WildEarth

WildEarth (founded in 2006 by Emily Wallington and Graham Wallington) is a South African broadcasting company primarily based at Djuma Game Reserve,[1] part of the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa, focusing primarily on connecting people with African Wildlife. The company is best known for its live drives, which take place twice a day in Sabi Sands, Pridelands, Tswalu, Phinda and Ngala.

WildEarth
Typeprivate
Industry
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Broadcasting
Founded2006
HeadquartersHoedspruit,
Limpopo
,
South Africa
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Graham Walling (CEO)
  • Emily Wallington (Co-Founder)
Products
  • SafariLive
Services

The company has been featured on news broadcasts such as CNN,[2] The Washington Post,[3] NBC News,[4] Yahoo![5] and BBC News[6] due to the popularity and viewship of the live drives increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has restricted international travel to and from Africa.

They are currently collaborating with guiding companies such as AndBeyond[7] Who broadcast the drives from both Ngala[8] and Phinda[9] Reserves (starting from April 2019),[10] Eco Training,[11] who broadcast the drives from Karongwe[12] between April 2019 to May 2019 (these drives were prematurely ended, however, due to a hunting incident that took place at Karongwe in 2013)[13] and Pridelands Reserve,[14] as well as Tswalu Game Reserve[15] in the Kalahari and the Maasai Mara in Kenya. The first hour of the live drives are now being broadcast by the South African Broadcasting Corporation,[16] and the full drives have been broadcast in China by China Global Television Network from 15 August-15 September 2020.

On 25 August 2020, WildEarth have launched a TV channel. The channel is currently only available in South Africa on DStv, but is planned to be launched worldwide at an undetermined date. WildEarth have also produced several shows for Nat Geo Wild from 2017 to 2019, including Predator Bloodlines and The Hyena Whisperer.

Live drives

Every morning and evening (Central Africa Time), Wildearth broadcast 3-hour live drives that take place at Sabi Sands, Ngala, Phinda, Maasai Mara, Tswalu and Pridelands. These drives feature trained safari guides (referred to as "naturalists" on the show) who take viewers around the area and also provide information about what is being seen, as well as a camera operator who films the plants and animals that are being shown during the drive. At the start is of each drive is a 45-minute "Kids" segment, where children can ask question via emailing WildEarth. After this segment ends, a 2-hour 45-minute segment starts, where other viewers can ask question via the live-chat. These drives have been broadcast since 2007, and some older drives have been archived by viewers. This 45 minute kids segment was dropped on 1st July 2020 as many schools had closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WildEarth also upload highlights from drives (such as sightings of young animals or predator kills) onto their YouTube channel.[17]

Live camera

A live camera (Often referred to as the "Dam Cam" by fans of WildEarth) was set up near Vyutela Dam, located at Djuma Private Game Reserve in 1998. This live camera can be viewed on the Djuma Private Game Reserve YouTube Channel and is active for 24 hours a day.[18] The camera is remotely operated by global volunteers known as "zoomies" and allows viewers to observe the local flora and fauna of the area. Highlights of individual animals (such as lions or elephants) that are seen on the camera can also be found on Djuma's official YouTube page.

Animals

Animals that are seen on the WildEarth drives and live camera include spotted hyenas, lions, leopard, hippopotamus and elephants. Rhinoceros are not shown on the broadcasts except for in Phinda and the Maasai Mara due to threat of poaching.

Some animals featured on the live drives have been named by the guides, lodges and viewers. These include the hyenas, lions and leopards. Some named animals include Ribbon, Corky, Ntima, Ndebele (members of the Djuma hyena clan, with Ribbon as the matriarch), Tingana and Thandi (leopards). These names are used to help viewers and guides identify different animals featured on both the drives and live camera, and to also form a connection with the animals. Most of the animals are named when they are between five months to one year old.[19][20][21]

References
  1. "Djuma Game Reserve | Vuyatela | Galago Camp | African Safari Game Lodges, South Africa". Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  2. Wild dogs, lions, elephants: See them roam from your computer – CNN Video, retrieved 9 May 2020
  3. Djunga, Heather (4 May 2020). "Go on safari at home with a twice-daily live-stream from South Africa". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  4. "Virtual safari company sees huge increase in business after coronavirus lockdown". NBC News. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  5. "Virus lockdown boosts South African virtual safari tours". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  6. "Safaris go virtual as coronavirus hits tourism". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  7. "Luxury African Safaris | South America & Asia Tours | andBeyond". Luxury African Safaris,South America & South Asia Tours|andBeyond. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  8. "andBeyond Ngala Safari Lodge | Kruger | Big Five | South Africa". Luxury African Safaris,South America & South Asia Tours|andBeyond. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  9. "&Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve | South Africa | andBeyond". Luxury African Safaris,South America & South Asia Tours|andBeyond. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. "WILDwatch Live | Daily Live Stream Safaris from &Beyond and WildEarth". Luxury African Safaris,South America & South Asia Tours|andBeyond. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  11. "EcoTraining – Guides & Guardians – FGASA Accredited Training Courses". EcoTraining. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  12. "Karongwe Portfolio – safari lodges near Kruger National Park". Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  13. Peter. "WildEarth to stop broadcasting from Karongwe – Graham to hold town hall after the Sunset Drive". WildEarth. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  14. "Pridelands, South Africa". EcoTraining. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  15. "Tswalu – Private Game Reserve in Northern Cape". Tswalu. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  16. "Safari Live SABC3". SABC3.
  17. "WildEarth – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  18. "Djuma Private Game Reserve – YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  19. Pavid, Louise. "Character Feature: Djuma Clan". WildEarth. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  20. Peter. "It's time to name the hyena cubs". WildEarth. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  21. "leopard – WildEarth". wildearth.tv. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
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