About

About the Lowveld Region

The WESSA Lowveld Region is blessed with the Kruger National Park to the east, and the Drakensberg to the west, which makes it rich in biodiversity with many rare and interesting species.

The Lowveld is also blessed with numerous retired scientists who have spent their lives researching animals such as lions, elephants, hyenas and eagles. WESSA Lowveld regularly invites these icons to address the Region and the general public, thereby increasing knowledge and understanding of these species and generating revenue at the same time.

The main project that the Lowveld Region has embraced in recent years is aimed at reducing the poaching of rhinos, and it has received financial support from various sources – both locally and internationally. WESSA Lowveld has also raised money by organising concerts, auctions and talks.

Projects

Lowveld Region Projects

Zululand K9 Units

In recent years, most of the poachers appear to have moved south and are targeting the rhino in Ezemvelo reserves, which are the source populations from which all others have their genesis.

To help combat this, WESSA Lowveld is sponsoring tracker dogs and their handlers who are based in these reserves and have been successful in tracking and arresting poachers.

WESSA Lowveld is now in the planning stage of establishing the Project Rhino K9 Unit to be based outside Hluhluwe Village. Four Bloodhound-Doberman pups are with foster parents in the Lowveld learning their basic manners and building up confidence before they go into training when they are ten months old.

WESSA Lowveld recently facilitated and funded a week-long visit by the Manager of Umfolozi Game Reserve and one of his Section Rangers, to the Kruger National Park and the South African Wildlife College to gain an understanding of the use of dogs in combatting poaching.