RESTORED PROTECTED PRESERVED WILD
Zuka Private Game Reserve is the cornerstone property of a pioneering land assembly founded by Tara and Jessica Getty in 2001. Today, this progressive rewilding project has thus far expanded to 10,300 hectares of environmentally restored and protected northern Zululand and stands as a beacon of light as to what is possible on our planet.
1990 – The Beginning of the Story
“Caring for wilderness, wildlife and people is multifaceted. There are many models. This is ours.”
~ TARA GETTY ~
“Caring for wilderness, wildlife and people is multifaceted. There are many models. This is ours.”
~ TARA GETTY ~
Where we are
Zuka Private Game Reserve is 10,300 hectares of the Munywana Conservancy, a formal Protected Area bordering a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.
Zuka Private Game Reserve’s proximity to the Indian Ocean, and the Lebombo Mountains creates dramatic topography with varied geology and soils from the ancient sea bed and historic volcanic activity; in turn supporting an array of habitats and vast biodiversity.
READY, PLAY 🎾
Wishing these gentlemen the very best of luck today! 🧡🧡
¡Buena suerte Carlos! 🇪🇸
Buona fortuna Jannik! 🇮🇹
Let’s Go!
#Wimbledon2025
#Vamos
#Alcaraz
#Andiamo
#Sinner
#Gentlemen
#Sportsman
#Legends
#Tennis
#RangeRover
#TennisCourtsOfInstagram
#ThisIsZuka
Jul 13
SUN
Zuka means dawn or sunrise in many languages.
The sun is the ultimate source of pretty much all energy and life on Earth, creating our full, intricate, woven and interconnected life supporting system.
Zuka reflects this in a tiny model and, like the sun, Zuka is our time-keeper, a life-giver, an interconnected system, a source, an origin and - reliably shows up for us every day!
🧡🌅🌾🌅🌾🌅🌾🌅🌾🌅🌾🌅🌾🧡
#TheSun
#Sunrise
#Dawn
#Source
#Energy
#Sunset
#Ecosystems
#Safari
#GameDrive
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#PlanetEarth
Jul 11
IMPALA DRAMA
Probably our most common antelope that are easy to take a little for granted in their gentle grazing herds…but, all change during our autumn and winter months, when male impalas clash in an ancient dominance ritual that switches viewing to something a little more dramatic!
Nature ensures the strongest genes carry forward through these ancient instincts as the rutting season ignites duals that decide who wins the right to mate and who retreats to try another day!
#Impala
#RuttingSeason
#AncientRythmns
#Survival
#Wildlife
#Africa
#Savannah
#Safari
#Drama
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
Jul 7
FOCUS
This is a science class at Tara Getty Secondary School on the edge of Lake Manyara in Tanzania.
This is a beloved long term commitment we have with Wild Impact who manage and deliver the project with the Babati District.
Our first phase started in 2020, and opened for the first cohort of 99 students in January 2021 (who also named the school!)
Prior to the construction of the school, the only secondary option meant students from the Moya and Mayoka communities had to travel 7-12km a day on foot to the nearest school. This attracted a low percentage of eligible students with many dropping out.
Each year we commit to a new phase and the completion of our most recent phase 4 means there are now 389 students across Forms I – IV who are enjoying their science laboratories, sports facilities, dorms and more teachers!
#Tanzania
#SecondarySchool
#Education
#Science
#Sports
#FutureFoundations
#TomorrowsLeaders
#ConservingEcosystems
#IntegratedModel
#Legacy
#ThisIsZuka
Jul 5
ICON
We see cheetah as one of our most loved and iconic species here.
Cheetah thrive in this habitat with their perfect adaptations. They are truly at home here, as they enjoy the wide-open grassland spaces - ideal for their daytime hunting, and for keeping themselves and their offspring safe.
We founded Zuka in 2001 but actually our story starts two decades before that; through our investment, Phinda - the “impossible dream” was born and, the iconic image to brand and represent the reserve in those early, pre-digital days was a cheetah.
(We try not to mention the word favourite!🤫)
#Cheetah
#CheetahCub
#Grasslands
#AfricanSavannah
#Iconic
#Archives
#Stories
#Inspired
#Conservation
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#SouthAfrica
Jul 2
LEGACY
In 2004, our newly formed Munywana Conservancy was selected as the first private conservancy to receive 15 black rhino from the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP) a partnership initiative between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Board and the visionary World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
30 years earlier in 1974, Tara’s grandfather J. Paul Getty was also partnering with WWF to create the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize which later, in 2004, became the J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership.
Deep in our Zuka model of land restoration and protection of fauna and flora, black rhino are a totem, of all that has gone before us, and, nature’s perfection. They are a symbol of the spirit of collaboration, of wild possibilities and generous giving; all without knowing how a story might continue, all with the understanding that the story will twist and turn and go on, and on, and on. Legacy.
#Rhino
#BlackRhino
#RhinoConservation
#WorldWildlifeFund
#Collaboration
#Imagination
#Conservation
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#Legacy
Jun 29
NEWBORN
Seeing a tiny new elephant, carefully surrounded by the full herd, with all their senses, instincts and multiple intelligences firing as a single field of protection, is a moment you want to drink in.
It’s a moment you want to gulp down in case it’s merely a glimpse.
This moment is testament to the everyday miracle of nature, and our own existence.🌍🌎🌏
#ElephantHerd
#BabyElephant
#ElephantIntelligence
#YouAreHere
#Nature
#Teacher
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#OnSafari
#AfricanWildlife
#PlanetEarth
Jun 25
IMAGINE
This is all you have to do right now; nothing more in this moment.
#Leopard
#Teacher
#Resting
#Nature
#AfricanWildlife
#Safari
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
Jun 23
TODAY
“Today
I might live
so completely
but therefore
so invisibly
within the seamless
parallel of love’s
eternal presence
you might almost
brush right
by me,”
~ David Whyte
#Kudu
#Nature
#Poetry
#Love
#Presence
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#AfricanWildlife
#ThisIsZuka
Jun 22
INNOVATIVE
Innovation and creativity germinate to become thoughtful, collaborative, positive impact.
Here on Mnemba Island, a tiny jewel of the Indian Ocean, the Oceans Without Borders team nurture coral seedlings on regenerative tables, collect up remnants of fishing nets, protect reefs, monitor turtle nesting sites, carry out research, collect data, advocate and educate, while working positively with local government and stakeholders.
It is our privilege to support innovation and creativity in harmony with the ocean and that looks like Oceans Without Borders!
🎥 @ta_devs
#Innovation
#Creativity
#IndianOcean
#MarineConservation
#MarineRangers
#OceansWithoutBorders
#OceanFamilyFoundation
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#IntegratedModel
#ThisIsZuka
Jun 18
TURTLES
Today is World Sea Turtle day and this ancient ocean traveller, recognised and loved by all, is vitally important in the marine system, and therefore, crucial for us as humanity.
Filming close to Zuka, and on location with Oceans Without Borders, we get to witness both the courageous hatchlings heading for the ocean, and mature turtles in underwater flight!
Our stretch of protected Indian Ocean coastline is home to an array of sea turtle species - including the huge Loggerhead and Leatherback.
These gentle creatures also have the extraordinary ability of « natal homing », still not fully understood by scientists, whereby, despite moving thousands of miles around the globe, they return to the same stretch of coastline where they hatched, to lay their own eggs, years later! 🌍
#SeaTurtles
#WorldSeaTurtleDay2025
#June
#OceanMonth
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#Home
#TurtleHatchlings
#MarineConservation
#IndianOcean
#WWFSouthAfrica
#ForNatureForYou
Jun 16
OCEAN FAMILY FOUNDATION!
« I hope you carry something home in your hearts and minds tonight. »
@oceanfamilyfoundation
@boatinternational
@oceanswithoutborders
@colin.butfield
@silverback_films
#oceantalks
Jun 14
TALKING OCEAN!
Dr Camilla Floros, Principal Scientist and Marine Programme Manager for Oceans Without Borders will be speaking at Ocean Talks 2025 today!
Staged annually in London by Boat International and sponsored by Ocean Family Foundation, Ocean Talks brings together the yachting industry with champions of marine conservation.
Dr Floros leads and develops the marine rangers in their work on, in and next to the Indian Ocean with projects spanning Tanzania and Mozambique, which positively impact a 3,000 kilometre stretch of seascape.
The @oceanswithoutborders projects are varied and Dr Floros takes on the individuality and challenges of each geography and seascape.
“The Bazaruto Archipelago, for example, is well known for its megafauna… whales, whale sharks and other sharks species. It’s also known for dugongs, an endangered species and the last viable population within the western Indian Ocean, so it’s a really, really important habitat.”
~ Dr Camilla Floros
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#IntegratedModel
#OceanFamilyFoundation
#ThisIsZuka
#WildlifeRangerChallenge
#MarineConservation
#CommunityRangers
#MarineRangers
#OceansWithoutBorders
#WorldOceanDay
#OceanTalks2025
Jun 12
OCEANS WITHOUT BORDERS
Launching Ocean Family Foundation in 2018, we were excited to grant the seed funding to Oceans Without Borders for their launch too!
This ongoing multi-year commitment, along with our annual fundraising through our participation with @tusk Wildlife Ranger Challenge, has helped positively impact 3,000 kilometres of African Coastline.
From Mnemba Island off Zanzibar in Tanzania, through the Quirimbas and Bazaruto Archipelagos of Mozambique, to the reef sites on our Indian Ocean coastline and the World Heritage Site iSimangaliso that borders Zuka Private Game Reserve, the multifaceted approach of Oceans Without Borders strengthens the conservation status of these areas.
Operated by Wild Impact, who work collaboratively with partner communities and key stakeholders to conserve wild landscapes and seascapes, this programme brings together broad expertise and works intimately with coastal and island communities, expanding opportunities for local community development, and contributing to global efforts to protect our oceans.
📸 @its_jamie_lucas
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#IntegratedModel
#OceanFamilyFoundation
#ThisIsZuka
#WildlifeRangerChallenge
#MarineConservation
#CommunityRangers
#MarineRangers
#OceansWithoutBorders
#WorldOceanDay
#OceanTalks2025
Jun 10
RELATIONSHIP
Close proximity to the Indian Ocean was at the heart of our original commitment to Zuka 24 years ago!
Zuka’s geology, varied habitats, ecosystems and biodiversity exist as a result of this area’s relationship with the ocean over many millennia.
We spend a lot of time on this stretch of coastline that we love so much, and in 2018 we formed Ocean Family Foundation, and from this, the seed funding and our continued commitment to the @oceanswithoutborders programme.
Our stretch of coastline falls within @iSimangaliso - South Africa’s largest Marine Protected Area; the offshore expansion of this 1970’s established MPA was gazetted in 2019.
We border iSimangaliso and together we comprise an almost unbelievable diversity of eco-systems connecting Zuka to the Indian Ocean!
The ocean is a revered and loved element in Zuka Private Game Reserve’s integrated model and we celebrate World OceansDay 2025!
🎥 @ta_devs
🎬 @its_jamie_lucas
🎬@zukaprivategamereserve
#worldoceansday
#IndianOcean
#MarineConservation
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#Interconnected
#OceanFamilyFoundation
#OceanTalks2025
#BoatInternational
#London
Jun 9
OCEAN TALKS
On Thursday 12th June, @boatinternational are once again staging Ocean Talks in London.
Ocean Family Foundation is thrilled to sponsor this annual event, and our partnership is now in its 8th year!
This is where the yachting industry comes together with champions of marine conservation for an evening of presentations, exhibits and conversation, highlighting the vital connection between humanity and our marine biome.
More to follow on our keynote speakers!
@oceanfamilyfoundation
#Oceans
#MarineConservation
#OceanTalks
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#OceanFamily
Jun 7
“Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work; a future.”
~ DAVID WHYTE ~
“Courage is the measure of our heartfelt participation with life, with another, with a community, a work; a future.”