There are over 600 types of flora within Sanbona Wildlife Reserve. Various species bloom at different times throughout the year, but, in this region, flowering occurs more prolifically between August and September.
Sanbona is at the forefront of an on-going conservation project that aims to restore the ecological balance in the area. Approximately half of the surrounding landscape used to be livestock and agricultural farms, which have since been removed which has allowed the various floral kingdoms that make up the reserve to flourish. Plant life that inhabits this region of the Western Cape includes Acacia Thickets, Renosterveld, Succulent Karoo and Central Mountain Fynbos. Species of succulents are especially varied and fascinating with names like Baby’s Bottoms, Ostrich Toes and Pig’s Ears.
As part of our conservation efforts, we have reintroduced animals that once roamed the area freely, but were eradicated due to farming. The Big 5 and various other species such as gemsbok, springbok, hartebeest, eland, kudu and zebra can now all be seen on Sanbona Wildlife Reserve.
Other animal species that continue to thrive thanks to the efforts of Sanbona include natural small game such as the:
- Jackal
- Caracal
- Duiker
- Aardwolf
- Aardvark
- Brown hyena
- Grey rhebok
- Steenbok
- Klipspringer
- Grysbok
A riverine rabbit population was discovered on Sanbona in 2006, and as these animals are only known to exist in the central Karoo, they are incredibly rare. Moreover, this species of rabbit is the 13th most endangered mammal in the world. Sanbona is currently only one of two protected areas that provide riverine rabbit populations with sufficient space and diversity for their ecological processes to function naturally.