Thula Thula
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| Thula Thula Private Game Reserve | |
|---|---|
  Location of the reserve | |
| Location | KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa |
| Nearest town | Empangeni, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 28°35′24″S 31°45′27″E / 28.59000°S 31.75750°E |
| Area | 4500ha |
| Established | 1911 |
| www | |
Thula Thula Private Game Reserve is a private game reserve situated in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. It is part of the Royal Zulu Biosphere.
Thula Thula means ‘peace and tranquility’ in Zulu.
History
Thula Thula was once the private hunting grounds of the mighty Zulu Warrior, King Shaka. The first historic meeting between Shaka and his father, Senzangakhona, which set the stage for the creation of the Zulu Nation.[1] took place at the Nseleni River at Thula Thula.
The land became a game reserve in 1911 and is believed[by whom?] to be the oldest private game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.
The game reserve has two lodges.
Owners
Thula Thula was owned by international conservationist and founder of the Earth Organization, Lawrence Anthony and his wife Francoise Malby-Anthony. The cooperation between Earth Organization and Thula Thula however no longer exists as the South African Conservation Fund was found by Francoise Malby-Anthony, [2]. Anthony died in 2012 and the reserve is now run by his wife Francoise Malby-Anthony. The reserve is the setting for Lawrence's books The Elephant Whisperer (2009) and The Last Rhino (2012). In 2018 Francoise Malby-Anthony published a sequel to Lawrence's book An Elephant in my Kitchen (2018) [3] [4]
Wildlife
Thula Thula is home to a wide variety of animals, including African elephant, buffalo, white rhino, leopard, giraffe, zebra, nyala, hyena, crocodile, kudu, wildebeest as well as other indigenous species. Over 350 species of birdlife has been identified, including a breeding population of white-backed vulture.
Conservation
Since Lawrence's death in 2012, his wife Francoise has started various conservation projects including a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and a Conservation Volunteer Camp. For her effort in conservation Francoise was awarded the French Abroad Award at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris in March 2019. [5]
Elephants
In 1999 Lawrence Anthony was asked to accept a herd of 'rogue' wild elephants from Mpumalanga onto Thula Thula which were destined to be shot unless alternative arrangements could be made. The herd was housed in a boma on Thula Thula but managed to break free and escape. The elephants were successfully tracked, recovered and transported back to Thula Thula. The story of their rehabilitation and Lawrence's subsequent relationship with the herd is told in his book The Elephant Whisperer. The elephant herd, including Nana, Frankie and Mabula are still at Thula Thula as of 2018. The herd has grown to 29 elephants as of 2018. [6]
References
- ^ "Bio Shaka Zulu". SAhistory.org.
- ^ "South African Conservation Fund". saconservation.fund.
- ^ Anthony, Lawrence; Spence Graham (April 2009). The Elephant Whisperer. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-50668-7.
- ^ Malby-Anthony, Francoise; Katja Willemsen (July 2018). An Elephant in my Kitchen. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-150-986-489-8.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|pages 336=(help) - ^ "Le Petit Journal Prix Publique". lepetitjournal.com.
- ^ David Adam (22 February 2009). "The Elephant man". Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
External links
- Thula Thula Website
- Thula Thula German Website
- Thula Thula Photography Web Page
- Book published by Francoise Malby-Anthony about Thula Thula
- Conservation Fund launched by Francoise Malby-Anthony
- Lawrence Anthony & Friends
- Global Animal - Interview with Lawrence Anthony
- CNN African Voices - Interview with Lawrence Anthony from Thula Thula
- Roaming the Hunting Grounds of a Zulu King - The Cutting Edge News