A Wildlife Sanctuary

Pilanesberg and Operation Genesis

Operation Genesis was conceived almost 50 years ago in the 1970s when the regional government initiated a conservation plan to restore and protect the uniquely defined geography of the Pilanesberg volcanic ring, recognizing that its diversity of terrain and its location between the desert and the lush grasslands of the veldt made it the perfect environment in which to re-establish and safeguard lost or endangered indigenous wildlife.
The area is named after Pilane, the ancestral chief of the Bakgatla people who for centuries had farmed the Pilanesberg northern highlands, just as their neighbours the Bakubung tribal group had cultivated the southern plains - in a scattered way with no large settlements. Both groups freely accepted offers to purchase their land at an above market rate, and to resettle in fresh localities immediately outside the new park’s boundaries. With their support and the considerable vision of the pioneers of Operation Genesis, the Pilanesberg National Wildlife Park was born and became one of the most ambitious and successful conservation and animal re-introduction schemes undertaken anywhere in the world.

Ecosystem Restored

Since its inception Pilanesberg’s unique ecosystem has been lovingly restored. Early innovations saw the removal of signs of agricultural exploitation and non-native plants, and an end to over-grazing and construction. Boundaries were defined with 110 km of game fence, important in the fight against poaching, and 200km of new, sensitively engineered gravel tracks were installed to replace existing roads, giving visitors on open vehicle safaris easier and more comfortable access and at the same time reducing off-road erosion.

Consolidating this success, a controlled number of attractive, sympathetically designed lodges, hotels and restaurants were then built to develop the tourism necessary in order to support the vital work of Operation Genesis. In this way, our guests are making an essential contribution to the valuable work of the project.

Ecosystem Restored

Pilanesberg National Wildlife Park was opened in 1979. Within the park’s protective embrace long lost wildlife began to venture back, but the work of Operation Genesis extended to the active re-introduction of treasured species threatened with extinction, including elephant, lion, and the gravely endangered rhinoceros. In the intervening years, an incredible six thousand species originally native to this area have made their home here once again, a testament to the vision of its founders, and despite the occasional setbacks inevitable to such an ambitious project, Pilanesberg’s conservation record is an achievement which few can match.

The Future

The Black Rhino Reserve is currently involved in a visionary10 year strategy aiming to create a wildlife corridor between Pilanesberg (570 square kilometres) and the 750 square kilometre Madikwe Game Reserve in the north west close to the Botswana border. This project aims to extend the safety zone in which endangered animals can live undisturbed within their own natural habitat, safe from the threat of poachers and the encroachment of modern development.