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.
OCEAN
Proximity to ocean was at the heart of our commitment to this area in the early days of our endeavour - the 1990s – and later, to Zuka, nurturing it into an integrated conservation model.
Africa’s Indian Ocean and our nearby coastline are a natural wonder of the world that we revere, enjoy and actively protect.
Zuka Private Game Reserve’s geology, habitats and biodiversity - and those beyond our boundaries - exist because of the ocean; shaped by it historically, and sustained by it still.
In 2018 we established Ocean Family Foundation to actively support marine programmes globally, and importantly, to fund smaller or new initiatives that resonate strongly.
@oceanswithoutborders, a perfect fit, led us to provide seed funding for their launch that same year and an ongoing commitment.
#Ocean
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#25Years
Jan 12
WILDLIFE
As we enter our twenty-fifth year, we have another opportunity to share Zuka’s six areas of focus - the interdependent commitments that guide us.
We start with wildlife, and the understanding that all wildlife is part of the same living system we belong to.
The survival of all species, is woven into the wider ecology that sustains all life, including our own and here at Zuka our role is to ensure wildlife thrives in optimal habitat, with protection and stewardship through applied conservation.
#Wildlife
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#Celebrating25Years
Jan 9
MOONRISE
The first full moon of 2026 gently illuminates the start of our 25th year!
With commitment, persistence, many small steps, goodwill, hard work, and deep investment in the integrated model that is Zuka - we arrive at this milestone moment.
A quarter of a century.
Stories to tell.
Lessons to share.
And a year ahead to honour all we have restored, protected, preserved, and all that is wild.
Happy New Year!
#Wildlife
#Ocean
#Land
#People
#GettyAsterism
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#SuperMoon
#Inspired
#ThisIsZuka
#25Years
Jan 3
CLOSING 2025 🌅
“Allons! whoever you are come travel with me!
Traveling with me you find what never tires.
The earth never tires,
The earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first, Nature is rude and incomprehensible at first,
Be not discouraged, keep on, there are divine things well envelop’d,
I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell.”
~ Song of the Open Road ~
Walt Whitman
#Elephants
#Safari
#Nature
#PlanetEarth
#Poetry
#TheOpenRoad
#WaltWhitman
#December
#Time
#CloseOfTheYear
#Restore
#Adventure
#ThisIsZuka
Dec 29
🌲From all of us at Zuka, we wish you a merry Christmas and, that 2026 may be filled with peace, love, good health and adventure!🧡
#Christmas
#ThisisZuka
Dec 25
LIONESSES
The power of a lioness - measured, patient, rooted in the work of reliable, constant provision and protection.
#Lioness
#LionPride
#Maternal
#Nuture
#BigCats
#AfricanLandscape
#Conservation
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#SouthAfrica
Dec 24
GRATITUDE
“Let us thank the Earth
That offers ground for home
And holds our feet firm
To walk in space open
To infinite galaxies.”
~ In Praise Of Earth,
by John O’Donohue ~
#Kudu
#Elephant
#Poetry
#Gratitude
#PlanetEarth
#Infinity
#Galaxies
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#Legacy
#ThisIsZuka
Dec 19
ENGINEERS
Our little wetland engineers, the Southern Foam Nest frogs, are busy with their quiet ingenuity: building frothy nests on branches above pans and dams to protect their eggs from heat, predators, and dehydrating winds.
The male and female both use their hind legs to whip up secretions to a frothy foam and, create a perfect nest for the embryos to develop.
Gravity drops the hatched tadpoles from their perfectly positioned nest, into the water below to begin their aquatic larval stage.
Metamorphosis will persuade them back onto land to complete their life lived between two worlds.
#Frogs
#FoamNestFrog
#Amphibians
#Wetland
#SeasonalRains
#Ecology
#Lifecycle
#NatureDesign
#ThisIsZuka
Dec 18
SECRETIVE
Leopards hold a kind of secretiveness, and they seem to almost conspire with the landscape!
Their rosetted fur mirrors the shadows created and the sunlight dappled by trees. This with their stealth and solitary living, aids their ghost like movement quietly through their habitat.
#Leopard
#AfricanBigCats
#WildlifeConservation
#WildlifePhotography
#WildlifeFilmmaking
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#Africa
Dec 10
🤎WORLD SOIL DAY
This year’s United Nations World Soil Day is themed Healthy Soil for Healthy Cities.
We tend to associate soil with the countryside or wilderness areas like Zuka, but our entire planet’s survival depends on the precious link with soil.
Our Getty Asterism ecology venture provides a study area and funding for students, who are passionate about soil and how vital soil health is in the wider system.
With this year’s focus on urban landscapes, we hope our young scientists and their work here on Zuka will play a positive role, far beyond the bounds of our reserve.
Did you know?
🥒95% of our food comes from soils.
🟤33% of soils are degraded.
🍂It can take up to 1 000 years to produce just 2-3 cm of soil.
🌿Soils supply 15 of the 18 naturally occurring chemical elements essential to plants.
🐛There are more living organisms in a tablespoon of soil than people on Earth.
🥔2 billion people worldwide suffer from lack of micronutrients, known as hidden hunger.
🥦Up to 58% more food could be produced through sustainable soil management.
🤎Soil is home to nearly 59% of Earth’s species.
#WorldSoilDay
#GettyAsterism
#SoilHealth
#Ecology
#GetTheDirt
#ThisIsZuka
Dec 7
INTERNATIONAL CHEETAH DAY
It is International Cheetah Day and today we take focus on one of the world’s most iconic, and vulnerable cats.
Zuka is privileged to be home to an important population of these cats who thrive with their speed, eyesight, precision, and an instinctive use of their terrain.
Today we celebrate the safeguarding of this species, and the wild spaces they need to ensure their future.
#Cheetah
#CheetahCubs
#InternationalCheetahDay
#WildlifeConservation
#AfricanCats
#NaturePhotography
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
#Legacy
Dec 5
POSITIVE HEALTH DAY♥️
Health is more than the absence of illness!
The Positive Health approach sees wellbeing as six connected threads:
💪🏻 Our physical strength
✨ Our mental clarity
🦋 Our sense of meaning
🌈 The quality of our days
🫱🏾🫲🏼 The relationships that hold us
🥁 Our ability to navigate the rhythms of everyday life
♥️On World AIDS Day each year, we host our Positive Health Day and our full team gathers to bring these threads to life.
Embodying Positive Health our event is a simple day that brings together the six elements of well-being: A morning walk for movement and strength, motivational talks to support mental focus and purpose, our mobile clinic offering practical care, a healthy lunch to nourish and of course, coming together for encouragement and connection.
#PositiveHealth
#WorldAIDSDay
#Inspired
#ThisIsZuka
Dec 2
✨TUSK CONSERVATION AWARDS✨
We love supporting Tusk through Wildlife Ranger Challenge, the Ranger Standards & Welfare Initiative and in all ways we can.
It is a true highlight to gather again for the annual Tusk Conservation Awards - a key event in the conservation movement - to recognise three incredible humans, and their achievements in the field.
To see a snapshot of their work, share the moment they receive their awards and to hear their own words, emphasises how meaningful their work and their impact is on the frontline of conservation.
On an evening defined by connection and communication in our shared endeavour, Tusk’s Royal Patron as always brings his energy and focus to the room casting extra light on the mission.
His reminder was clear: ✨
“What we choose to do will have an impact on future generations and tonight we must choose to do more”.✨
And so, we continue!
📸 @chrisjacksongetty
1. HRH Prince William presenting Laban Mwangi @mountainbongoproject, with the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award
2. Tusk Conservation Awards Ceremony @lizbonnin @thesavoylondon
3. From left to right: Tusk Founder, Charlie Mayhew, Tusk’s Royal Patron, HRH The Prince of Wales KG, KT and Tusk Trustee and Tusk Conservation Awards judge, Beatrice Karanja, congratulating the three winners: Kumara Wakjira, Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (Ethiopia) Rahima Njaidi, Mtandao wa Jamil wa Usimamizi wa Misit (Tanazania) and Laban Mwangi, Mountain Bongo Project (Kenya)
#TuskConservationAwards
Nov 28
KING
This is a young male lion, on the cusp of his prime and wearing the early signs of his future status lightly!
The collar of darker hair around the neck of an immature male, is the first hint of the important mane that develops gradually from about a year old, thickening as he reaches maturity and signaling strength, age and power to any rivals.
Shaped by genetics, hormones and the environment, the grand mane of a male lion is one of the most distinctive markers of this iconic African cat.
Africa’s lions have declined by an estimated 40% during the last three decades. As with most wildlife, fragmented ranges, human-wildlife conflict and habitat loss are the greatest threats, so Zuka, within our greater Munywana conservancy is an important swathe of wilderness for lions to be protected and thrive!
#Lion
#MaleLion
#LionKing
#AfricanBigCats
#Conservation
#WildlifePhotography
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsAfrica
Nov 27
RENEWAL
New vegetation is pushing through the earth after the winter burns.
Here, fire has its place in the rhythms of the reserve - a tool of rejuvenation when used with care, and a natural agent of renewal when lightning sears the landscape.
Through the dry season, we monitor vegetation, wind and humidity, guiding our controlled burns across selected areas of Zuka to restore balance and optimise habitat.
While these fires release carbon dioxide, they also enrich the grasslands that sustain wildlife and increase carbon held in the soil’s humic layers.
Fire itself, through our controlled burning or sparked by a natural lightening strike, returns carbon to the ground in the resilient form of biochar.
In these weeks that follow, the land responds with verdant growth and a clear seasonal shift.
Southern hemisphere summer is surely on its way! 🌱
#GettyAsterism
#Ecology
#HealthyHabitat
#Soil
#Carbon
#Fire
#SeasonalBurning
#SpringGrowth
#Winter
#Spring
#AfricanSavannah
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
Nov 24
ATYPICAL
Cheetah family structures are usually tight and defined. Mothers with their own cubs rarely choose the company of other adult females.
This coalition on Zuka, rewrites that script!
These two adult females, each orphaned young and raised without the full guidance of their mothers, never learned the usual behavioural patterns that keep female cheetah apart.
With no genetic relation and two very different origin stories - one loosing her mother to lions in the north of the conservancy, the other to a snare in a neighbouring reserve - they have unusually, chosen a life lived together.
They are seen to groom side by side, swap “babysitting duties” and move through the landscape as one fluid family of six!
This is indeed atypical social behaviour, adaptive and remarkable - nature educating us again and again!
#Cheetah
#CheetahCubs
#CheetahCoalition
#NaturalWonder
#NatureRules
#Wildlife
#AfricanBigCats
#Restored
#Protected
#Preserved
#Wild
#ThisIsZuka
Nov 22
“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.”