The annual game auction at the Kirkwood Wildsfees has yielded a turnover of 7.5-million rand.
This is down from last year's 8.7-million rand, but industry watchers expected a lower turnover before the auction. Game farmers are under pressure due to the drought and other economic factors and game sales throughout the country have been down.
A record 55 buffalo and 50 Cape Mountain Zebra were sold at the auction.
All 50 of the Cape Mountain Zebra from the Mountain Zebra Park were sold, at an average of R20 000 a head, according to auctioneer Brandon Leer. This was the first time the DNA-tested Cape Mountain Zebra were offered for sale at the auction.
"It was an excellent sale under the circumstances," he said.
Leer says one of the highlights on Friday, was the sale of two rhino from the Kragga Kamma Game Park in Port Elizabeth, which sold for R110,000 and R130,000 respectively.
Leer says the top price for a buffalo was R130,000 for a cow.
Of the total of 61 buffalo offered for sale by the Addo Elephant National Park, 55 were sold.
Five young bulls and a cow did not achieve their reserve price.
A percentage of the turnover from the sale also goes to the Kirkwood Wildsfees, which uses the funds to uplift the local community.
The remainder goes to the Park Development Fund, which supports the expansion of parks to increase the area under protection, according to SANParks regional communications manager Fayroush Ludick.
