A South African couples nearly three-decade conservation effort has transformed 11 former livestock farms into a 67,000-acre wildlife reserve in the Great Karoo. Sarah and Mark Tompkins restored degraded habitat before reintroducing species absent for generations. Cheetahs, black rhinos, elephants and lions have since returned, while Samara now records more than 60 mammal species and 225 bird species.

In 1997, couple Sarah and Mark Tompkins set out to restore a part of South Africa’s Great Karoo that had lost much of its wildlife. Their effort eventually turned 11 former…

A South African couples nearly three-decade conservation effort has transformed 11 former livestock farms into a 67,000-acre wildlife reserve in the Great Karoo. Sarah and Mark…