Born From A Powerful Mission

 

The Ghosts of Loziba, a native herd of 30+ elephants in need of protection, lie at the heart of Loziba's origin story. 

 

They strayed beyond their initial enclosure into the Thaka Valley, a landscape seeing increased habitat degradation and poaching. The area's iconic species were pushed to local extinction. The Ghosts of Loziba lived under constant threat. With fences broken, the elephants wandered close to surrounding communities, with tragic consequences, including multiple sanctioned elephant deaths.

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Beyers Coetzee stepped in: he worked tirelessly to protect the herd, shepherding them away from villages and farms to safeguard people and wildlife alike. He recognised that many of these communities had long been overlooked, grappling with high unemployment, a lack of basic infrastructure and subsisting on marginal farming practices.

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Seeking a longer-term solution, Beyers, Grant Fowlds (conservationist), and Sbu Jiyane (Zulu chief) advanced a bold plan: to build a conservation economy by establishing a +30,000ha wildlife reserve where animals can roam freely. The Loziba Wildlife Reserve would protect biodiversity and deliver tangible benefits to local communities.

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Tragically, Beyers lost his life protecting the elephants he sought to save, underscoring the deep personal commitment that fuels Loziba’s mission to this day.

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"…the most important lesson I learned is that there are no walls between humans and the elephants except those we put up ourselves, and that until we allow not only elephants, but all living creatures their place in the sun, we can never be whole ourselves”

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Lawrence Anthony, The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild