and lowveld to high-lying grassland plateaus, mountain ridges and cliff faces.

Ithala Game Reserve
Giraffe amid mountainous terrain in Ithala
Location of the reserve in KwaZulu-Natal
LocationKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Nearest cityDurban, South Africa
Coordinates27°32′48″S 31°18′49″E
Area290 km2 (110 sq mi)
Established1973
Governing bodyEzemvelo KZN Wildlife

Game

Grazers include impala, red hartebeest, tsessebe, blue wildebeest, eland and reedbuck. With the exception of reedbuck, these species have been observed to produce young seasonally around November to December in Ithala, when ample green forage is available.[1] The browsers include duiker, bushbuck, nyala, kudu and giraffe, which deliver their young at any time of the year.[1]

Reintroductions

All the big game species have been re-established with the exception of lion. Locally extinct red-billed oxpeckers were reintroduced from the Kruger Park, c. 1994, when 175 birds were released.[1]

History
  • In the late 1800s land was given by King Dinizulu to boer farmers.
  • In 1973 the then Natal Parks Board started buying up farms in this area to make up this Reserve.

Trivia
  • There are two abandoned gold mines in Ithala.

See also
  • List of conservation areas of South Africa

References
  1. Dames, Koos (2013). Bykans 70 jaar se onthou... pp. 25, 50.
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