Wildlife Season Report 2026 · Season data portal · Data analysed in October 2026

South Africa’s 2026 wildlife auction season

Name: Wildlife Season Report 2026 data
Creator: Louis Eksteen
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

South Africa’s top-end wildlife auctions turned over R593,7 million in 2026 across 42 auctions. With 70 other and smaller auctions on the same four platforms, the market we can measure came to R861,2 million.

Top-end turnover: R593,7 m; 42 auctions, 24 auction owners
Lots sold: 93,7%; 4 006 of 4 276 offered
Average per lot sold: R148 212; Top end
The same 13 auction owners: +21,9%; On 2025, R328,4 m to R400,5 m

Nonnatjie, a 42 4/8-inch buffalo cow, 3-in-1 — Nonnatjie, a 42 4/8-inch buffalo cow from Bona Bona Wildlife. She sold as a 3-in-1 for R5,1 million at Bona Bona Wildlife’s 9th Platinum Auction, lot S008. Picture: Bona Bona Wildlife

Wildlife Season Report 2026 · Louis Eksteen

Inside South Africa’s R594 million top-end wildlife auction season

Forty-two top-end auctions were analysed, delivering a total turnover of R593,7 million and indicating a sustainable mature market that grew naturally. The Wildlife Season Report 2026 analyses every sold lot across four auction platforms.

Read the report

The season, auction by auction

Every counted auction on the calendar, sized by its turnover. Brown dots are top-end auctions. Hover over a dot for its total.

Every counted auction of 2026

Dot area shows turnover. Top end against the wider market.

Hammer prices, excluding VAT. Sources: Wildswinkel, SwiftVEE, African Wildlife Auctions, Stud Game Breeders and Summit Wildlife’s price sheets.

September was the biggest month

Top-end turnover by month, R million.

Show the numbers

Month	Top-end turnover
March	R90 689 500
April	R56 550 200
May	R76 851 500
June	R85 954 200
July	R77 104 900
August	R66 048 500
September	R140 539 250

What the calendar shows

September was the biggest month at R140,5 million. The Stud Game Breeders, Kroon Stud Wild, Thaba Tholo and Summit Wildlife auctions all concluded within four weeks. March followed at R90,7 million, most of it Bona Bona Wildlife’s R59,4 million live and timed auctions.

The wider market ran all year: 70 other and smaller auctions turned over R267,5 million at R36 570 a lot sold.

See all 112 auctions

The leaders

Bona Bona Wildlife’s 9th Platinum Auction was the largest single auction of the season at R54,0 million. By auction owner, Stud Game Breeders led with R66,5 million over three auctions. The five largest auction owners totalled 45,5% of top-end turnover. Of the 13 auction owners with published results for both years, nine grew. Together they sold 21,9% more than in 2025.

The ten largest single auctions, 2026

Bona Bona Wildlife’s 9th Platinum Auction was the largest single auction of the season. All ten are live auctions.

No.	Auction	Date	Platform	Turnover	Share
1	Bona Bona Wildlife 9th Platinum Auction	21 Mar	Wildswinkel	R54 007 000	9,1%
2	Stud Game Breeders 21st Annual Game Auction	5 Sep	Wildswinkel	R50 490 000	8,5%
3	Summit Wildlife 11th Auction	26 Sep	SwiftVEE	R36 159 000	6,1%
4	Wildlife Legacy	18 Jul	Wildswinkel	R35 977 000	6,1%
5	Groot Kalahari Veiling	2 May	Wildswinkel	R34 780 000	5,9%
6	Bloodline Africa	5 Jun	Wildswinkel	R25 555 000	4,3%
7	Signature Wildlife	18 Apr	Wildswinkel	R21 617 950	3,6%
8	Thaba Tholo	19 Sep	Wildswinkel	R19 982 000	3,4%
9	Classic Game Breeders	1 Aug	Wildswinkel	R19 961 500	3,4%
10	Benchmark Game Breeders	15 Aug	Wildswinkel	R19 054 000	3,2%

Live and timed auctions count separately, so an auction owner can appear more than once. The share is of top-end turnover. Published totals. Hammer prices, excluding VAT. Source: Wildlife Season Report 2026 data as published here.

Top-end turnover by auction owner

All 24 auction owners. Top three marked.

Stud Game BreedersR66,5 m
Bona Bona WildlifeR59,4 m
Silent Valley Game BreedersR58,4 m
Wildlife LegacyR43,2 m
Summit WildlifeR42,8 m
Groot Kalahari VeilingR39,2 m
Bloodline AfricaR30,4 m
Kriek Wildlife GroupR25,9 m
Signature WildlifeR25,9 m
Benchmark Game BreedersR25,8 m
Thaba TholoR25,2 m
Valley Venture Stud & FriendsR20,2 m
Classic Game BreedersR20,0 m
Woody Cape WildlifeR17,4 m
Kirkwood Wildlife FestivalR15,1 m
Kroon Stud WildR12,2 m
SekgwengR11,9 m
Pymat Game BreedersR11,6 m
Tidal Winds Game BreedersR10,3 m
Robedi Safaris & FriendsR10,2 m
SANParksR7,9 m
Royal Castle (Castle de Wildt)R7,2 m
Free State DARDEAR4,3 m
MW de Jager WildlifeR2,9 m

Show the numbers

No.	Auction owner	Auctions	Turnover	Share
1	Stud Game Breeders	3	R66 468 500	11,2%
2	Bona Bona Wildlife	2	R59 384 500	10,0%
3	Silent Valley Game Breeders	5	R58 436 300	9,8%
4	Wildlife Legacy	2	R43 238 250	7,3%
5	Summit Wildlife	2	R42 761 000	7,2%
6	Groot Kalahari Veiling	2	R39 208 000	6,6%
7	Bloodline Africa	2	R30 416 000	5,1%
8	Kriek Wildlife Group	2	R25 944 900	4,4%
9	Signature Wildlife	2	R25 911 800	4,4%
10	Benchmark Game Breeders	3	R25 752 000	4,3%
11	Thaba Tholo	2	R25 217 750	4,2%
12	Valley Venture Stud & Friends	2	R20 236 000	3,4%
13	Classic Game Breeders	1	R19 961 500	3,4%
14	Woody Cape Wildlife	1	R17 360 500	2,9%
15	Kirkwood Wildlife Festival	1	R15 090 000	2,5%
16	Kroon Stud Wild	2	R12 161 500	2,0%
17	Sekgweng	1	R11 850 450	2,0%
18	Pymat Game Breeders	1	R11 576 000	1,9%
19	Tidal Winds Game Breeders	1	R10 312 500	1,7%
20	Robedi Safaris & Friends	1	R10 190 000	1,7%
21	SANParks	1	R7 875 000	1,3%
22	Royal Castle (Castle de Wildt)	1	R7 217 500	1,2%
23	Free State DARDEA	1	R4 270 000	0,7%
24	MW de Jager Wildlife	1	R2 898 100	0,5%

The 13 auction owners, 2026 against 2025

Change in turnover on published results for both years.

Bloodline Africa+66,2%
Summit Wildlife+58,5%
Bona Bona Wildlife+54,6%
Valley Venture Stud & Friends+43,3%
Wildlife Legacy+41,4%
Thaba Tholo+31,9%
Pymat Game Breeders+28,3%
Classic Game Breeders+23,4%
Benchmark Game Breeders+18,2%
Kriek Wildlife Group−2,1%
Woody Cape Wildlife−5,4%
Kroon Stud Wild−8,7%
Stud Game Breeders−12,3%

Show the numbers

Auction owner	2025	2026	Change
Bona Bona Wildlife	R38 409 000	R59 384 500	+54,6%
Stud Game Breeders	R75 767 250	R66 468 500	−12,3%
Wildlife Legacy	R30 576 000	R43 238 250	+41,4%
Summit Wildlife	R26 980 500	R42 761 000	+58,5%
Bloodline Africa	R18 302 500	R30 416 000	+66,2%
Kriek Wildlife Group	R26 509 200	R25 944 900	−2,1%
Thaba Tholo	R19 120 800	R25 217 750	+31,9%
Benchmark Game Breeders	R21 780 500	R25 752 000	+18,2%
Valley Venture Stud & Friends	R14 125 500	R20 236 000	+43,3%
Classic Game Breeders	R16 175 000	R19 961 500	+23,4%
Woody Cape Wildlife	R18 344 900	R17 360 500	−5,4%
Kroon Stud Wild	R13 313 750	R12 161 500	−8,7%
Pymat Game Breeders	R9 025 000	R11 576 000	+28,3%

Together: R328,4 million in 2025, R400,5 million in 2026.

Top lots

The ten highest prices of the top-end auctions, with three lots tied for tenth place. A 25% share in the buffalo bull Dominus leads at R6 million, followed by the buffalo cow Nonnatjie at R5,1 million. Both were Super 9 lots at Bona Bona Wildlife’s 9th Platinum Auction on 21 March.

Where the money went

Buffalo fetched R162,3 million, 28,1% of top-end wildlife value. A buffalo cow averaged R327 718 an animal against R170 097 for a bull.

Colour variants represent 25,1% of wildlife value. The figures by species cover every top-end auction, with Bona Bona Wildlife’s live lots now in.

All species Buffalo Lot explorer

Top-end wildlife value by species

Every top-end lot. Select a species for its page.

Questions people ask

How much did South Africa’s top-end wildlife auctions turn over in 2026?

They turned over R593,7 million across 42 auctions held between March and September 2026, at hammer prices excluding VAT. With 70 other and smaller auctions the market came to R861,2 million.

What was the highest price at a wildlife auction in 2026?

The highest price was R6 million for a 25% share in Dominus, a 56 2/8-inch buffalo bull, at Bona Bona Wildlife’s 9th Platinum Auction on 21 March. The highest price for a whole animal was R5,1 million for Nonnatjie, a 42 4/8-inch buffalo cow, at the same auction.

Which species fetched the most money?

Buffalo: R162,3 million, 28,1% of top-end wildlife value. Sable followed at R85,8 million.

Which auction turned over the most?

Bona Bona Wildlife’s 9th Platinum Auction on 21 March, at R54,0 million on its published result sheet. By auction owner, Stud Game Breeders led with R66,5 million over three auctions.

When is The Tenth?

Saturday 13 March 2027: Bona Bona Wildlife’s Platinum Auction, with Piet du Toit Wildbedryf as co-host.

Cite this page Wildlife Season Report 2026, season data portal: Season overview. thetenth.auction/season/2026 (data analysed in October 2026).

Wildlife Season Report 2026

Saturday 13 March 2027. Bona Bona Wildlife’s Platinum Auction, co-hosted with Piet du Toit Wildbedryf.

DISCLAIMER: AI assisted Louis Eksteen in the creation of this report. The content is the intellectual property of Twisted Toast Digital (Pty) Ltd and the personal responsibility of Louis Eksteen. If you have any questions, find any mistakes, or need corrections to be made, please email Louis Eksteen at louis@twistedtoast.com.

Second disclosure. thetenth.auction is the marketing and seller portal site of Bona Bona Wildlife’s next Platinum Auction in March 2027, co-hosted with Piet du Toit Wildbedryf. Bona Bona appears in the data as seller and buyer. Twisted Toast Digital created this report and built this site. All mistakes are ours, no-one else’s. If you spot anything we need to change, email Louis Eksteen at louis@twistedtoast.com.

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Sources and credit

Data: Wildswinkel, SwiftVEE, African Wildlife Auctions, Stud Game Breeders, Summit Wildlife’s price sheets and Stats SA. Pictures are credited to the auction they were sold at.

All amounts are hammer prices, excluding VAT. Data free to use with credit to the Wildlife Season Report 2026.