Emerging farmers’ game scheme on shedule

A TOTAL of 160 emerging commercial farms in Namibia are qualified to receive wild animals through the Wildlife Breeding Stock Scheme (WBLS) of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, said a senior official in the Ministry.

Dr Fanuel Demas, the Director of Scientific Services, said the Ministry has started translocating game to the beneficiaries and the first capture was conducted two weeks ago in the Daan Viljoen area. Demas said the first two farms to benefit from the scheme are Rooiberg in the Hardap Region and Hedwigshof in the Otjozondjupa Region.Eleven zebras were released at Rooiberg and 18 gemsbok at Hedwigshof.The WBLS grew out of the recognition that there are emerging commercial farmers or resettlement farmers who might be interested in game farming but do not have the money to buy wildlife.During the next game capture this month, eland will be captured in the Waterberg Plateau Park and springbok in the Hardap Recreation Resort.The eland are earmarked for the farms Witbank (Omaheke), Hiniton (Omaheke), Heimat (Omaheke), Doorfontein (Khomas), Karidabes (Otjozondjupa) and Otjijandjeua (Omaheke).About 20 eland will be released on each of the farms, said Demas.The 140 springbok to be captured at Hardap are earmarked for the farm Orab North (Hardap), Rembrandt (Omaheke) and Paradise.Demas said the number of game each farm will receive depends on its size to prevent overstocking.After the Hardap capture, the scheme will resume in March or April next year, when it is cooler.It will soon be too hot for game capture, Demas said.The species of animals that the Ministry is offering include Hartmann’s zebra, Burchell’s zebra, springbok, gemsbok, ostrich and eland.Demas said the first two farms to benefit from the scheme are Rooiberg in the Hardap Region and Hedwigshof in the Otjozondjupa Region.Eleven zebras were released at Rooiberg and 18 gemsbok at Hedwigshof.The WBLS grew out of the recognition that there are emerging commercial farmers or resettlement farmers who might be interested in game farming but do not have the money to buy wildlife.During the next game capture this month, eland will be captured in the Waterberg Plateau Park and springbok in the Hardap Recreation Resort.The eland are earmarked for the farms Witbank (Omaheke), Hiniton (Omaheke), Heimat (Omaheke), Doorfontein (Khomas), Karidabes (Otjozondjupa) and Otjijandjeua (Omaheke).About 20 eland will be released on each of the farms, said Demas.The 140 springbok to be captured at Hardap are earmarked for the farm Orab North (Hardap), Rembrandt (Omaheke) and Paradise.Demas said the number of game each farm will receive depends on its size to prevent overstocking.After the Hardap capture, the scheme will resume in March or April next year, when it is cooler.It will soon be too hot for game capture, Demas said.The species of animals that the Ministry is offering include Hartmann’s zebra, Burchell’s zebra, springbok, gemsbok, ostrich and eland.