Mkhaya Game Reserve

Mkhaya Game Reserve
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Mkhaya Game Reserve
Location of the Mkhaya Game Reserve
Location	Swaziland
Nearest city	Siphofaneni
Coordinates	26°37′30″S 31°44′15″E / 26.62500°S 31.73750°ECoordinates: 26°37′30″S 31°44′15″E / 26.62500°S 31.73750°E
Established	1979

Mkhaya Game Reserve is a protected area in Swaziland. It is located along the MR8 road.

Characteristics

It is situated in lowveld wilderness in the southeast of Swaziland and is made up of acacia-dominated thornveld in the south and broadleaf sandveld in the north. The reserve has many dry riverbeds, is dotted with waterholes and has a network of game-viewing roads.^[1]

Mkhaya Game Reserve is named after the knobthorn tree which is known as mkhaya in siSwati.^[2]

Mkhaya is staffed and patrolled entirely by local Swazi people. All travel within the reserve is guided and requires pre-booking. The reserve is self-financed solely through visitor revenues.^[1]

Fauna

It was established in 1979 to save Nguni cattle, which were close to extinction, and has gone on to include other endangered species such as the south-central black rhinoceros, southern white rhinoceros, hippopotamus pods, roan antelope, sable antelope, tsessebe, elephant and Cape buffalo herds.^[1][3]

Birds of note include Narina trogon, purple-crested turaco, grey-headed bush-shrike, gorgeous bushshrike and pygmy kingfisher.^[3]

Trials were started in 2009 to find a financially viable and humane method to control the elephant population by performing vasectomies on some bull elephants.^[4]

References

1. "Mkhaya: Swaziland's Refuge for Endangered Species". Malkerns, Swaziland: Big Game Parks. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
2. "Swaziland's Flora - siSwati Names and Uses". Lobamba: Swaziland National Trust Commission. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
3. "SWAZILAND - MKHAYA GAME RESERVE". Game-Reserve.com. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
4. "Swazi elephants get vesectomies". www.iol.co.za. Independent Online. August 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-11.