Firefighters battle to contain a blaze in Champagne Valley of the Drakensberg at the weekend. This photograph was taken by a guest staying at the Drakensberg Sun resort. Eight black wildebeest died or were put down, and two are missing. Last night the fire was still smouldering. Picture: Vincent De Luca
A massive fire has ravaged the Hluhluwe game reserve, razing almost 6 000 hectares.
Basil Homes of Durban, a regular visitor who drove through the park last week, said he was shocked by the extent of the fire.
“It’s dreadful. I’ve never seen anything like it – just miles and miles of burnt land. There is nothing left for the animals to eat.”
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesman Musa Mntambo said the fire happened last weekend (August 17-18) and burnt about 5 000ha to 6 000ha of the park from Memorial Gate almost as far as Hilltop camp.
Asked how the loss of so much grazing during the winter months might affect wildlife, Mntambo said animals had moved southwards towards the Nyalazi gate section. Ezemvelo believed there was still sufficient grazing in the combined 96 000-ha Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park.
Mntambo said park authorities suspected the fire began outside the park and spread into Hluhluwe.
In the Drakensberg’s Champagne Valley, residents were counting the cost of the damage caused by a fire which raged for 15 hours at the weekend, destroying hundreds of hectares of grazing and damaging tourism in the area.
Eight privately owned black wildebeest died or were put down, and two are still missing.
The Drakensberg Sun Hotel was filled with smoke, the blaze burning on the boundary of the resort.
Mntambo said arson was suspected.
