Leopards have the greatest geographic distribution of the world’s cats and are found throughout the continents of Africa, Asia and in the Far East.  Read more

The African savannah elephant is the largest of all extant species with a shoulder height for bulls of 3.2-3.6 m and a body mass of 5000 - 6 500 kg.Read more

Serengeti – the first provoked thought that comes to mind by the hearing of the name, is thousands of wildebeest crossing savannah plains. Read more

Sable are a large, dark to black coloured antelope with an exceptionally long, upright mane along the neck. The face is white with a black blaze from the forehead to the nose. Read More

The Cape Buffalo is a member of the Big Five, and is regarded as most dangerous of all African game species, especially if wounded or solitary. Read more

King of the Beasts! The lion’s name is derived from the Greek word “leon”. It was first described as Felis leo by Linnaeus in 1758 from a specimen found in Constantine, Algeria. Read more

After the elephant the white rhino is the largest land mammal on earth today. It evolved from the black rhino in relatively recent historical times and spread in large numbers over Africa, Eurasia and North America. Read more

Today, the black rhino is one of the world’s most endangered species due to organized poaching for its horn and between 1970-1992, 96% of the African rhinoceros population was eradicated. Read more

The majestic grace of the giraffe, the tallest animal on Earth, makes it one of the animals most appreciated by tourists. Read more

The Cheetah has a slender build with relatively long legs, and is light in weight in relation to size. It is also the fastest land animal, reaching speeds in excess of 110 km/h. Read more

The name impala comes from the Zulu name iMpala while the Afrikaans name “rooibok” refers to its brick-red skin colour. It is a medium-sized, lightly built antelope. Read more

The gemsbok is a large antelope with exceptionally long, almost straight horns which are heavily grooved, elongated pointed ears, long tail with a thick brush of long black hair, and a dark face-mask. Read more

The bushbuck is a medium-sized antelope. The long hair, 25-32 mm, gives the coat a furry appearance .As its name implies, this shy antelope is a true bush dweller. Read more

The Cape Grysbok is a shy, solitary, nocturnal animal that is rarely seen. It is regarded as a problem animal in the Western Cape. Read more

The Steenbok is a small gracious antelope with relatively long legs and a slender body. This graceful buck has the misfortune to be named after a brick, perhaps because of its colour. Read more

The name springbok is derived from their regular, hopping jumps and the species name marsupialis from “marsupium”, a pouch, referring to the dorsal fan of 10-17 cm high white hair on the saddle. Read more

The Red Hartebeest is the fastest antelope in Africa, up to 75 km/hr, and can outruns most predator attacks. Its hides were the most favoured item of trade with the rural Khoi people during early colonial times in the Cape. Read more

The Kudu is a large, slender, elegant antelope, which first became known through Kolbe’s book on “De Kaap de Goede Hoop” in 1727. The name kudu originates from the Hottentot or Khoi-khoi word “ku::du”. Read more

“Pajama-donkey” or “horse in a rugby-jersey”, as it is often refered to by children, and in the early 1800s, plains zebras were called the wild horses of Africa.  Read more

In the past, hundreds of thousands of blesbok roamed the South African highveld covering the plains from horizon to horizon. Read more

The largest African antelope and its name originated from the Dutch word “eland” meaning elk. Numerous investigators have explored the possibilities of domesticating the eland as it is large. Read more

 

 

Hippo are the most unpredictable and moody of all African animals. It is a large amphibious mega-herbivore, with a large, barrel shaped body and short, stout legs like an enormous pig. Read more

The black wildebeest is endemic to South Africa and never existed elsewhere. This odd animal is certainly the most bizarre living antelope with the mane and tail of a horse, the face of a steer and the delicate legs of a buck. Read more

The mountain zebra evolved from an unidentified ancestor during the early Pleistocene (1-2 million years BP), together with the African wild ass Equus asinus. Read more

Known for a distinct lack of beauty and its pennant tail, the warthog is unmistakable. Its name refers to the warts carried by the boar, while the Afrikaans name “vlakvark” refers to the animal’s habit of roaming. Read more

Recent studies showed it to be an advanced, specialized form of hyaena. Farmers often accuse this harmless insectivore of being a small stock predator and exterminate it as vermin. Read more

Most farmers know the bushpig as a problem animal and they hate it with a passion. The three most destructive animals on farms in higher rainfall regions are elephant, hippo and bushpig. Read more

The duiker is endemic to the African continent and is divided into the forest or thicket duiker of the genus Cephalophus with 15 species, Philantomba with two species and the savannah-woodland or bush duiker. Read more

The sitatunga is the most aquatic antelope in Africa, and one of the most poorly researched animals. Its Afrikaans name “water-kudu” refers to its aquatic behaviour and its relationship to the kudu. Read more

The second largest antelope in Africa. Although roan are thought be related to the oryx or gemsbuck Oryx gazella they are actually related to the sable antelope Hippotragus niger. Read more

Brown hyaenas are predominantly active at night when clan members split up to hunt and scavenge alone. They take refuge during daytime under thicket, in underground holes, in tall grass patches, under debris. Read more

Cat with many names; in 1781 Forster described it as “Tyger bosh katten”, while the ancient Dutch name was “tijgerboschkat” and “bosch-kat” and the colonial English named it “tiger-cat”. Read more

Prehistoric survivor!  These creatures emerged from their dinosaur antecedents some 200 million years BP and in their present form dates back about 80 million years. Read more

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South Africa's online gateway to wildlife, safaris and game ranching.

Wildliferanching.com is a new intiative which was founded by Charmainé and Adrian Alberts in 2009 (read more on the About Us page.), with the aim to provide an informative, relevant and highly educational online platform for wildlife ranchers who want to start breeding programmes, tourists who want to experience a safari and even enthusiasts who are passionate about South African wildlife.

We have invested countless hours in order to ensure that this website would be able to satisfy all your needs related to this particular industry. Our list of animal species was compiled in consultation with Mr Deon Furstenburg, Senior Wildlife Scientist at the ARC, Irene. Mr Furstenburg is a highly respected authority in the South African wildlife industry, and has also served as an expert witness during numerous court cases related to wildlife theft. He is also a lecturer at the University of Port Elizabeth.

The majority of the photographic content on this website was supplied by Mr Doug Lee, a well known journalist at Rapport, who retired early in 2009 in order to pursue his true passion, wildlife photography. Feel free to visit his website at www.douglee.co.za in order to view and purchase additional photographs that may not currently be present in our photographic showcase.

As the sector develops, it may be necessary to revise the contents - in consultation with all the stakeholders - and to update the website accordingly in order to ensure that the contents remain both relevant and useful.

We therefore trust that efforts of this website will be seen as an interactive contribution from Mr Furstenburg and all other parties involved facilitating the development of wildlife ranching as a formally recognised agricultural activity and major tourist attraction, both locally and internationally.

Please contact us at info@wildliferanching.com or +27(0)51 821 1488 if you wish to advertise your ranch on the site, give us feedback or address any additional inquiries.

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