Farmer’s Weekly – 23 August 2019

TherewereseveralTsonga

settlementsalongtheSabiRiver

andfurthernorthbeyondthe

LetabaRiver,althoughthe

northwassparselypopulated

comparedwiththesouth.

ManyoftheTsongamenwere

employedfortheconstruction

ofrailroads,notablytheone

betweenPretoriaandLourenço

MarquesinPortugueseEast

Africa.Gamemeatwassupplied

totheworkers,andtherefore

theareabecameoverhunted.

Wolhuter’sareawaslocated

inthesouthernsectionofthe

modernKrugerNationalPark.

Later,theSingwitsiReservewas

proclaimedfurthertothenorth;

thisfellunderhiscontrolaswell.

Withhisthreepolice

trackersandhisfaithfuldog,

Bull,Wolhuterpatrolledfar

andwide,andbecamewell

knowntotheinhabitants.

Poisedtoattack

Thefactthatthesouthernmost

areahadbecomedenuded

ofgamewasblamedon

theBoerforcesandrailway

constructionperiod.

Wolhuterdispelledthis

misconceptionandproved

thattherealculpritwasthe

1896-1897rinderpestepidemic,

whichleftanoverabundance

ofpredators,suchaslions,

leopards,wilddogsandhyenas.

S

hortlybeforetheSouth

AfricanWar(1899-1902),

PresidentPaulKruger

proclaimedtheestablishment

ofa ‘GovernmentWildlife

Park’intheEasternTransvaal.

Thispieceoflandmarkedthe

beginningofwhatwouldlater

becometheSabiGameReserve.

In1902,ColonelJamesStevenson-

Hamilton,exBritishArmy,was

appointedthefirstwarden.

Helookedacrosshisdeskat

therecruitstandinginfrontof

him.HarryWolhuterwasinhis

20satthetime,tall,lean,and

suntanned.Hangingfromhis

beltwasa longknifeina sheath.

Hewasa veteranofthewarand

hadservedwithSteinaecker’s

Horse.Anirregularmounted

unitraisedbytheBritish,

it haddonedutyalongthe

EasternTransvaalborderwith

Mozambiqueduringtheconflict.

Wolhuterwas 13 whenhis

parentsleftBeaufortWest,

wherehewasborn.Theymade

forLegogoteintheEastern

Transvaal,buttheyoung

Wolhuterremainedbehindat

Maraisburgandworkedina

tradingstore.Helatermoved

toJohannesburg,wherehewas

employedina barandbilliards

saloon.However,hehankeredfor

theopenveld.Withhissavingshe

boughta goodhorseandrifleand

headedeasttojoinhisparentsat

thetradingstoretheyhadstarted.

Here,hegottoknowthe

Lowveldandthelocaltribes.He

alsobecamefluentinSwazi.He

hadhisfirsttasteofcombatin

theMagatoWar,foughtagainst

theBasutochiefofthatname,

intheZoutpansbergregion.

WhenWolhuterreturned

home,helearntthattheAnglo-

BoerWarhadbrokenout,

andthata forceofvolunteers

wasbeingraisedatNomabasha

neartheSwazilandborder

topatroltheregion.

OnjoiningSteinaecker’sHorse,

Wolhuter’sfirstassignment

wastooverseea gangmaking

a roadfromKomatipoort

bridgetoMateveskom.

Afterthat,hewasstationed

atSabiBridge,a distantoutpost

attheendoftheSelatirailway

line.Hewaspickedtoleada

patrolconsistingoftwoprivates

and 30 tribesmenasfaras

theOlifantsRiver,toidentify

suitableplacesforotheroutposts

tobeusedforpolicingthe

borderwithPortugueseEast

Africa,andtointerceptBoers

crossingwithdispatches.

GameranGer

Afterthewar,Wolhuterwas

offereda commissioninthe

armybutturnedit downand

returnedtocivilianlife,seeking

permanentemployment.

Stevenson-Hamilton,

meanwhile,waslookingfora

manwiththeexactcapabilities

andexperiencehepossessed.

Afterexplainingtheduties

ofa gameranger,heoffered

thepositiontoWolhuter.He

agreedimmediatelyandthetwo

shookhands.Thefutureofthe

preservationofSouthAfrica’s

wildlifehadjustbeenforged!

Wolhuter’sfirsttaskwasto

finda suitablecampsitefor

himselfandhisthreetrackers.

Afterbuildinga safekraal

forhishorseatPretoriusKop,

theycleareda largeareaofthe

bushfromaroundthecamp.

Themenlivedinmud-and-

reedhuts,anda firehadto

bekeptburningallnight

tokeeppredatorsatbay.

Hisencounterwith twolionswhileondutyas a gamerangermadeHarry Wolhutera celebrity

throughouttheBritishEmpire andelsewhere.GrahamJoostereports.

the lion came

back later that

night, but bull

the dog kept

it away from

his master

Harry Wolhuter and the lions:

a tale of tooth and claw

54 farmer’sweekly 23 august 2019

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