The tourism industry is mourning the loss of Samara Karoo Reserve Co-Founder Mark Tompkins who has died aged 85.
Tompkins co-founded Samara Karoo Reserve with his wife Sarah Tompkins in 1997, helping restore 27 000 hectares of the Great Karoo through a conservation and tourism model grounded in science and sustainable enterprise.
In a statement, Samara said Tompkins lived a remarkable life characterised by enterprise and vision.
“Over nearly three decades, the Tompkinses assembled 11 former livestock farms into a restored wilderness of extraordinary biodiversity,” the reserve said.
Today, Samara comprises three lodges and is home to more than 60 mammal species, including the Big Five and cheetah.
The reserve described Tompkins as a man of strong principles, great intellect and sharp wit.
“A man of principle, deeply generous and with an irreverent sense of humour, Mark was also a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. He will be deeply missed.”
Tompkins is survived by his wife, his three children and his granddaughter.
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