History of Leopard hunting in Africa with Theunis Botha Big Game Safaris

Theunis Botha Big Game Safaris History

Theunis Botha Big Game Safaris has been operational since 1983. A family operation born out of a mutual love for Africa and its natural beauty. Both Theunis and Carike hail from the area in South Africa they now call home.

In 1878 the Botha family were one of the pioneering families to move into the wild and rugged region of South Africa bordering the area which would later become the Kruger National Park. Not to far away the Dicke family moved up to the north in 1887. Both families were big cattle ranchers and hunters.

In the year of ’66 Theunis became the latest addition to his family, and was privileged to be raised in the ways of the bush and its people. He matriculated in 1983 from Ben Vorster High school in the town he now calls home “ Tzaneen”.

The Bothas imported their first Blue Tick in ’83 form Warren J. Haslauer of the Smokey River Kennels in Oklahoma US. Reagan as he was named was the son of the grand champion “Diamond Jim” and was later joined by Swindle from an Eastern Cape breeder specializing in Bush Pig hunting. Together they joined the “Rough pack” locals, Rhodesian Ridgebacks hunting problem Leopard and Lion for the government around the Kruger National Park and surrounding cattle farms.

Theunis completed his national service as a sergeant in the South African infantry, he served during the Angolan War after which he returned home to study. In order to help pay for his studies Theunis started offering hunting safaris in 1989 and completed his degree in Psychology & Anthropology in 1991.

His first official client was a Mr. Bill Reynolds from Montana who hunted a Leopard on the Botha game ranch bordering the Kruger. On the very first day Theunis took the hounds out for a warm up walk, but they picked up a Leopard scent, later that day Bill got his cat.

While studying Theunis met Carike who was studying Business Computing at the same institution as Theunis, the University of Pretoria. They returned home, this time to the “Dicke” farm to start their own pack.

Theunis embraced his hearts passion and engaged in full time big game hound safaris in and around South Africa, adding private ranches in Zimbabwe and Botswana as new destinations in 1991. Concession areas in Mozambique followed in 2000, and Namibian private ranches were added as new destinations in 2007.