Kruger carnivores face mounting threats, and a new wine fundraiser is helping fund GPS collars that protect lions and wild dogs. Image: Mariana Balt
Buy a bottle this year and help save Kruger Park’s lions and wild dogs
Kruger Park carnivores face mounting threats, and a new wine fundraiser is helping fund GPS collars that protect lions and wild dogs.
14-07-26 12:28
in
Animals
Kruger carnivores face mounting threats, and a new wine fundraiser is helping fund GPS collars that protect lions and wild dogs. Image: Mariana Balt
If anyone ever tells you that wine cannot solve problems, point them towards a project recently launched to help save Kruger carnivores.
In the year that Kruger National Park celebrates its 100th birthday, one South African wine producer has found a way to make every toast count.
While no cabernet has ever chased away a poacher, a case of wine can now help fund <a href="https://absafricatv.com/unescos-a-i-report-considers-how-technology-can-serve-culture/” title=”UNESCO’s A.I. Report Considers How Technology Can Serve Culture”>technology that gives conservationists a fighting chance.
WHY KRUGER CARNIVORES NEED HELP
The campaign responds to current census numbers that tell a sobering story.
Lion numbers in northern Kruger have dropped by 63% since 2005, largely because of targeted poaching for body parts.
Across Africa, cheetahs have lost 90% of their historic range.
Fewer than 6 600 African wild dogs remain in the wild.
HOW THESE CARNIVORES BENEFIT FROM GPS COLLARS
The campaign aims to fund 20 GPS collars. Ten have already been sponsored. Each collar costs R35 500 and provides satellite tracking for two years.
That might sound like an expensive necklace, but these collars do not make fashion statements. They send location data that allows rangers to spot danger before lions wander into poaching hotspots or areas where conflict with people could occur.
One collared lion also helps protect an entire pride.
And suddenly, a bottle of Shiraz seems to carry quite a responsibility!
If ever there was an excuse to enjoy a good bottle without feeling guilty, this may be it.
After all, the lions will not complain if you finish more than one glass.
A TOAST TO KRUGER CARNIVORES AND THE NEXT 100 YEARS
South Africans love supporting a good cause, especially when it comes with something worth uncorking, so pay attention:
Painted Wolf Wines has donated 6 000 bottles to raise R700 000 for carnivore conservation in and around Kruger National Park. Better still, the company will not make a profit from the campaign.
Supporters can purchase a limited-edition case of six premium wines for R995. Of that amount, R600 goes directly to the SANParks Honorary Rangers, working with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT).
The money will fund GPS collars for lions roaming northern Kruger, where the need has become urgent.
WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT
The campaign brings together several milestones in the year that Kruger National Park marks its centenary.
The SANParks Honorary Rangers also celebrate 60 years of volunteer service this year, and Painted Wolf Wines celebrates its 20th harvest.
As a bonus, every case purchased enters buyers into monthly prize draws. Safari stays, food experiences, artwork and other prizes lead up to a grand prize draw in December 2026.
Conservation has rarely looked this rewarding…
Founder of Painted Wolf Wines, Jeremy Borg, says the company was built on the belief that excellent wine could help keep wilderness wild.
This campaign proves that conservation does not always require muddy boots or binoculars.
Sometimes it starts with friends around a dinner table, raising a glass to South Africa’s wildlife.
