The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) held its annual game auction at Mpekweni Beach Resort on the 3rd of August 2023.
The animals on sale were taken from two provincial nature reserves managed by the ECPTA. These reserves included popular attractions such as Commando Drift and Great Fish River, located in the Eastern Cape.
The game auction made close to over R1.9 million through the sale of over 130 animals such as Kudu, Eland, Red and Black Hartebeest, Cape Mountain Zebra, Burchell’s Zebra and Cape Buffalo.
The proceeds from this game auction are to be reinvested into its nature reserves, further supporting the agency’s efforts to conserve and protect precious natural heritage.
An additional 2.4% of the auction proceeds were donated towards a bursary scheme for a student residing in Brakfontein Community close to Great Fish Nature Reserve to study a relevant conservation course.
ECPTA Chief Executive Officer Vuyani Dayimani said that the proceeds of the game auction are used to support various tourism initiatives and nature conservation projects.
“Young people who lived adjacent to ECPTA nature reserves, who were interested in pursuing nature conservation and environmental management studies at the tertiary level, will be given bursaries from a portion of the game auction proceeds,” said Dayimani.
Lindy Sunderland from the Kariega Game Reserve said the private game reserves were happy to work with ECPTA on biodiversity and environmental management programmes.
“Despite the rhino poaching crisis that has gripped South for more than a decade, the Agency in partnership with the Wildlife Fund has run the most breeding projects in the world,” said Sunderland.
Sunderland added that in the long term, they suggest that any net proceeds from the sale of the game are donated to each participating reserve and associated non-profit organisations, to bring about positive social and environmental changes within communities.
