How to identify a game reserve, six distinctive features
Posted by Chester Morton / Thursday, 23 August 2018 / No comments
WHAT IS A GAME RESERVE?
Definition
A game reserve is usually a large area demarcated
for animals in the wild, where they can live safely and usually undisturbed,
though some of them can and are hunted in a controlled fashion. The demarcated
area is usually a large area.
FEATURES OF A GAME RESERVE
The main focus is on fauna
One of the features of a game reserve is obviously the presence of
animals. The main focus is to create a safe haven for the animals to thrive in
their natural environment. The population of animals could be made up of just
one type of animal as in the case of the monkey sanctuary in Tafi-Atome in the
Volta Region of Ghana or could be made up of different kinds of animals as in
the Sabi Sands Game Reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Conservation is a key driver
Another characteristic is that the focus is on the conservation
of the animal species. Many animals of the world have gone into extinction in
several countries of the world, like the black rhino extinction in Chad some 50
years ago (now being re-introduced in 2018). One of the aims of a game reserve
is to ensure that animal species are preserved as much as possible to ensure
that they do not go into extinction.
Opened to the public
Again, people are allowed to enter the game reserves and view
different types of animals in their natural habitat. In other words, the game
reserves are opened to the public. Some game reserves organize sightseeing
Safaris for tourists from around the world. This kind of tour is common in
South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and other countries.
Allows controlled hunting
Some game reserves allow the hunting of some the game in the
reserve. There are people who are interested in hunting as a sport; such people
are allowed into the reserve to engage in their sport as and when the atmosphere allows. Hunting may also be
allowed at certain times of the year and for specific animals, to control their
population and to maintain their ecosystem.
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| Tava Lingwe Game Lodge, in South Africa |
Game lodges have become common in recent times. Some of the game
reserves provide accommodation for visitors who may want to stay for a few days or overnight.
It is a kind of hotel business within a game reserve. This is again common in
South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, etc. One of the
reasons why people stay overnight is to be able to observe the nocturnal
animals which come out only at night.
May contain more than one ecosystem
An ecosystem refers to how living things such as plants,
animals and organisms in a particular area interact with each other and with other
non-living things that constitute their environments such as the sun, soil,
climate, and the atmosphere in general. A game reserve, therefore, may contain
more than one ecosystem.
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