Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
What better way to celebrate a successful safari than to crack open a cold one at the end of a long hot day, take that first refreshing sip and stare at the majesty of Africa around you? For almost as long as there have been people, they have been brewing beer. Across cultures and continents, the bacchanalian discovery of the delicious and intoxicating product of fermented cereals became ingrained in everyday life.
Like the rest of the world, Africa has a long-standing and merry history of brewing beer – both commercially and traditionally. Preparing (and consuming) indigenous beers is still a part of life, especially in rural areas and during customary celebrations. For many tribes, the rituals involved vary depending on specific events and require different vessels and formalities for each. Umqombothi, chibuku, changa’aa, khadi, hydromel… Africa is awash with distinctive traditional brews – some of which are more meal than drink!
While beer enthusiasts may protest in horror, the truth is that the basic beer recipe is not a complex one: some malted barley here, a handful of hops there, plenty of water and enough yeast to get the party started. However, brewers in Africa rely upon sorghum and maize and flavour the product with everything from fruits and flowers to roots and honey. These local techniques have been gradually incorporated in commercial, craft and boutique brewing practices to create flavours unique to each country.
Have a look at our list of unusual favourites below to guide your decision.
Devil’s Peak Beer Company’s zero-alcohol Hero Original; the Okavango Craft Brewery’s Delta Lager; The Big Five Brewery’s Temstout; Namib Dunes Craft Brewery’s Irish Red; Tiemann Beer’s Wild Dog Shempa Ale; and Twiga Brewery’s Blonde Ale
1. ‘Delta Lager’ from the Okavango Craft Brewery, Botswana
The Okavango Craft Brewery sources their millet from the small-scale farmers around the Okavango Delta – at premium prices. In partnership with the local NGO Ecoexist, the aim is to reward local communities for their efforts to coexist with elephants and stimulate local economies while producing the perfect quality beer to toast your safari in the Delta. Be sure to order one when on your next adventure in this iconic, pristine wetland system.
2. Wild Dog Shempa Ale from Tiemann Beer, Zambia
From the vats of Zambia’s first craft beer producers, the Wild Dog range from Tiemann Beer has taken the country by storm. Zambia is famous for its walking safaris, and the light, flavourful ale is the perfect end-of-day beverage to gulp down while soaking tired feet in the Luangwa River. When next you head to the vast Zambian wilderness playground in search of an authentic, unfussy safari experience on foot, be sure to order a Shempa Ale.
3. Irish Red from Namib Dunes Craft Brewery, Namibia
Beer is to desert as oxpecker is to buffalo: the perfect pair. Beer brewing is a source of national pride in Namibia, and in keeping with this proud tradition, Namib Dunes Craft Brewery has produced some of the best beers for watching the sun go down over the red dunes of the Namib Desert.
4. Twiga Blonde Ale from Twiga Brewery, Tanzania
Operating from the green slopes of Mount Meru in Arusha, Twiga Brewery is a small, independent operation offering hand-crafted beverages of the highest international standard and craftsmanship. As the wildebeest and zebra gallop across the savannah during the Great Migration, take a moment to celebrate a day of extraordinary sightings while sipping on the Twiga Blonde Ale.
Crack open a cold one while watching the Great Migration; refresh while overlooking the Namib Desert; or sip on an ale at the edge of the Luangwa River
5. Temstout from The Big Five Breweries, Kenya
From one of the top breweries in Kenya, The Big Five Breweries, this full-bodied beer carries a hint of dark chocolate and, of course, a strong coffee flavour from a country that produced some of the best coffee in the world. Whether heading to the magical Maasai Mara, or to spot tuskers in Tsavo or Amboseli National Parks be sure to keep an eye out for this beer on the menu.
6. Hero Original from Devil’s Peak Beer Company, South Africa
So, what should your order be? Well, for a start, forgo the more commercial brands and take a chance on something more distinctively African.
Want to sample these tasty beers on safari? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
A lion’s roar or hyena’s whoop are considered “iconic”. But the song of the jackal is one of the wild’s most hauntingly beautiful sounds, easily on par with spine-tingling wolf howls in other parts of the world. As dusk descends, the haunting lupine melody of the continent’s most underestimated carnivore cuts through the air and raises goosebumps on the skin.
The basics
Nearly anyone on safari is likely to encounter a jackal at some point, often around a lion kill and very seldom at the centre of attention. They are expert opportunists and masterful lurkers with iron-clad stomachs capable of handling everything from rotten carcasses to berries and even lion faeces. As underappreciated species go, jackals are very close to the top of the African safari list. Without the rarity factor, they are generally overlooked or dismissed. This is unfortunate as they are fascinating, intelligent, social and, on occasion, clownish creatures. Besides, any animal that dares to snatch the scraps out from beneath a hungry lion’s nose should be entitled to automatic respect. They are also skilful hunters, particularly the black-backed variety.
Not to be confused with foxes (of which there are several species in Africa, learn more about them here), jackals are taller and stockier than the various members of the Vulpes genus, with longer, more obviously wolf-like facial features. There are two species in Africa – the black-backed and side-striped jackal. Another species, the golden jackal, inhabits parts of southern Europe and Asia. As the name indicates, the black-backed jackal can be distinguished by the saddle of black (with white patterns) that runs across the centre of the back, while the stripe of the side-stripped jackal is often indistinct.
A black-backed jackal on the prowl near Kasane Forest, Botswana
The side-striped has the more extensive range of the two species and is found throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. They are notably absent in the more arid areas of the southwestern part of Southern Africa, where black-backed jackals reign throughout most of South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Where the two species do overlap (as they do across much of East Africa), the black-backed jackal seems to dominate, despite being the smaller of the two. This has often been connected to the observation that black-backed jackals appear to hunt more frequently (and hunt bigger prey) than their side-striped cousins. However, whether this is true across all populations and habitat types has yet to be confirmed.
These differences aside, there are several species similarities. Both jackals are omnivorous, with plant matter accounting for over 50% of their diet in some places. They are also both monogamous and territorial.
A side-striped jackal spotted in the Okavango Delta
Quick facts
Black-Backed Jackal
Side-Striped Jackal
Mass
6-13kg
6.5-14kg
Shoulder height
38-48cm
35-50cm
Social Structure
Monogamous, small family groups
Monogamous, small family groups
Gestation
Just over two months
Just over two months
Number of pups
One to nine pups
Three to six pups
The lifelong couple
As they are monogamous, there is minimal sexual dimorphism between male and female jackals. The bond between mated pairs is profound and may last for several years – usually the duration of their lifespan. The couples are almost inseparable and cooperate in virtually every aspect of their joint lives. This includes foraging and, on occasion, hunting cooperatively to bring down larger prey. In East Africa, jackals are renowned for a tendency to target Thomson’s gazelle fawns. One member of the duo (or small family) will fend off the spirited defence of the mother while the other lunges for the fawn. There is even anecdotal evidence of jackals using a “fascination display” to lure prey or distract larger predators from their meals. They lie down and squirm comically, attracting curious prey close enough to grab or infuriating a predator to the point that it temporarily forsakes its kill, only for the jackal to leap up and snatch a bite.
The breeding pair will also join forces to defend territories against other jackals, and observational research shows that the death of one partner has dire consequences for the survivor, usually involving the loss of territory and subsequent displacement. Territorial boundaries are ignored when a large carcass is present, and not even the pair’s combined efforts are sufficient to deter trespassers.
A territorial disagreement
Playing happy families
A successful couple will raise several litters of puppies throughout their lives, some of which will stay on to help their parents with the subsequent litter before dispersing. The pups are born in a den, which is usually an abandoned aardvark or warthog tunnel, but the female may excavate the tunnel herself. She remains with the helpless pups for up to three weeks or longer until they emerge above ground on wobbly legs. During this time, the male and any older offspring will forage for her and regurgitate food upon their return. As the pups grow and begin to explore, she will join forces with the rest of her family to provide for their voracious appetites. All family members will bravely defend the pups against predators several times their size, snapping and snarling at hyenas or dashing in front of lions to draw them away from the vulnerable puppies. Naturally, this means that having older offspring “helpers” has a direct bearing on pup survival, particularly for larger litters.
Jackal pups transform from fluffballs into competent predators within a few short months
The tiny pups rapidly transform from cuddly fluffballs to competent predators, and they are already able to hunt for themselves (albeit somewhat unsuccessfully at times) at six months old. They remain with their parents for another two months, after which most will disperse, but some will stay behind as helpers. Research shows that the dominance hierarchy between siblings, particularly pronounced in black-backed jackals, may well play a role in determining which individuals decide to stick around.
A wolf in jackal’s clothing
In 2015, the scientific community was rocked (well, relatively) by the revelation that Africa was, in fact, home to two jackal species, not three as previously believed. The third member – now known as the African wolf – had diverged from the Asian golden jackals well over a million years ago.
Not a jackal: the African wolf (Canis lupaster)
Later research revealed that it is a genetically admixed canid with both grey and Ethiopian wolf ancestors. The African wolf (Canis lupaster) looks and behaves exactly like a jackal, showing how classification based on morphology or behaviour alone can be distinctly deceptive.
Advancements in genetic analysis have contributed significantly to the reclassification of many supposedly related species across several prominent mammal families, including the canids. DNA analysis from several studies shows that both the black-backed and side-striped jackals are the basal members of the wolf-like clade. In other words, they diverged very early on and are genetically distinct from the other members like the wolf and coyote (and domestic dog). As such, the IUCN Canid Specialist Group recently recommended that their scientific genus be designated as Lupulella, rather than Canis. The recommended scientific name for the black-backed jackal is Lupulella mesomelas, while that of the side-striped jackal is Lupulella adusta.
Jackals and people
Since the jackal-headed Anubis (okay, so technically, he was an African wolf) first weighed the hearts of the dead, and possibly long before, jackals have played a role in the mythology of many different cultures. In many, they are the bad guy, a cunning trickster, or a sorcerer capable of shape-shifting. In Khoikhoi legends, many of the stories involve the jackal outwitting or betraying the lion. Some of these beliefs persist today, and jackal body parts and pelts are used in traditional medicine by tribes throughout Africa.
Today, however, their biggest threat comes from conflict with farmers, especially those with smaller livestock animals – as jackals will readily hunt lambs. For several centuries, jackals were seen as vermin, and various lethal methods were employed to rid the farms of their presence. Yet, as bigger wildlife species were gradually eradicated from farmlands throughout history, jackals remained, despite being killed in large numbers. Fortunately, today, educational programmes have begun to change attitudes towards the jackals and non-lethal (and more effective) techniques such as guard dogs are used to ensure livestock safety. Despite being persecuted for centuries, jackal numbers are believed to be stable and healthy populations persist across most of their natural range.
An opportunistic black-backed jackal taking a chance
Ultimate survivors
For the most part, the human brain is not particularly well designed to grasp the timescale of evolution. It’s a bit like understanding the size of the universe – immense but in a nonspecific way. Yet for aeons, nature has had time to play with different recipes for survival, rejecting failed attempts without mercy and casually throwing environmental curveballs into the mix. Over the years, these forces have shaped teeth, lengthened and fused tarsals and carpals, stretched out trunks, created opposable thumbs and designed wildlife perfectly adapted for their chosen environment and competitors.
Out of this melee, the continent’s two jackal species emerged relatively early on compared to the other dog family members. From then on, these clever little canids have proved repeatedly that they are the ultimate survivors of the African bushveld and should be appreciated as such.
Recently we published our thoughts on the 6 best places to see painted wolves (wild dogs). Of course, you may have suggestions on how to improve on this list – which are always welcome. But here’s the thing: On our Facebook page, every comment focussed on our choice of name for Lycaon pictus – some so AGGRESSIVE that we hid the comments. Not one person on Facebook responded to the advice provided in our story. Not one. Juxtapose that with the comments in our app – every comment was relevant to the topic at hand. This is why we built the app – for relevant, CONSTRUCTIVE discussions. Plus, of course, to find the best prices at Africa’s most authentic camps & lodges. And to make secure donations to conservation projects that make a difference at ground level.
I am so over how social media has become a cesspit of trolls, scams and manipulative algorithms. Moving on. Please GET OUR APP (there is also a desktop version) by scrolling to the prompts below.
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Editor – Taryn van Jaarsveld
Photographer of the Year is picking up steam! With every selection, it becomes harder to narrow down entries to a choice few. Don’t miss our epic Week 7 gallery below.
And if the entries are not enough to inspire longing for adventure, our story on Katavi National Park – Tanzania’s wildest secret – will. This guide to an electrifying safari nirvana, teeming with herds in the dry season, will have you packing your bags.
We’re moving with giants this week, and delving into the challenges of human-elephant conflict. In our third story below, read how beloved super tusker Tolstoy was saved last week after meeting the wrong end of a spear.
Majestic elephants conjure intense emotion in us. It’s no wonder Namibia’s controversial elephant auction has sparked debate. The first captured elephants have now entered the murky muddle of international wildlife trade. Our last editorial below, by conservationist Gail Thomson, is the most balanced view I have read on the matter to date, and is not to be missed.
Happy indulging in Africa to you all!
From our Scientific Editor – Jamie Paterson
Did you know that we share around 96% of our genome with chimpanzees? Here’s another fun fact – that number is almost meaningless unless you happen to have a relatively comprehensive understanding of the science of DNA. The number jumps around from 96% to 99% for a start, depending on which similarity is measured. Chromosomes, genes, proteins, gene expression, mutations – it all gets very complicated!
Yes, we share many of our genetic building blocks with our closest relatives. But roughly 35 million differences change everything! These differences created the characteristics that make us uniquely human: our permanently bipedal stance, hairless (mostly) bodies and extraordinary intelligence (and frightening capacity for evil). The point is that tiny changes matter. And on a related (ha) note, a reminder that you can download our app and seamlessly donate to 61 vetted conservation organisations. Just a thought…
The ultimate Maasai Mara safari for those wanting to push the boundaries of their photography – to achieve THAT image that everyone talks about. Award-winning photographer-guide + a specially modified vehicle for those low-angle shots + off-road driving permits = the perfect combo. Need we say more? August 2022 – 2 places left.
Budget safari – South Luangwa, Zambia. This well-priced safari offers exceptional guiding and an authentic bush camp safari for travellers on a modest budget. Luangwa Valley is the birthplace of walking safaris and enjoys one of Africa’s highest leopard densities.
WATCH: Baby elephants rescued from mud in Mana Pools. Footage from two years ago that tugs at the heart-strings (02:45). Click here to watch
Super tusker Tolstoy of Amboseli National Park in Kenya is a living natural wonder, carrying some of the largest tusks on the planet. So when the rangers from Big Life Foundation, who preserve the wildlife and habitats of the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem, don’t see Tolstoy for a while – they go looking.
When Tolstoy’s absence was noticed last week, the rangers set out to search beyond their regular patrol areas. Eventually, they found Tolstoy resting under a tree. All appeared well, until the giant took a step. It was evident that Tolstoy was struggling to walk. After getting closer to get a better view, the rangers could identify the problem: Tolstoy had a puncture wound in the joint on his front right leg.
A wound like this was no accident. Tolstoy is known for raiding crops. He usually returns unscathed from his night-time forays into farmland but, when he is caught in the act of crop-raiding, farmers will do whatever they can to defend their fields. In this case, Tolstoy was speared in the leg. Crop-raiding by elephants can cost a farmer their entire season’s income in one night, and despite Tolstoy being one of Africa’s last remaining ‘super tuskers’, that doesn’t stop farmers from protecting their livelihoods. It is also not the first time this has happened. Tolstoy was treated for three spear wounds in 2018 – injuries that were also received during crop-raiding.
The joint Kenya Wildlife Service/David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust mobile veterinary unit was quick to respond, but the decision to treat Tolstoy was not made immediately. Darting an animal of his size, particularly with a wound in a sensitive joint, is extremely risky because the elephant may not be able to stand after treatment. The decision was made to wait 24 hours and see if his condition improved.
Tolstoy was darted and quickly treated by the vet team. After receiving a jab to wake up, he retreated to rest in the shade.
The rangers stayed by his side through the waiting period, spending the entire night out with him. However, the wound showed no sign of improvement. The decision was then made to dart him – which was done quickly and professionally. His wound was thoroughly cleaned and treated, and Tolstoy was given antibiotics and painkillers before receiving a jab to wake him up.
With great effort, Tolstoy finally stood and stared back at the treatment team, before retreating into the shade. For now, his prognosis looks good. But he is unfortunately not yet in the clear and Big Life’s rangers will continue to monitor him as his wound heals and he walks the road to recovery. The rangers will also continue to spend their nights out in the farms around Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks, keeping elephants safe and helping farmers to protect their crops – in the hopes of preventing similar occurrences in the future.
Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
Note from our CEO Simon Espley: ‘This is an emotional topic for most of us. The author of this opinion editorial on Namibia’s elephant auction succinctly differentiates between the science and the ethical issues at play and between fact and speculation. This is a tough read for those of us who believe that there can be no justification for capturing wild elephants and subjecting them to incredible hardships and early death in zoos and other forms of prison. The lucky ones will be moved to large protected areas in Africa, but many will disappear through CITES loopholes into the fog of the wildlife trading industry. That said, it is important to read the facts so that our opinions are informed, and to recognise that solutions have to be found in instances where elephants and humans clash for space and water.’
Namibia’s decision to auction 170 elephants from human-elephant conflict hotspots has to date resulted in the capture and translocation of 37 wild elephants from the Kamanjab and Omatjete areas. Both captures for the elephant auction involved family groups of elephants, with one group translocated to a private reserve in Namibia run by N/a’an ku sê and the other exported to two safari parks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Following the conclusion of these transactions, more details are now available that allow for an evaluation of the decision to auction elephants and its consequences.
The reasons for this tender are covered in detail in a previous article on this topic. Elephant numbers are increasing and their range is expanding in Namibia, which is both a cause for celebration and concern. The key concern is related to human-elephant conflict, especially in areas where elephants have not occurred for decades. The dominant land use in these areas is livestock farming, where fencing and water infrastructure (pipes, reservoirs, drinking troughs) are not built to withstand elephants.
The elephant removal plan was thus a short-term action to alleviate some of the conflict by removing elephant herds from high-conflict areas, while simultaneously providing income to the Game Products Trust Fund (GPTF). This Fund does not contribute to MEFT’s overall budget, but is ring-fenced for conservation projects and the Human-Wildlife Conflict Self-Reliance Scheme. Long-term plans that MEFT wants to implement to reduce human-elephant conflict would thus be funded through the GPTF. Offers to pay the GPTF without removing any elephants from the target areas were not aligned with MEFT’s primary objective to reduce elephant numbers and did not include specific amounts of money or detailed plans of action. Such vague promises were therefore not considered valid bids.
Thus far, N$ 4.4 million has been paid to the GPTF by two successful bidders. One of these bidders, the N/a’an ku sê Foundation, translocated 15 elephants from the Omatjete area to their newly established private reserve covering 33,000 hectares. The other successful bidder is game farmer Gerrie Odendaal, who bought the elephant herds and resold them to two safari parks in the UAE. Since the latter bid involves exporting elephants into captive conditions outside the natural elephant range, it is the more controversial of the two. (Note that another 20 elephants have been sold on auction but are yet to be captured, and their destination yet to be revealed.)
(Left) The coloured marks represent elephant movements in Namibia, and the southern border of Etosha is represented by the upper green line. The herd moved to N/a’an ku sê’s property came from the pale blue area (Omatjete-Kalkfeld-Fransfontein). The herd exported to UAE via quarantine in Gobabis was from the pale green area (near Kamanjab). The core range of desert-adapted elephants is around the dry riverbeds in communal conservancies and protected areas further west. (Right) A land use-map showing the same overview of Namibia, demonstrating freehold and communal farming areas. Note that the desert-adapted elephant population generally ranges to the west of the red line on the map (areas receiving less than 150mm of rain per year on average)
The main issues involved with capturing wild elephants for the purposes of captivity relate to elephant conservation and welfare. Exporting elephants internationally must further satisfy conditions set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Here, I provide relevant information on each of these issues as they relate to the current elephant auction.
Elephant Conservation
There are two aspects of MEFT’s elephant tender that need to be considered to evaluate this decision in terms of elephant conservation. The first is whether there was any conservation value to this decision in Namibia, and the second is whether there is any conservation value at the elephants’ ultimate destinations.
The contribution to GPTF and the short-term alleviation of some human-elephant conflict in the two target areas has some conservation value. This is especially so if the N$ 4.4 million is earmarked not just for conservation projects generally but for implementing longer-term research and conservation projects that aim to reduce conflict and assist local farmers. Alleviating the current conflict by removing some elephants (other herds remain in the area) further shows these farmers that MEFT is willing to take concrete action to reduce conflict in the long term. Evidence of collaborative projects between MEFT, the Namibian University of Science and Technology’s Biodiversity Research Centre and Elephant Human Relations Aid strongly suggest that the elephant removals will be followed up with future assistance.
The case for elephants being exported to safari parks in the UAE having conservation value at their destination is much weaker. The Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) strongly agrees with the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group on this matter: keeping elephants in captivity provides no direct benefit to elephant conservation in the wild. As Dr Chris Brown, CEO of NCE states, “keeping elephants in zoos is a Victorian-era practice that has no place in modern conservation, which focuses on maintaining wild animal populations and their associated ecosystems”.
This is part of a larger debate, however, as zoos and safari parks worldwide claim that they have a role to play in educating the public and creating awareness of the need to conserve animals in Africa. Some zoos provide conservation grants, while others claim to contribute to species conservation through research and captive breeding programmes. One of the safari parks receiving these Namibian elephants is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the other states that EAZA will be a partner in their future breeding programmes. Both parks have refused to be publicly named as destinations for these elephants.
Regardless of the claims made by zoos and safari parks of their contribution to conservation, it would have been vastly preferable if these elephants were sent to other African range states with depleted elephant populations. As MEFT discovered from the responses to their tender notice, however, there are vanishingly few areas in Africa that are ready to receive elephants at this time. MEFT is certainly willing to engage with other African countries to assist with restocking depleted elephant populations, but one would first have to address the causes of that depletion (e.g. poaching) before undertaking a reintroduction programme.
In early 2020, African Parks signed a management agreement with Iona National Park, which is part of a Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) that includes Namibia’s Skeleton Coast National Park. Elephants from north-western Namibia would therefore be well-suited to conditions in south-western Angola. It will likely take a few years of improving the infrastructure and staff capacity to address poaching in Iona before they are ready to accept elephants. African Parks did not approach MEFT regarding these elephants, so it is reasonable to conclude that they are not ready to receive elephants yet. MEFT is more than willing to support an elephant translocation to Angola provided they receive a formal request from that government.
Moving elephants within Namibia to areas that are suitably fenced is another option, which was provided by N/a’an ku sê’s new private reserve. Like other Southern African nations with growing elephant populations, however, there are very few areas in Namibia that can host more elephants. Translocating the elephants back into Etosha National Park, for example, would have a low likelihood of success because Etosha’s population is close to its capacity. This is why these elephant groups broke out of Etosha in the first place – to seek water and grazing elsewhere. Further, the Etosha fence line is in no fit state to keep elephants inside the park. Even some private farms in Namibia that have elephants struggle to maintain their fences against elephant damage, thus becoming a source of human-elephant conflict rather than a solution.
With clearly limited options for translocating wild elephants to other areas within natural elephant range that could make a significant contribution to conservation, what other options remain for MEFT? The only other practical option for reducing elephant numbers in the short-term is culling. Unlike the tender option, this would provide no income to GPTF. Since CITES prevents international ivory trade, the only value that could be captured from culling is the meat that could be locally distributed or sold. As Botswana discovered, this option is even less popular among the general public than a live elephant auction.
Elephant Welfare
Some of the greatest protests against exporting elephants to captivity are related to animal welfare. Certainly, if the destination of these elephants were small concrete enclosures in disreputable zoos, this move would be rightly condemned on animal welfare grounds alone. The practice of separating young animals from their mothers and training them using cruel or questionable methods to “break” them is abhorrent. The conditions of the Namibian tender (that family groups had to be moved together) were such that unscrupulous buyers such as these would not be interested, and several other conditions set out in the tender document addressed elephant welfare during the translocation process.
Gerrie Odendaal, the game farmer who organised and paid for the translocation, quarantine and export of the 22 elephants destined for the UAE was also concerned for the welfare of these animals. He remained in constant contact with an independent veterinarian and the MEFT wildlife veterinarian during the time that the elephants were in his care. He says that when they arrived at his 28-hectare quarantine facility, the elephants were aggressive and afraid of people, probably because they were continually harassed on the farms around Kamanjab. Odendaal continues, “after a few weeks in my care, they calmed down considerably and even females with young calves were comfortable in the presence of people.” Odendaal commented, “I even fed the older bull with apples straight from my hand, although I respected their space and never approached them on the ground.”
Gerrie Odendaal’s 28-hectare quarantine facility features a feeding area that elephants are free to move out of surrounded by shipping containers; A close view of this elephant’s left ear reveals several neat puncture holes, likely caused by small-calibre bullets used to chase the elephants away from farms; Caretakers stand on the containers to feed them and do not approach them from the ground; Artificial shade was created near the feeding area.
Photos of these elephants reveal neat puncture holes in the ears of some of the older females, which have most likely been caused by small-calibre bullets intended to chase the elephants away from farms where they were unwelcome. Sadly, one of the younger elephants seems to be an orphan. Odendaal speculates: “It is old enough to feed itself, but does not associate closely with any of the adult females. It seems that its mother was killed sometime before we captured the herd.”
The 28-hectare camp is based on the final destination facility at one of the safari parks (the elephant enclosure at the other one is 24 hectares). Prior to the elephants’ arrival, Odendaal’s quarantine area contained large camel thorn trees and plenty of smaller bushes, but the elephants have destroyed these trees in the last few months (the quarantine period had to be extended due to COVID-related travel restrictions). Artificial shade near the feeding area has therefore been provided to replace the shade trees. Odendaal provided bales of lucerne, branches harvested from bushes on the rest of his farm, and hundreds of apples to sustain the elephants’ healthy appetites. The herd was provided with fresh piped water and a muddy pool to cool themselves off.
In consultation with a veterinarian who has many years of experience with elephants, the 22 elephants that were captured in Kamanjab were split into two female herds, with one unrelated bull each, that were delivered to the two safari parks at the same time. While in quarantine, all of these elephants were kept together and the two sub-groups were identified by closely observing how the herd split up when moving around the camp. The elephants that were born in the quarantine facility (having been conceived in the wild prior to capture) were added to the Namibian CITES export permit and were provided with extra care during transit. On the Namibian side of this translocation, every effort was taken to ensure the welfare of these elephants, and the destinations in the UAE seem to be capable of maintaining a high welfare standard.
Concerns nonetheless remain about the destination of the next generation of elephants, if these herds breed successfully in the UAE. Dr Brown comments: “Their future is now out of our hands. Will they land up in Victorian-style, cramped zoos, or in even worse caged conditions in China? What prevents these safari parks from selling elephants on to less reputable places? It is imperative that zoo associations (EAZA and others) ensure that captive elephant populations are carefully monitored to prevent welfare abuses of this nature.”
CITES Permits
Import and export permits are not provided by CITES itself, but each country must have its own national authority that provides such permits, following rules and guidelines set by CITES. The national authorities report to CITES regularly on their numbers of imports and exports, and provide information to the CITES Secretariat on specific decisions when required.
CITES categorises plants and animals that are (or could be) threatened by international trade into Appendix I, II and III (Appendix III is not of concern here). Species in Appendix I are considered to be highly threatened by international trade. CITES therefore restricts all trade in these species, except under specific conditions. Appendix II species are considered to be not currently threatened by international trade, but could become so if this trade is not closely controlled. African elephants are listed as Appendix I in all range states except Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, where they are listed under Appendix II.
Previous exports of elephants from Zimbabwe to non-African states (including China and the UAE) were completed under Appendix II guidelines, which state that the animals can only go to appropriate and acceptable destinations. At the most recent CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP18) in 2019, the definition of what is appropriate and acceptable was amended to destinations located within the natural range of African elephants and that contribute to in situ (i.e. in the wild) conservation programmes.
A recent statement by CITES on the Namibian elephant export explains the conditions that national authorities must adhere to when issuing export and import permits for Appendix I and II species. From this statement, it is clear that if Appendix II conditions are not met, the animals must be treated as Appendix I species. Given the recent restrictions on exporting Appendix II species outside of elephant range, these Namibian elephants are being exported and imported under Appendix I conditions.
Under these conditions, the Namibian national authority (MEFT) must be satisfied that this particular deal is:
a) not detrimental to the survival of the species;
b) not illegal under national laws;
c) the translocation methods must minimise the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment; and
d) that an import permit has been granted by the destination country.
The Namibian government has met all of these conditions and is therefore operating within CITES regulations.
As the importing country, the UAE national authority must be satisfied that:
a) the transaction is not detrimental to the survival of the species;
b) the facility where the elephants will be kept is suitably equipped to house and care for them; and
c) the elephants are not to be used for primarily commercial purposes.
The last clause does not refer to money being paid to the exporter for the animals, but for how the buyer in the importing country will use those animals. Since the UAE has granted an import permit that covers both safari parks, it seems that their national authority is satisfied that they meet all three of these conditions (the third condition is described in more detail here).
On final evaluation
The definitive evaluation of MEFT’s decision to auction 170 elephants is thus not straightforward. From a CITES point of view, it is legal. In judging whether or not it was a good decision, one must take into account both conservation and welfare concerns.
For conservation purposes, at the very least, these decisions must not compromise the survival of the elephant population. Removing 170 elephants from farmlands outside protected areas will not have a detrimental effect on the survival of the Namibian elephant population, thereby meeting this minimum condition. The most vulnerable sub-population in Namibia occurs in arid areas on the unfenced communal conservancies and protected areas in the far west: these are commonly known as the desert-adapted elephants. The elephants that were removed are not part of the desert-adapted population, but occur directly south of Etosha.
MEFT and its partners are implementing a longer-term plan to try and mitigate the conflict between farmers and the remaining elephants. It is reasonable to say that a net gain for conservation was achieved for Namibia by selling rather than culling these herds. Nevertheless, keeping elephants in captivity has no direct conservation value, as reintroductions from captivity into the wild are far more costly and risky for the elephants than wild-wild translocations.
On the welfare side, our actions must limit animal suffering as much as possible. In this case, not removing elephants from farmlands also has negative welfare implications, as they may be harassed and even killed by frustrated farmers. We do not know what the elephants would choose if given the option between a safe, boring life in captivity, a dangerous life alongside hostile humans, or a quick death at the hands of a professional culling team. Of the options available for captivity, large safari park enclosures that allow whole family herds to stay together in semi-natural conditions are preferable to individual elephants living in cramped zoo conditions.
In an ideal world, none of this would be necessary. Humans and elephants would have no problems living side-by-side, the elephant range could keep expanding across southern Africa with no difficulties, and poaching would no longer be a problem. No elephants would be kept in captivity worldwide, and anyone wishing to see an African elephant would visit protected areas on the continent and thus boost tourism revenues. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. In reality, decision-makers have to strike a balance between competing human and elephant needs, while taking elephant conservation and wildlife safaris into account.
Life in sub-Saharan Africa is ruled over by the cadence of the seasons. Nowhere in East Africa is the dichotomy between the dry and wet season more apparent than in Tanzania’s Katavi National Park. The arrival of the rains transforms landscapes, and a scarcity (or overabundance) can mean the difference between life and death. As the last thunderstorm dissipates beyond the horizon in Katavi, the park swelters beneath a merciless sun. Rivers slow to a trickle, honeycomb cracks appear in the mud, and the remaining water becomes a raw battleground. Hippos pack together in lingering wallows, crocodiles slither into sandbank caves, and herbivores must run the predator gauntlet as they line up to quench their thirst each day. For those in the know, this is what makes the remote Katavi one of the most electrifying safari destinations – a seldom-visited natural nirvana.
Katavi National Park
At 4,500km2 (450,000 hectares), Katavi is one of Tanzania’s largest national parks. It is situated not far from the country’s western border, just east of Lake Tanganyika in a truncated arm of the Great Rift Valley (the Rukwa Rift Basin) that ends around Lake Rukwa. The Lyamba Iya Mfipa and Mlele escarpments line the park to the west and east. The protected area is significantly augmented by surrounding game reserves, including Rukwa, Lukwati and Luafi (also spelt Lwafi) Game Reserves. Together with the national park, these reserves encompass some 12,000km2 (1,2 million hectares) of prime wilderness, stretching to the Ruaha ecosystem to the east and the chimpanzee forests of Mahale National Park to the north. Much of the park is dominated by miombo woodland interspersed by vast open clearings (including the 425km2 – 42,500 hectares – Katisunga Plain) and floodplains. Naturally, life revolves around the park’s rivers and reed-lined waterway networks. The Katuma River feeds the seasonal Katavi and Chada Lakes, its network supplemented by the Kavu and Kapapa Rivers. Ancient riverine forests dominated by tamarind trees line these river systems, providing ample shade for the elephants, buffalos and tourists that seek refuge beneath the canopy during the soporific heat of the day.
East Africa is, of course, a safari mecca and there are many places where wildlife viewing is simply extraordinary. Yet Katavi, on Tanzania’s southern circuit, stands out because it is so far off the traditional beaten safari track that it receives fewer than 500 visitors every year. Those visitors who make the journey are richly rewarded and often find themselves with a vast chunk of African savanna to themselves, without another tourist in sight.
Katavi’s predators are not as habituated to humans as in more popular reserves, providing truly wild experiences
Without the pressure of high tourist densities, the park authorities offer more freedom and activities to their adventurous patrons. Walking safaris are permitted in the company of an armed ranger, and self-drive visitors looking to camp in the park have innumerable options when picking a suitable site.
The park’s animals are less accustomed to people and vehicles. While far from skittish, they do not display the almost zoo-like disinterest in passing cars as seen in some more popular safari destinations. This, combined with Katavi’s remote and secluded ambience, gives the impression of a world where, for once, humankind is not entirely in control.
The Wild West
While Katavi’s far-flung and off-the-map quality is its most impressive drawcard, that is not to suggest that the wildlife sightings are not jaw-dropping in their own right. As already mentioned, Katavi truly comes into its own as a safari destination during the dry season. As the grass turns golden, the vanishing water turns the park into an extravaganza of nature at her most raw. This region boasts Tanzania’s highest densities of hippos and crocodiles – obviously species entirely dependent upon the presence of water. Yet, both have adapted to survive the annual disappearance of their preferred habitat for months at a time. Pods of hippos pack themselves into mud wallows by the hundreds, desperately seeking protection from the blazing sun. Social though hippos may be, hundreds of two-tonne animals crowded together are bound to cause the odd neighbourly feud and fights between bulls are especially common. During this spectacle, the resultant photographic opportunities are renowned for their bleak representation of nature’s savagery. Somewhat sensibly, the crocodiles prefer to avoid these Brobdingnagian mosh pits. Instead, they crowd into caves on the riverbanks, slithering over each other for a prime spot and entering a state of dormancy to wait out the dry season.
Bloats of hippos numbering in the hundreds are a common sight in Katavi during the dry season
The more land-based creatures of Katavi are also forced to congregate around the drying water points, and the profusion of wildlife on display from May until October is an impressive sight. The Katavi region is known for its massive herds of buffaloes and numerous elephants, and hosts robust populations of lions, painted wolves (wild dogs), cheetahs, and hyenas. Elands gather in large herds in certain parts of the park, and fortunate visitors could be lucky enough to spot both roan and sable antelopes.
Over 400 bird species have been recorded. Naturally, most visitors are looking to take advantage of the mammal displays of the dry season, which does not equate with the best birding opportunities that Katavi offers. Instead, the best time for bird watching in the park is when the migrant species return to “summer” in Katavi from November until April, coinciding with the arrival of the rains. During these months, the seasonal lakes fill, and floodplains revert to boggy marshland, making the waterbird viewing exceptional.
Large gatherings of wildlife around the shallowing water points in the drier months provide astonishing displays
Explore & Stay
Want to go on safari to Katavi? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
Though Katavi may be remote, the park and surrounds offer a small number of luxury lodges on par with grandeur and comfort found anywhere else in Africa. These beautiful camps are carefully positioned to take full advantage of the arid months, offering spectacular “armchair” wildlife viewing from the lodge decks between game drives. Unfortunately, most of the camps are closed for part of, if not all, of the rainy season from November until May, when the roads become sludgy, and parts of the park become totally inaccessible. For the more intrepid visitor, camping and self-drive through the park is an option, though it is essential to consider the journey to get there (measured in days rather than hours). Most visitors opt to fly into the Ikuu airstrip – a three-hour flight from Dar es Salaam.
Chada Katavi is a luxurious option when exploring the park, and Mbali Mbali offers a comfortable, remote experience away from regular tourist routes
Parting thoughts
In the heart of Katavi National Park, near Lake Katavi, an innocuous-looking tamarind tree holds a deep spiritual meaning. Here, the Bende and Pimbwe people believe that the spirit of Katabi – a great hunter – has taken up residence, and he looks out across the mountains where his wife, Wamweru, resides. Katavi was named for Katabi, the hunter-spirit, and it is believed that gifts and offerings placed at the base of the tree will bring good fortune and blessings. The local people are seemingly content to share the favours of Katabi, and visitors are encouraged to leave behind their gifts to the precious tree.
This gem of cultural history is just one part of what makes the Katavi experience so raw and intense – an awareness of both the power of nature and our intimate, intuitive connection to it. With her seasonal foibles and dramatic interplay of life and death, untrammelled Katavi is genuinely one of Tanzania’s best-kept secrets.
Katavi’s camps are carefully positioned to take full advantage of the surroundings
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Best photos + top painted wolf spots + Japan’s illegal ivory
Once in a blue moon, a safari opportunity comes along that awakens the ESSENCE of me. As if someone has stuck a big spoon into my soul and stirred every raw nerve, every instinctive impulse.
I had, of course, heard of Chitake, but THESE IMAGES & VIDEO became the stirring spoon, and I took more notice. Then my colleague Nadia spent a few days there and came back with stories of sleepless nights because of the loud nocturnal battles between lions and their targets – buffaloes and elephants. She is an experienced guide with tons of bush time – and not prone to exaggeration. Her final summation: ‘Next level.’
And so we crafted this safari. The first group of six sold out in hours, and we have four places left on the second (and only other) group. This safari is not about rim-flow pools and crystal champagne flutes – it’s in-your-face primal Africa, unlike a luxury honeymoon safaris in Kenya. Here be dragons …
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Editor – Taryn van Jaarsveld
When teamAG isn’t out finding the best safaris, we’re at our desks packaging them for delivery to you. So we too have time to develop travel FOMO. Especially when we’re choosing (and reliving) Africa’s 6 painted wolf hotspots – see our first story below. For me, it’s Kruger. For Simon, the vital population of Khwai, and for Jamie, the famous canids of Mana Pools.
Our third story brings you the week’s best photos, where you can visit the otherworldly Danakil Depression and the tuskers of Amboseli.
By contrast, images of raw ivory from Japan’s legal market, which commoditises elephants and conceals illegal international trade, bring a stark reality home. Our second story below refers.
Send us your thoughts (join the club to comment)!
Happy celebrating Africa to you all.
From our Scientific Editor – Jamie Paterson
At the top of your newsletter, the photograph features the glorious sandstone Chilojo Cliffs, Gonarezhou National Park’s most famous landmark. Below them flows the Runde River on its way to the confluence with the Save River and then a meandering journey of over 300km to the Indian Ocean. Why do I mention this? Because Zambezi sharks are regularly recorded at the confluence.
Did you know that the Zambezi shark (bull shark) thrives in both salt and fresh water? These are not just brief forays upriver into estuaries either – they have been known to travel as far as 1,100km from the ocean up the Mississippi River and 4,000km up the Amazon River into Peru. These are usually gravid females searching for a safe place to give birth. So a short trip to landlocked Zimbabwe is nothing for a shark with travel FOMO.
Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
A sighting of African painted wolves (wild dogs) is one of the most exhilarating safari experiences and a guaranteed highlight for guests. From their frenetic hunts to playful pack time, these lithe and athletic predators present true poetry in motion. But, unfortunately, they are also one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores.
Looking for the best place to see them in the wild? Here’s a list of our top six favourite painted-wolf destinations:
The wild dogs of Mana Pools National Park recently rose to prominence as the star characters in the BBC series, Dynasties. Yet, for those in the know, the national park and surrounds have long been recognised as one of the best places in Africa to see these charismatic canids.
What makes Mana a particularly fabulous destination for viewing painted wolves is that visitors can walk without a guide. Regular encounters have ensured that the painted wolves are unusually comfortable with people on foot.
It is important to remember that this is a privilege, not a right, and the African painted wolves should be treated with absolute respect. Keep noise to a minimum, set up a comfortable distance and enjoy the magic of this truly unique experience.
Most of Northern Botswana, including Khwai Private Reserve, Chobe National Park, Linyanti Concession, and the Okavango Delta, is prime habitat for wild dogs and a vital population stronghold for these carnivores. The combined landscape of protected areas provides these ever-moving hunters with the space they need. As the river systems ebb and flow, painted wolves charge across the flood plains to chase down their abundant prey.
A pack photographed in Khwai Private Reserve, northern Botswana
Since their translocation to Madikwe Game Reserve in 1994, African painted wolves have become the unofficial mascot of this arid, malaria-free reserve tucked away in northern South Africa, close to the Botswana border. Though their path to success has not always been easy, the wolves are now well established, and the sparse Madikwe vegetation makes it easier to keep an eye on their antics.
Home to the largest painted wolf population in Zambia, Luangwa Valley stands out as a conservation success story where these tie-dyed predators are concerned. During the dry season, Luangwa’s multitudinous herbivores gather around the life-giving Luangwa River and painted wolves take full advantage of the buffet on offer. The floodplains set the stage for thrilling displays of athleticism as the energetic canids hurtle after antelope or reaffirm their pack bonds with a game of tag and tumble.
A wild dog on the banks of the Luangwa River above a colony of carmine bee-eaters
Bucking the overall population trend, the Kruger’s painted-wolf population is not declining and may even be steadily increasing. In Kruger National Park, use the sighting boards in camp and chat to park guides to get up-to-date information on recent reliable hotspots. Alternatively, a stay at one of the private reserves and lodges in Greater Kruger during the denning season (typically winter: June until August) will ensure unbeatable sightings of the pups emerging to take in their new world, much to the joy of the rest of the pack.
Known for its exclusive safari experiences and exceptional record for protecting endangered species, vast Laikipia county is almost entirely covered by private and community conservancies, creating a large habitat for painted wolves to roam.
The Kenyan conservancy model gives its visitors glorious freedom, allowing any visit to be tailored to specific interests. Want to tag along with a research team tasked with monitoring the painted wolves? Though not always a guaranteed option, Laikipia is an excellent place to start.
Never a dull moment
Given their fast-paced lives, keeping up with painted wolves can present something of a challenge, but the reward is well worth the effort involved. With their boundless vitality, astonishing altruism and unmistakable wet-dog smell (with a tinge of something vaguely goat-like), there is never a dull moment when African painted wolves come bounding by.
Want to go on a safari to seek wild dogs? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
For more photos of the three packs of painted wolves featured in BBC’s Dynasties, check out the book Painted Wolves: A Wild Dog’s Life by Nicholas Dyer and Peter Blinston. The book can be purchased here.
Tell us about your favourite wild dog destinations:
Japan is failing to regulate its domestic ivory market, resulting in the perfect cover for illegally imported ivory and a supply source for illegal export. This is according to a new report compiled by the non-profit organisation, the Japan Tiger and Elephant Fund (JTEF). The report challenges the Government of Japan’s (GoJ) claim that “Japan has been implementing stringent measures to ensure that its domestic ivory market is not contributing to poaching or illegal trade”, calling it “flawed and unjustified”.
In 2016, the state parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) adopted a resolution calling for those member states with a legal domestic ivory market to take urgent measures to close the commercial trade. Three years later, at the next Conference of the Parties, those states (including Japan) that opted not to do so were requested to report to the Secretariat on the measures taken to ensure that these domestic ivory markets were not contributing to poaching or illegal trade.
Japan remains the world’s most significant open ivory market. In response to the CITES request, the Government of Japan issued a firm assurance that these measures were in place, pointing to controls such as the stringent oversight of dealership registration, the compulsory registration of whole tusks and the use of carbon dating to determine tusk origin. However, the comprehensive 22-page report from the JTEF gives detailed examples of how these measures have failed in their supposed purpose.
In summary, findings of the JTEF report include:
The persistent illegal ivory exports from Japan result from the country’s authorised legal market selling many different ivory items.
The compulsory registration of ivory dealers (or renewal thereof) should involve a rigorous examination of eligibility – something the Government of Japan claims is done. However, the JTEF contends that this examination is, in reality, non-existent and does not preclude the registration of problematic dealers.
The requirement to register all whole tusks was successfully bypassed as registered dealers simply cut them into pieces and processed them into Hanko (traditional signature stamps).
The use of carbon dating to increase scrutiny for whole tusk registration came too late, and a vast number of tusks with unknown origin and acquisition have been legalised and entered the market.
Despite assurances of traceability, the report indicates that there is no official verification on the legality of origin and acquisition at the point of production for ivory cut pieces and products, making traceability impossible.
Closing the domestic legal market may be the only way to eliminate the significant trade loopholes.
The influence of Japan’s buoyant domestic ivory market on the international community’s goal of preventing illegal international ivory trade should not be downplayed.
Semi-processed ivory pieces observed at indoor antiques fairs in Tokyo and Kyoto; Display of ivory items at a shop in Tokyo’s tourist areas; Raw ivory displayed at an auction house; Newly manufactured ivory products found at two shops in Tokyo’s major tourist areas
Each chapter of the report is dedicated to one of the measures supposedly set to prevent Japan’s legal market from contributing to the illegal trade in ivory. For example, the first chapter delves into how, despite “rigorous examination”, dealership registration is granted or renewed for kingpins in the ivory market, even when these companies have a recent-track record of illegal ivory trade.
The second chapter deals with the requirement for all whole tusks to be registered before they are involved in any transactions. The registration process requires identifying each tusk’s legal origin and acquisition. According to the JTEF, the dealers predicted the 2019 tightening of tusk registration ahead of time. Given that the law only requires that whole tusks are registered, traders rushed to take advantage of the loophole by cutting registered and unregistered tusks. Unregistered stockpiles are posed as registered stockpiles using the registration cards of those already consumed.
The report also claims that carbon dating to examine tusks upon registration was intentionally delayed. As a result, tusks of unknown but questionable origin were legalised and entered the market before carbon-dating analysis may have exposed their background.
The report challenges the Government of Japan’s claims that stringent measures are in place to ensure its domestic ivory market is not contributing to poaching or illegal trade
The authors of the JTEF report conclude that not only has the Government of Japan failed to regulate the domestic ivory market, but these failures are systemic and consistent and have left the market open to the illegal trade in tusks. They call upon Japan to end all ivory trade as a matter of urgency, stating that the “stockpile is vast and the market remains tireless”.
A few weeks after the release of the JTEF report, the Standing Committee of CITES agreed that countries must continue to report on their domestic ivory markets. The EU has also called for an analysis of whether ivory seizures connected to countries that have not closed their domestic ivory markets may influence illegal international trade – a call echoed by Gabon.
Resources
For more on the extent of Japan’s ivory trade, you can watch the video of shocking evidence of Japan’s dirty ivory trade.
Cape clawless otters frolic in the coastal waters of Vermont, Western Cape, South Africa.
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Epic pics + Central Kalahari magic + entertaining otters
Such Disneyfied drama!
Fig, a confiding and beloved leopardess from a conservancy bordering the Maasai Mara, is no more – killed by a male lion. I can imagine how traumatic this must have been for the guests and guides that bore witness. And yet this PRIMAL process plays itself out all over wild Africa, in so many ways.
One gent, a respected photographer and local lodge owner, was so upset about the manner of Fig’s demise that he threw himself into a rather dramatic Facebook post. He described the lion as “a brutal alpha male” that “invaded a small unthreatening enclave“. On the lion’s behaviour, he commented that the “leonine tyrant savaged its innocent prey in an unprovoked, unnecessary and seemingly unwarranted attack“. Fig was described thus: “She was our bank, inspiration, figurehead, and confidant. She was our Zelensky.”
Stepping aside from the peculiar reference to the Ukraine situation, reactions like this from a person of influence in response to nature behaving normally emphasize the ongoing Disneyfication of real life in Africa. CELEBRATE Fig and mourn her, but never ever condemn nature for doing her thing. Drops the mic
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Editor – Taryn van Jaarsveld
Is there a right way to photograph people?
A few of this week’s Photographer of the Year entries capture intimate human moments around the continent – allowing visceral views into diverse cultures and sparking introspection in the AG office. When is photographing people intrusive? Where is the line drawn between respectfully representing a complex situation, or reducing it to a one-sided, simplistic narrative? Is it invasive to position one’s lens amidst a Maasai circumcision ceremony or a Boloye dance – or does this depend on the circumstances in which a subject agrees to be photographed?
Our consensus in the office is reflected in our guidelines for submissions. Authenticity is key. Permission: essential. And the subject’s understanding of the potential exposure a photograph’s journey can bring: vital. The results can be wonderful – images that enlighten through education, stirring the viewer’s understanding of the world and expanding horizons. A single image can ignite action and change history. And it can bring inspirational Africa straight to you, our AG family. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this – comment on our Photographer of the Year entries via our first story below (join the club to comment).
For a bit of escapism this week, our second story below takes you to the wildlife-dotted plains of Kalahari Central Game Reserve. Read about this remote part of Botswana, which calls to the most rough and ready of adventurers. Happy indulging in Africa to you all!
From our Scientific Editor – Jamie Paterson
Every story has its villain, and nature is no different when trying to force it into a neat narrative. Vilification is inevitable when animals don’t conform to our moral expectations. It’s peculiar, the disparate values people assign different species – a lion killing a buffalo is exciting, a lion killing a leopard is a tragedy, a lion killing lion cubs is an abomination. (All often discussed in horror over a steak or pork chop dinner.)
But did you know that scientists have traced the neural pathways of infanticide? Their results are not all that straightforward, but, in essence, aggressive acts towards young of the same species (like infanticide) are mediated by regions of the brain entirely separate from those associated with other types of aggression. This behaviour is pure instinct and is therefore simply part of the natural way of things. And we cannot cherry-pick the aspects of nature we choose to appreciate…
MOUNTAIN GORILLA TREKKING is always a favourite bucket-list choice amongst our safari clients. We have our popular 3-day gorilla trekking safari in Rwanda for the time-pressured traveller. Prices are excellent, even more so for SADC tourists. It’s time to tick this one off your list …
TIPPING – when to tip and how much? Now that the go-on-safari surge is gaining momentum, we address this perennial source of angst amongst travellers. Here then, are a few tips about tipping.
WATCH: The illegal trade in African grey parrots is facilitated by traders using social media – as presented by BBC Click. This documentary features club member World Parrot Trust – Africa. Watch this portion 02:01 – 11:15
Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
The Kalahari casts a spell upon her visitors – the kind of magic that can only be experienced first-hand. It is partly to do with a sense of space, a true wilderness stretching as far as the eye can see, both untamed and austerely beautiful. Yet, there is an element to the mystery of its allure, creating a tantalising combination of the immediate and the timeless. At the heart of this vast stretch of sand lies Botswana’s rugged Central Kalahari Game Reserve, where travellers can refresh world-weary souls beneath the cool blaze of the Milky Way.
The reserve and surrounds
As the name clearly implies, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) is situated smack in the middle of Botswana at the centre of the Kalahari Basin. Descriptors such as “vast” or “extensive” fail to do justice to the sheer scale of this enormous reserve, which extends over 52,800km² (over five million hectares) of arid bushveld. Along its boundaries, several private conservancies have successfully converted former farmland back to its original state and the protected area is further supplemented by the 2,500km² (250,000 hectares) Khutse Game Reserve to the south.
The word “Kalahari” shares its etymology with “Kgalagadi”, likely drawn from the Tswana word “kgala”, which can be roughly translated to mean “thirst” or “to dry up”. Thus, Kalahari is interpreted as “land of great thirst” and Kgalagadi as “a waterless place”. Whatever the exact translation, the overtones are unmistakable – this is a land devoid of surface water, a harsh and inhospitable wilderness. Yet once again, this fails to encapsulate the complexity of this amazing landscape fully.
One of the Kalahari’s most iconic sights
The Kalahari Desert is technically more semi-desert (apart from the far southwestern portion) and encompasses several different types of habitats, including grasslands, scrubland, and rich arid savanna – all of which can be found within the CKGR. Throughout the reserve, there is evidence of a more bountiful time in the Kalahari’s history, when rainfall was more abundant and temperatures a little less extreme. Fossil riverbeds crisscross the reserve, the most famous of which is Deception Valley in the northeast corner, so named because of the mirage created over the surface of the salt pan.
Cheetahs thrive in the Kalahari
Although the terrain may seem harsh, nature always finds a way to survive, and the CKGR is no exception. Though not necessarily as abundant as the Okavango and Chobe areas to the north, wildlife abounds in CKGR, from herds of antelope to the predators that have learnt to stalk them through the long grasses.
Fundamentals
For the most part, the remote CKGR attracts a certain kind of traveller. These hardy adventurers are the sort prepared for any eventuality, driving 4x4s packed to the brim with equipment, water, fuel and everything but the kitchen sink (and sometimes a makeshift kitchen sink). With the astonishing capacity to set up/dismantle a rooftop tent with the speed and efficiency befitting a Formula One pitstop crew, they revel in the unspoilt peace of the wild. They will readily assist the less experienced with only a faintly detectable hint of smugness.
Adventurous travellers will be at ease setting up camp in the open wilderness of the reserve
Though it is unnecessary to be such a dab-hand at overlanding, a self-drive stay in the CKGR cannot be approached without meticulous planning. There are no shops within the reserve, and sufficient food, fuel, firewood and water must be purchased beforehand (only one camp has running water, which is not always available). Fuel supplies should be gauged with the significant distances between four entrance gates and the various campsites in mind.
The roads alternate between thick sand and clay that turns into sludge during the short rainy season. Phone signal is non-existent, and visitor density is extremely low, so it is not uncommon to spend the day exploring without seeing another soul. The northern section of the park tends to be slightly busier and offers greater concentrations of wildlife. This may all sound somewhat intimidating, but the result is more than worth the effort. This is, without doubt, one of the wildest parts of Southern Africa. The immersion in nature is absolute, and it is pretty easy to imagine one has this wilderness entirely to oneself.
Not much can compare with the experience of sleeping in a tent, with just a slip of canvas between you and the black-maned lion roaring in your campsite – with miles between you and the nearest civilisation.
Still too much? Well, fear not, less intrepid travellers can still experience the magic of the Kalahari without having to worry about being self-sufficient. The reserve and surrounds are peppered with luxury lodges where guests can still revel in the beauty and isolation of the desert — more on this below.
The creatures of the Kalahari
A leonine visit in the middle of the night is a common campsite occurrence in the CKGR, but, as might be expected, there is an element of luck involved in all desert wildlife sightings, particularly where predators are concerned. However, lions, leopards, cheetahs and African painted wolves (wild dogs) are all resident, albeit in low densities compared to some of the northern parts of Botswana.
The famous black-maned lions of the Kalahari draw many visitors to CKGR
Elephants can and do move through the reserve. Still, sightings are few and far between, and elephant enthusiasts should visit the Okavango Delta, or head to Khwai or Chobe National Park for their pachyderm fix. The upshot of this is that CKGR is generally not marketed as a suitable option for the first time or once-off safari-goers looking for the ‘Big 5’ and other iconic safari wildlife. Yet, the African desert never disappoints those who appreciate animal marvels of every shape and size.
Elephants are a less common and thus more special sighting in the reserve
Brown hyenas slink through the ancient riverbeds and smaller carnivores like jackals, caracals and honey badgers are always a highlight. The families of bat-eared foxes are a source of constant entertainment, sporting ridiculously oversized ears and somewhat sardonic expressions, while charismatic meerkats forage through the undergrowth. The usual assortment of campsite opportunists – ground squirrels, hornbills, mongooses and spurfowls, for example – are always around and don’t be surprised to find one drinking your shower water next to your feet with zero regard for privacy.
The wide-open plains of the Kalahari make for striking wildlife sightings
First people of the Kalahari
The Kalahari is the ancestral homeland of various San peoples, the oldest human inhabitants of the region and collectively one of the most persecuted groups in Southern Africa. The Gana, Gwi and Tsila Bushmen (as they have expressly confirmed they prefer to be called) previously occupied the now CKGR region as nomadic hunter-gatherers. In fact, the reserve was initially established as a “place of sanctuary” for them during the 1960s.
However, a campaign to relocate the inhabitants began two decades later, culminating in forced removals to “resettlement camps” outside the park during the mid-1990s. The move was “justified” on conservation grounds but coincided with the discovery of diamonds in the southern section of the reserve. Though some of the Gana, Gwi and Tsila people have since won their legal battle to return to their ancestral homeland, returning to their old way of life has proved next to impossible. The legal conflict continues to this day in one of the most expensive court cases in Botswana’s history. (For a brief account of some of their hardships, read about the struggle of the Kalahari people.)
The CKGR experience – game drives, walks, cultural interactions with the subcontinent’s First People and iconic African animals.
One of the highlights for many travellers is to spend time with Bushmen, tracking or learning more about their cultures and traditions. The Gana, Gwi and Tsila Bushmen have a deep and intimate connection to their homeland, and these experiences can be highly educational. Though a complete account of the land conflict in Botswana is beyond the scope of this article, it is beholden upon visitors to bear this context in mind when visiting the reserve and interacting with those who call it home. It is also essential to research the various cultural programmes on offer to ensure that the Bushmen guides receive the proceeds of this tourism-generated revenue.
Desert Rose
Though there are no roses in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, the desert does bloom once a year. The fauna and flora of the Kalahari are all beautifully adapted to survive the pulse of the desert seasons, patiently awaiting the arrival of the rains. As storm clouds gather and lightning scythes through the sky, there is almost a palpable sigh of relief from the parched earth and inhabitants. The transformation is almost immediate and utterly breathtaking. The plants seize their chance before the greedy sand soaks up the water, bursting into life, covering the red dunes in shades of green and yellow.
The reserve comes alive in the rainy season
The salt pans of the north fill with water, and the herbivores gather in large numbers around the surrounding grass plains, forming impressive herds of giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, oryx, impala and springbok. Many give birth during the height of the green season, much to the delight of tourists and predators.
Explore & Stay
Want to go on safari to Central Kalahari Game Reserve? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
Very unusually, this desert rejuvenation means that the rainy season (between November and March) is the best time to visit the Central Kalahari Game Reserve or surrounding private conservancies. Though the afternoon thunderstorms can be disruptive to plans, they do help to take the edge off the summer heat. The only downside is that the clay soils turn into sludge, making driving conditions somewhat tricky. As expected, temperatures can be extreme, with boiling days and very chilly nights, especially during the dry season.
Luxury accommodation is available for those not willing to rough it on a self-drive 4X4 trip
There are several very basic campsites spread throughout the park, divided into state-run campsites and others that are privately operated. Generally, there is a trade-off between price and state of cleanliness/infrastructure that can be easily inferred from the above distinction. The luxury lodges offer the perfect alternative for those less keen on the necessary planning and potential pitfalls of self-drive. Of course, one of the significant advantages of going the lodge route is that the heat of the day can be spent dipping in and out of swimming pools looking out across the spectacular desert scenery!
1. LEOPARDS (10): Zero hunting quotas were issued in 2016 & 2017 because SA’s scientific authority declared that the number of leopards in the country was UNKNOWN and that trophy hunting posed a high risk to the survival of the species. Seven quotas were granted in 2018, despite significant reductions in leopard populations – including in the provinces now deemed to have ‘stable or increasing’ populations, according to Minister Creecy. Fast forward to 2022, and the quota has increased to ten leopards thanks to ‘robust data’.
2. BLACK RHINOS (10): The Minister openly declares that South Africa has 2,000 black rhinos – to justify hunting ten (0,5%). And yet she refuses, for security reasons, to divulge how many rhinos remain in our national parks after rampant poaching. So each year, we have to dig that information up.
3. ELEPHANTS (150): She is silent on how many large-tusked elephants remain in South Africa – the favoured target for trophy hunters. Most of the 150 elephants will likely be hunted on the privately and community-owned reserves on the western border of Kruger National Park (there is no fence).
#украина
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Editor
There is balance in nature, but it’s not a pleasing, harmonious equilibrium. It’s struck through a never-ending ebb and flow. A win here, a desperate loss there. It’s not always pretty to watch. It can unfold in scenarios unsettling for even the most hardened conservationist. I can’t stop thinking about Shafeeq Mulla’s Photographer of the Year entry for this week: an infant vervet monkey clings to the lifeless body of its mother, clutched in the jaws of a leopard. Its fate hangs in the balance – a downbeat in the rhythm of the wild. Just one of many breathtaking photos in this week’s selection in our third story below.
I’m intrigued by the superstitions surrounding ground-hornbills – the bringers of rain and thunder – and how this translates, in some cases, to the fierce protection of these birds, and in others to their persecution. Read more about these iconic birds in our first story below.
Oh, to dig my toes into the sands of an unspoiled beach on the shores of Lake Malawi, cocktail in hand, as fishermen on mokoros drift by to beat the setting sun. Our selection of the top 10 sundowner spots in Africa in our second story will have you itching to escape on your next safari.
Happy indulging in Africa to you all.
From our Scientific Editor
Did you know that some bats like to roost in pit latrines? The industrious microbes working away on the objectionable contents generate heat, creating a cosy (if pungent) place for the bats to hide. The additional protection of the concrete slab also keeps predators at bay, ensuring a good day’s sleep for the toilet’s residents. The only thing they have to worry about is the occasional anthropogenic interruption.
A chance in-situ encounter with one such surprised bat (combined with the realisation that this phenomenon was absent from scientific literature) inspired further research. The findings were recorded in the African Journal of Ecology in a paper entitled “Like a bat out of hell“.
The 2022 safari booking season has kicked off with a vengeance, and Africa’s wild places will once again soon be blessed with travellers – although still at lower volumes than prior to Covid. So if you have not yet booked your next safari with us, consider these gems:
Desert & delta safari – 11 days traversing the Okavango Delta, Chobe and Nxai Pan national parks (Botswana) and Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). Mid-range and luxury itineraries available.
Our CEO’s choice. This is one for the experienced traveller wanting to do something completely different; a complete break from the clutter of modern-day life and Covid-era stresses. Search for lowland gorillas in Odzala-Kokoua, bongos, forest elephants, dwarf crocodiles and flocks of grey parrots in the jungles and bais of the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in Congo.
And finally, this I-want-to-be-there video from The Outpost Lodge in the far north of Kruger National Park will have you ferreting out your dusty passport and packing your bags. Check out our app for the best prices at this and other camps & lodges throughout Africa.
WATCH: Free-roaming BLACK RHINOS are flourishing in Namibia – because rural people have an incentive to have them around (8:10). Click here to watch
Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
Cocktails anyone? Safari tradition dictates that the end of the day be celebrated with a traditional sundowner – and snacks, of course! – enjoyed as the last golden rays of the setting sun impart their hue to the surrounding wilderness. Whether accompanied by designer G&Ts, local brews/wines, or some ice-cold water for the somewhat sunburned, there is no doubt that Africa boasts some of the planet’s best places to watch the sun go down.
Want to go on safari to one of these sublime spots? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
Here is a list of some of our favourite sundowner spots, and why (in no particular order):
1. The Oloololo Escarpment, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Enjoying a sundowner as darkness falls over the Oloololo escarpment, the plains of the Maasai Mara below
The Oloololo Escarpment rises sharply 300 metres above the plains of Maasai Mara, affording visitors an extraordinary view of the serpentine path of the Mara River. If you are a fan of classic films, you might recognise this spectacular vantage as the one seen in the film Out of Africa. Recreate your own African romance and celebrate the spectacle that is the Great Migration. Take a moment to breathe, take a step back, and quite literally see the “big picture”.
2. Sossusvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia
The dying embers of the day over the Namib-Naukluft
The stark beauty of this salt and clay pan at the heart of the Namib-Naukluft National Park lies in the towering cerise dunes – some of the world’s largest. The rich, soft sand that has drifted in over the centuries begins to glow as the sun sets while the barking geckos begin their evening chorus. It is time to settle back with a sundowner and watch the rise of arguably the best stargazing display in Africa.
3. Victoria Falls Zimbabwe (or Zambia)
The sunset through the mists of Victoria Falls
The world-famous Victoria Falls marks the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. As the mighty Zambezi tumbles down over 100 metres, it throws up a spray that can, on occasion, be seen for kilometres. At dusk the descending peace allows you to consider what David Livingstone must have felt when he first laid eyes on the world’s largest waterfall.
4. Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
A magical evening in the Ngorongoro Crater
At the centre of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area lies the Crater – the largest intact caldera in the world – surrounded by a rim that rises 2,300 meters above the grasslands below. Almost all Africa’s iconic animals, including the Big 5 and beyond, shelter in this geological cradle. Where better to appreciate the ancient geological forces that shaped East Africa than from the rim of a massive, extinct volcano? It’s a bit like stepping back in time to a lost world (but with readily available drinks).
5. Naga stream, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, the Republic of Congo
A refreshing drink after a day of forest trekking
Odzala-Kokoua National Park, rich in biodiversity, lies in the northern reaches of the Republic of the Congo and protects an enormous expanse of pristine Central African rainforest. Its many streams tumble their way through the trees before draining into the swampy forest baïs. Okay, so this is less about the sunset (the most you will see are some golden shafts filtering through the trees) and more about the atmosphere befitting a life-changing sundowner, soaking tired feet after a day spent with lowland gorillas.
6. Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana
Paddling home in the Chobe evening
The Chobe River, the lifeblood of Chobe National Park, marks the border between Botswana and Namibia before its confluence with the Zambezi River to the east. A sundowner is, in theory, meant to be a relaxing experience, but the sense of anticipation as thirsty wildlife approaches the water’s edge in the day’s final moments adds another dimension to your sundowner.
7. Lake Malawi, Malawi
A fisherman makes his way home on Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi/Lake Nyasa is an African Great Lake – the southernmost lake in the East African Rift System and the fifth-largest freshwater lake in the world. The shores are lined by unspoiled sandy beaches, and below the surface, over 1,000 different freshwater fishes dart between the rocks. Why Lake Malawi? Because beaches, sunsets and cocktails are a winning combination.
8. Lanner Gorge, Makuleke Contractual Park, Kruger, South Africa
The afternoon wanes over Lanner Gorge
This magnificent viewpoint marks the border between the magical Makuleke Contractual Park and the Kruger National Park. Here the Luvuvhu River has carved a winding path through the sandstone to create a breathtaking gorge that is over 150 metres deep at some points. The views from the lookout point provide the perfect spot to ponder what life must have been like for the people of Africa’s ancient civilizations 900 years ago.
9. Luangwa River, South Luangwa, Zambia
The perfect way to end a day on the Luangwa River
Life in the Luangwa Valley centres around the Luangwa River and the rich floodplains that spill over into the surrounding savannahs and woodlands. South Luangwa is the largest of the valley’s four national parks and is renowned for the enormous herds of elephants and buffalos that congregate along the riverbanks. After an adrenaline-tinged day of walking in Big 5 country, soaking your feet in the cool waters of the Luangwa River is the perfect way to decompress.
10. Wherever you are, Africa
Sunset is a gorgeous time of the day anywhere in Africa
Wherever you might find yourself in Africa, enjoying the beach, sitting with sleepy lions, decompressing after a walking safari. Stay there. Take a moment, look up and appreciate the unique display nature has prepared for you.
We’ve shown you ours, and now it’s your turn. Tell us about your favourite sundowner spot or memory by logging in to our app and commenting below this story. Details on how to get the app can be found below.
Nothing quite compares to the moment that morning breaks over the African bushveld. Through the strident calls of francolins, kingfisher trills, and melodious cuckoos cuts a low, booming sound – a primitive, hollow and deeply evocative duet that brings to mind an ancient instrument. It is the voice of Africa’s thunderbird: the southern ground-hornbill. This charismatic bird is one of Africa’s most iconic bird species. And the dawn chorus would simply not be the same without the haunting sound of the thunderbird.
The basics
The southern ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) is the largest member of the hornbill family by far – a stocky bird around the size of a wild turkey, weighing anywhere between 2.0 to 6.2kg. Other than the fringe of white primary feathers on the edges of their wings, they are almost entirely clad in plumage of glossy ebony feathers. Their faces are characterised by vivid patches of bare crimson skin, giving the vague impression that they have been smacked in the face by an overripe tomato. Adult females can be easily distinguished by a patch of violet-blue skin below the beak that extends down the throat. Though these bright patches likely play a significant role in intraspecies communication, recent research has shown that, along with the casque (an extension of the maxilla bone on the beak), these wattles play a role in thermoregulation.
Ground-hornbills can and do fly – surprisingly gracefully for such large birds – but spend 70% of their days on the ground (hence the name). Their fierce yellow-green eyes are lined by a thick layer of long eyelashes that help to protect them from dust, sticks, and other risky realities of life spent foraging at ground level. Ground-hornbills are fierce avian apex predators, feeding on everything from snakes to small mammals. They use a combination of robust, scaly legs and a mighty beak to subdue prey. Though often described as omnivorous, most research indicates that they are almost exclusively carnivorous, with the bulk of their diet consisting of arthropods.
Ground-hornbills live in highly territorial groups that occupy individual ranges of 100-250km2 (depending on the type of habitat and quality of resources available). The consequence of this is that, despite a relatively large distribution across 16 countries in Southern and East Africa and parts of Central Africa, they occur at relatively low densities. They are among the continent’s most threatened birds and are allocated an overall classification of “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. Southern ground-hornbills belong to the Bucorvus genus along with their close relatives, Abyssinian ground-hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) of northern sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa.
A ground-hornbill with a grizzly scrub hare meal
Quick facts
Length: 90–129cm Wingspan: 1.2–1.8m Mass:Females: 2.2–4.6kg / Males: 3.5–6.2kg Social structure: Cooperative breeding groups, usually with a dominant breeding pair Breeding season: The wet season (between late October and March in Southern Africa) Life expectancy: Around 40–50 years in the wild, up to 70 in captivity!
Birds of a feather
Southern ground-hornbills are obligate cooperative breeders – the largest known cooperative breeding bird in the world. They live in groups of up to twelve individuals, usually consisting of the breeding pair and male helpers from previous clutches. These (typically male) offspring delay dispersal for years to help care for future generations. Though female offspring may remain with the parents for a few years, only one adult female is tolerated in a group, and breeding is strictly between the breeding pair. This babysitting and caregiving experience is a vital learning curve – individuals that do not have around six years of helper experience do not breed successfully upon maturity.
Caregiving is offered to both the mother and chick once it hatches. The female will nest in a deep hollow of large trees (they are particularly picky on that subject, more below) at the start of the rainy season and lay between one and three eggs. Unlike other smaller hornbill species, she does not close herself off from the outside world, but the males of the group will keep her fed and protected while she incubates the eggs for just over 40 days. She remains with the newly hatched chick for another month while her bevvy of helpers flurries backwards and forwards with tasty snacks for mum and baby.
Though the female almost always lays more than one egg, only one chick will survive more than a few days, with either active or passive siblicide being a common occurrence. The adults will ignore the younger siblings, even when food is abundant, leading researchers to hypothesise that these eggs are simply an “insurance policy” if the first doesn’t hatch.
Southern ground-hornbills are extremely slow to mature and take more than two months to fledge fully. Even then, the juveniles remain dependent on their parents and older siblings for at least another year, if not two. As a result of this extremely high level of parental investment, it is not uncommon for breeding pairs to only produce one chick every three years.
These juveniles can be easily picked out of a group because the bare patches around the eyes, throat and face are grey. For the next six years, this skin will gradually transform to yellow, mottled orange and eventually red as the bird reaches maturity between six and seven years old. Even then, though the bird is likely sexually mature, they are unlikely to breed for several more years.
The distinctive wing feathers of the ground-hornbill
Long live the ground-hornbill
Southern ground-hornbills (and Abyssinian ground-hornbills) tick many boxes that make a species particularly vulnerable to steep population declines. They are a long-lived species that require high levels of parental care and take years to mature and produce offspring of their own. Even then, only one chick is forthcoming every three years – their reproduction rate is low. This is a similar problem to that experienced in species like rhinos or elephants. However, while those large mammal species have relatively low natural mortality rates, ground-hornbill chicks are exceptionally vulnerable during fledging. (They do, however, have very high natural survival rates once they reach adulthood.)
Ground-hornbills almost exclusively nest in the hollows of large, long-lived tree species. Unfortunately, these are usually the first plant species to disappear due to human encroachment. When a female’s preferred nest site is destroyed, it may take her years to accept a suitable replacement, which can destabilise the breeding groups.
Other threats facing ground-hornbills include secondary poisoning, particularly when the hornbills scavenge poison-laced carcasses intended for other species. Lead toxicosis is also a threat. Ammunition containing lead spreads fragments through carcasses; the discarded portions left behind after hunting can easily lead to the deaths of ground-hornbills and any scavengers, avian and mammal.
Finally, ground-hornbills are known to make enemies of local communities. Anyone who has ever watched a hornbill attack its reflection will be able to testify to this family’s indignant determination to see off a potential rival. Imagine a turkey-sized bird with a beak large enough to crush bone and picture the potential damage to windows, cars, and any other reflective surface. In impoverished rural communities, this destruction of property makes ground-hornbills obvious targets for persecution.
Just about any sort of meat that can be overpowered will be consumed. In this case a venomous puff adder
The bringer of thunder
Interestingly, throughout their range, southern ground-hornbills are the subjects of considerably disparate traditional beliefs. In some cultures, they are strongly associated with death and misfortune, which may translate to either direct killing and persecution or a taboo around harming them, depending on the belief. Ground-hornbills are sometimes associated with altered human perception, making them popular in traditional medicines.
Perhaps the most well-known belief surrounding ground-hornbills is their association with rain and thunderstorms. This likely arose since their breeding season (when they call most frequently) occurs at the height of the rainy season. So powerful is this belief in some cultures that it is thought that a single feather left in a river could result in a flood. For the most part, this association with rain (and, therefore, life) works to the benefit of the southern ground-hornbill. However, it can result in hornbills being targeted for rituals and traditional medicine during times of drought.
Conserving the ground-hornbill
Though the southern ground-hornbill is listed as “vulnerable” by the IUCN Red List, there are several countries within their range where the ground-hornbill is severely threatened, including Tanzania (also known for its Zanzibar safari experiences). They are endangered in South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland and may soon be critically endangered in South Africa and Lesotho. The populations in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique also require concerted conservation efforts to keep numbers stable.
The many threats facing them, combined with contrasting cultural perceptions, require multi-pronged approaches from the organisations dedicated to conserving the ground-hornbill. This is accomplished through (among other initiatives) education programmes, the provision of nest boxes, and the protection of remaining habitats. Some projects also remove the second chick from the nest (only the older chick survives under natural conditions) and hand-raise the youngsters. Artificial breeding groups are created before the birds are released back into their former range. This must be done in such a way that the birds do not form an attachment to the human caregivers (through puppets and other methods). The young hornbills must also be given sufficient “helper practice” during the first, crucial developmental stage years.
Tortoises are something of a ground-hornbill speciality
Conclusion
Sadly, the very traits that make southern ground-hornbills one of Africa’s most iconic bird species have made them more vulnerable to human impact. Fortunately, programmes aimed at changing perceptions through culturally bespoke initiatives are showing signs of success. Protecting the southern ground-hornbill is essential not just because of their ecological role. They are complex, social animals, and we still do not fully understand the nuances of their intelligence or evolution. Through research, we hope to learn more on the finer nuances of this charismatic bird.
Making the most of the moment when a bull elephant comes close to check you out. Elephants Alive is a project supported by our travel & conservation club.
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Extraordinary pics + Chitake killing fields + caracals & Tom Cruise about town
As I sip my early morning mug of pressed coffee …
Tom Cruise is 250m away in a gorgeous boutique guesthouse – probably conducting his early morning rituals. He is in town for several months to shoot Mission Impossible 8. The chop of helicopter rotors overhead has become part of our lives as he travels to and from the steep forested gorges west of town. Tom has charmed this sleepy bushveld town on the Greater Kruger border with his down-to-earth manner – a true gent. Many celebs pass through on the way to nearby lodges, but few have stirred local imagination like our Tom.
Other local news is that a crocodile attacked a lady as she fished a nearby river and a young girl was dragged from her bed by a hyena. Both survived but suffered severe injuries and psychological trauma. And the marula trees are dripping with delicious fruit, driving elephants wild as they scramble to harvest this nutritious annual bounty. Life goes on.
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Editor
After viewing this week’s Photographer of the Year selection, I’m dreaming of travel. Playful youngsters are stealing the limelight: check out the tiny jackals, baboon, leopard and seals in our third story. From new life to its creation by honeymooning lions, our photographers are pulling out the stops to capture the untamed continent.
So too has Jens Cullman, who in our first story battled the heat and dust to photograph the rituals of the Chitake Springs killing fields. The raw tension is palpable in Jens’ images – undoubtedly why the Chitake safari we offer at the end of the story booked out within hours of going live.
Our second story focuses on the urban caracals of Cape Town. I have been fortunate to bump into one in a Western Cape village – an experience more will have, with research showing caracals are attracted to the fringes of human development, at significant risk.
Right now, I’m plotting how to get to the lush Kgalagadi, which is singing with life after rains. Where will you be making your next wild discovery?
From our Scientific Editor
We all know that one person who revels in the discomfit of others as they pop and crack their various joints, from knuckles to necks. What causes this noise? This has proven to be a vexing question with several explanations, though the most common cause is likely gas bubbles caused by sudden negative pressure. Another potential explanation – like the elands in our ‘Did you know?’ fact of the week below – is the movement or readjustment of tendons and ligaments.
The good news? Cracking joints does not cause arthritis. Dr Donald Unger spent 60 years popping the knuckles of his left hand and not his right, with no unfortunate consequences. He was awarded the 2009 Ig Nobel Prize for his efforts – a suitable reward for his dedication to science.
Our 2023 photographer-guided safari to the wild Chitake Springs (Mana Pools, Zimbabwe) sold out within hours of going live on our website after publishing an epic photo gallery and video this week. So we have opened a new slot for those that missed out. We are unlikely to add further slots for 2023 because the authorities restrict volumes – for good reason. Last chance to reserve your place on this epic safari!
DID YOU KNOW: What goes click click click? When mature eland bulls over a certain size walk, their knees produce a loud clicking sound believed to be caused by a tendon slipping over the leg bone. One study suggests that this is used by males as a display of dominance. Click here for more
WATCH: Did you know that a pangolin eats up to 70 million ants per year? And that the ground pangolin can climb trees? Check out this epic video (0:31). Click here to watch
Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
Their proximity to urban areas poses significant risks to caracal populations
With the ever-expanding human population, wild animals across the globe have had to find a way to adapt to our presence. This means balancing the potential rewards (increased foraging opportunities) with the inevitable risks (such as conflict with people and domestic animals, and hazardous traffic). New research from the Urban Caracal Project examines how caracals navigate the dangers of city life in the Cape Peninsula. These highly adaptable mesocarnivores (mid-sized carnivores) are attracted to the interface of human development and wild spaces – at a significant potential cost.
To investigate how caracals adapt their behaviours, researchers from the project focused on the cats’ foraging-habitat selection across the Cape Peninsula – a section of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) – in Cape Town. Previous research suggests that the Peninsula population numbers between 48 and 64 caracals, and the population is geographically isolated by the city of Cape Town. The borders of this region of TMNP are predominantly urban in the north, but become progressively less so to the south. The researchers divided the study region into the ‘urban region’ (north) and the ‘wildland region’ (south).
A caracal and her kitten photographed in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, situated at the foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town
Between 2014 and 2016, 26 different caracals were captured and fitted with GPS collars. Over six months, the collars (designed to eventually fall off) provided regular updates on the caracals’ locations. The researchers combined this data with prey remains and scat analysis to examine how and where the caracals chose to hunt. They also looked at the behaviour at feeding “clusters” (where the GPS location data is clustered around a point over a specific period) to determine how the feeding caracals were behaving when in a “landscape of fear”.
The results show that caracals living in the urban region are drawn to the urban edge, foraging at the interface of the wilderness and human habitation where prey is abundant. In contrast, caracals that live in the wildland region avoid the urban edge. This selective behaviour indicates that caracals can become habituated to the presence of people and the various anthropogenic dangers. They become increasingly attracted to rewarding areas despite the risks. To mitigate the chances of being found, these “caracal urbanites” conceal themselves in surrounding vegetation and reduce their movement during times of high human activity, “hiding in plain sight”, rather than moving away.
So, is this attraction to city life a problem for caracals if they have learnt to mitigate the risks? Understanding the traits that allow caracals to persist outside of protected areas is important for designing effective conservation methods. Caracals on the fringes have learnt to trade off the increased resources with some serious risks. The dense road networks in and around cities are a significant cause of mesocarnivore mortality throughout the world, and this is particularly true for Cape Town’s caracals. In addition, exposure to things like rat poison and pesticides, as well as domestic animal diseases, remain a constant danger.
Researchers from the Urban Caracal Project focused on foraging-habitat selection across the Cape Peninsula to investigate how caracals adapt their behaviours
Behavioural plasticity – a change in behaviour resulting from exposure to stimuli – is essential, but if the costs of city life outweigh the benefits, this attraction to urban fringes could reduce population fitness. This is described as an “ecological trap” – the animals are repeatedly drawn to an attractive but harmful environment – and has the potential to lead to local extinction. Thus, even though the caracals may seem to have the city “all figured out”, the Urban Caracal Project is working on reducing some of the risks they will inevitably face. Some strategies include reducing pesticides, maintaining vegetative cover (especially in vineyards, which the caracals prefer) and traffic calming, particularly at popular crossing points.
Naturally, maintaining existing protected areas and increasing connectivity remains a priority.
Resources
The Urban Caracal Project operates in partnership with the Cape Leopard Trust. If you would like to learn more about their projects and research or potentially contribute to their vital work, you can do so here: The Cape Leopard Trust.
“It was so hot, often 34 degrees Celsius by 5 am and mid-forties by late morning, that I could not transfer my precious photos – for fear of frying the computer.My cameras were so hot that at times I could not hold them for long. The gritty dust got in everywhere – including inside camera bodies and lenses.And let’s not even talk about the insects biting me 24/7 – mosquitos at night and tsetse flies by day… This is paradise, and I will be back next year!”
Every year photographer Jens Cullmann (our 2020 Photographer of the Year) spends months camping in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools during the peak of the dry season (September to October) – seeking out the famous resident painted wolves (wild dogs) – on foot, at a distance. He often waits for hours on end in the oppressive heat at favourite stake-outs and waits for the drama to unfold. At other times he walks for hours, revelling in the pure bliss of being self-sufficient in one of Africa’s iconic wildlife meccas.
His 2021 sojourn was different. “There were fewer dogs this year – but more hyenas (clans of up to 20) and lions. And I saw fewer big bull elephants this year. So I decided to move my base camp to Chitake Springs.”
Chitake Springs is a remote area in the southern reaches of Mana Pools National Park – on the Chitake River, a tributary of the Zambezi River. The campsite has no facilities and campers have to be self-sufficient and comfortable amongst wild animals. The spring is a perennial water source in a usually dry riverbed and provides the only water source for concentrations of wildlife. Large herds of buffalo, elephant and other herbivores converge on the water – especially during the late dry season – and predators line the steep river channel banks to ambush their desperate prey as they drink.
Jens continues: “At times, it was carnage as lions killed six buffalo calves per day. I have heard that they also target young elephants here, but this time it was all about the huge buffalo herds.”
His parting thoughts: “Chitake Springs at this time of year is very hard work for a photographer – physically very demanding and tough on your equipment. It gets hotter than it does along the Zambezi River because there is no cooling river breeze, and there is more dust. And the camping is far more basic and insular. I worked hard to produce the images below – and hope that AG’s passionate fans enjoy them.”
We share a few of Jens’ favourite images from this trip in this gallery. To stay in touch with Jens, please follow him on Instagram and Facebook, where he regularly shares his pictures and thoughts.
Scroll to the end of this gallery to book your place on a guided safari to this photographic haven, and view a dramatic video of lions killing a buffalo as witnessed by Jens.
Buffalo emerge from the dust to drink as attendant oxpeckers swirl
An exhausted buffalo is no match for hungry lions
Lillian’s lovebirds gather in flocks numbering hundreds during the dry season
This lioness is all concentration as she hones in on her prey
A dusty end to this young buffalo’s life
A white-backed vulture gets the scraps
Carmine bee-eater pirouette
Thirsty buffaloes seem unaware of the threat of watching lions
Risking life and limb
A yellow-billed egret hunts for insects
An exhausted young kudu faces up to his imminent death
Red-billed oxpeckers bathing in a shallow pool
A young chacma baboon with his Cape turtle dove meal
South Africa’s Minister of the Environment – Barbara Creecy – hosted this CRINGEWORTHY scripted ‘interview’ a few days ago, where she again heralded the drop in rhino poaching numbers as a ‘step-change in anti-poaching activities’. However, again she ignored the primary reason for the reduced poaching – the 75% plummet in Kruger rhino populations over the last 10 years.
BUT this time, she went one step further – claiming a ‘shift in poaching to private reserves’ and suggesting that government anti-poaching units were doing so well that they could now educate private landowners. Chokes on his breakfast cereal. The poaching numbers from 2021 suggest that she is either misinformed or intentionally DEFLECTING focus from the facts. 451 rhinos were poached last year, of which +/- 320 were from government reserves/parks.
My network suggests that about 1,500 Kruger rhinos remain (2020 estimate was 2,809) – from 11,026 a decade ago.
Perhaps anti-poaching funding is due for renewal, and this was a publicity stunt? It’s time for our minister to extract ground-level info and shift from spin doctoring to factual accuracy. She is blessed with hard-working, loyal staff in the reserves – and yet she ignores their input. She should address the REAL ISSUES that hamper efforts to save rhinos – like endemic corruption at all levels of government.
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Editor
What goes into taking the perfect photograph?
All of the photographers featured in this week’s Photographer of the Year selection can attest to the power of being at the exact right place at the right time: at a waterhole in Addo Elephant National Park as hyenas take down a kudu; on the banks of Chitake Springs as a herd of buffalo storms in to drink; up at the crack of dawn to capture the vapours of a lion’s warm breath on a cold Maasai Mara morning; tracking an Ethiopian wolf on the Sanetti Plateau moments before it hunts; or waiting out the pouring rain for the reward of a dramatic cheetah hunt in Phinda. You can indulge in these experiences in our second story below. Our first story deals with a rather photogenic, cheerful, and comical subject: the gawky gerenuk of East Africa.
There is an extraordinary experience waiting around every corner of wild Africa. All you need is a little patience, and a pinch of luck. And quite a bit of preparation.
Being at the right place at the right time takes planning: working out itineraries, seeking out expert guides, finding the best route and transport, and the ideal spot to lay your head. That’s why our team of safari experts is constantly planning once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our AG tribe. You can check out these safaris on our website and these camps and lodges in our private travel and conservation club.
Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
Africa boasts an impressive collection of over 70 antelope species. Some, like sable and gemsbok, are stately and proud. Others, like impala and springbok, are elegant and graceful. Bongo, kudu and nyala are drop-dead gorgeous, and the little duikers are indisputably cute. And then there is the gerenuk…
The basics
It’s probably somewhat unfair to label the gerenuk (Litocranius walleri) strange or weird-looking. After all, we are perfectly happy to accept a five-ton animal with a prehensile nose or one that stands over four metres tall and has a purple tongue. Perhaps it is simply a matter of exposure – gerenuk very seldom have a starring role in nature documentaries, nor do they feature heavily in artistic photographs of Africa’s wildlife in all its glory. Yet, there is something captivating about the gerenuk that draws the eye and makes it difficult to look away. They are, for want of a better word, goofy.
Gerenuk seem, for all the world, as though some cosmic power took hold of an impala and stretched it vertically without adding any proportional width. Their necks are absurdly long, and this, combined with the unique ability to balance on slender hind legs unsupported, allows them to feed at heights of over two meters. To complete this bizarre image, they have disproportionately small heads, which only serve to make their eyes look enormous.
The name gerenuk comes from the Somali name for the animal: gáránúug.
Unravelling the exact genetic relationships between antelopes is devilishly complex and very much a work in progress. With the advent of improved genetic sequencing techniques, genetic evidence regularly contradicts what appears to be obvious morphological similarities. We know that despite the similarity in looks and colour, gerenuk are not closely related to impala at all.
Instead, gerenuk belong to the Antelopini tribe, which includes the true gazelles (like the Thomson’s gazelle). They are also the only member of the genus Litocranius. Bizarrely, within the Antelopini tribe, the gerenuk is related to the springbok, though the two do not overlap in range at all. While springbok are confined to the drier parts of Southern Africa, the gerenuk is spread across the semi-arid areas of northern Tanzania, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia. Across parts of this range in Somalia, the gerenuk is sympatric with another antelope called the dibatag or Clarke’s gazelle (Amoodorcas clarkei), which may be their closest relative. This has yet to be genetically confirmed, and, while the two are placed in separate genera, they are almost identical but for their horns and facial markings.
Reaching where no other antelope can
Quick Facts
Shoulder height:
Males: 89-105cm
Females: 80-100cm
Mass:
Males: 31-52kg
Females: 28-45kg
Social structure:
Small herds or solitary
Gestation:
6.5-7 months
Life expectancy:
Up to 13 years or longer in captivity
Conservation status:
Near Threatened
How the gerenuk got its neck
It is a great shame that Rudyard Kipling, in the bedtime tales he told his daughter, did not alight upon the gerenuk as a possible protagonist because it is perfectly suited for a fanciful tale about how it came to look the way it does. Indeed, such a tale might provide a useful starting point because, in truth, we still don’t fully understand the process. Long necks have evolved independently in several extant (and many extinct) species, from dinosaurs to their living relatives (like ostriches) and from giraffe to the gerenuk, inspiring many a theory on their origins.
The apparent answer offered to most of us in school biology lessons on the giraffe is that long necks allow for access to juicy leaves above the reach of other competitive browsers. Unfortunately, life (and, by extension, evolution) is seldom this simple. Scientists have offered up several competing theories that have turned the giraffe’s cervical region into an icon of evolutionary biology. As it turns out, long necks have several useful functions, including fighting, watching for predators, and thermoregulation. And of course, the long neck may have evolved for one reason but conferred several advantages later on.
As for gerenuk, their curious bipedal predilection suggests that in their case, a mouthful of fresh leaves was evolution’s ultimate goal. Not only are their top two cervical vertebrae modified to prevent sub-luxation (in other words, a serious crick in the neck), but their lumbar vertebrae are also designed to aid their balance, as are their wedge-shaped hind hooves. Though most people are simply taken aback by the sight of an upright antelope, a closer look also reveals a supportive set of gluteal and thigh muscles that would make even the most avid cyclist jealous.
A ram tests a ewe for her oestrus state
Peering at the neighbours
Adult male gerenuk are territorial and solitary, generally only associating with the females that wander into their range. These territories are habitually marked by a viscous black secretion from the preorbital glands. The females are somewhat more social but generally only form small herds of fewer than six individuals. Their associations are temporary, and solitary females are a common sight.
Interestingly, despite their preference for dry habitats, the females do not seem to have a seasonal oestrus period, and they can breed throughout the year. As with all antelope, the fawns are born precocial and can stand on wobbly legs as early as 15 minutes after birth. Adorably, records from hand-reared and captive fawns show that they will start trying to balance on their hind legs from as early as two weeks old. Wild gerenuk mothers typically hide their fawns in dense vegetation for up to four months, returning every morning and evening to suckle them.
By a year old, the young are fully independent of their mothers. At this point, male offspring will occasionally form bachelor groups with other sub-adults for another two years until fully grown and capable of fighting for and defending a territory.
Unlike their Thomson’s gazelle cousins, gerenuk are reluctant runners, relying on their keen senses and surprising ability to melt into the background. When facing a predator, they will trot away or adopt a “stotting” behaviour, a high-kneed, stiff trot. A full gallop is generally reserved for emergencies, and even then, the gerenuk only reaches top speeds around half of that of a springbok or Thomson’s gazelle. This sedentary lifestyle also helps them to conserve water.
The exceptional gerenuk neck at full stretch
Where to find them in the wild?
Gerenuk prefer thornbush, avoid dense thickets or open grasslands and their densities increase in dry regions where competition with other browsers is reduced. They are perfectly adapted to survive in even the driest areas and can go for months, if not years, without drinking. The moisture that they require is drawn from selective browsing. Like most arid-dwelling animals, their kidneys are well designed to reduce water loss by concentrating their urine, and specially designed nasal passages minimise evaporative loss.
Current estimates suggest that there are fewer than 100,000 gerenuk left in the wild, and their numbers are decreasing, prompting the IUCN to change their conservation status to “Near Threatened” on the Red List in 2008. This is expected to change to “Vulnerable” in the not-too-distant future, particularly as density information from Somali is scant but unlikely to be positive. Habitat degradation and unsustainable hunting are responsible for at least a 25% decline in numbers over the past two decades.
Fortunately, their numbers remain stable in most protected spaces across their range. A visit to Kenya’s Samburu and Meru regions will guarantee sightings of these dainty antelope, and they are also found in scattered numbers in Amboseli, Lewa and the parts of Tsavo. In Tanzania, they are reasonably common around Lake Natron.
Want to go on safari to see gerenuks? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
A ewe and a ram performing their most endearing trick
Conclusion
These tiny “giraffe gazelle” are decidedly endearing and, yes, even comic. But once you get used to the somewhat alien appearance of the unique gerenuk, you start appreciating that they are genuinely one of Africa’s most wondrous creations.
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Best pics + super tuskers + hope for painted wolves
Taps the mic …
Last week was a HAPPY WEEK for our fledgling travel & conservation club. We paid out our first round of conservation project donations to the lucky recipients. This is the humble beginning of what we hope will become a steady stream of vital funding from YOU, our club members, to those carefully selected projects. Thanks SO MUCH for those once-off donations and monthly pledges – no matter how modest. We forward the entire amount received from you to the projects, the only deductions being bank/platform fees. This is only the beginning, ladies and gents – please support us in our mission to increase our combined positive impact on the ground – in Africa. Join the club to contribute via constructive discussions, donate to projects, and go on safari at carefully selected camps & lodges.
These past few weeks, your teamAG has been green with ENVY at the daily updates from our safari guru Christian Boix as he trawled Tsavo and Amboseli in Kenya for super tuskers, predators, aardvarks and those amazing eye-level hippos in the crystal clear water of Mzima Springs – amongst other epic encounters. Christian is mostly desk-bound for his role as our safari director, but now and then, we set him free to host long-standing safari clients – a task he relishes. On this occasion, he accompanied regular safari client Roger Whittle. Roger has a LIFE LIST, and each year he ticks off a few more epic encounters with us. Be like Roger
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Editor
Pleased to meet you, AG tribe. I’m your new editor.
A few weeks into this summer’s heavy rains in the South African Highveld, I witnessed a spectacle in the sleepy town of Heidelberg, Gauteng. Hundreds of ever-patient giant bullfrogs emerged in an unremarkable field alongside a cigarette factory after five years underground. Scientists don’t know how the bullfrogs know that a particular puddle will last the 24 days required for tadpole metamorphosis – yet when the rains come, they rise from slumber en masse, competing aggressively for breeding rights.
Not long after the spectacle, my own patience was rewarded. It feels surreal introducing myself to you as the new AG editor, as a long-time follower of the brand that has inspired my wanderlust, driven my intrigue for conservation, and affirmed my love for this wild continent.
Our three stories below will activate your own wanderlust – from Christian’s travels, to wild dogs, and our first epic selection of Photographer of the Year 2022 photos.
I can’t wait to lead you to rare experiences, inspire you to get your feet on the ground, and to celebrate Africa with you.
From our Scientific Editor
“It takes a village to raise a child” – a saying generally attributed to African origins. I’ve been trying to devise a suitable conservation equivalent because a similar theme applies. The back-breaking process of protecting a species (or wild space) is a collective one. Cooperation and knowledge-sharing are vital if we are to gain an overall perspective of the survival prospects of any one animal.
This is precisely the approach followed by the conservationists at the Painted Wolf Foundation. They have compiled a comprehensive review of the state of painted wolves across the continent and devised a plan to secure their future. Read all about it in our second story below.
Next week, Dianne Skinner of the Painted Wolf Foundation will be one of the many experts presenting their experiences in saving these charismatic carnivores. The African Wild Dogs United Virtual Conference will run from the 14th to the 18th of February, and the not-to-be-missed programme features the biggest names in painted wolf conservation. For more information on how to purchase tickets, have a look at this post on our club forum.
CEO’s choice: SPECIAL OFFER – A small window has opened to enjoy a 6-day fully catered mobile safari to Moremi and Khwai in Botswana for the crazy price of US$2,215 per person sharing. This glamping safari runs in late April, and there are 4 spaces left at this price.
Our Photographer of the Year 2022 is open for submissions, with cash prizes of US$10,000 for the winner and two runners-up. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley and his wife Lizz on the ultimate private safariin Botswana.
We are open for entries from 1 February 2022 to midnight on 30 April 2022. Judging for Photographer of the Year will take place throughout those months and for the month of May 2022, and the winners will be announced end May 2022.
Wild dog populations are under threat – but there is hope for the future
Could African wild dog (painted wolf) populations double by 2050? A theory of change offered in a new report proposes it may be possible to save one of Africa’s most endangered carnivores – through collaboration, recovering former territory and improved funding. These athletic predators have suffered centuries of persecution, and the space available to them is ever-shrinking. How are wild dogs faring across Africa, and what can be done to secure their future? Conservationists and scientists from the Painted Wolf Foundation have compiled a comprehensive assessment of the state of painted wolf conservation – from population estimates to conservation strategies – and hypothesise that numbers could double in the best-case scenario.
The method
Executive director of the Painted Wolf Foundation Diane Skinner identified and approached 37 individuals from 28 organisations operating in 12 African countries. Where possible, the organisations selected are directly involved in monitoring and conserving painted wolves or are responsible for managing protected areas within their range. Collectively, these organisations cover over 800,000km2 (80 million hectares) of painted wolf habitat – home to at least 4,500 wild dogs.
The 145-page report – Securing the Future of the Painted Wolf – looks into the broader conservation landscape of painted wolves, and includes a breakdown by country.
Habitat loss and fragmentation is a major threat to painted wolf populations
The findings
Painted Wolf Foundation has estimated the current population numbers as below, providing an anecdotal snapshot in time. These numbers and the direction of change reflect those taken during 2020, at the time of consultation.
The largest populations of painted wolves of the areas surveyed occurred in:
Luengue-Luiana National Park (Angola): ±600
Northern Botswana: 700–800
Niassa Special Reserve (Mozambique): 300–350
The Kruger Ecosystem (South Africa): 250–400
The Ruaha Landscape (Tanzania): ±500
The Luangwa Valley Ecosystem (Zambia): ±300
The Zambezi Valley (Zimbabwe): ±250
[Editorial note: at the time of research, detailed information about the population in the Selous/Nyerere Ecosystem (Tanzania) was not available. However, assessments from 2012 suggested this region was home to one of the largest populations of painted wolves in Africa at the time.]
Populations are believed to be increasing in:
Aire de Conservation de Chinko (Central African Republic)
Private reserves in South Africa as part of the Wild Dog Range Expansion Project
The Serengeti Ecosystem (Tanzania)
Luangwa Valley Ecosystem (Zambia)
Populations are believed to be decreasing in:
Okamatapati and Otjituuo Conservancies (Namibia)
Greater Kafue Ecosystem (Zambia)
The remaining populations are either stable, or their status is unknown (but likely decreasing in many of the regions surveyed).
Current reported status of painted wolf populations across Africa
The threats
The report identifies the major threats facing wild dogs across Africa. Naturally, these are region-specific (take, for example, this case of a declining dynasty in Mana Pools), and certain threats may be more significant than others. However, a common theme is habitat loss and fragmentation – one of the greatest threats to wildlife in Africa. This is particularly true in the case of the painted wolf, which is a wide-ranging species that occurs at low population densities. In South Africa, for example, painted wolves once roamed the entire country but are now restricted to just a fraction of their historic range (a comparative map of former and present ranges can be found here).
Painted wolves are also victims of the illegal bushmeat trade, as snares and gin traps intended for antelope are indiscriminate. Outbreaks of diseases such as distemper or rabies, carried by domestic dogs, can wipe out entire packs. Road accidents are also common causes of wild dog mortalities in some areas. Conflict with farmers occurs throughout the painted wolf range, even though their reputation as mass livestock killers far exceeds their actual impact.
All of the above threats are exacerbated by the fact that wild dogs struggle to persist with high densities of competing predators like lions and spotted hyenas. As most of Africa’s wildlife is now concentrated in protected areas, painted wolves are forced to exist on the periphery of these regions, increasing their chances of encountering anthropogenic threats.
Attending to a snare victim
African wild dog conservation gaps
While celebrating the impressive efforts of various conservation initiatives working to protect wild dogs, the report shows that, when looking at the species as a whole, the best that can be said is their numbers are somewhat stable. In many areas across their range, numbers are decreasing, while in others, there are yawning gaps in knowledge about numbers, status, and movements. The threats facing this charismatic species are not dissipating and will become more severe as the human population burgeons, exacerbating habitat loss.
So how to shift the paradigm from individually treading water to safely increasing painted wolf rangelands and supporting the species across the continent? The report’s authors first pinpointed the conservation gaps – where tried and tested conservation measures are not deployed due to a lack of funding, knowledge, or expertise. These include macro issues such as a lack of effective habitat management and comprehensive community engagement and education. Filling these gaps would help create protected landscapes where all wildlife, including painted dogs, can thrive.
However, conservation of painted wolves requires species-specific interventions to address the micro issues, such as the management of disease outbreaks or denning behaviour close to hostile communities. In many areas, the organisations attempting to protect painted wolves lack technical resources or funding (or both). In others, there are no organisations specifically directing their attention to wild dog conservation. Even though there are existing conservation methods that have proved highly effective, there are few mechanisms whereby nascent organisations learn these methods or benefit from the experiences of others.
Education is key to protecting painted wolves and improving conservation efforts
Embedded constraints
In addition to identifying conservation gaps, the report also points to constraints within painted wolf conservation initiatives. These include the image and perception of painted wolves (as vermin, feral dogs), the need for a unifying global voice, and strategic collaboration to share day-to-day challenges and solutions for shared learning.
The most significant constraint is, unsurprisingly, funding and fundraising. The Painted Wolf Foundation report roughly estimates that painted wolves across the entire continent receive US$2.5 million in conservation funding each year. To put this into perspective, South Africa’s state organisations alone may spend upwards of US$80 million annually to protect the country’s rhinos. Their poor image perception and lack of conspicuous crises (such as poaching) render painted wolves’ fundraising appeal narrow. For smaller organisations with limited personnel, the fundraising burden is enormous.
A theory of change
With these gaps and constraints in mind, the Painted Wolf Foundation partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Network to conceive a “theory of change”. This three-pronged approach was developed with the goal of doubling the number of wild dogs in Africa by 2050. The three strategies are:
Improve and support existing painted wolf conservation through increased funding and shared best practices.
Recover former territory where painted wolf populations have been eradicated so they can naturally recolonise or be sustainably reintroduced. This would benefit not just painted wolves but also work to ensure a more secure future for other wildlife.
Encourage, fund and support collaborations between painted wolf conservationists and other entities. Improving communication and collaboration between organisations is essential for the future of painted wolves but comes at an inevitable cost.
With these measures in mind, the Painted Wolf Foundation and Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) are actively fundraising with the ambition to create the Painted Wolf Fund. This will be run on the same lines as the WCN’s successful Lion Recovery Fund and Elephant Crisis Fund.
How to help the wild dog
The report produced by the Painted Wolf Foundation is one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date assessments of painted wolf conservation ever published. It reads not as a criticism of current conservation initiatives but as a celebration of the valiant efforts of dedicated individuals and organisations. However, the threats facing painted wolves will only increase. It will take a monumental feat of collaboration to change the trajectory to ensure they survive and thrive. This analysis provides a fundamental starting point for this process.
Access the report: Securing the Future of the Painted Wolf. Skinner, D., Dyer, N., Blinston, P., Thomson, P., Lindsey, Dr P., Hofmeyr, M. (2021). Painted Wolf Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Network.
Painted Wolf Foundation’s Diane Skinner will be presenting a special session (Securing the future of the painted wolf: a strategy for transforming the trajectory of Lycaon pictus), at the African Wild Dogs United virtual conference on Tuesday 15 February. To find out more and to register for the event, click here.
For more information on the report, or on the Painted Wolf Foundation, email info@paintedwolf.org.
They are the fabric of legend, and not even the simmering anticipation from days of searching can prepare seekers for the moment of finally finding one. They are the super tuskers of Africa – the last rare relics of an era long forgotten. But coming face to face with a super tusker is not always a guarantee – although it is always a highlight for even the most seasoned traveller.
Our very own safari director Christian Boix and safari client Roger Whittle recently set off on an odyssey to Amboseli and Tsavo East National Parks – known for their impressive herds of elephants – in the hopes of photographing the tuskers. Through dogged determination, they finally found what they were looking for.
Roger captures his first image of old super tusker Craig, a legend of Amboseli
Home to giants
Tsavo has the last notable population of big tuskers in the whole of Africa. Once a common sight, roaming far and wide across East, Central and Southern Africa, big tuskers have almost been wiped off the African continent – a combined result of trophy hunting, large-scale exploitation of ivory in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and devastating poaching.
But thankfully, the last remaining tuskers are given their best chance for survival in Tsavo, where elephants are closely monitored for protection against poaching and injury. The Tsavo Trust’s Big Tusker Project, in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Services, provides aerial and ground support to collect data and respond to imminent threats to the living legends. This ongoing presence is a significant deterrent to poachers and other illegal activity.
Today, nine giant bull tuskers remain in Tsavo. There are also 27 emerging tuskers and four iconic cow tuskers on the Tsavo Trust and KWS Tusker database – which is why visitors have the best chance of seeing some of Africa’s biggest tuskers there.
Stained red by the rich soils of the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem, the living legends make for a striking image against the towering backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro – attracting photographers from across the globe.
Super tusker KM2 was sighted near Satao Camp in Tsavo East
Spotting a super tusker
Finding the super tuskers does not always come easily, and it always helps to be accompanied by more experienced seekers. It was only after a few days of searching and with a dash of luck that Christian and Roger were successful. “We found them through dogged determination. We followed up on all the latest sightings and other leads. We gambled on where we thought their feeding habits might lead them. And after days of seeking bull groups, searching from morning until evening, we finally found what we were looking for.”
(From top) Ulysses – survivor of a spear wound and old boy of Amboseli; Christian even captured a selfie with Craig; Tsavo is known for its mud-stained elephants; Christian and Roger could not believe the luck of sighting three super tuskers on one safari trip; the giants of Amboseli march on
The party had the privilege of meeting three super tuskers on their journey. Craig, a 50-year-old gentle giant of Amboseli, is a well-loved favourite in the area. Ulysses, also one of the larger super tuskers of Amboseli, once survived a deep spear wound that was treated by vets – and was, therefore, a remarkable sighting for the duo. The party then spotted super tusker MK2 in Tsavo East.
“Craig was surrounded by an entourage of well-aged bulls. They all stuck around and stayed alert – though not fearful – when they noticed us. Each elephant took turns to sniff and check on the old man,” says Christian. And they weren’t the only ones tailing Craig. “KWS scouts were in attendance – they have a tough job keeping tabs on the safe whereabouts of each Tusker in the area.”
A herd grazes in the grasses of Amboseli
While the specific locations of super tuskers are always kept under wraps, Christian says seekers will “do well to visit Satao Elerai in Amboseli and Satao Camp in Tsavo East, which serve as excellent bases from which to find the legends”. Here, visitors can spend much time on safari with knowledgeable guides who have worked in the area for years. Satao Elerai also offers night game drives in the conservancy, which not all lodges in the area do.
And what to do after finally snapping a legend? “Book our next trip!” says Christian. “Roger could not get enough of my almost fanatical obsession to track down a target!”
Want to go on an African safari to seek super tuskers? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
Resources
Christian and Roger visited Satao Elerai and Satao Camp as their bases for searching for the super tuskers.
You can also join us as we walk with the giants of Tsavo East on a 13-day adventure, where we follow elephant herds over an 80km walking route along the Galana River.
Come on safari with AG – it will change your perspective on life.
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Start your engines + great elephant news + best safari time of day?
It’s THAT time of year again. Entries are now open for our annual celebration of Africa’s amazingness, and we have already seen epic images arriving in the inbox. Our Photographer of the Year again offers cash prizes of US$10,000 and a fabulous safari to Botswana. My heart sings, and all of us at teamAG look forward to three months of eye candy followed by a tough month of judging. We will begin sharing weekly selections soon. Start your engines, ladies and gents – details here.
THANKS SO MUCH for the massive support for my rant last Friday about online retailer Takealot offering gin traps for sale to Joe Public. To cut a long story short, they have apologised and ‘delisted’ the gin trap. My decision to withdraw our accounts with them (personal and AG business) stands firm – their apology lacked sincerity, and the lack of a named human being in the process was telling. Your avalanche of social media and email pressure on Takealot worked well – you are my heroes
GREAT NEWS in our second story below – about forest elephants. Scroll down and tap to find out the details! Our first story below is often hotly debated by safari experts and passionistas. SO, what is your favourite time of the safari day? Those photos get my safari juices flowing.
BY THE WAY, a (reliable) source tells me that only 6 rhino horns have been recovered from the estimated 900 horns (450 rhinos) poached last year. That proportion – 0,7% – provides perspective on how ineffective the world’s governments and agencies are at policing illegal trafficking …
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Scientific Editor
Giraffe are a source of endless fascination for anatomists, physiologists and those who work to unravel the inner workings of the mammalian body. Within their lanky frames, many adaptations work to counteract the physics challenges posed by a neck that reaches a lofty height of six metres. Blood pressure aside, a giraffe’s neck weighs roughly a third of its body mass, and the massive nuchal ligament that effortlessly holds the head upright is a marvel of evolution. And, as if the neck weren’t complex enough, our ‘did you know’ fact of the week below explains how giraffe are capable of extraordinary cervical contortions.
Of course, for our Photographer of the Year entrants, these fascinating facts are largely overshadowed by the sheer photogenic nature of these iconic animals. Will it be the giraffe’s turn to shine during this year’s competition? Only time will tell, but I can tell you that everyone at team AG is profoundly excited!
• At last there are strong signs that we are all learning to live with Covid, and that the safari industry is slowly climbing out of the doldrums of the last two years. Many countries are now significantly reducing Covid requirements – making it easier to travel to Africa. Among many examples of the impact of fewer restrictions, United Airlines has reported massive increases in bookings for their direct flights from the US to South Africa.
• FastJet has announced direct flights between Victoria Falls and Maun –Botswana’s bushveld frontier town – in their 50-seater Embraer ERJ145 aircraft. This route was previously only available by private charter.
• Can you feel the sand between your toes and that cold G&T in your hand? Enjoy the beach and bush vibes in this relaxing video from Thonga Beach Lodge. Did you know that you can enjoy significant booking discounts for this and many other African camps & lodges in our travel & conservation club?
DID YOU KNOW:Neck ache? The joints between giraffe neck vertebrae are ball-and-socket joints – just like a human shoulder. The head is held upright by an extremely strong nuchal ligament.
Picture it: you’ve arrived on safari, only to be greeted by a plethora of options (and wildlife) to keep you entertained for the duration of your stay at the lodge. Between meals, spa treatments and the obligatory gin and tonic by the pool, deciding how to spend your hours might turn out to be a challenge (it’s a tough life, we know…) So, what if you want to skip a drive? Have a look at our guide to the highs and lows, and decide how best to spend your safari time.
Morning
This is hands down the Africa Geographic team’s favourite part of the day. Ask any guide for their best time to be out in the bush, and nine times out of ten, they will say the morning, which should tell you all you need to know. If there is one game drive you should not skip, it’s this one.
Most of us wake with a standard routine ahead of us, and surprises are limited to mundanities such as the milk going off. Not so on safari. Nothing can top that pre-dawn feeling of a new day: the muzzy haze of an early start chased away by strong coffee, cool air and the excitement of not knowing what lies ahead. The nocturnal animals are still on the move, leaving their tracks in the sands of the morning bush newspaper, while diurnal animals stir to take advantage of the lower temperatures. For similar reasons, morning is also the best time to set off on foot.
No matter where you are in Africa, the sunrise is guaranteed to be spectacular (barring cloudy days). Dawn is a feast for the senses – smells are enhanced, sounds carry further, and the soft light makes for perfect photographs.
Sleep in and you may miss a magical sunrise
Midday
By midday, most game drives have deposited their guests back at the lodge to eat, drink, be merry or collapse during the hottest part of the day. Generally, midday is not the best safari time, especially in summer. All self-respecting wildlife retreats to the shade for a siesta (or to ruminate), and the high sun detracts from photographic opportunities.
But this is the wild, and there is always a caveat. This is a great time to check out the local waterholes in search of snorkelling elephants or to watch a wallowing rhino blowing bubbles in the mud. Wild animals are unpredictable (“they don’t read the books”, someone is bound to say), and there is always the chance of an unanticipated sighting made all the more special by having it to yourself. Cheetahs and leopards may decide to hunt in the middle of the day, when competition with lions and spotted hyenas is less likely.
There can still be action in the middle of the day
Afternoon
As the day starts to wane, the animals revive, and the bush shakes off its scorched languor. Even in winter, the starting afternoon temperatures are likely to be warm – but don’t trust anyone who says it doesn’t get cold in Africa. It does. Take a jacket – you’ll thank us as the sun goes down.
And speaking of sunsets, Africa’s are hard to beat. No matter where you find yourself, the array of reds, oranges and pinks is bound to entrance (and make pretty photos!) For those on the hunt for more unusual sightings of nocturnal beasties like aardvarks or pangolins – these are more likely to emerge early on a winter’s afternoon. Though dependent on luck, it’s a joy to see these rare creatures in daylight.
At sunset, the wilderness comes alive
Under the stars
Night safaris are something of a mixed safari time. Yes, the big predators are likely on the move, and it does offer the chance to see nocturnal animals. However, the likelihood is sightings will be fleeting and sometimes chaotic if your guide attempts to follow them off-road while also trying not to throw you off the vehicle. Guides also need to be aware of their ethical obligations with spotlights, particularly during a hunt, so you will likely miss the real action.
Nevertheless, night drives can be rewarding for those on the lookout for smaller critters like chameleons, civets or bushbabies. The most enjoyable aspects of a night in the bush are the sounds (roaring, whooping and the like) and the stars stretching overhead. It is important to note that few national parks allow night drives, and guests looking to enjoy one should be sure to book at a private conservancy or reserve that offers these.
A star safari
FOMO
All in all, the morning game drive is probably the most consistently rewarding safari time. Of course, a holiday in the bush is meant to be relaxing and if you want to skip a drive to have a massage and watch elephants drink at the lodge waterhole, do so! Just be aware that Murphy has a sense of humour, and there is always a chance your crew will return with a triumphant “you’ll never guess what we saw!”
Want to go on safari? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
Sometimes staying in camp is a great safari option
The good news is that there are more forest elephants in Gabon than previously believed. A new study from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Gabon’s National Park Agency (ANPN) and Vulcan offers the first countrywide elephant population estimate in nearly thirty years.
Forest elephants were only recently formally recognised as a separate species by the IUCN and were immediately classified as “Critically Endangered”. This new research estimates that there are around 95,000 in Gabon, which equates to roughly 60-70% of the total global population. Astonishingly, although forest elephant numbers have been in freefall for the last century, Gabon appears to have bucked the trend, and forest elephants are believed to be present across some 90% of this Central African country.
Unlike savanna elephants, counting forest elephants from the air is almost impossible given their preference for dense forest habitat. Thus, scientists have had to search for new and inventive ways to replace aerial surveys as a method for estimating population size. One such method (used in the present study) involves collecting and analysing DNA using a genetic spatial capture-recapture model. Over three years, researchers collected 4,058 dung samples from across the country and set about identifying individual genetic signatures. Then, using complex statistical models, they used the data collected to approximate the average forest elephant densities in various regions and, by extension, calculate a population estimate.
Distribution map for forest elephants in Gabon
As might be expected, the highest densities were calculated in flat areas of preferred habitat with low levels of human pressure and interference (such as Loango National Park). Conversely, the lowest densities occurred in regions of low habitat suitability, such as those near major cities, along roads, and across the Bateke savanna.
The authors also caution that although the results of their study are primarily positive, this does not discount significant local declines that Gabon has experienced due to poaching surges in recent years.For example, in Minkébé National Park, a previous study estimated a loss of up to 81% of the forest elephants in just a single decade, from 2004 to 2014. These pockets of low elephant density have yet to recover.
Forest elephants were once widespread throughout the forests of Africa, with a population that would have numbered in the millions. Today, there are fewer than 200,000 (and likely significantly less). Most of these are found in Gabon, placing significant pressure on the country to ensure their safety and future. Protected areas constitute 22% of Gabon’s total area, meaning that the vast majority of the forest elephants exist outside these spaces. The authors estimate that some 65% of the country’s elephants occur in logging concessions. However, an accurate estimate of densities and populations is the vital first step in adaptive management strategy, which this study now provides.
As the authors conclude, “These results are of interest to local, national, and international decision-makers concerned with the conservation of this species and its habitat, with the important ecological role of forest elephants on climate regulation potential of forests, and with forest elephants as a useful indicator for healthy, intact and well-governed forests.”
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Gin trap, anyone?
WHAT TO DO when an online retailer you regularly utilise sells equipment to indiscriminately kill wild animals – and ignores requests to remove said product? Close your account. I did.
South Africa’s Takealot offers GIN TRAPS to Joe Public. Yes, those barbaric devices that maim and kill. Often the victim is in such agony that it chews off the trapped limb while bleeding out. Imagine stumbling upon this device while browsing the Takealot site for electronic devices, your favourite fudge and dog nail clippers.
After I was alerted to this product on Takealot, I spent more than a day trying to get beyond the vacuous call-centre minions (the head office number provided by them rings without reply) and wading through cut-and-paste evasive PR speak from their social media zombies. No luck. So I CLOSED our personal and Africa Geographic accounts. Note: Subsequent to the publishing of this Comment, Takealot delisted this product and offered an apology.
From a purely economic standpoint, they need to sell many gin traps to make up for the lost revenue from us. More importantly, what is quite clear to me is that brand Takealot has no MORAL compass.
Thanks to my network for the heads-up on social media. If enough of us go beyond frothing and posturing on social media, we can effect change. It’s up to us to make a difference – one brick at a time.
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Scientific Editor
For our first story this week, dive into the green-hued magic of West Africa’s undiscovered paradise islands: São Tomé and Príncipe. Here forests filled with Galápagos-like evolutionary wonders tumble down mountains to meet the white sandy beaches below, and jungles reclaim abandoned plantations. The mixed bag of ecological marvels, delightfully decrepit towns, captivating history and epicurean indulgences create a sensory extravaganza that defines the São Tomé and Príncipe experience.
Next is the tale of a new and inventive way to bridge the human empathy gaps that exacerbate conflict and tear lives, tribes and countries apart. Read our second story below to learn more about how one company uses VR technology to immerse hostile tribal rivals in their antagonist’s worlds – hopefully bringing some semblance of peace along the way.
And finally, have you checked out our club forum recently? Have a look at this fascinating discussion posted by one of our club members on photographing local people and the dichotomy between the lives of those he has encountered on his travels.
• Hirola in the bag! Our maverick safari director Christian Boix is on safari in Kenya with club member Roger Whittle. Tsavo yielded an absolute gem of a sighting – the world’s most endangered antelope. Check out Christian’s photos and comments on this Facebook post.
• Our most spectacularphotographer-guided safari is back! New 2023 dates and prices are available for this cracker of an adventure in the Maasai Mara.
• This charming videoI AM FROM PRÍNCIPE will tug at your heartstrings and get you thinking about these West African islands for your detox getaway …
DID YOU KNOW: BABY HEDGEHOGS are called hoglets. Their quills are covered by a thin layer of fluid-filled skin to protect their mother during birth, but these spikes will generally emerge within a few hours
São Tomé and Príncipe are amongst Africa’s best-kept tourism secrets – two bijou volcanic islands off the west coast of the continent, brimming with ecological marvels, stunning biodiversity, captivating history, and warm, welcoming inhabitants. Imagine an island paradise where azure waters lap at the shores of deserted beaches beneath waving palm fronds. A land where thick rainforests filled with Galápagos-like evolutionary wonders tumble their way down volcanic precipices to the rocky coastline below, and the jungle has reclaimed the once widespread colonial plantations. It is a place where time has, by all appearances, stood still.
São Tomé and Príncipe
The two jungle-choked islands are about 140km apart, over 200km off the coast of Gabon in the Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea. Together, they are Africa’s second smallest country (both in terms of population and size) after Seychelles. Along with the neighbouring islands of Bioko and Annobón, São Tomé and Príncipe owe their existence to volcanic activity as shifting tectonics formed the Cameroon Line of volcanoes and forced part of the seabed upwards over 30 million years ago. The resultant topography is dramatic. This is no land of gentle, undulating hills – instead, sharp peaks dominate the skyline, and streams radiate down the mountains into the plunging valleys below.
The resultant rich volcanic soils, equatorial climate, and monsoon rainfall levels set the stage for a staggeringly diverse range of plant life. Verdant forests cover most of the islands, ranging from lowland forests around the coastlines to the mysterious cloud forests 1,400 metres and more above sea level. As the two islands have always been separate from the African continent, endemism is high with many plant and wildlife species found nowhere else on earth. Though the islands are small, naturalists exploring São Tomé and Príncipe receive a backstage pass to evolution’s theatre – hence the islands are sometimes referred to as Africa’s answer to the Galápagos (which may, in fact, be underestimating their biodiversity importance).
São Tomé and Príncipe were (by all accounts) uninhabited by people before the arrival of Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. As the islands were gradually colonised and settled, their convenient position created an important stop-over point. The islands, particularly larger São Tomé, rapidly evolved into a major commercial and trade centre for the Atlantic slave trade. At the same time, the bountiful soils and wet climate (and the availability of free, forced labour) made the islands ideal for agriculture – predominantly sugar cane. As competition from other global sugar markets grew, the islands’ farming activities gradually transitioned to coffee and cacao, eventually becoming the world’s largest cocoa producer at the turn of the 20th century. With independence in 1975, the plantations were nationalised. Many fell into a state of disrepair and were abandoned, leaving behind a snapshot of history frozen in time. (Read on for more on these plantations – termed roças.)
A view of the Atlantic Ocean on a sunny day on São Tomé
São Tomé
At 859km², around 50km long and 30km wide, São Tomé is the larger of the two islands and the more populous by far (though everything is, of course, relative). The delightfully decrepit capital of the eponymously named São Tomé city lies in the island’s north-eastern corner: colourful, vibrant, and bearing Portugal’s colonial thumbprint. Here visitors can visit the tiny, cream-coloured 16th-century fort of São Sebastiãn and accompanying museum or the Nossa Senhora da Graça (“Our Lady of Grace” – one of the oldest cathedrals in sub-Saharan Africa) to soak in the region’s history. Alternatively, a trip through the streets past lively vendors will offer the chance to enjoy some local cuisine (fish, perhaps, with some breadfruit and cooked banana – a staple dish). The markets present the opportunity to purchase crafts and meet the local São Toméans/ Santomeans (or even spot the president wandering by in flip flops).
Pico Cão Grande bathed in cloud
Away from the city, much of São Tomé is protected by the Obô National Park, which extends to include much of Príncipe as well. In the central part of the park lies one of São Tomé’s most famous landmarks: Pico Cão Grande or the “Great Canine/Great Dog Peak”. This bizarre topographical feature stands out for miles – a tooth-like volcanic plug that rises over 370 metres above the surrounding terrain. Pico Cão Grande is the most dramatic of the many volcanic plugs, necks and outcrops on both islands, composed of a rare type of extrusive volcanic rock known as phonolite. Due to the slippery moss-covered vertical cliff faces, unpredictable fogs and unexpected deluges, few have successfully navigated the climb to the top of Pico Cão Grande.
This section of Obô National Park is also home to Pico de São Tomé, the country’s highest peak at 2,024 metres above sea level. The upper slopes are covered in primary forest, the trees swathed in decorative layers of lichen and sporting a multitude of different orchids and other epiphytic species. Unlike Pico Cão Grande, summiting Pico de São Tomé can be attempted by hikers, though a sturdy pair of boots is essential.
Príncipe Agulhas
Príncipe
Around 140 km north-east of São Tomé (a 30-minute flight away) lies the remote wonderland of Príncipe. The tiny island covers an area of 136km², including the surrounding forest-clad islets. The population numbers just under 7,000 people, most of whom reside in Santo António (the only town). In today’s world, Príncipe is the closest thing to an untouched paradise any traveller could ever hope to explore.
The entire island has been designated the UNESCO Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve, and the lush forests are crisscrossed by weaving trails leading to picturesque waterfalls. These verdant surroundings (together with São Tomé) are home to more endemic species per square kilometre than anywhere else on earth. Along the edges of the island and islets are the kind of beaches that are almost too perfect to be true – deserted, fringed by palms providing ample shade and warm azure waves lapping at the sand. Many of the lodges in the area sport a private beach, complete with snorkelling and canoe activities (and the odd beach bar).
The “Lost World” atmosphere of Príncipe is only accentuated by the “abandoned” plantations. Historically, these roças (also found on São Tomé) were self-contained, self-sufficient worlds ruled over by colonial households. The more extensive estates would have employed over a thousand people who lived within the roça “villages” with their own churches and hospitals. Today, most colonial mansions have been closed off or converted to luxury accommodation. However, local people still live in many of the roça villages, leading an almost entirely subsistence-based lifestyle. As the vegetation slowly reclaims the crumbling infrastructure, the result is a poignant insight into time gone past.
Astonishingly, Príncipe once found itself at the cutting edge of physics research when Arthur Eddington set out for a perfect position to observe the effects of gravity on light during a solar eclipse. This he found at Roça Sundy when he observed that the light from stars was bent by the sun’s gravity, confirming a significant aspect of Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.
Traditional Santomean sea canoes
Evolutionary islands
Since Darwin’s initial forays into the natural wonders of the Galapagos Islands, biologists have seen islands as evolutionary goldmines. The idea is that the smallest and most isolated islands will demonstrate the most dramatic examples of adaptation. São Tomé and Príncipe, having never been part of the mainland, are the perfect example of this principle in action – the endemism levels of these tiny islands are simply astonishing. To this day, new species of both fauna and flora are regularly discovered, many endemic to either one or the other island. The mammal contingent is almost entirely represented by bats and one terrestrial mammal: the São Tomé shrew.
The beaches are popular nest sites for four different species of endangered turtles. Female olive ridley, green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles begin to arrive in November to nest, and the hatchlings launch their perilous journey back to the ocean in March.
Of particular interest to biologists are the seven amphibian species. Amphibians are intolerant of saltwater, so how the six frog species and the worm-like “cobra boba” (Schistometopum thomense) found their way there is a matter for considerable debate…
Clockwise from top left: white-tailed tropicbird; Principe kingfisher; São Tomé oriole; São Tomé speirops; São Tomé prinia; Príncipe golden weaver
Birds of a different feather
Like Darwin’s finches, the birds of São Tomé and Príncipe are intriguing. It is almost impossible to give a precise number of endemics on offer, simply because different sources recognise diverse species/sub-species distinctions, and research continues. Whatever the total, it is clear that the birding on offer in São Tomé and Príncipe is extraordinary, and enthusiasts are guaranteed to tick off several species found nowhere else. Only in São Tomé and Príncipe can birders experience the thrill of standing in the gloom of the forest and looking up to see the incongruous shape of a tropicbird against the leafy backdrop of the canopy.
One aspect that makes the birdlife even more fascinating is the high levels of dwarfism and gigantism. This is a pattern seen in islands worldwide, where species of small families evolve to be bigger (likely in the absence of competition) and big species get smaller (perhaps due to lack of available space). Thus, the São Tomé and Príncipe birds include the giant weaver and giant sunbird (the world’s largest members of the two families). The mysterious São Tomé Grosbeak is the largest member of the canary family and was only rediscovered in 1991 after a century’s absence. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the critically endangered dwarf olive ibis. On the isolated island, the São Tomé oriole has lost much of its yellow pigmentation, providing vital clues about the role of colour and competition in birds.
A typical checklist of some of the birding specials on display would include the Dohrn’s thrush-babbler, São Tomé short-tail, several species of white-eyes, the São Tomé prinia, São Tomé fiscal shrike, maroon pigeon, Príncipe thrush, São Tomé lemon dove, São Tomé olive pigeon, Príncipe kingfisher, Príncipe glossy starling, Príncipe sunbird, velvet-mantled drongo and adorable São Tomé scops owl. Timneh parrots soar past in small but noisy flocks, and some of the marine birds include white-tailed tropicbirds, sooty terns and brown and black noddies.
Clockwise from top left: heading out into the ocean on a traditional canoe; yoga on the beach at Sundy Praia; waiting for a boat; flying between the islands
Explore and stay
Want to go on safari to São Tomé and Príncipe? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
A popular phrase amongst the locals of São Tomé and Príncipe is “leve leve” – the Santomean equivalent of “easy does it”. It perfectly encompasses the laidback atmosphere of this down-to-earth country where life moves at a simpler, more human pace. Yet for all that, the two islands offer the perfect escape from worldly stresses, the plethora of activities on offer do not allow for a dull moment. From exploring underwater caves and snorkelling past bright fishes to hiking along forgotten paths in thick forests in search of feathered treasures, the purity of São Tomé and Príncipe’s natural world cannot fail to delight.
The two rainy seasons run from September to November and March until June, but the country receives high levels of rain all year round. The weather has to be taken with the same “leve leve” approach as the rest of the island. Though the risk is slight in the more remote parts of the islands, it is important to take malaria precautions. There are budget “pensão” accommodation options in the larger cities and villages, but it is at the more upmarket lodges that the true magic of the islands can be fully embraced.
Clockwise from top left: Coins from the Portuguese colonial era; craft sales on São Tomé; street scene in São Tomé
For those looking to indulge their inner Epicurean, the culinary delights are never-ending. Visitors can sample what is arguably the best chocolate in the world – dark, rich and pure and made onsite at the cacao plantations. At the world-famous Claudio Corallo Cacao and Coffee, chocolate-lovers can spoil their tastebuds with any combination of 80% dark chocolate and candied ginger/orange, salt or locally-sourced pepper.
With islands as isolated as they are, the ingredients for more substantial meals are almost all sourced from the land and combined in unusual and delectable ways. The fire and passion of Portuguese cooking are given their own local twist, creating a food experience that is both authentic and deeply flavoursome.
This mixed bag of cultural influences, fascinating and friendly local inhabitants, and the evocative history completes the sensory extravaganza that epitomises the São Tomé and Príncipe experience.
Fundação Príncipe is committed to the sustainable development of tourism on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. Learn about them in our private travel and conservation club – and please consider a DONATION to support their work (donating via our club is safe).
This is the inspirational story of how a virtual reality platform is being used to create peace amongst warring tribes in Uganda.
In the Karamoja region of northeast Uganda, residents have had to deal with violence for decades. Water and food shortages create tension between the different tribes and violence can flare up at any moment. Many lives, particularly those of warriors, have been lost by feuding tribes. For many of the antagonists, reconciliation seems impossible – so much suffering has been inflicted on all sides that the culture of revenge and animosity is almost impossible to change.
Two of the warring tribes include the Matheniko and the Tapac peoples, both subgroups of the famous Karamajong cattle pastoralists. Ariko is the leader of the Matheniko, Lomoromoe is from the Tapac. Both of the groups are semi-nomadic pastoralists in an arid area where growing crops is hard to impossible. Livestock, particularly cattle, are of paramount cultural and utilitarian importance to all the Karamajong.
Over the years, traditions of cattle rustling have developed with resultant feuds the origins of which no one can remember. Raids, counterraids and revenge killings are part of the local culture. Yet both the Metheniko and Tapac have very similar lifestyles and priorities. They live basic existences in homes created from branches and clay, they are dependent on cattle and they must survive in the same arid environment.
Bloodshed and cattle raiding has reduced in recent years but tensions and resentment still remain and threaten to spill over in violence at any moment.
Akiro and Lomoromoe helping with the making of the film ‘Meet the Soldier’
A meeting
What if Ariko and Lomoromoe could meet in a neutral, non-threatening space to learn about each other and forget the conflict for a moment? What if they could immerse themselves in each other’s lives? This is what Hack the Planet has facilitated using the latest techniques in the field of 360 / 3D video recordings.
Through the Meet the Soldier project, Akiro and Lomoromoe met each other in a 3D virtual space. They travelled virtually to each other’s villages and learned about the lives – challenges, hardships and cultures of their once mortal enemies.
Virtual Reality (VR) can be an effective tool in helping people relate to and develop empathy for others or unfamiliar situations. Many people view VR as something to do with the entertainment industry, few understand the power it has to change perspectives through experience. VR is experienced by the brain differently than other forms of media. Someone in a virtual environment is more capable of generating empathy for a person or situation because the brain is “fooled” into thinking it’s really experiencing the situation.
One year after the production of Meet the Soldier, a researcher from Sciences PO, a French research institute, wrote a paper investigating the project. The researcher spoke with many people involved, but one response from a local priest who knows both warriors very well was particularly illuminating.
“The two warriors are good friends now. The film has bonded them together. Every time I meet one, he inquires about the other. This is a good sign of friendship. These two warriors who had once been terrible enemies and raiders, who took pleasure in raiding and killing others; now they have abandoned the past and have become “new people”.
Hack the Planet hopes that this concept could be applicable to many other situations and conflicts in the world. What would happen if we could use the approach to bring together leaders of the world or people who live in countries at war? People who don’t have the opportunity to visit wilderness areas could be immersed in the natural world.
Tim van Deursen developed the concept of ‘Meet the Soldier’ at ‘Hack the Planet’; a technical non-profit he founded in 2016. The company works on innovative solutions to combat global and social challenges. Hack the Planet is part ofQ42 and has a complete arsenal of engineers at their disposal. Production and creation of the video were done by Wolfstreet and Teddy Cherim. Tim believes that VR is a powerful tool that could be used to bridge long-lasting conflicts; it provides a safe environment while at the same time the possibility to change perspectives. Follow Hack the planet on Twitter
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My country’s politicians regularly trumpet the success of their anti-poaching efforts – because fewer rhinos are being poached every year. You and I know that these announcements attempt to conceal the stark truth – that the Kruger National Park rhino population is in FREEFALL. Kruger hosts the world’s largest wild rhino population. Each year we have to dig deep to discover how many rhinos are left in Kruger. This year was no different. The results are shocking. Our first story below refers.
Our second story touches on a vital issue if future generations are to see FREE-ROAMING wild animals in Africa. And our third story is another in our series on that wonderful Noah’s Ark of ENDEMIC species – Madagascar.
Finally, with a few weeks to go before we open the doors to entries for our Photographer of the Year, dust off those cameras and search through your archived images. The CASH and SAFARI prizes are again worth the effort.
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Scientific Editor
While I was in the Kruger National Park a few weeks ago, I was granted a brief glimpse into the inner workings of the giant machine that is South Africa’s largest national park. Sufficeth to say, the people I encountered who keep this machine oiled and running were knowledgeable, candid and tremendously passionate. Their love – yes love – for the Kruger and its wildlife was palpable.
So now it’s that time of year when we delve into Kruger’s rhino population stats. And it is not looking good.
Putting together these updates is always a somewhat heart-wrenching experience for the AG team, even if the numbers come as no real surprise. So I can only imagine what it must be like for those responsible for counting, monitoring, and protecting Kruger’s rhinos to have to watch this catastrophe unfolding in real-time.
For decades, the Kruger has been a stronghold for rhinos, supporting one of the largest populations in the world. Yet it was the very nature of Kruger’s previous rhino conservation success that made it the prime target for surging rhino poaching. Should we be asking what more could be done to protect our rhinos? Of course. But we should also remember to celebrate the efforts of those working all hours and risking life and limb to keep them safe. As SANParks officials recently wrote: “The lesson is not about who keeps rhinos safest. It is about what is the safest way to keep rhinos.”
• This classy video from Jamala Madikwe in South Africa’s North West province will have you packing your safari bags. First, though, visit our club for the best prices for this and other lodges and camps
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• Stay updated with the latest Covid rules and travel logistics per country here
Rhino populations in Kruger continue to plummet due to rhino poaching
Despite back-breaking work from a dedicated and passionate SANParks team, Kruger National Park rhino populations have continued to plummet due to rhino poaching – as per the latest population count from 2020.Recently published research estimates that there are about 2,607 white rhinos remaining in the Kruger National Park, while black rhinos are estimated to number just 202. This represents a population decline of 75% for white rhinos since 2011 (from 10,621) and 51% for black rhino since 2013 (from 415).
The research, compiled by SANParks officials, analyses the impact of COVID-19 on poaching rates compared to trends observed in previous years. In summary:
Population estimates in a massive area such as Kruger carry inherent uncertainty. Thus, white rhinos could number between 2,475 and 2,752, while black rhino populations could be as low as 172 or as high as 237. The estimates for this and previous years’ population numbers are the midpoint between the low and high numbers.
The actual black rhino population size may be higher due to their preference for dense habitat and tendency for surveys to underestimate their numbers.
These population estimates apply to the year 2020 – the process of actively counting the rhino (by air), analysing the data, and subjecting the results to scientific scrutiny takes time, and there is an inevitable lag period.
During the height of the COVID-19 government-imposed “hard” lockdown, there was a significant reduction in poaching: 79.4%
However, these benefits were lost as restrictions were lifted. “The easing of restriction resulted in a significantly higher number of observed poaching incidences per day during 2020 compared to that predicted for the same period by trends from 2017 to 2019. The result indicates that year-to-year poaching rates during 2020 were not significantly lower than those in previous years…” (Ferreira et al., 2021). This contradicts previous statements by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, claiming that poaching incidents in Kruger reduced by half in the first half of 2020.
The recruitment rates (the number of calves born that survive the year) for both species were at their lowest since 2013.
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE RESOURCES
While the SANParks Annual Report for 2020/2021 is not yet accessible to the public, the most recent available figures were published in the African Journal of Wildlife Research and are publicly available through a paywall here.
This article was originally published on the Conservation Namibia website. Written by Ingelore Katjingisiua and Ginger Mauney
From the air, Namibia is a maze of paths – some start as wide animal highways and merge into a single track before trailing off into dust, while others are long and deep, etching a path that crosses rivers, borders and memory. The generational knowledge of where they lead and why they exist is known by a myriad of species from elephants to ants, and also the people who live alongside these wildlife corridors.
Animals use corridors for a variety of reasons: elephants traverse shorter paths between grazing lands and water, while using longer paths between their wet and dry season home ranges, such as in the Okavango Delta. Large carnivores also prefer to use well-worn paths while patrolling their territories. Knowing where wildlife corridors are in the landscape and what animal species use them is thus critical for planning human use for the land. Crops planted or livestock corralled too close to these paths are in danger of being destroyed, so it makes sense to identify key corridors and plan accordingly.
Taking wildlife corridors into account is especially important in Namibia’s Zambezi Region, which lies at the heart of the five-country Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). It is home to people and wildlife that all use the same landscape. The Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT) therefore recognises the importance of maintaining wildlife corridors as a means of reducing human-wildlife conflict and keeping wildlife populations healthy.
Communal conservancies in the Zambezi Region are ideally suited for identifying and maintaining wildlife corridors. Conservancies are local institutions that utilise the wildlife within their respective boundaries to create jobs, improve food security and support rural enterprises; they are also tasked with monitoring wildlife populations and addressing human-wildlife conflict in partnership with MEFT. Conservancies therefore feature strongly in a report on the strategic wildlife corridors in the Zambezi Region that was submitted to MEFT in March 2020.
Although maintaining wildlife corridors is highly valuable for the whole KAZA landscape and the larger wildlife economy, it comes at a cost for farmers who live in these areas and might want to use the land for farming purposes. Conservancies and other stakeholders must therefore identify key wildlife corridors in the Zambezi Region and come up with recommendations for incentivising the farmers who live along these corridors to leave them intact. One way of achieving that is through a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme that links the status of wildlife corridors directly to the income of conservancies, which in turn is used for the benefit of communities living in these areas. From the communities’ point of view, this system means that a well-protected wildlife corridor equals improved living conditions.
Members of the Sobbe Conservancy who are at the forefront of wildlife corridor protection in the Zambezi Region
Namibia’s homegrown PES is called Wildlife Credits – an innovative conservation initiative that rewards conservancies for proactive, verifiable conservation results. Wildlife Credits payments go directly to the stewards on the ground for conservation results already achieved: e.g. corridors protected or rare animal species sighted. Traditional funding is used to cover expenses such as boots on the ground, vehicles and training, all of which are important components of conservation, but they do not always achieve conservation results. Paying for results through Wildlife Credits thus complements traditional funding and recognises conservancies for their contribution to conservation.
Using Wildlife Credits to help protect wildlife and its habitat isn’t hypothetical: there is ample proof that it works, from the proactive protection of lions in the Wuparo Conservancy to rhino sightings in the Huab. In 2018, Wildlife Credits was applied to the protection of a wildlife corridor for the first time, focusing on a key elephant corridor in the Zambezi Region. Distell Namibia and Amarula, the liquor that is synonymous with the African elephant, formed a partnership with Wildlife Credits and the Sobbe Conservancy. Distell invested N$ 130,000 into the national Wildlife Credits fund to pay the Sobbe Conservancy for successfully protecting the critical corridor that runs through its land.
This payment was based on independently verified data showing the continued protection of the corridor and evidence that wild animals continue to move through this area. The former was confirmed through satellite images captured over a ten-month period, while the latter was shown by photos from camera traps placed along the corridor. Together, this evidence reveals that the communities living in the Sobbe Conservancy avoid planting their crops or building any structures along the corridor, which allows wildlife to move freely.
The conservancy put the payments received through Wildlife Credits (which added to the funds from Distell) to good use by connecting villages in this remote part of Namibia to the electricity grid during 2019. Six villages received transformers and electric poles, five of which now have electricity (the infrastructure for the sixth is being installed at the time of writing). This project benefits 1,012 members of the conservancy and contributes to Goal 7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): affordable and modern energy for all.
Using new technology to monitor and protect an ancient wildlife corridor
Monitoring the wildlife corridor is an ongoing effort. In 2020, the conservancy introduced the SMART mobile application to capture data that complements the camera traps deployed in the corridor. Additionally, the Sobbe Conservancy increased foot patrols of the corridor from twice a month to once a week. The corridor functions as a transit highway for elephants moving between Angola, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana. They are part of the estimated 220,000 elephants in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), the largest elephant population left on the planet.
The corridor monitoring efforts have further revealed how many other species use this highway: African wild dogs, civets, bush pigs, roan antelope, side-striped jackals, zebras, giraffes and porcupines, among others. Images from the camera traps even had a surprise in store for Lise Hanssen, director of the Kwando Carnivore Project, who has worked with communities in the Zambezi Region since 2007 and is assisting the Sobbe Conservancy with this project: Although we expected [and found] five of Africa’s large carnivores using this important area [lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, spotted hyaena], we were amazed to find an image of a brown hyaena, which is now the northern-most confirmed record of this species.
It is only through long-term collaborative work with communities and long-term support from businesses like Distell Namibia and Amarula that these exciting discoveries are possible. They are more than just facts – they add significantly to the conservation imperative for KAZA as a whole and highlight the importance of this critical wildlife corridor for long-term conservation efforts. Further, these encouraging results boost the communities’ pride in their conservation achievements. This year (2021), Distell Namibia and Amarula have pledged to build on this success by renewing their partnership with the Sobbe Conservancy and Wildlife Credits and expanding their support to include two more vital wildlife corridors in the Zambezi Region.
Camera trap images reveal the surprising variety of rare and endangered species using the wildlife corridor in the Sobbe Conservancy
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It’s THAT time again! Well, almost …
On the 1st of February, we open for entries to our annual Photographer of the Year and again hope for envy-inducing images of Africa’s extraordinary biodiversity bounty. During the height of the dry season last year I spent an unforgettable week on safari with the 2021 winners and their partners in Botswana’s Khwai Private Reserve – predator central. Our first story below is a PHOTOGRAPHIC CELEBRATION of that sojourn.
Jamie has penned an excellent intro to our second story below. I will only add that this is arguably the BIGGEST ISSUE standing between viable free-roaming wildlife populations and intact ecosystems on the one hand and their annihilation on the other. Do we really want Africa to follow the example set by the rich nations, and turn our landscapes into parking lots and our wildlife into managed herds?
Start your engines, ladies and gents – get those epic photos ready because February is just around the corner. Fantastic cash and travel prizes await
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Scientific Editor
Do you ever find yourself reaching for a word in English (or any other language) to describe an everyday situation or emotion, only to find that there isn’t one? Sometimes, like with “Schadenfreude”, one language steps in where another fails. But other times, a little inventiveness is needed. Douglas Adams and John Lloyd created The Meaning of Liff – a “dictionary of things that there aren’t words for yet”. More recently, John Koenig began concocting the sombre Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.
One of Koenig’s made-up words – occhiolism – jumped out at me: “n. the awareness of the smallness of your perspective, by which you couldn’t possibly draw any meaningful conclusions at all, about the world or the past or the complexities of culture”.
In my opinion, there is an unfortunate lack of occhiolism in the world on so many levels. However, in the context of this message, I am thinking of our second story in particular. Attempting to address human-wildlife conflict without involving local communities at every level is not only profoundly disrespectful, but it will also prove utterly fruitless. Read the story below on why it is so vital to take steps to understand the perspectives of those who live alongside wildlife rather than imparting our own assumptions.
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Safari njema !
DID YOU KNOW: Honeybee queens can live for up to three years, and worker bees live for just 200 days in winter and less than 40 days in summer
Tongues lolling and bulbous tummies protruding shamelessly, the painted wolves took advantage of dappled shade in a mopane glade to grab a few moments of shut-eye in the heat of a September afternoon in Khwai, Botswana. We too bunkered down, enjoying this moment of relative coolness in a parched landscape heading into the legendary ‘suicide month’ of oppressive heat before the first rains transform the landscape. September is prime game-viewing time – don’t tell a soul.
This young male cheetah was besotted with elephant dung
This is painted wolf (wild dog) country, and we encountered this group of ten on several occasions as we meandered along the bush tracks and floodplains for six blissful days. We also enjoyed regular encounters with mating lions (which strolled through camp one morning), a mother cheetah and her adolescent cub and, of course, elephants. So many elephants. During one particularly memorable game drive, we spent hours with the ‘dogs’ (again with fat tummies and bloody faces) while the mother cheetah and her cub played about 300 meters away in full view. The cub had a thing for elephant dung, hunting down and attacking them with intent. We also found two skittish young cheetahs who were new to the area – perhaps passing through in search of their own territory.
Khwai is predator-central; every game drive delivered several encounters
This was our 2021 Photographer of the Year winning group
– with a few personnel adjustments due to Covid-related travel complications
We spent six days in the vast Khwai Private Reserve, sandwiched between Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve, sharing a name with the neighbouring legendary Khwai Community Concession. Of course, we enjoyed many extraordinary moments in Khwai, as Africa did her thing – enthralling us with her bounty and guile. We also enjoyed fireside chats that will stay with me for a long time to come. Safari adventures tend to shed barriers and foster cultural exchanges that open our horizons and make us better people. This was an exceptionally rewarding safari for us all, and long-term friendships were forged.
Top left: Our guide ‘KG’ Bapute at Tuludi was very patient with his camera-toting guests. Top right: Sy Nawa, our guide at Sable Alley, poses next to a large lion who was chilling out in the lodge parking area. Bottom: Our party posing in the glow of the setting sun
Two encounters stood out for me and are deserving of special mention
We spent most of one day in a sunken photographic hide at a pumped waterhole near the Chobe boundary (unfenced, of course) and ogled as huge elephant bulls arrived in droves to quench their thirst and socialize with old acquaintances. Many fights broke out as thirsty elephants jostled for position – some more determined individuals driving opponents back many skiddy meters – to the tune of squeals, trumpets and clashing ivory. Sometimes all of the elephants would vacate the water in haste and stand some distance away as if ordered to do so. Then, sure enough, within seconds, a particularly large and dominant bull would swagger in and calmly have his fill of the precious water. The experience is pretty surreal, as these giants loom above us, providing views of bellies and the underside of those huge wrinkled feet as they pad by within touching distance. The impressive collection of big camera lenses lay untouched in the corner, entirely superfluous. We emerged from our underground hide in awe of these incredible giants and acutely aware that elephants have very complex social lives and can communicate over vast distances.
Our enthralling afternoon in a sunken hide near the Khwai / Chobe border
We were tracking a leopard during one game drive when we stumbled on a magnificent sight – probably my Moment of this safari. The Khwai River has many smaller channels and lagoons that were drying up at this time of year, leaving stranded fish and crustaceans. And working that bounty were thousands of birds – pelicans, herons, storks, ducks and fish eagles – taking turns to shepherd the fish to shallow areas for harvest. The energy of the moment was off-the-charts, and we spent a few hours entranced as this rolling mass of winged predators worked the shoals. (video) In the background, a fish eagle had burgled a massive catfish from a rather indignant marabou stork and was trying unsuccessfully to take off with his pilfered catch. Our return to camp found us again deep in thought about how nature works. And then, just as we thought the day could not get better, we were treated to a scrumptious lunch on a wooden platform overlooking the floodplains – in the cool shade of massive sausage trees.
A portion of the flock working shoals of stranded fish
Surprise bushveld lunch on an elevated deck in the shade of a sausage tree overlooking a floodplain
Our lodgings were superb
I had stayed at Sable Alley on a previous safari and knew to expect bushveld luxury, excellent service and delicious food. I was not disappointed. However, it was Tuludi that blew me away. This recently-built lodge has taken bushveld luxury to new levels, with enormous bedrooms and so many private spaces in the common area it feels as if the entire lodge is yours. My favourite area is a treehouse library above the lodge common area and overlooking the floodplains – a wonderful private space to put one’s feet up and enjoy a quiet alcoholic beverage. Or two. I will be back. Two of our group were so taken by Tuludi that they have booked their family for an extended stay in 2022, and of course, they will enjoy our club member preferential rates.
Want to go on safari to Khwai? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
Human-wildlife conflict is present to some degree across most of rural Africa. It is one of the gravest threats facing wildlife conservation. For local human inhabitants, human-wildlife conflict endangers lives and livelihoods. Naturally, much research is devoted to mitigating its effects. Part of this includes expanding our knowledge base to understand how local people actually feel about wild animals without projecting emotions and thoughts onto the people who bear the brunt of the conflict.
New research (led by scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research) from Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area adds to this body of data, suggesting that emotions and cultural significance attached to wild carnivores strongly influence the acceptance of specific management strategies. Importantly, these factors exert a more decisive influence than the extent of livestock predation – at least within Maasai pastoralist communities.
Though mainstream media has been decidedly slow to recognise the importance of the local communities that live within and around wildlife spaces, these communities play a vital role in conservation. The future survival of most wildlife will depend on whether it can persist in shared landscapes with rural farmers and pastoralists. This, in turn, means that human-wildlife conflict is inevitable, and the methods employed to alleviate it must be based not just on the animals but on the needs of these communities as well. This cannot be judged effectively without a proper appreciation of the individual challenges facing the locals of a particular area.
Naturally, previous research has indicated that more severe livestock predation will result in an increased desire for (and support of) more forceful management strategies such as relocation or even killing the predators involved. However, studies have also shown that large carnivores, in particular, are of significant cultural importance. The positive emotions attached to these charismatic animals impact how the communities accept the cost of living with them. Logically, negative sentiments towards wild predators should favour strategies to remove the animal, while positive emotions should favour more conservation-orientated management strategies.
This new research is the first of its kind to directly compare livestock predation levels with the cultural importance of the wild carnivores to determine which factor is more influential and should, therefore, be prioritised by policymakers.
To better understand the perceptions of large carnivores in Ngorongoro, the researchers conducted a hundred questionnaires with Maasai pastoralists. They focussed on the three large carnivore species most likely to cause livestock losses – lions, leopards, and spotted hyenas – and presented three different management strategies: no action, relocation, and lethal control of the predators. The questionnaire also included questions about how many cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys had been killed by wild carnivores.
The researchers found that 87% and 76% of the respondents felt joy towards lions and leopards, respectively. Unsurprisingly, the percentage was much lower for those who felt joy towards spotted hyenas (47%), and 72% of the respondents also found hyenas to be disgusting. However, the respondents were also significantly less afraid of hyenas (13%) than of lions (49%) and leopards (44%). Hyenas and leopards were seen as culturally unimportant overall, and while lions scored higher than both, only 41% of the respondents attached cultural significance to them. Hyenas accounted for the most livestock depredation in the area.
The majority of the Maasai pastoralists accepted “no action” as a management strategy for all three carnivores. Relocation and lethal control were mostly rejected (though 31% supported the relocation of hyenas, as opposed to 11% and 14% for lions and leopards). The results suggest that emotions (particularly joy) and cultural importance are “stronger predictors of the acceptance of management strategies than livestock depredation”. Interestingly, fear seemed to have no significant effect on the acceptance of the indicated management strategy.
So how does this help to direct management strategies in the future? This is a complex question, but one of the authors’ recommendations is to focus on positive emotions in education initiatives and outreach programmes, especially where hyenas are concerned. However, the scientists emphasise that whatever the efforts, they should only be done with “collaborative, enthusiastic involvement from the community side”.
Another interesting point raised in the final discussion of the study was the unexpectedly low cultural importance of lions. This may be due to intergenerational change and sedentarism, which has reduced spiritual or emotional contact with wildlife through the loss of traditional values and practices. The authors use the example of the traditional killing of lions in the symbolic coming-of-age ceremony, which has become a rarity in Maasai societies. While undoubtedly preferable for the lions, this may have reduced the importance of lions over time.
There is no question that livestock depredation remains an important aspect of human-predator conflict. Still, this study shows that it is not the only factor influencing how communities respond to conflict management strategies. Naturally, the results of this research are specific to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, but they do affirm just how influential positive emotions can be in human-wildlife conflict and emphasise the importance of understanding their effects.
As the first author, Arjun Dheer, explains in a blog post for the Hyena Project, “multi-pronged approaches that combine physiological and cultural factors with the close involvement of local communities can help pave the way for continued human-carnivore coexistence. Maybe scientists have been barking up the wrong tree with so much focus on livestock depredation!”
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SO. The rhino horn trade debate. If you are bored of the topic, perhaps this reality-check will help to recalibrate your context?
The world’s largest wild rhino population not far from where I live is being hammered by poachers; every day, helicopters clatter overhead as teams of rangers and vets scramble to and fro. The authorities at senior level have their HEADS IN THE SAND – those not involved in the poaching syndicates – while their ground crew put their lives on the line. Every day.
Our first story below sheds light on when poaching spiked and provides possible reasons. Some experienced conservationists quoted believe that we have no option but to permit trade in rhino horn. Others say no. Have your say – what is your view? For club members only.
Our second story below celebrates one of the best athletes in Africa, and our third provides a window into the most incredible place on earth for weird and ENDEMIC creatures that time forgot.
Lastly, the great RICHARD LEAKEY passed away this week. I first met this fossil-hunter turned politician and conservationist over a private dinner, more years ago than I care to remember. He spoke his mind, and in the process, made enemies – some of whom tried to kill him. He lost both legs in a plane crash where sabotage was suspected, yet he soldiered on. There are not many leaders of sound mind left who have not been tamed by keyboard warriors and cancel culture.
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Scientific Editor
I am sitting writing this from the heart of the Kruger National Park. And it is glorious: midsummer and lush, the rains have been good and the bushveld is positively pulsing with life. Sure, the wildlife spotting is a little tricky, but the wonder of the Kruger lies in the anticipation, the vast space and the majesty of the scenery.
Though we failed in our mission (for now) to see one of only three wild white lions in the world, I was perfectly content to while away the time watching a herd of elephants. The cows were standing sentinel as the calves slept through the blistering heat of the day, determined to ignore the recalcitrant youngest member of the herd. Clearly bored with nap time, he scrambled all over his prone herd mates, trying desperately to provoke a game with little succe
ss. It was such a familiar scene for anyone that has spent time with human children. For me, at least, spending time in the bushveld and with animals is less about racing from sighting to sighting and more about absorbing the magic of what is unfolding in front of me. While I recognise that time is limited for many on safari, I can say that this approach has meant that I have never, ever been on a boring game drive. Africa always delivers; we just have to learn to let her do so in her own way.
With Covid travel restrictions dropping away, it’s time to consider your next safari
• Our Okavango Delta special offer is still available for a few more months – regrettably for African citizens and residents only
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DID YOU KNOW: The largest living turtle ever discovered? A leatherback that weighed 650kg – roughly the mass of a female buffalo
This time we adventure to eastern Madagascar, in our four-part series on this wondrous island. See the resources section at the end of this story for the other three stories in the series.
For the last 88 million years, life on Madagascar has been on its own – creating an island of evolutionary oddities and myriad diverse travel experiences. Sometimes referred to as a “Noah’s Ark” or the “eighth continent” due to its geographic isolation and high levels of endemism, the island of Madagascar is, simply put, enormous. It is approximately 587,000km2 (around two and a half times the size of the United Kingdom). A combination of ocean currents and dramatic topography has created a tapestry of different climates and habitats perfectly suited to the island’s peculiar inhabitants (or the other way round).
The island is home to over 300 recorded birds (60% of which are endemic) and 260 species of reptile – including two-thirds of the world’s chameleon species. There are over 110 species of lemurs spread throughout Madagascar’s protected areas, in a variety of shapes and sizes but all possessing a shared, wide-eyed charisma. Six of the world’s eight baobab species occur only in Madagascar. All in all, the natural history is unique, shaped by the fascinating and beautiful, isolated island habitats.
In an ideal world, a trip to Madagascar would extend over weeks to give the curious traveller every opportunity to explore the magnificent island. Realistically, however, time is usually limited and deciding where to invest one’s attention is guaranteed to create a significant traveller’s quandary. This four-part series is intended to help guide this decision.
Eastern Madagascar
Madagascar is an island divided, split just off-centre by an arched spine of mountains that runs from north to south. The arid highlands sit astride the central plateau to the west before gradually descending to the sea – a palette of browns and yellows decorating sharp scenery and thorny plants. The eastern part of the island could not be more different. Tropical rainforests, resplendent in green, are the dominant vegetation type. Although these forests cover just a fraction of their historic range due to human encroachment, this emerald corridor is home to an estimated 50% of Madagascar’s biodiversity.
Away from the capital city Antananarivo (Tana) and the main tourist attractions, journeying through eastern Madagascar is a step back in time to an era before convenience and accessibility became a tourism mantra. This is where the best travel tales are made – stories of adventures to a remote idyll on the back of an ancient motorbike or in a local pirogue (dugout canoe), arriving sweaty, dusty, and elated. Of course, this is entirely at the traveller’s discretion, and there are easier ways to access some of the more popular tourist haunts in the east.
Sunset over the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park
When it comes to the wildlife viewing that Madagascar is famous for, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park (see cover image above) – formerly known as ‘Perinet’ – is one of the most important ports of call. With its plethora of fantastic beasts and easy accessibility from Tana, it is one of Madagascar’s most famous national parks. It consists of two halves: the Analamazaotra Special Reserve and the Mantadia National Park, which protect around 155km2 of precious rainforest. Historically, Analamazaotra was part of Mantadia, but logging and agriculture have isolated the two regions.
Most visitors to Analamazaotra are there to see the vocal and critically endangered indri – the largest of all living lemur species. The indri is only found in the forests of eastern Madagascar, and Andasibe-Mantadia is the best place to view them. These extraordinary creatures look something like a cross between a panda and a monkey and they fill the forests with haunting, unearthly howls. Local legends tell of a time when two brothers separated – one to become human, the other the indri. The cry of the indri, say the stories, is because they still mourn their lost sibling. However, it is well worth remembering that sacred or not, they too are subject to the demands of the physical realm and standing directly beneath them for the perfect photograph may result in an unexpected shower or worse. (This word of warning applies to all lemur sightings.)
In addition to the indri, Andasibe-Mantadia is home to at least 11 other lemur species (scientists regularly discover new lemur and chameleon species in Madagascar). These include the glamorous, limber diademed sifaka and the adorable nocturnal woolly lemurs. Like all national parks in Madagascar, the trails can only be explored in the company of a guide supplied by the park, but this will only make the trip more rewarding. Their expert direction will reveal the hiding spots of secret creatures and bring the magic of the forest to life, from tiny brightly coloured frogs to spikey tenrecs mammals that resemble hedgehogs but belongs to their own family, endemic to Madagascar.
While wandering along leafy trails to tumbling waterfalls, visitors can keep their eyes peeled for the flutterings of endemic bird species like the Madagascar yellow-brow, Madagascar wagtail or even the Madagascar serpent-eagle. Andasibe is also a good place to see Madagascar snipe, brown mesite, brown emutail, and white-throated oxylabes.
Timing a trip between September and January will mean that bright colour splashes decorate the forest as the hundreds of orchids burst into bloom.
Clockwise from top left: ruff-necked lemur; golden mouse lemur; woolly-necked lemur (photographer Jennifer Vitanzo)
Misty mountains of Masoala and the forests of the east
Extending over 2,300 km2 of the island’s north-eastern peninsula, Masoala National Park is Madagascar’s largest protected area. Famously biodiverse, Masoala is well and truly off the beaten track and accessible only by boat (or on foot for adventurous hikers with time to spare). Consequently, those who do make the journey are usually rewarded with a piece of paradise all to themselves. The park includes three separate marine sanctuaries, the Nosy Mangabe Special Reserve (see below) and sections of the Antongil Bay, while the terrestrial portion covers a mosaic of tropical rainforest, lowland forest, coastal forest, mangroves and marshes.
The captivating red-ruffed lemurs are found only in the rainforests of Masoala. These hefty lemurs play a vital role in dispersing the seeds of tropical hardwoods and are critically endangered due to habitat loss. Most of the park’s other lemur species are nocturnal, so a night walk accompanied by the swooping silhouettes of massive bats is an integral part of the exploration.
[For a more detailed account of Masoala National Park, read Magnificent Masoala.]
Maosola National Park is part of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana UNESCO World Heritage Site – a serial property composed of six national parks protecting relict forests in Madagascar. The other five parks are Marojejy National Park (not far from Maosola), Zahamena National Park, Ranomafana National Park, Andringitra National Park, and Andohahela National Park. The parks run from north to south along the eastern escarpment and support some of the most threatened plant and animal species on the island. These biodiversity hotspots are bursting with colour and life, from silky sifakas and red-bellied lemurs to Madagascar red owls and helmet vangas.
Indri – found only in the forests of eastern Madagascar
Nosy Mangabe
Just off the coast in Antogil Bay, the mountainous terrain of Nosy Mangabe swells up out of the murky green waters of the cove. It is the kind of setting deserving of a Hans Zimmer soundtrack, complete with a rum-drunk pirate wielding a cutlass and chasing his hat across the sand. Indeed, Nosy Mangabe is steeped in a rich history of trade and piracy. A rusty shipwreck stands guard at one of the coves and Dutch sailors of the 16th century scraped doodles into the rocks.
Today, the island is uninhabited but for a campsite that serves as a base for researchers and tourists. The dense forest is one of the best places in Madagascar to see the endangered aye-aye, a nocturnal evolutionary oddity designed by nature to fill the ecological niche of a woodpecker. With their long fingers and scraggly fur, these bizarre-looking lemurs were almost wiped out entirely due to an unfortunate belief that they are harbingers of evil and bad luck. The population inhabiting Nosy Mangabe was introduced to the island during the 1960s as a conservation initiative, and they have flourished ever since. Nosy Mangabe also boasts one of the largest populations of the fascinating leaf-tailed gecko – a creature with a genuinely spectacular camouflage strategy.
The outlandish and persecuted aye-aye
Whales, beaches, and reefs
True to form, the beaches of eastern Madagascar are as lush and wild as the interior – a tropical paradise Robinson Crusoe style. Far from the calm and sheltered west coast, the seas here often crash and tumble onto palm-fringed beaches and at certain times of the year, swimming in the rough seas is ill-advised. The weather can be unpleasant, and cyclones regularly batter the region from January to March each year. However, when timed correctly, there are sections of calm where shallow turquoise waters and laid-back coastal towns offer holidaymakers a piece of paradise – often cheaper and more secluded than the more popular northern islands.
Nosy Boraha (formerly Île Sainte-Marie) is a long narrow island that lies off Madagascar’s east coast. Like Nosy Mangabe, Nosy Boraha was once a notorious pirate hideout. The savage ocean claimed several buccaneer ships, and experienced divers can now explore which sea creatures have made themselves at home in the sunken wrecks. On the island, a forlorn-looking pirate graveyard dates back to the 17th century.
Every year, from July to September, humpback whales travel through the calm, sheltered channel between Nosy Boraha and Madagascar on their way north to calve (often in Antongil Bay).
A humpback whale breaches
The Pangalanes Canal and the Palmarium Nature Reserve
Further south, the Pangalanes Canal links a series of lakes, rivers, and waterways from Tamatave to Farafangana – a distance of over 645km along the coast parallel to the ocean. Used by locals as a sheltered transportation route, it passes through small towns and villages that have changed little in the past hundred years. Apart from the opportunity to observe traditional Madagascan life, a highlight for most visitors along the canal is the Palmarium Nature Reserve, which is home to several different species of highly habituated lemurs.
Clockwise from top left: Arachnis flosaeris orchid; Boophis tasymena; giant leaf-tailed gecko; Madagascan yellow-brow
The ins and outs of exploring Madagascar
Madagascar’s tropical climate is typically enjoyable all year round, though the wet season runs from November to March, usually with minimal winds. February carries the highest risk of fierce tropical cyclones, which tend to batter the east coast particularly viciously. The cooler dry season from April until October alleviates the worst of the oppressive heat, particularly when hiking on the islands or through the humid forests.
There are plenty of budget and camping opportunities in or near all of the destinations mentioned above. It is advisable to travel in Madagascar with a reputable company, but it is possible to hire a car to drive between the various attractions. The roads are bad, particularly during the wet season, and a 4 x 4 is essential. The only major exception to this is the Andasibe-Mantadia which is easily accessible from the vibrant capital Tana.
A brightly coloured helmet vanga removes a centipede from the forest ecosystem
Final thoughts
Madagascar is a fantastical land – a natural evolutionary playground and a human kaleidoscope of cultural influences. Remarkable, offbeat, and enticing, this magical island offers an intoxicating combination of unique wildlife viewing and magnificent scenery. There is far more to Madagascar than our series could ever hope to convey, but there is no question that it is a country with something to offer everyone. Our travel consultants are always on standby to help you plan the Madagascan holiday of your dreams.
Ken Behrens is a birder, naturalist, consultant, guide, and photographer, who is based in Madagascar. He is the co-author of several books, including Wildlife of Madagascar. His work can be seen at ken-behrens.com
This time we adventure to western Madagascar, in our four-part series on this wondrous island. See the resources section at the end of this story for the other three stories in the series.
For the last 88 million years, life on Madagascar has been on its own – creating an island of evolutionary oddities and myriad diverse travel experiences. Sometimes referred to as a “Noah’s Ark” or the “eighth continent” due to its geographic isolation and high levels of endemism, the island of Madagascar is, simply put, enormous. It is approximately 587,000km2 (around two and a half times the size of the United Kingdom). A combination of ocean currents and dramatic topography has created a tapestry of different climates and habitats perfectly suited to the island’s peculiar inhabitants (or the other way round).
The island is home to over 300 recorded birds (60% of which are endemic) and 260 species of reptile – including two-thirds of the world’s chameleon species. There are over 110 species of lemurs spread throughout Madagascar’s protected areas, in a variety of shapes and sizes but all possessing a shared, wide-eyed charisma. Six of the world’s eight baobab species occur only in Madagascar. All in all, the natural history is unique, shaped by the fascinating and beautiful, isolated island habitats.
In an ideal world, a trip to Madagascar would extend over weeks to give the curious traveller every opportunity to explore the magnificent island. Realistically, however, time is usually limited and deciding where to invest one’s attention is guaranteed to create a significant traveller’s quandary. This four-part series is intended to help guide this decision.
Western Madagascar
The curvy outline of Madagascar’s western edge is a testament to a time when the island was still joined to Africa (then part of Gondwanaland) around 165 million years ago. The sheltered bays and coves closest to its parent continent were the island’s gateway to the outside world for the antecedents of its amazing wildlife. It is here that the flotsam carrying the earliest lemur ancestors would have washed ashore, while the first chameleons would have taken their initial wobbly steps into a new home on the beaches. Both of these creatures would find themselves with a world all to themselves and would go on to evolve into the myriad species known (and some still undiscovered) today.
The hot and dry region is well-deserving of its title of the ‘Wild West’, far removed from the country’s capital Antananarivo and the rich, lush forests of the east. Divided into a northern and southern section with little in the way of roads linking the two, getting to and around western Madagascar requires a degree of patience while travelling through farmlands and sparse savannas. This forbearance will, however, be richly rewarded by the scenery and wildlife on offer. Some of the most iconic images and scenes associated with Madagascar are from its enormous western portion. From upside-down trees to rocks with teeth, the island’s arid west is full of Madagascan specialities.
Clockwise from top left: Baobab alley; a bridge crossing a chasm in Grand Tsingy; a forested hillside featuring baobabs (Adansonia perrieiri); entwined Baobabs ‘Baobab de Amoureux’
Allée des Baobabs – Baobab Alley
Of all of Madagascar’s evocative settings, it is perhaps Baobab Alley that receives the most photographic attention (see our cover photo above). This exquisite stretch of dusty red road is lined by towering baobabs, some of which are over 2,800 years old and around 30m in height. Against the short surrounding scrubland, these giant Grandidier’s baobabs (Adansonia grandidieri) stand out as what is now recognised as a natural monument. At sunrise and sunset, tourists flock to admire their dramatic shapes in the golden light – their long straight bodies and peculiar crowns (like roots planting themselves into the sky) create an entirely alien atmosphere.
Of the eight species of baobab in the world, six are found only in Madagascar. The Grandidier’s baobabs of Baobab Alley are the tallest. They were once part of Madagascar’s vast tracts of dry deciduous and tropical forests. Sadly, slash and burn agriculture and relentless human advancement are estimated to have destroyed around 50% of the island’s forests in the last 60 years, and these stately giants now stand in isolation.
After that sombre thought, visitors can travel just seven km from the Baobab Alley to appreciate an ancient story of boundless love in the form of two intertwined za baobabs (Adansonia za) – the ‘Baobab de Amoureux’. The legend goes that two people were once desperately in love but were already promised to others. Desperate, the couple appealed to their god, and thus the baobabs came to be – entangled for eternity.
Clockwise from top left: Madagascar blue vanga; Madagascar serpent eagle; Madagascar blue reed-frog; Madagascar paradise flycatcher
Kirindy Mitea National Park
Not to be confused with Kirindy Private Reserve further north, the 722km2 (72,200 hectare) Kirindy-Mitea National Park is one of the more remote national parks, situated on the west coast, south of the sleepy beach town of Morondava. The large park encompasses the overlap of southern and western biotypes. The habitats are many and varied, including dry deciduous forest, tropical dry forest, spiny forest, mangroves, beaches and coral reefs. An added advantage is that few tourists travel here because it is so remote, and one can explore the hiking trails in relative seclusion (with a mandatory guide, of course).
A predatory fossa, most easily seen in Kirindy Private Reserve (photographer Pedro Ferreira)
Kirindy Private Reserve
The relatively newly established Kirindy Private Reserve (Kirindy Forest) is situated north of Morondava and is privately owned and run. Despite the region’s destructive history of logging, wildlife here managed to survive and is now flourishing. This is a reserve and not a national park, meaning that night walks are available through the reserve itself, rather than just on the outskirts. (Night walks in the national parks of Madagascar have been banned, but guides are still permitted to lead groups of tourists along the roads bordering the parks to look for nocturnal lemurs, chameleons, and other creatures of the Madagascan night.)
Kirindy Forest is the best place in Madagascar to see the lithe, carnivorous fossa – the island’s largest mammalian predator. Looking something like a cross between a cat and a mongoose (though more closely related to the latter), the acrobatic fossa is equally at home in the trees or on the ground while hunting for reptiles, birds, and lemurs. Fossa start their mating season in November, when the females take to the trees, call loudly and wait patiently to take their pick of appropriate suitors. A visit during this time does not necessarily guarantee a fossa sighting but does increase the likelihood of a genuinely exceptional sighting of one of the island’s most exciting animals. Though fossa have a widespread distribution across the island, they occur at extremely low densities and are seldom spotted in the other protected areas.
In addition to the fossa, Kirindy Forest is also home to the smallest lemur on Earth: the critically endangered Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur. This minuscule primate weighs just 30 grams on average. It is named after Madagascan primatologist and conservationist Berthe Rakotosamimanana (the reason for selecting her first name can be left to the imagination.) These tiny creatures wrap themselves in vines and sleep during the day, emerging at night to forage, so a night exploration is essential. This is especially true because they are creatures living on the edge of existence – experts suggest that they could be extinct in the next ten years if the current rate of deforestation continues.
Though the forest is bursting with reptile and birdlife, there is one final mammal species of Kirindy Forest deserving of a mention. The Malagasy giant rat (giant jumping rat) is a regular nighttime visitor to the camp and looks very similar to a springhare.
Clockwise from top left: Von der Decken’s sifaka; red-tailed sportive lemur; Verreaux’s sifaka; ring-tailed lemur; red lemur
Tsingy De Bemaraha National Park
The term “tsingy” loosely translates as a place where you cannot walk barefoot – or to walk on tiptoe. It is the perfect description for the extraordinary geology of Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park. Together with the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, the region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site centred around the ‘Great Tsingy’ and the ‘Little Tsingy’. In places, the jagged limestone pinnacles stretch almost as far as the eye can see – a sawtooth landscape shaped by the forces of water and wind over millennia.
The park’s infrastructure is well developed and maintained, but a certain degree of physical fitness is necessary to make the most of a trip. The weather is always relatively hot, and even though the park is only accessible during the cooler dry season (April to November), temperatures regularly exceed 35˚C on the plateaus. The hikes include travelling across via ferrata, walkways and suspension bridges before descending into narrow and humid caves and canyons.
Naturally, the park’s peculiar geography is inhabited by Madagascar’s usual array of weird plants and strange creatures adapted to exist in very narrow niches. These include bottle trees and orchids to the giant coua (a bird) and the extremely rare Madagascan big-headed turtle. Of course, lemurs are ever-present, and those hoping to complete their checklists (with over 110 lemur species on the island, this would be an impressive feat) could tick off the Von der Decken’s sifaka and red-fronted lemurs, among others.
Tsingy De Bemaraha National Park
The ins and outs of exploring western Madagascar
Timing a trip to western Madagascar requires some delicate balancing of weather, wildlife and wishes. Throughout the island, some of the wildlife species go into a state of torpor during the dry winter months, starting around May and continuing until November. This applies to everything from chameleons to lemurs and is particularly true in the drier sections of Madagascar, where plant and food availability are scarce. In the west, the parks come to life during the hot rainy season from November to March, but this is also when the roads are at their worst, and some areas are completely inaccessible. May offers a good compromise – the vegetation is still lush after the wet season, and the animals are still mostly active. However, those wishing to see baby lemurs should delay until September/October.
There are plenty of budget and camping opportunities in or near all of the major parks and some more exclusive options for the more discerning visitor. The prime western destinations are far from the capital and often require a long drive on rough roads or chartered flights. Once there, it is essential to try and plan hikes and activities for the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the worst of the heat. Plentiful water and sunscreen supplies are crucial, as is a hat. Acquainting oneself with the colourful lives and personalities of local people en route is an inevitable part of exploring western Madagascar and only adds to the richness of the experience.
Clockwise from top left: A motorised barge trip on the Tsiribihina River; camping on the Tsiribihina River; Luxury at L’altra Faccia Della Luna – Chez Diego – Anakao; view from a room at Chez Diego; Auberge Peter Pan, Anakao; Fine dining in the middle of nowhere at the Mad Zebu
Final thoughts
Madagascar is a fantastical land – a natural evolutionary playground and a human kaleidoscope of cultural influences. Remarkable, offbeat, and enticing, this magical island offers an intoxicating combination of unique wildlife viewing and magnificent scenery. There is far more to Madagascar than our series could ever hope to convey, but there is no question that it is a country with something to offer everyone. Our travel consultants are always on standby to help you plan the Madagascan holiday of your dreams.
Want to go on safari to Madagascar? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
Ken Behrens is a birder, naturalist, consultant, guide, and photographer, who is based in Madagascar. He is the co-author of several books, including Wildlife of Madagascar. His work can be seen at ken-behrens.com
Why did rhino poaching flare up so suddenly in South Africa just over a decade ago? The answer to this question may provide some useful clues while searching for solutions to douse, or at least dampen, the recent poaching inferno that has swept over Southern Africa and extinguished the lives of close to ten thousand of these iconic animals. Rhino poaching is not new of course. For centuries, hunters and horn poachers of all hues have been slaughtering them across Africa and Asia – some to hang on the walls of lounges and trophy rooms, some to be carved into dagger handles or kept as status symbols, or simply crushed up for use in traditional Chinese medical potions.
Yet there was a critical point – in 2008 – when horn poaching literally exploded in South Africa – the last, large bastion of global rhino conservation.
Whoosh! It was almost as if a match had been tossed over a petrol-soaked land to ignite a massive bush fire that would spread out to engulf just about every piece of land in South Africa where rhinos had thrived for several decades in relative safety, in stark contrast to rhino populations in most other parts of Africa.
Thirteen years later that fire is still roaring, despite the Dollar fortune spent to quell the problem. It has fostered the inevitable militarisation of state and private nature reserves – in turn fuelling perceptions in some quarters that rhino conservation outweighs the social welfare of nearby poor communities.
The skeleton of a poached rhino, note the section of the skull where the horn was hacked off
The skeleton of a poached rhino, note the section of the skull where the horn was hacked off
What triggered the fire?
What happened between 2007 and 2008 that could help to explain the sudden inferno?
Was it simply a case of coincidence, or circumstances in which the availability of rhino horns elsewhere in Africa had been virtually exhausted due to poaching? Was there a sudden surge in demand for rhino horn that was triggered by an explosion of wealth in China and Vietnam?
Or, was it that in June 2007, new regulations came into effect to restrict the hunting of rhinos for horn trophies? Or that on June 12, 2008, former Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk notified the wildlife industry that government would shortly impose a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horns?
(Though rhino horn trading has been banned at an international level since 1977, it was still legal to buy and sell rhino horns in South Africa until 2008 – even though there is no direct consumer use for horns in this country).
According to court papers filed on behalf of the former minister, significant volumes of rhino horns previously traded on the domestic market were being sold clandestinely and then moved to Asia. In other words, legal domestic trade was supplying the illegal international trade.
Soon after the moratorium came into effect in early 2009, the government introduced further measures to make it more difficult to obtain horns from “pseudo hunting”. (Sham hunts in which professional hunters shot animals on behalf of their predominantly Vietnamese clients who had never fired a rifle in their lives).
Is it significant that the surge in rhino poaching in South Africa began to rocket as soon as the loopholes for illegal trade from South Africa were largely plugged?
Dr George Hughes, former chief executive of the Natal Parks Board/Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife conservation agency renowned for rescuing Southern Africa’s white rhinos from the brink of extinction, says he is not a great believer in coincidences.
Hughes, a career conservationist who has been advocating for a controlled, legal trade in horns for several decades, says: “The moment they did that (declared a domestic moratorium and clamped down on trophy horn hunting) poaching just took off.”
“Criminal syndicates read the newspapers and saw what was happening and once the ball started rolling the poachers discovered that our parks were not impregnable – and now we have lost between 8 000 and 10 000 rhinos in South Africa.”
Poached rhino horns jammed into the engine of a vehicle to conceal them from the authorities
Trade
According to Dr Hughes, the most viable long-term strategy to reverse the continuing wave of poaching and illegal trade is to ensure sustainable financial incentives for more land-owners to re-build the depleted national rhino herd, by re-opening international horn trade.
It’s an unpopular proposal for many, that has spurred a highly-polarised debate among conservationists and animal-welfare groups for more than four decades.
Nevertheless, the option to re-open trade was revived recently in the SA government’s High-Level Panel report released in May 2021 by national Environment Minister Barbara Creecy.
These lists help to recap some of the main divisions:
AGAINST TRADING:
It is barbarous, ethically wrong and anachronistic to commodify and trade body parts of an animal on the verge of extinction
As a member of the Big 5, and the second-largest land mammal globally, rhinos are an iconic species and should not be farmed or reduced to the status of domesticated cows or chickens
Re-opening trade will fuel unsustainable demand for rhino horn in China and Vietnam and may revive demand from countries like Taiwan and Singapore
Re-opening trade will send out mixed messages and undermine campaigns to reduce or eliminate consumer demand for horns
Southern African nations are behaving in a selfish way because they have larger populations of rhinos. Resuming legal trade will drive the small surviving rhino populations of East Africa and Asia to extinction
A legal trade would provide cover for criminal syndicates to launder poached rhino horns, much like blood diamonds
There are not enough rhino horns to meet growing demand from natural deaths, captive breeding or stockpiles
Trading only favours the interests of a small number of captive rhino breeders and speculators whose primary interest is short-term financial profit
FOR TRADING:
Financial incentives to protect rhinos by selling horns from captive-bred animals (or from natural deaths or legal stockpiles) will help to reduce poaching pressure on wild rhinos and safeguard the species from extinction
Humanity has been farming and hunting animals for millenia. Many wild species, including elephants, crocodiles, cheetahs etc have been semi-domesticated – but wild specimens remain a major tourist attraction
Like bans on alcohol, cigarettes or drugs, demand for rhino horn has not abated despite nearly 40 years of international trade prohibition
Demand reduction campaigns have done little to end demand and may prove futile if current poaching rates continue
Southern African rhino range states have a right to manage and protect their rhinos using methods that have been more effective in protecting and multiplying rhino numbers compared to nations that ban hunting or sustainable use of wildlife
Trade will not eliminate poaching or laundering, but the overall benefits of controlled trade outweigh the risks of continued prohibition
Southern Africa has substantial stockpiles of horns and legal trading would provide new incentives to multiply rhino numbers
Commercial incentives are vital to landowners to justify keeping rhinos on their land for tourism, hunting or captive breeding instead of switching to more profitable land uses such as crops or mining
Releasing the High-Level Panel report in May 2021, Minister Creecy made it clear that South Africa will not be submitting a proposal to re-open international trade at the next meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Costa Rica in 2022.
Nevertheless, a closer reading of the panel recommendations approved by Cabinet suggests that South Africa has not shut the trade door and still aims to submit a future proposal if it can secure broad support from other African and Asian rhino range states.
This recommendation, known as Option 3, confirms that international trade remains illegal, but keeps the door open to resuming trade once certain conditions have been met – including a continued reduction in poaching and moving away from intensive captive-breeding operations. The panel has recommended that Creecy should immediately engage private rhino landowners and other stakeholders to seek broad consensus on horn trading, a lengthy proposal that could take anywhere between six and 15 years.
This would involve building up a “respected negotiating team” to engage other range states over the next three to five CITES meetings, which are held every two to three years.
In short, get ready for another loud, ugly and protracted slugging match between local and global stakeholders with sharply opposed views.
The case for resuming trading is often portrayed as being driven solely by profit-hungry rhino breeders such as John Hume (a South African rancher who has built up a captive population of over 2 000 animals, making him the world’s largest private owner of rhinos).
However, there are several widely-respected conservationists like Dr Hughes who have voiced support, or qualified support, for a resumption of trading. They include the late Dr Ian Player, the former Natal Parks Board ranger and founding force of the Wilderness Foundation which seeks to sustain wildlife and wilderness areas. He was also head of Operation Rhino, the 1960s project to translocate hundreds of animals from Umfolozi Game Reserve to Kruger National Park and other reserves across the nation and other African parks.
Combined with later initiatives in which surplus rhino from Ezemvelo were sold on auction to private ranchers and reserve-owners, Project Rhino was one of the world’s greatest conservation achievements, ultimately leading to a situation where South Africa became the country with the world’s largest number of rhinos.
At the height of the rhino poaching crisis, Player took a controversial decision to support a resumption of the international horn trade. “Everyone wanted to hit me. There was a violent reaction when I said that the time had come to start talking about this,” he told me in an interview shortly before his death in 2014.
“Yes, of course, there are all sorts of dangers with allowing some form of controlled trade. That is inevitable with a commodity of such great value. But we also have to face the reality that government is running out of money. Is there another way to stop what is happening? . . . Nobody can really say until we have tried it.”
Ezemvelo wildlife veterinarian Dr Dave Cooper, who has dedicated his 40-year career to treating and alleviating suffering in wildlife, also supports a resumption of trading, albeit on a structured, experimental basis.
Cooper, who has also had the harrowing task of conducting autopsies on hundreds of poached and badly mutilated rhinos – or chopping off the horns of hundreds more to make them less of a target to poachers – argues that the trading ban has had the perverse effect of making dead rhinos more valuable than living rhinos.
“I still think we should try this (trading) option. In principle, I think it could help tremendously . . . because poaching went up the moment government announced that there would be no domestic trade.”
Like it or not, he says, there is already a massive trade in rhino horns. So the choice, in his view, is between completely illegal trade involving criminal syndicates – or a legal trade that could provide incentives to protect living rhinos.
A captive-bred rhino with its horns intact
No room for experiments
But tourism industry veteran Colin Bell – like many others – does not buy into the trading argument.
Bell, a former safari guide and co-founder of high-end ecotourism entities Wilderness Safaris and Natural Selection, warned in 2014 that: “We do not get a second chance if we get the economics of rhino trading wrong; all the rhino in the wild will be gone.
“We have to get our policies right and there’s no room for experiments; viewing rhinos in small secure breeding farms is no substitute. The tragedy of the horn debate is that South Africa’s highly respected rhino custodians (park authorities, field rangers, anti-poaching, monitoring teams) and even politicians have embraced a failed, pro-trade economic model as the answer to the rhino crisis.”
Last year he posted his detailed rebuttal on the trade debate in a 52-minute YouTube video.
He strongly disputes claims that South Africa can supply sufficient volumes of legally-held rhino horns to dampen the illegal demand and believes that re-opening trade will simply put more pressure on national and private rhino reserves.
Bell also denies that the 1977 CITES ban on international trade has not worked, arguing that it had a major impact on reducing poaching levels, especially from 1993 – but the effectiveness of the global ban has been undermined by loopholes that allowed limited trading via South African pseudo-hunting.
Pointing to high levels of corruption and Treasury restrictions on how government revenue can be spent, he scoffs at suggestions that income from legally-traded horns would in practise be ploughed back into rhino protection.
Bell also disputes claims that private rhino owners no longer have a financial incentive to protect rhinos unless they can sell their horns, noting that there are still major incentives to keep rhinos for Big 5 tourism viewing and a limited number of trophy hunts.
Instead, the government should aggressively target the rhino poaching kingpins rather than low-level poachers, clamp down on corruption and stop the “mixed messages” where the public is warned that rhinos are on the verge of extinction, yet simultaneously encouraged to support a new legal trade.
Michael ’t Sas-Rolfes, a resource economist and doctoral researcher at the Oxford Martin Programme on Wildlife Trade, rejects as too simplistic, suggestions that the domestic trade moratorium and stricter hunting restrictions were solely to blame for the sudden poaching flare-up in 2008.
Without pinning his colours to either the pro or anti-trade mast, ’t Sas-Rolfes says: “This a monumentally-complicated topic…”
Rather, he attributes it to a “perfect storm” of events, including the involvement of Asian wildlife traders who came to South Africa originally in search of lion bones, but discovered that rhino horns were also available.
The Asian economy was booming at the time and affluent consumers had disposable income to invest in luxury products. ‘We also need to consider the political changes that took place in South Africa at that time and the related surge in organised crime. What started out as some wildlife ranchers bending the rules rapidly morphed into an opportunity for informal economic transformation.’
On the issue of re-opening trade, ’t Sas-Rolfes says it is impossible to predict the future, and notes that in a worst-case scenario the price of rhino horns could sky-rocket to the benefit of private rhino owners, but put State reserves under further poaching pressure.
He also believes that several Asian range states would be very concerned about the potential risks of resuming legal trade, especially Indonesia, which was custodian to two rhino species now on the verge of extinction. ’t Sas-Rolfes believes it is critical for the government, private sector and other parties to start working together for solutions – and not to assume that any single interest group has the correct answer.
“But if the status quo continues, with the option of future trade unresolved either way, rhinos will remain under threat … and I fear that fatigue will set in. Private owners have been eating into their capital (because of increased security costs and the Covid-related decline in tourist income) while State parks have been losing ground. Our largest populations are already in trouble, so the trajectory towards little pockets of rhino in well-fortified areas will continue.”
Is the sun setting on free-ranging rhino?
Les Carlisle, a wildlife consultant with a 40-year career in private-sector conservation, paints a much bleaker picture: “I don’t think rhinos will ever become extinct – but within five to ten years they will not exist in a free-ranging situation. In five years, it will be extraordinary to see them in the wild. In ten years, you will no longer find them in the wild. We are heading towards a point where you will only see them behind electrified fences with machine-gun posts at every corner.”
“Rhinos are getting hammered in Kruger. The actual number of rhinos killed by poachers has gone down (because there are fewer rhino left), but the number of incursions has not because the poachers are having to work harder to find animals to shoot.”
Carlisle says the number of rhinos poached in Kruger is “staggering” and he fears that the window for re-opening trade is closing slowly.
“Once rhino numbers drop below a certain point it’s almost too risky to talk about trading”, he says, suggesting that over the last five years, the national proportion of rhinos in State reserves has declined from around 75% to 35% of the total population, with the majority of South African rhinos now privately-owned.
“Within the next few years, the private sector will probably own 90%, with just 10% in State reserves. And as the State reserves are depleted, the syndicates will be coming hard against the private sector. The challenge is that the seven main rhino range states currently have no say against 170 other CITES members – and that’s where the problem lies.
“The State conservation agencies cannot afford the continued level of high-security costs required to protect the species – and you also have to ask why senior rangers doing the most to fight poaching in Kruger are getting shifted to other areas where there are no rhinos. The game has changed completely. The amounts of money are just so big that anyone, including rangers and police station commanders, can be bought off.
“The voices of the people who protect the most rhinos have to be heard and trade has to be tried, otherwise we will see the remaining animals being shifted into increasingly smaller enclosures or zoos.
“Conservation is not uniform and we need local solutions for local problems. Rhino horn is a completely renewable resource – so I don’t think this is a difficult debate. Re-opening trade is a no-lose situation. If the horn price rises, it benefits rhino owners – and if it drops, the costs of poaching will outweigh the risks. Either way rhino will benefit.”
Somewhere on the plains of the Serengeti, a cheetah sprints after her terrified prey. It is a magnificent sight as muscles bunch and release, propelling her at speeds around 100km/hour. Yet there is a largely overlooked element to this evolutionary equation: the terrified Thomson’s gazelle staying just ahead at every turn, jinking and dodging until its pursuer runs out of steam. The sheer magic of the little gazelle’s athleticism is often overlooked in the excitement of a big cat sighting.
Across the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, tourists flock to admire the hordes of wildebeest and zebra and the predators that plague them. The Thomson’s gazelles that dot the grasslands do not attract the same enthusiasm. Even the term “gazelle” is widely misunderstood and misused. Indeed, lots of people still consider the name to be a blanket term for antelope. In actual fact, while all gazelles are antelopes, not all antelopes are gazelles, but we will address that later.
Tommies
The Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) is probably the most well-known of all gazelle species and is named after Joseph Thomson, a 19th-century geologist and explorer. They are often referred to as “tommies” and are spread throughout the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem of Tanzania and Kenya.
Thomson’s gazelles are relatively small, standing under a metre at the shoulder, but they are phenomenally fast. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they may reach speeds of up to 94km/hour, though most researchers suggest a more conservative 80km/hour. Either way, they are among the fastest terrestrial land mammals. What’s more, they can sustain these speeds for much longer than most predators. Their small size confers exceptional agility, and their sharp hooves allow for sufficient traction to perform hairpin turns at top speed.
Their coats are fawn-coloured and decorated by a mixture of black and white markings on the face, flank, and tail regions. The rams and ewes have horns, but those of the females are almost ludicrous. They are spindly and short and often grow in bizarre directions or curl to grow close to the skull.
Two rams sizing each other up
The great horn debate
Some have theorised that the reason behind the gender horn difference is that the Thomson’s is an example of evolution in action. That is, the females are gradually losing their ability to grow horns at all. This, in turn, ties into the theories on why some female antelope grow horns while those of other species do not.
There are several explanations offered for this phenomenon. The first is a strong positive correlation between females growing horns and a preference for open habitats with minimal cover. Thus, the antelope is more conspicuous, and horns will serve the female well to defend both herself and any offspring. The same idea applies to large-bodied antelope that would struggle to hide. On the other hand, horns in a dense habitat are cumbersome and detract from the individual’s ability to hide. There is no survival advantage in expending energy to grow horns. A further explanation is that in species where the female has horns, it is harder for mature males to identify and chase young males away from the group, thus increasing the chances of survival for young males.
There is no consensus on exactly why the horns of female Thomson’s gazelles are so dramatically reduced, but it does fit neatly with the theories. Though they prefer mostly open habitats and are known to fight valiantly against predators, their main defence is speed.
A fleet-footed fawn
Hide-and-seek
Fortunately, the tiny Thomson’s gazelle fawns are not entirely reliant on their mother’s horns for survival. They are highly camouflaged and genetically programmed to remain still in the absence of their mothers. So powerful is this instinct that fawns have been observed to remain frozen even while being pawed by predators – often to the intense confusion of the attacker. It is incumbent on guides to be extremely cautious when driving off-road, particularly when birthing peaks.
The behaviour of a mother returning to feed her fawn is easily spotted. She will creep cautiously towards the hiding place and circle around it, stopping to scan for predators every few minutes. She may even pretend to feed at intervals. An astute and patient observer will be rewarded by the sight of their reunion and nursing.
If their secretive approach fails, the minute fawns are highly vulnerable and are preyed upon by everything from eagles to lions. Despite the aspersions cast about their horns, the mothers are courageously defensive and have been known to chase baboons and jackals away from their fawns successfully.
The terrifying gauntlet of the Mara River
Migrating
Another underappreciated fact about the Thomson’s gazelle is that it is part of the Great Migration. While the zebras and wildebeest generally take centre stage, smaller numbers of tommies also migrate, occasionally bearing the bemused expression of a small animal caught up in an irresistible tide. The journey is believed to be primarily motivated by access to water, and their migration pathway does not extend as far as that of the wildebeest or zebra. In some parts of the Serengeti, Thomson’s gazelles may form up to 90% of a cheetah’s diet. The research shows that the movements of the gazelles also affect those of the female cheetahs and non-territorial males.
The complicated phylogenetic tree of the gazelles (in green) and their nearest relatives. Note that the branch lengths are not to scale.
Family resemblance
Unfortunately, the nitty-gritty of unravelling which antelopes are gazelles is quite complicated. So, what is a gazelle, and why is the term not specific to any one genus or species? Let’s start with the basics: family, subfamily, tribe, and clade are all tools devised by scientists to convey the complex relationships between the various antelope genera. With over 90 species and a great deal of convergent evolution, this is not a simple process and involves tracing lineages backwards through time towards a common ancestor. Sometimes corrections have to be made as genetic evidence contradicts morphological similarities. If the following explanation gets a bit befuddling, feel free to skip to the final two sentences of this section.
Gazelles are part of the Antelopini tribe, which also includes the bizarre-looking gerenuk and the springbok. Geneticists have only unravelled the specific phylogenetic relationships within the tribe in the last decade. A full explanation of the genetic analysis and classification is beyond the scope of this article (and the range of most peoples’ interest). However, such research has resulted in the splitting of the Gazella genus into three: the Gazella, Eudorcas (including the Thomson’s gazelle) and Nager (for example, Grant’s gazelle). To make matters more complicated, three Asian species of the Procapra genus bear the common name “gazelle” but are not true gazelles.
Clockwise from top left: Dama gazelle; Soemmerring’s gazelle; rhim gazelle; dorcas gazelle; Grant’s gazelle; Cuvier’s gazelle; Speke’s gazelle
For the sake of simplicity: if it belongs to either the Gazella, Eudorcas or Nager genus, it is a true gazelle. If not, but it looks vaguely gazelle-shaped, it is probably closely related. For now, anyway.
Other African species of gazelle include:
Cuvier’s gazelle (G. cuvieri) – found along a strip of North Africa in Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara and Tunisia. They are currently classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
Dorcas gazelle (G. dorcas) – widely distributed across most of North Africa and a strip along the Horn of Africa. They are currently classified as ‘Vulnerable’.
Rhim gazelle (G. leptoceros) – another of the North African species, rhim gazelles are found in isolated pockets in the Sahara Desert in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. They are currently classified as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN.
Speke’s gazelle (G. spekei) – found in increasingly fragmented sections of a strip of the Horn of Africa, the Speke’s gazelle is currently classified as ‘Endangered’.
Red-fronted gazelle (E. rufifrons) – distributed across Africa in a narrow strip south of the Sahara Desert (the Sahel region) and currently classified as ‘Vulnerable’.
Dama gazelle (N. dama) – also known as the addra or mhorr gazelle, the Dama gazelle occupies isolated pockets in the Sahara and Sahel regions.
Grant’s gazelle (N. granti) – the range of the Grant’s gazelle overlaps considerably with Thomson’s variety, and they are often confused. However, Grant’s gazelles are almost double the size. They are listed as ‘Least Concern’.
Soemmerring’s gazelle (N. soemmerringiii) – closely related to the Grant’s gazelle, the Soemmerring’s gazelle is found across the Horn of Africa. A dwarf population is isolated in the Dahlak Kebir Island. They are listed as ‘Vulnerable).
Not a springbok
The body shape and thick black flank stripe account for the fact that tommies are quite regularly mistaken for springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) and vice versa – even though springbok are not true gazelles. The two antelope are strikingly similar at first glance in terms of both looks and behaviour but can be readily distinguished by their distributions, which do not overlap in the wild. Springbok are isolated to the more arid areas of Southern Africa, while Thomson’s gazelles prefer the short grasslands of East Africa. Springboks are taller and heavier than tommies and display a very characteristic pronking behaviour not seen in other antelope.
The primary distinguishing features of Thomson’s gazelles and springboks are their horns. The springbok’s horns grow upwards before curving inwards towards the midline of the head, while those of Thomson’s gazelles grow upwards and then curl slightly backwards.
Springbok
Conclusion
As we admire the flashy speed of a cheetah, it is easy to forget that the cat’s fleet-footedness is the result of a continuing evolutionary race to be the fastest and, on this racetrack, the Thomson’s gazelle is the stiffest competition.
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We have HEART-WARMING news in our first story below. Nature’s resilience against our onslaught is a constant source of soul food for me – and, I am sure, you. There is so much going on behind the scenes at ground level in Africa – and this success story is just one indicator of immense conservation efforts by dedicated people.
And then we have a new bat species! And it’s ORANGE with black wings. How sad that some commentators on our Facebook page immediately focused on the link between Covid and bats and expressed fear and concerns about this beautiful creature. Oh boy, isn’t it concerning how we often fixate on the wrong end of the problem?
Finally, our third story below gives us a boy’s perspective of a few days in the life of a Madikwe game ranger. I know this kid; he is an excellent example of the benefits of a BALANCED upbringing with plenty of time outside.
OK, that’s it from me for 2021. Phew, what a year. Here’s hoping that your 2022 is better than the last two years. JUST LOOK UP
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
From our Scientific Editor
My favourite view in the entire world: the Abel Erasmus Pass lies between the two small towns of Ohrigstad and Hoedspruit, where the road winds through the Manoutsa section of the Limpopo Drakensberg Mountains. The views at this time of year are beyond breathtaking – the air washed clean by afternoon thunderstorms, the rocks golden and the vegetation verdant. One dares not take one’s eyes off the road for more than a split second, but there are plenty of places to stop and take in the vista.
As I weave the tight corners that negotiate the precipitous decline, I always feel a sense of peace, as though a weight has been lifted – the magic of the wild. Below me, the Olifants River snakes its way through the bushveld, which stretches as far as the eye can see. To a now bush-starved city-slicker like myself, it is such a joy to know that the bush will always be there, waiting for me to return…
And the wild will await your return as well when the time comes to travel to Africa once again. Because nothing can match the miraculous effect that it has upon the soul.
• If this awesome video does not get you in a safari mood, nothing will! For the BEST PRICES at these and other lodges visit our travel & conservation club via your mobile phone app or desktop and search under ‘lodges’
• CEO choice: Simon loves this glamping safari because there is enough comfort to chillax but not so much that you feel disconnected
DID YOU KNOW:Heaviest wood in the world? The black ironwood tree Olea capensis, found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. One meter weighs roughly 1,300kg. The wood sinks in water, unlike other wood
My name is Luka, and I am ten years old. I was lucky to recently spend ten days of my school holidays in Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa – where I spent the first eight years of my life. My mom was a guide in Madikwe, and I had my first game drive when I was just days old. Some of my story here is about dead animals, which can be upsetting. But I have lived in the bushveld for most of my life, and I am used to seeing dead animals.
It was go-go-go from the first morning I woke up! An early start with my ranger friend who I was staying with for the first while. We headed off on patrol to check the anti-poaching cameras. Mostly, this means checking and replacing batteries and fixing any cameras that animals have damaged. We found one camera with a cracked screen from an elephant tusk. After about five hours of checking cameras, it was time to head back home for some banana bread – yum yum.
Early the following morning, one of the Madikwe guides radioed that he had found a dead lion. It was the big male, Monamogolo (this means ‘old man’ in English). He was the biggest and most dominant of the Madikwe lions.
We immediately drove to the carcass. The first thing we noticed was the awful smell….worse than rotten eggs! He had probably been dead for about four to five days.
The male lion killed by other lions
We had to do a post-mortem to find out what caused the lion’s death. Only the head and the front legs were still there; hyenas must have eaten the rest. There was a broken bone in the neck from a hyena, but the clue that the cause of death was other lions came from the facial bites. We could see the tooth marks on the skull. It seemed as if the lionesses of the Jamala pride killed the old male. Monamogolo had killed three of their cubs before he died (they weren’t his cubs).
The lionesses didn’t kill him straight away but rather fought with him and then left him to die. It was weird there were no bite marks on the neck. This is where you would expect to find killing bites. Also interesting to me was that there were no injuries or cuts on the lionesses, which we bumped into later. We removed the head and paws of the lion to prevent poachers from getting hold of them and trying to sell them.
Enjoying an elephant sighting during our coffee break – glad our vehicle was just behind me
Two hours later, we received a call about a badly injured rhino bull that had been in a fight with another bull. We met up with the vet and went to the location of the injured rhino. Luckily we found the rhino easily and didn’t need to call in a chopper to look for him. The vet carefully approached the rhino on foot and successfully darted him. After the drugs took effect, we gave him some medication for his injuries. It seems the other bull hooked and stabbed the injured one behind his front legs and around his scrotum! We then drilled into his horn and inserted a microchip. The vet gave him the antidote to wake up, and then the bull peacefully went back into the bush.
It was a hectic and exciting day that I will never forget.
This is me, Luka, helping with the injured white rhino bull
The next day I went to a lodge on the western side of the game reserve for a couple of days. On the first day, we had to do the shop run to a tiny town called Derdepoort. I went with my two ranger friends. On the way, we got a call to shoot a zebra to feed some male lions in the boma. (Editors note: These boma lions are part of a project to maintain the Madikwe lion population’s genetic diversity. They will be released into the reserve when they have habituated sufficiently. The bomas do not contain any other animals, and food is provided for the lions). We searched for about three hours to find a suitably sized stallion. After loading the zebra on the back of the car, we headed to the boma.
When we dropped the carcass off the back, the lions fought over the meat. The youngest male seemed to be confused about what the zebra was and played with it for about 20 minutes. These are new lions, two young males and an older lion that will be released into Madikwe, hopefully as a coalition. This will also be good for the park seeing that one of their biggest lions has just died.
Me and my guide Evan
My next stop was more relaxing – a private lodge on the eastern side of the reserve. We enjoyed some nice game drives and relaxation after all the conservation work we had done. We were with an excellent and experienced guide – Evan. I had a lovely time with him as we got on very well. Evan is a very interesting guy, and there was so much to see. We had elephant dung tea, rubbed our backs on rhino rubbing posts and ate VERY nice game drive snacks. We also found two lionesses one morning. One of them had blood on her face. We followed, and it turned out they were on their way to fetch their cubs. With the cubs following them, they led us to a fresh kudu carcass.
It was nice to visit Madikwe again, and to remember the places I have memories of. I will visit again – hopefully often.
A large nomad lion has settled in the remote Zinave National Park, Mozambique, and there is evidence that a lioness has joined him. This extraordinary story of Africa’s apex predator recolonizing a former range is being hailed as a conservation success story.
This park was ravaged during the Mozambique civil war that ended in 1992 and subsequent poaching. Then, ten years ago, an intensive restoration and rewilding programme was launched. The inspirational programme included reintroducing more than 2,300 wild animals (14 species) – including 200 elephants – into a sanctuary within the national park.
A camera trap recently captured the image of this large lion which has since settled in the park, along with his female companion. The photographed lion is a young adult male estimated at 4 to 5 years of age. Male lions are usually pushed out of a pride at between 2 and 3 years old, becoming nomadic and attempting to establish their own territories and prides. The image was taken on a camera trap set up by park warden, Antonio Abacar. The camera trap was set up near the sanctuary fence close to one of the entry gates. Momentarily startled by the flash, the lion charged the source of the disturbance and broke the camera, but fortunately, the memory card remained intact, and the photograph was retrieved.
The first lion to roam Zinave National Park – Mozambique – in 30 years
Incidentally, this momentous occasion comes amid an exciting new phase in Zinave’s translocation programme – the introduction of predators. A clan of four spotted hyenas were settled into the park at the end of 2020 and have already produced two cubs. Two leopards, male and female, were successfully introduced in late 2021.
The populations of reintroduced herbivores have already blossomed to more than 9 000 animals, rapidly restoring the ecological balance in the park and attracting the first free-roaming lions.
Bernard van Lente, Peace Parks Foundation’s Project Manager for Zinave National Park, explains that: “With the abundant prey and safe environment available, the fact that the park can sustain large carnivores is very encouraging, and it will not be too surprising if more lion, leopard, wild dog / African painted wolf and cheetah start to make sporadic appearances, over and above the carnivores that are set for reintroduction in the coming years.”
The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park; including Zinave NP (top right)
Zinave National Park is the easternmost anchor park of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA), which also comprises Banhine and Limpopo national parks in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and various other state and privately-owned conservation areas across the three countries. Wildlife monitoring has shown that multiple species, including lions, elephants, and wild dogs, use this crucial cross-border migration route to access water, food, and breeding grounds through the ecological corridors connecting the different conservation areas.
With the assistance of several donors, the reintroduction programme has been accelerated under a 20-year co-management agreement signed in 2015 between Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) and Peace Parks Foundation, with the eventual goal of rewilding the entire 408,000 ha park and developing it to sustain its operating costs through ecotourism.
The last hundred years have seen lions disappearing from up to 95% of their historic range. Over 200,000 lions once roamed across Africa’s wild places; now, only an estimated 23,000 to 39,000 mature individuals remain due to habitat destruction, human-wildlife conflict, poaching and poisoning.
Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early/late or a few kilometres off course, and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity?
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The roads alternate between thick sand and clay that turns into sludge during the short rainy season. Phone signal is non-existent, and visitor density is extremely low, so it is not uncommon to spend the day exploring without seeing another soul. The northern section of the park tends to be slightly busier and offers greater concentrations of wildlife. This may all sound somewhat intimidating, but the result is more than worth the effort. This is, without doubt, one of the wildest parts of Southern Africa. The immersion in nature is absolute, and it is pretty easy to imagine one has this wilderness entirely to oneself. 
