Covering an area of 622 hectares (1,540 acres),[1] the Buffelspruit Nature Reserve is situated along the Kraai River bordering the town of Aliwal North. It is owned and managed by the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality and is open throughout the year. Mammals frequently spotted are blesbuck, black wildebeest, zebra, gemsbok (Oryx gazella) and springbok, as well as some ostriches. Right next to the reserve's border fence is a target shooting range, mainly used by the South African Police Service for officer training, where they must take care to aim at paper targets and not, of course, at the free-range antelope found nearby.