Page 13 - IFV_Issue 3_March_2022
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Along the Sabie – best place in South Africa to see lions

             It was partly this threat that, in 1998,   Last year again saw a memorable flood   This dismayed Stevenson-Hamilton,
           caused National Parks to launch the   along the Sabie.             for farmers had been clamouring for the
           Kruger National Park Rivers Research   The Sabie is by far the most biologically,   reserve to be opened up for hunting. For a
           Programme – the largest and most   hydrologically  and  geomorphically  time, sheep grazed there and Stevenson-
           comprehensive multidisciplinary river   researched river in South Africa. It was   Hamilton, in trying to hold off the
           research programme ever undertaken in   intensively monitored during the Rivers   pressure of the hunting lobby, suggested
           South Africa.                     Research Programme by scores of   the reserve be allowed to make money
             The 10 years of seminars produced   scientists in various disciplines and, for   by capturing young animals for zoos
           vital new data – but too late to influence   years, updated data were sent to around   here and overseas. In those days, soon
           the building of the Injaka Dam whose   100 scientists who have developed a   after World War 1 (1918), giraffe landed in
           impoundment was completed the     more than academic interest in the   England would fetch £1 000 and a hippo
           following year and whose impact will   Sabie’s health.             would fetch £600.
           take  years to  assess.  In fact, directly   Kruger Park has continued facilitating   In fact, out of desperation, for a time
           after the dam was completed, in 2000,   seminars and appraisal meetings to make   the warden did just that even though
           Mpumalanga was hit by the Millennium   sure that what is happening and what   he abhorred having to compromise the
           Flood, which was said to be a ‘one in 100   is planned for the Sabie River supports   conservation ethic. He hoped a time
           years flood’.                     their vision for South Africa’s flagship   would come when the government
             Some hydrologists believe that floods   tourist attraction. Their vision has been   would proclaim the Sabi Game Reserve a
           of this magnitude are more common   described as  “to maintain biodiversity   national park.
           than is realised. Months after the   in all its natural facets and fluxes and to   That’s exactly what happened. In 1926,
           Millennium Flood an old staff member at   provide human benefits . . . in a manner   the government took over the Sabi Game
           Skukuza pointed out a mark painted by   which detracts as little as possible from   Rerserve and the  Shingwedzi Reserve
           Lt-col Stevenson-Hamilton, Kruger’s first   the wilderness qualities of the KNP”.  further to the north.  The first tourists
           warden, on the Selati railway bridge that   I have been re-reading Stevenson-  arrived at the new ‘national park’ in 1927.
           spans the  Sabie at  Skukuza.  The mark   Hamilton’s book,  South  African  Eden,   The gap between the two protected
           showed  the  height  of  a  flood  in  1950.   and in it he gives an account of how,   areas was filled in 1944 when Eileen
           There was little difference between the   when he was living at Skukuza not long   Orpen bought seven farms and donated
           two  levels. Later, somebody  recorded   after World War 2 he was told that certain   them to the government.
           that Stevenson-Hamilton, in 1950, was   farmers were to be allowed to graze   Stevenson-Hamilton retired as the
           shown a landmark by a Shangaan staff   sheep  in  his  Sabi  Game  Reserve  and   park’s first warden 20 years later. He died
           member who recalled a flood reaching   around Pretoriuskop  and  that, because   aged 90 in White River in 1957.
           there in 1900 – a flood that appeared to   of the presence of predators, they could
           be as high as the Millenium Flood.  carry guns.


















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