We are a community newspaper based in Hoedspruit, South Africa, that has its bias towards wildlife and conservation. We aim to have local, original, and relevant content that is both thought provoking and educational. We also strive to maintain a high standard of journalism.
We are in the centre of the UNESCO officially ratified, Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. Hoedspruit is generally considered to be the ‘safari capital’ of South Africa, within close proximity to the renowned and famous Kruger National Park, the Blyde River Canyon, the Timbavati, Klaserie and many other private game farms and reserves. Some of Africa’s most luxurious game lodges are also close by.
We invite you to read our publication, access previous editions, provide feedback should you wish, and hopefully we will get you to subscribe. We publish monthly, and generally release our editions on the last Friday of every month.
We hope you enjoy the read and we look forward to welcoming you to Hoedspruit, our community, and our world of wildlife and conservation.
At a place called Lone Tree in the central Kalahari, a band of San hunters picked a young kudu bull out of the herd and started running it down. Louis Liebenberg, then a young South African researcher with no distance-running background, wasn’t meant to be part of that – the hunters told him the heat made the chase too dangerous for someone untrained. He talked his way into staying anyway.
Conservation management has always been difficult. Managing wildlife, ecosystems, people, budgets, politics, and competing land-use expectations, has never been an exercise for the faint-hearted. Recently, what has changed dramatically is not necessarily the complexity of the ecological problems, but the environment in which conservation decisions are now made.
In the intricate biology of the human body, organs such as the breast, the colon and the lungs are lined with a defensive barrier known as the epithelium. At the heart of this barrier sits a remarkable protein called Mucin-1 (MUC1). In a healthy body, MUC1 is like a sentinel.
As the world marks the 20th World Ranger Day in Kruger’s Centenary Year, a global campaign renews Its call for justice.
Rifumo Mathebula, Programme Director of Wild Shots Outreach, has been selected as one of the Obama Foundation’s 2026 African Leaders – recognising his outstanding leadership and commitment to empowering young Africans through conservation, photography and visual storytelling.
Conservation management has always been difficult. Managing wildlife, ecosystems, people, budgets, politics, and competing land-use expectations, has never been an exercise for the faint-hearted. Recently, what has changed dramatically is not necessarily the complexity of the ecological problems, but the environment in which conservation decisions are now made.
At a place called Lone Tree in the central Kalahari, a band of San hunters picked a young kudu bull out of the herd and started running it down. Louis Liebenberg, then a young South African researcher with no distance-running background, wasn’t meant to be part of that – the hunters told him the heat made the chase too dangerous for someone untrained. He talked his way into staying anyway.
I have watched countless breeding herds of African elephant consisting of a senior cow, elder females and younger cows, all the way down to juveniles of both sexes – the young males are banished from their natal herd around their early teens – yet I’m ever fascinated by the quality of synchronised attention this matriarchal sisterhood constantly pay to one another.
This month has Valentines Day – but it has always fascinated me as to where did it originate and why?
Valentine’s Day is now synonymous with roses, chocolates and candlelit dinners. But it has roots far less polished – and far more intriguing.
Conservation management has always been difficult. Managing wildlife, ecosystems, people, budgets, politics, and competing land-use expectations, has never been an exercise for the faint-hearted. Recently, what has changed dramatically is not necessarily the complexity of the ecological problems, but the environment in which conservation decisions are now made.
Rifumo Mathebula, Programme Director of Wild Shots Outreach, has been selected as one of the Obama Foundation’s 2026 African Leaders – recognising his outstanding leadership and commitment to empowering young Africans through conservation, photography and visual storytelling.
