The “Biology, Behaviour, Evolution and Conservation of the Coelacanth Population from iSimangaliso Wetland Park” is a project that includes the satellite tagging and monitoring of coelacanths in the world heritage site; that extremely rare and remarkable species of fish found in the deepest offshore canyons of the Sodwana Bay section of the park. The coelacanth, previously thought to have gone extinct, was discovered at iSimangaliso in 2000. Written by: Dr Kerry Sink
On the 8th of February 2014, a data-logging satellite tag was recovered offshore at Sodwana Bay. The tag released itself, as programmed, nine months after attachment and is identified as having been attached to ‘Individual 26’, fondly known as “Eric Eyelashes” after the diver who first photographed it, and referring to the eyelash-like white markings around its eye. The coelacanth, the 26th of 32 known individuals, had been tagged by a team of divers during a six week collaborative coelacanth research expedition on the 13th of May 2013.
The tag emerged about 12km north of the position where it was placed onto the fish, extending the known range of coelacanth distribution in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park by approximately 7km to a total range of approximately 60km. According to iSimangaliso CEO Andrew Zaloumis, the recovery of the tag and subsequent data retrieval is “exciting news for the park and its researchers, as this will add a tremendous amount to what we know about this elusive denizen of iSimangaliso. This tagging study is the first time that longer term data on coelacanth movement has ever been collected. The tag transmits summarised data via satellite and stores scientific information, the retrieval of which is critical to access the full set of scientific data.”
The tag is designed to continuously collect environmental data that can inform scientists about depth, position and temperature. Once the full set of data is retrieved detailed information on the behaviour and habitat of this coelacanth should be available. Scientists and divers are particularly excited to see the depth data to assess whether coelacanths move into deeper water particularly when temperature increases. Coelacanths have a relatively small gill surface area for their large body size and their blood physiology is reported to be adapted to cooler water.
Coelacanths are considered critically endangered and consequently iSimangaliso only permitted the tagging of only one animal. The tagging was an experimental move as there was a high possibility that the tag would release in a cave and not reach the surface or that it would release into the open water but not be found.
The tag will offer new insights into the movement, activity periods and diving behaviour of this coelacanth. Each coelacanth is uniquely marked and recorded in a Catalogue of Living Coelacanths of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Pressure, light intensity and sea temperature data will help determine when the coelacanth entered and left caves, diving behaviour or movement inshore and along shore movements over longer distances. This is the very first time that such data has been collected over such a long period and may reveal tidal, lunar or seasonal patterns in behaviour. More information on the thermal range and maximum and minimum depth of iSimangaliso’s coelacanths is also expected. This data can be used to guide coelacanth searches in the future.
The coelacanth has a history of surprise from its initial discovery after millions of years of presumed extinction to new insights into reproduction, evolution and distribution. There is likely at least one new coelacanth secret stored in the little grey tag.
Three weeks ago Zambia’s government gave the go ahead for Australian mining and exploration company, Zambezi Resources, to mine Lower Zambezi National Park for copper. Environmental groups challenged the decision and for now it is under review. When I phoned Zambezi Resources for comment I shouldn’t have been surprised to hear a voice recording saying: “访问被阻止 请稍后重试.”
Zambia’s main export partner is China accounting for most of its copper, cobalt, tobacco and cotton. Chinese investment in the country is considerable at over US$ 2.5 billion – not enough to afford Whatsapp, but that would require Zambia’s entire GDP with only a billion left to spare.
Chinese companies run more than 2 000 enterprises in Africa and 500 of them are in Zambia. It’s estimated that more than 80 000 Chinese immigrants live in Zambia encouraged by a 2008 development in which a tax free zone was established for Chinese investors.
The ministry of education has introduced Chinese language in some schools and Chinese culture permeates life in the capital of Lusaka, a notable architectural feature being a large Pagoda housing The Great Wall Casino. The gambling overflow heads to the nearby New Buffalo Casino and as African as the name sounds the punters are mainly from the country once referred to as the Sleeping Dragon. But what does an Australian mining company have to do with all this?
Despite the recession in 2008 mining experienced a boom fuelled by Chinese and Indian growth. Not only have Australian companies benefitted from mining on their own continent, but they have increased their expansion into Africa in order to capitalise on the demand. China often invests in Africa without the conditions attached to Western finance and if foreign companies collaborate with the Chinese in Africa it smooths development. It helps especially if the minerals are heading to China.
“Access is currently blocked, please try again later,” was the English translation that followed the Zambezi Resources telephone recording. I was angling for a comment from company chairman, David Vilensky, on the injunction prohibiting his company from developing the mine. I wasn’t surprised the line was blocked and assumed they had been inundated with calls.
It was a very different affair three weeks previously when Zambia’s Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection made the questionable decision to overturn a negative Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the proposed mining project known as the Kangaluwi Copper Project.
One of the critics of the mining project is Zambia’s Tourism and Arts Minister, Slyvia Masebo. She said her Ministry feels that the project should not go ahead because it will put the existence of the Lower Zambezi National Park at risk. Breaking it down in monetary terms, she said, “Government risks losing safari fees amounting to over K84 million and photographic revenue amounting to over K9 million if the mine is allowed to exist.” She is on shaky ground as this amounts to just US$16 million when the Australian company plans to invest more than US$450 million in the project. And as we all know, money tends to cloud any issues in Africa.
The key issue is the potential environmental impact. Lower Zambezi National Park ranks as Zambia’s third most renowned national park after South Luangwa and Kafue. It covers an area of 4 000 square kilometres with it’s southern boundary along the Zambezi River. On the opposite bank is the famous World Heritage Site, Mana Pools National Park and Lower Zambezi is itself in consideration for World Heritage status. Chances are this would fall away if mining commenced.
“Protecting – and indeed enhancing flora and fauna,” Vilensky
Lower Zambezi is a relatively underdeveloped park with limited access. Most of the lodges are located along the Zambezi shore. But this underdevelopment means the flora and fauna remain largely undisturbed, a distinct advantage in terms of environmental preservation.
An open pit copper mine would seriously affect this. Advocates of the mining operation argue that it would take up just 6% of the park and actually increase tourism because of improved access by road. “We share the concerns of those who have so vocally expressed their opposition to the project,” said David Vilensky in a statement. “For this reason, we are keen to engage with local environmentalists to ensure we can achieve a win-win situation: bringing jobs and prosperity to local communities while protecting – and indeed enhancing – the flora and fauna of the area.”
Vilensky must take environmentalists for fools. How they could possibly enhance and protect flora and fauna is a mystery that is counter to the very concept of mining. One can only imagine improved road access and subsequent increase in tourist revenue is where the proposed enhancement would come from. If so Vilensky is glossing over the negative factors.
Better road access for tourists also means better access for poachers and people from marginalised communities who turn Zambian trees into charcoal in order to eke out an existence. Deforestation due to charcoal manufacture is a major problem in Zambia. Thousands of poor communities can be found along Zambian roads which they use to access woodland and get charcoal to buyers. They bare testament to the misappropriation of Zambian revenue and negate any promise of money from this copper mine benefitting the Zambian people.
Vilensky issued the statement. “Kangaluwi Copper Project will be the cleanest, greenest and safest copper mine ever built, probably anywhere in the world, applying the world’s best practices and technology. Zambezi Resources is a responsible Australian company and understands the importance of conserving the environment, particularly in a sensitive area such as the Lower Zambezi National Park.”
But this can been brought into question. Where developers say the mine will be located on an escarpment 35 kilometers away from the Zambezi, scientist Dr Kellie Leigh, who worked in the area for seven years, says the site is actually 19 kilometres from the river and inside the river’s catchment area. “More importantly, that 19 kilometre distance is meaningless since the identified General Mining Activity Area, in their EIS (Environmental Impact Statement), is less than 1 kilometre from the Chakwenga river and Kangaluwi stream, both of which they identify in their EIS as draining the project site and both of which flow into the Zambezi,” says Leigh.
Australian mining record sullied
Advocates of the project say Australian mining practices are among the most ethical in the world, but their record in Africa and on their own continent is sullied. The very principle of mining in a national park might seem inexplicable to many, but Australia’s Kakadu National Park is also home to the Ranger uranium mine where more than 150 leaks, spills and licence breaches have been reported since it opened in 1981.
A result of Australia’s Asian inspired mining boom is the expansion of the Abbot Point shipping port for exporting coal. To expand the port, millions of tons of sediment are to be dredged and dumped inside the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The dredging project has been given the green light by the Australian government.
One of the most significant recent developments in coal production is in the Tete province of Mozambique. The area is reputed to have the largest reserves of coal in the world estimated at almost 7 billion tons. You only need travel along the province’s roads to see the devastation mining has on the environment and communities.
Practices by foreign mining companies in Tete, including Anglo-Australian giant, Rio Tinto, have been brought into question. NGO Southern African Resource Watch highlighted concerns about the way they were relocating Mozambican communities to make way for coal projects – sometimes over 40km from the main road. Among the concerns was insufficient land allocated to communities for sustainable farming and the sometimes requisition of land already claimed by communities.
Underdeveloped and corrupt governance
Ultimately the influences of foreign industry on communities and environment in Africa should be policed by local governments. But its hard to do that with underdeveloped and corrupt governance and the communities affected lack the knowledge and access to information that can help them decide what’s in their best interest and what action to take.
We should applaud foreign development in Africa, it’s just that so much of it is stacked on trucks heading for sea ports. Newly built Chinese roads in Zambia, Tanzania and Mozambique are giving way under the weight of copper and coal and the trees on either side are vanishing as the people who are meant to benefit can do little more than watch the promises disappear, and scavenge wood for charcoal.
Money talks, and so do African governments. They talk of great benefits to nations. These voices reach the people, but the benefits seldom do. The only voice I hear right now is a Chinese recording. Let’s hope the voice that emerges from the injunction is one of sound judgement and reason.
The sun reaches its apex as the faint familiar gurgle of water over rock greets my ears. It has been a hot and thorny hike up the kloof through pathless fynbos. Before that, a long and sweaty drive through townships and farmlands, and before that, the incessant clockwork hum of modern-day city life. But now, having finally arrived at the water’s edge and the home of special fish, a different kind of rhythm starts to take over.
I pause for long enough to breathe it in and then allow my body to free fall. A thunderous splash, and then silence. I open my eyes and peer through the goggles, swimming deeper down, down into darkness. I grab hold of a rock the size of a rugby ball, flip over onto my back and peer up at the silhouette that starts to take shape above. Just the cool swirling of water at first, but as the debris settles the shapes begin to move. Appearing from nowhere and from everywhere, clusters then swarms of them start dancing, weaving and frolicking through the strings of silvery bubbles. They are the redfin minnows, the spirits of these mountains. I close my eyes, let go and savour the weightlessness that lifts me gently up, up back towards the light.
Redfin minnows swimming freely in their natural habitat
This river is not like other rivers. This is one of the last large rivers in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), at the south-western tip of Africa, where native fish still swim free and untroubled, as they have done for millions and millions of years. A few hundred meters downstream there is a small waterfall, and below that there are no minnows, only introduced bass. Brought here from the northern hemisphere a century ago to provide fishermen with a respectable quarry, predatory non-native fishes like bass and trout have invaded countless rivers and pose the single greatest threat to remaining indigenous fish populations in the CFR.
A rainbow trout in a Cape mountain stream – a beautiful fish, but also an aggressive predator
All of the 12 species of redfin minnow, the most widespread group of freshwater fishes in the CFR, are endemic, and nine of these species face a serious risk of extinction. Redfin minnows evolved in the absence of large predatory fish and consequently have not developed adaptations necessary to cope with this new predatory threat. It appears that their naiveté in the presence of invasive predators renders them especially vulnerable to predation and has contributed to their rapid disappearance from many of the region’s streams.
The fate of the fynbos fish now lies in our hands. We need to focus on safeguarding the remaining populations against further devastation. To achieve this there must be a concerted effort to prevent new alien fish introductions above the waterfalls and weirs that function as barriers, especially in places where critically endangered species occur upstream. To this end, there is an urgent need to boost education and awareness around the issue of freshwater fish conservation in the CFR, and the recently launched Cape Critical Rivers project is an encouraging step in the right direction. Supported by the international Save Our Species campaign, the CCR project is working with land owners and other stake holders to protect two of the CFR’s most threatened freshwater fishes – the Clanwilliam sandfish and the Barrydale redfin.
In some cases native species have been reduced to such small sections of river that they will unlikely be able to cope with future environmental changes. In such situations the chances of a species surviving can be greatly improved by increasing habitat through the clearing of alien fishes from a section of river. A recent and exciting project coordinated by local conservation agency CapeNature has demonstrated that alien fish can be successfully eradicated, and that this conservation tool can be extremely effective in reeling our threatened fish species back from the edge of extinction. Unfortunately, management interventions like this do not come cheap, and with several species still on shaky ground, our work in this area is far from done.
Professors Peter Ryan and Graeme Cumming form the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology (University of Cape Town) marvelling at swarms of redfin in the Witte River, Bainskloof
In just one lifetime our freshwater fishes have disappeared from the vast majority of their natural habitat, but the damage has been done underwater in remote mountainous areas that fall out of site of the public eye. It is now time for us to stand up, take notice and fight on behalf of these ancient, silent creatures of the streams.
We do not get a second chance. If we get the economics of rhino trading wrong all the rhinos 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.
Let’s look at the economics. Pro-traders argue that the supply of rhino horn can equal demand through free-trade pricing. This may work for large, visible items like Ferraris, but it has not worked for other consumer goods where counterfeiters thrive and expand markets by attracting new buyers by selling goods at discounted prices.
With the real cost of obtaining a rhino horn being a little above the cost of a bullet and a hacksaw, there will always be too much of a price difference between the legal selling price of rhino horn and the cost of poaching that horn. To assume that free-trade pricing economics will stem demand and solve the poaching crisis is nonsense when criminal syndicates can expand markets by supplying discounted goods and perverting the legal market.
The pro-trade price theory simply has not been proven – it is pure conjecture – nor does it take into account the massive potential size of the market. What if the demand for rhino horn is much greater than the supply? With close to a billion potential Asian consumers, this could easily become a reality, especially when criminal syndicates can induce increased demand by selling at prices below those set by the central selling organisation. Then what? The horns of just 25 000 rhinos simply cannot satisfy the demand from just a few million Asian consumers.
Pro-traders cite examples of ostriches, crocodiles, and vicuñas as successes that rhino policies must copy to ensure rhino survival. These are not comparable examples as ostriches etc., breed quickly, and none show the same scarcity levels based on values attached to body parts. Tigers and elephants do, and we’ve seen what trade in their parts has done to wild populations. If trading was the simple answer for all wildlife crises, why don’t we breed and trade tigers (or wild dogs) out of their critical status?
The pro-traders propose that the way to conduct rhino sales is via a De Beers-type Central Selling Organisation (CSO). Many economists out there’ll tell you how cartels serve only their own narrow interests (rhino breeders?) rather than the majority of stakeholders. The De Beers CSO made money for their vested interests but, in the process, certainly didn’t stop ‘blood diamonds’ or illegal parallel markets. Well-organised criminal syndicates will find loopholes around a rhino-horn CSO, providing a legal platform to launder illegal horn. And, will our authorities really be able to run a sophisticated CSO system?
But here’s the crux of the matter. Current international legislation clearly states that there can be no trade in rhino horn. The onus, therefore, must be on the pro-trade lobby to prove that rhino horn trading will unequivocally work, that changing the laws will not be detrimental to rhino populations and will largely do away with poaching and illegal trade. This has not yet been proven, and current pro-trade modelling glosses over these vital areas by making basic assumptions.
We also need to factor in that South Africa has little chance of getting any application for approved seller status through CITES in the foreseeable future. The earliest SA can submit such a proposal for change is 2016, and this merely sets in motion a whole range of bureaucratic procedures and legislative measures. Any change then requires a 75% majority – highly unlikely considering our current administrative malaise – and many more years will be wasted to implement.
With this protracted process in mind, I’m surprised that SA has no ‘Plan B’ because it will need one. My suggestion is that all sides get together and create a strategy that’s a wide-ranging, multi-faceted approach covering the entire scope of the crisis to ensure that rhinos have a chance of surviving in the wild. Here are suggestions (over and above those that are already work in progress):
• To stem the poaching avalanche, we declare all forms of trade in rhino products illegal. This means we must switch mindsets from creating value from rhinos to minimising or, even better, taking away all their value to save them in the wild. It’s a big ask for pro-traders to change mindsets, but the horn must become worthless for rhinos to survive in the wild.
• Very little has been done to target the middleman. They’re the poaching syndicate’s weakest link. Middlemen pay poachers to kill rhinos, and they export the horns. There can’t be too many of them, and some are not hard to spot. Without them, the whole poaching chain would start to implode. Communities will give information if the rewards for poaching information are greater than what they earn from poaching. Lifestyle audits etc will assist. There are laws in Mozambique that allow assets to be confiscated. There are reputable people with the necessary skills, expertise and contacts who are prepared to tackle this problem if given the go-ahead and budget.
• South Africa’s tourism and wildlife policies have often not sufficiently included rural communities living alongside national parks in their business models, and it is from these communities that many poachers emerge. Our wildlife areas are surrounded by rapidly increasing rural populations and extreme poverty. Innovative policies and plans must be put into place to integrate communities into the tourism and wildlife industry’s business models. So long as these neighbouring communities remain marginalised, they’ll seek to claim wildlife, either in their cooking pots or through illicit activities.
To redress this, I propose the creation of a “Natural Capital Fund” to:
1. bolster conservation and anti-poaching work,
2. remunerate and uplift communities who live alongside parks and reserves
3. pay for information leading to the arrest of the middlemen and poachers.
• The South African tourism industry generates well over R100 billion a year. I propose that a 1% levy is charged on all tourism accommodation and related services to support this “Natural Capital Fund”. This could generate as much as R1 billion a year. Getting tourism industry buy-in would take some persuasion, but it’s possible if there was leadership. In my experience, tourists do not mind paying a small levy if they know it’s going to a worthy cause. The funds could be distributed through an impartial and respectable NGO so that the money is spent wisely and accounted for.
• Elevate the crisis to a presidential priority level with Mozambique, Vietnam and China to speed up agreements and implement effective policies.
• We need an Elon Musk/Steve Jobs type of left-field thinking to ensure technology is created to help monitor and protect vast wildernesses such as Kruger.
Some pro-traders concede that their policies may result in rhinos becoming extinct in the wild and only found on small, well-protected farms. Is this what we all want?
The bottom line is: which is the safer bet – testing the insatiability of market demand, or creating an effective Plan B with no trade, ensuring that rhinos survive in the wild? We cannot risk rhinos becoming extinct in the wild and South Africa becoming merely a “Big 4” tourism destination through high-risk economic policies. How many jobs will be lost if that happens?
The lives of parrots and people have been intimately entwined for centuries, if not millennia. Given the familiarity of many of us with some of Africa’s parrots, it may come as a surprise that we still know so little about their lives in the wild. The World Parrot Trust is working hard to improve the understanding and conservation of these very special birds, and 2014 sees a ramping up of their Africa Conservation Programme, but they need your support.
Globally parrots are one of the most threatened of all bird families. Their popularity as pets and tendency to roost and feed together in large groups has left them vulnerable to trapping. In addition, the reliance of many species on large mature trees in which they roost, feed and nest makes them highly susceptible to forest loss. Rates of forest loss in parts of Africa are among the world’s highest.
Some of Africa’s parrots have the dubious distinction of having been among the most traded of all bird species listed under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora). Africa’s lovebirds and species, such as African grey and Senegal parrots, are among the most popular pet birds. Many of us have been up close to these parrots in captivity and have been enchanted by their personalities. They feature prominently in popular culture and are among the first birds many children encounter in storybooks. Indeed, it was an African grey parrot that taught Dr Doolittle how to talk to the animals!
Given our fascination with these birds and the threats they face, the dearth of information on wild populations is surprising. Some species trapped in the highest numbers have not been the focus of a single field study, and no long-term monitoring initiatives exist. The unenviable task of determining whether trapping could be sustainable can be little better than educated guesswork. Recent efforts to address this shortfall have begun to fill in some of the knowledge gaps, but there remains much to be done.
Over the past decade or so, there has been a large increase in the number of field studies on African parrots, with projects focused on Lillian’s lovebirds in Malawi, black-cheeked lovebirds in Zambia, Rüppell’s parrots in Namibia, Meyer’s parrots in Botswana, grey parrots in Cameroon and brown-necked, grey-headed and Cape parrots as well as rosy-faced lovebirds in South Africa. We now know much more about the ecology of these parrots, with information on the nest characteristics, diets, flocking behaviour and vocalisations of many. Despite these advances, there has been a strong geographical bias in research efforts, with parrots outside southern Africa receiving little attention.
Some species, such as Niam-niam parrots and Swindern’s lovebirds, are almost unknown, and our knowledge of their distribution remains little more than loosely drawn circles on a map. For other species, we know enough to be concerned. More research should go hand-in-hand with conservation actions to address likely threats. Yellow-fronted parrots, for example, are restricted to Ethiopia’s remaining fragments of Afromontane forests. Actions to address the degradation of their habitat should be complemented by research into limits on populations and current distribution. While more research and monitoring will enable conservation actions to be refined and improved, waiting until we have all the answers may mean we wait too long.
The World Parrot Trust has been supporting parrot conservation in Africa for many years and has been involved in landmark projects across the continent, such as the recent release by Jane Goodall of a group of African grey parrots back into the wild in Uganda. 2014 marks an increased focus on the special parrots of Africa, with new projects starting in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia and Uganda. The World Parrot Trust is currently raising funds to support these efforts, with all donations made up until the 31st of January being matched by some very generous donors. Visit their website to find out more about the work of the World Parrot Trust and what you can do to help.
Baboon spider! The name conjures up images of giant, hairy, eight-legged creatures that could be the stuff of nightmares or cheesy Hollywood horror movies. But to the contrary, baboon spiders are placid, enigmatic animals that would rather keep to themselves than risk an encounter with human beings. And believe it or not, some people are fascinated by them…
Baboon spiders are African tarantulas. They belong to a primitive group of spiders called the mygalomorphs, which also includes trapdoor spiders and several other families. The group is characterised by possessing downward striking fangs and two pairs of lungs. The spiders that most of us are familiar with; rain spiders, wolf spiders, jumping spiders, and crab spiders, belong to the more advanced group, the araneomorphs, which have opposing, pincer-like fangs and one pair of book lungs.
The distinguishing characteristic of baboon spiders is their size. They can reach a leg span of 12-15cm. Some other spiders, such as rain spiders or tropical wolf spiders, can rival this but baboon spiders are much stockier heavier animals. It is uncertain how they got their name, but it probably relates to their large, hairy appearance. The other theory is that the soft, sticky pads they have on their legs, which they use to climb smooth surfaces and grip prey, resemble the pads on a baboon’s fingers.
Baboon spiders will feed on anything they can kill. This includes a range of insects and other invertebrates, such as beetles, grasshoppers and crickets, millipedes, and even scorpions. They will also occasionally take small vertebrates like geckos or even rodents. They are the prey for a range of animals, including birds, lizards and mongooses. They have developed several interesting defence mechanisms to protect themselves. When threatened, they will raise up their front legs and body and strike aggressively at an antagonist. Many species possess special feathery structures on their mouthparts, called scopulae, which they rub together to produce a hissing sound. A hissing, striking spider can be a formidable sight.
Despite their posturing, baboon spiders are harmless to humans. They have long fangs, and they do possess large venom glands, but the bite is only painful; it causes no systemic symptoms. Furthermore, encounters with baboon spiders are rare. They prefer to live in natural habitats and rarely come into people’s gardens and houses.
So why a blog post about baboon spiders? The answer is simple, we want you, the reader, to help with baboon spider research and conservation. Last year the Animal Demography Unit launched SpiderMAP; a new Virtual Museum project to gather photographic records of African spiders, and baboon spiders in particular. Knowing the geographic distribution range of a species is critical to understanding its conservation status, habitat requirements, and impacts by humans and climate change. But for many animals, and particularly invertebrates like insects and spiders, we often only have a vague idea of the species’ geographic range. The Virtual Museum allows members of the general public to contribute to discovering species’ geographic ranges by submitting photographs of animals they see in the wild, along with precise GPS coordinates of where the animal was seen, to an online database. These records accumulate over time and gradually build a picture of the geographic range. The Animal Demography Unit has had great success with initiatives, producing authoritative publications on distributions for birds, reptiles, frogs, and butterflies. We hope to do the same for baboon spiders.
Baboon spiders are long-lived animals, with females living for as long as 15 years in the wild. They are threatened by habitat destruction and over-collecting for the pet trade. If you see a baboon spider in the wild, take a photo and submit it to the Virtual Museum. You can visit the Virtual Museum here or click here to learn more about baboon spiders.
Information provided by: Save Our Seas Conservation Media Unit
A quarter of the world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, with ray species found to be at a higher risk than sharks. The findings are part of the first-ever global analysis for these species carried out by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG).
The study was published in the journal eLife. It is the culmination of years of collaboration between 306 experts from 64 countries around the world who volunteered their time and expertise at numerous workshops and by correspondence to analyse the conservation status of all 1 041 shark, ray and chimaera species. This has never been done before for any complete major marine taxonomic group.
The results paint an ominous picture for the chondrichthyan fishes (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) around the world. Only 23% of these species are considered safe from extinction. This makes them the most threatened group of vertebrate animals. This is particularly alarming considering the huge ecological value of these predators, which play a crucial role in the functioning of marine food webs.
“Sharks, rays, and chimaeras tend to grow slowly and produce few young, which leaves them particularly vulnerable to over-fishing,” says Sonja Fordham, President of the Washington, DC-based Shark Advocates International, a project sponsored by the Save Our Seas Foundation. “Significant policy strides have been made over the last two decades but effective conservation requires a dramatic acceleration in pace as well as an expansion of scope to include all shapes and sizes of these exceptional species. Our analysis clearly demonstrates that the need for such action is urgent.”
The paper also highlights the urgent need for the protection of skates and rays, which has previously been overlooked by conservation groups.
“Surprisingly, we have found that the rays, including sawfish, guitarfish, stingrays, and wedgefish, are generally worse off than the sharks, with five out of the seven most threatened families made up of rays,” says Dr. Colin Simpfendorfer, IUCN SSG Co-Chair. “While public, media and government attention to the plight of sharks is growing, the widespread depletion of rays is largely unnoticed. Conservation action for rays is lagging far behind, which only heightens our concern for this species group.”
Globally, the regions of most concern are the Indo-Pacific biodiversity triangle, as well as the Red and Mediterranean Seas, which border the African continent. In general, chondrichthyans found off the coast of Africa are faring badly. 24% of African species are threatened, compared with the global average of 17.4%. 18% are near threatened, which is 5.3% higher than the global figure.
The good news is that we are reasonably well informed about African chondrichthyans. Data deficient species are relatively low, at 38%, compared with the global total of 46.8%. This means that most African nations are better placed to make informed management decisions in an especially species-rich region. The Mozambique Channel, is one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots for many coastal and pelagic species.
Of particular concern is the high number of threatened endemic species in African waters. These animals have a very restricted distribution range and, once lost, cannot be replaced by immigration from populations elsewhere. The critically endangered ornate sleeper ray for example, was first named in 2007 and has only been spotted a handful of times, along a 310km short stretch of coast between KwaZulu Natal and the Eastern Cape.
“Threatened endemics pose a serious management challenge, particularly when they occupy a very limited habitat and depth range,” says Sarah Fowler, Save Our Seas Foundation Principal Scientist (and past IUCN Shark Specialist Group Chair and leader of the Shark Red List Assessment). Several of the southern African endemics, mostly small colourful species of sharks and rays, are threatened with extinction because their entire distribution is fished intensively, but have received very little conservation attention.”
In November last year, the South African National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks was announced. This is essentially the national shark conservation guidebook. It provides information on the status of chondrichthyans in South Africa and examines how best to manage shark fishing and the trade of shark products in the South African context. Conservation plans like these, informed by Red List assessments, are crucial for the continued existence of sharks, rays and chimaeras and healthy functioning of marine ecosystems.
“If we keep going as we are, then there is a real risk that sharks and rays will be as mythical as krakens and seamonsters to our grandchildren. Declines can be, and have been arrested; sharks and rays can be saved. We know what to do, and this is laid out in the paper and the reports of the Shark Specialist Group,” says Dr Nick Dulvy, Save Our Seas Foundation Funded Researcher and IUCN SSG Co-Chair.
Two lion cubs have been sighted in Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia, significantly marking the first birth of lion cubs in the park for well over 10 years. They were born to the protégé of the park’s famous lioness known as Lady Liuwa.
It is believed that this is the lioness’s second set of cubs and that she probably lost her first set due to inexperience. The father of the cubs is the park’s only male lion. The lioness has hidden her new cubs in thick bush, making it difficult to photograph them.
For more than nine years Lady Liuwa was a solitary, lonely lioness roaming the grassy plains of the park in search of fellow felines with whom to mate and hunt, the sole survivor after massive poaching and illegal trophy hunting wiped out the species in the park in the 1990s. The extraordinary story of how she turned to humans for companionship and how the conservation team at Liuwa Plain National Park helped to find her a family became one of the most moving wildlife films of all time.
Lady Liuwa has dedicated social media profiles and has also featured prominently in the international media. Lady Liuwa’s protégé, the mother of the two newly born cubs, was one of two young females introduced from Kafue National Park in 2011. Her sister was killed by a snare in 2012, and she, probably traumatised by this event, ran away towards Angola. In a dramatic rescue mission, she was darted, airlifted back to the park, and placed in a fenced boma.
African Parks then decided to place Lady Liuwa in the boma to encourage the two lionesses to bond. After two months, the two lionesses were released back into the wilds and have since been inseparable.
Two male lions, which were introduced to Liuwa from Kafue in 2009, also headed towards Angola in mid-2012, and one was reportedly shot dead by villagers in Angola. His companion, who made it safely back to Liuwa, is now the resident male in the pride and father of the two new cubs.
“We are overjoyed to have sighted the cubs and will closely monitor the new offspring to minimise threats to them,” said Liuwa Park manager, Raquel Filgueiras. “The birth of the cubs will help safeguard the future of lions in Liuwa and strengthen the park’s tourism offering. It is an event in which all stakeholders including ZAWA, the BRE (Barotse Royal Establishment), the Liuwa communities and the park itself, can be proud.”
Most Westerners know that the medicinal properties of rhino horn are nothing but an ancient Eastern myth. But poachers are decimating the rhino population as Asia’s demand for horn grows and illegal trade expands. There’s now pressure to legalise the trade and farm rhinos. The argument is that by saturating the market with rhino horn, value and demand will fall. On the surface, this might appear sensible, but there are lessons we can learn from a Western myth fabricated just eighty years ago.
Once the privilege of royalty and aristocrats, by the 1930s, diamonds were being sold to those of far more modest means thanks to De Beers diamond company and their advertising agency, N.W Ayer & Son. As the USA emerged from the depression, De Beers approached Ayer to create demand for their product. Based on a few examples set by European royalty, the advertising persuaded average Americans that a worthy man should give a diamond ring to his betrothed.
Diamonds had never harboured romantic connotations; they had always been considered symbols of privilege and wealth. Yet the campaign caught the American imagination, and the diamond’s association with romance grew. They exploited the exciting new medium of film by weaving diamonds into romantic Hollywood scenes and flaunting them on the fingers of the stars. The slogan Diamonds are Forever was spawned, instilling a sense of lasting romance while dissuading people from selling the rocks and flooding the market. To top it off, they proposed grooms spend no less than two months’ salary on an engagement ring and, as the campaign spread worldwide, British men were compelled to spend one month’s salary and Japanese men, three.
Many people reading this will have a diamond ring on their finger or will have spent a great deal of money buying one. It’s probably the greatest marketing trick of all time. So what would it take to dispel the myth about the engagement ring? At the very least, it would take an advertising campaign of equal proportion to the one that manufactured it and require funding only the likes of a diamond company could afford. Of course, diamond companies would counter with a campaign to reinforce the myth, and they have an eighty-year head start.
Now imagine how much time and money it would take to dispel the far more ancient and elaborate myth of the medical efficacy of the rhino horn. Imagine the backlash that would ensue from deeply entrenched players. In the face of this, it might appear the only course is to throw up our hands, legalise the trade and farm rhinos for their horn. In South Africa, there is a great deal of pressure to put just such a proposal before the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 2016. But then we need to look at other aspects of the diamond trade:
Diamond supplies are carefully controlled. Competing companies realise that dropping prices might kill the market, therefore, a certain amount is stockpiled to avoid saturating the market and keep demand and price at an optimum level.
The price of diamonds is so inflated that a vast criminal market operates in its shadow. We are generally aware of this, yet the bodies and abuse left in its wake do little to deter us. The film Blood Diamond opened millions of eyes to the horrors of the illicit trade, yet there was no apparent drop in sales after its release.
Reports of Zimbabwe’s recently found Marange diamond fields, reputed to be one of the greatest reserves in history, points to corruption and human rights abuse. But while the US refuses to deal in Zimbabwean diamonds, sanctions have just been lifted in Antwerp, the centre of diamond trading.
Of the legitimate mining operations on South Africa and Namibia’s west coast, estimates are that between fifteen and thirty percent of rough diamonds exit the mines illegally. But De Beers seeks out and buys up as many of these illicit diamonds as they can to control the supply, thus encouraging an illegal market.
Given the example of the diamond market, what would happen if we legalised the trade in rhino horn? The market would also be at risk of saturation (the stated goal of the pro-rhino horn trade lobby), but it’s doubtful that the already established suppliers, with their criminal roots, would let that happen. They would want prices to remain high, and the only way to ensure that would be to limit supply by hoarding stockpiles and controlling the rhino population. As demand increases, there could be as much, if not more, poaching to meet the demand and the illicit trade in rhino horn would still flourish and compete with the legitimate trade.
Conversely, if the price were to drop, it is highly unlikely it would deter poachers. At present, the price hovers between US$60 000 and US$100 000 per kilogram. Drop that to a tenth of the price or even less, and poachers would still gun them down to make a living.
A legal market would not discourage sophisticated terrorist organisations, already poaching to fund their exploits, from continuing. A legal market would, in fact, add a convenient smokescreen for their and other poaching operations.
The market for rhino horn is growing fast and will continue to grow with Asia’s booming economy. The current rise in rhino poaching is driven, to a great degree, by Vietnam’s economic rise. Here, the wealthy sprinkle horn on their food and snort it like cocaine – a sign of prestige because it is more expensive than the drug. They use it to cure hangovers and enhance hard-ons – all modern, manufactured myths.
As the demand rises, imagine the surge that would occur with legalisation. Just 1 million consumers consuming just 10g per month = 120 tons per year. At an average of 4kg per horn, that’s 30 000 rhinos per year, more than the total number of rhinos alive today. Now imagine 2 million consumers, 3 million….
A major influence would be marketing. A rumour started a few years ago claimed that a respected Vietnamese politician cured his cancer by ingesting powdered rhino horn. Such a cure has no foundation in traditional Chinese medicine; the politician was not even named, but the rumour spread rapidly. Many see it as an underground marketing campaign to drive up the value of rhino horn. If it was, it worked; measure for measure, rhino horn is now more valuable than gold.
Legalising the trade means marketers need not use the rumour mill because they can advertise in popular media. And we know how crafty advertisers can be; we fell for the diamond myth, after all.
Perhaps the greatest myth is that legalising the rhino horn trade is about conservation. But it is far more significant than that. By legalising the trade, we validate a fallacy. We legitimise the death of every single rhino slain illegally for its horn. We put this and other endangered species at greater risk by setting a precedent that could open avenues for trade in ivory, lion bone, leopard skin and more. We legitimise the corruption of African officials who are complicit in the illegal trade of endangered species and we set a terrible precedent for Africa’s future.
Twenty-one new elephant calves have been sighted at Zakouma National Park in the Republic of Chad, marking a significant anti-poaching turnaround in the fortune of the park’s beleaguered elephant herds decimated in recent years.
The devastating poaching onslaught reduced Zakouma’s elephant population from 4 000 to 450 between 2006 and 2010, leaving the decimated herd too stressed to breed. Whilst African Parks has stabilised the elephant population since assuming management of Zakouma in 2010, only five calves were born between 2010 and 2013.
African Parks’ conservation director Dr Anthony Hall-Martin says the stress caused by the traumatic, mass killings by mounted poachers between 2005 and 2010 is the most likely reason why the surviving elephants stopped reproducing. Rian Labuschagne, Zakouma’s Park Manager, said that a lion study carried out around 2005 found that elephant calves made up an astounding 23 per cent of the diet of lions at that time. “It was a direct result of the then rampant poaching that left substantial numbers of calves orphaned and easy prey for the lions,” he said.
The flush of elephant calves sighted by Labuschagne and his team shortly before Christmas changes the status of Zakouma’s elephant population from “stable” to a “definite increase in numbers” and is testimony to the success of the intensive anti-poaching strategy implemented by African Parks since late 2010.
Anti-poaching measures have included the year-round deployment of patrols in the extended elephant range, aerial support for patrols along with the construction of eight regional airstrips, the fitting of satellite collars to individual elephants, establishing a park-wide radio communication system and central radio control room, increased intelligence-gathering and a reward system for information, advanced training for park guards, the establishment of a dedicated Rapid Response Unit and the deployment of specialised anti-poaching technology and equipment. As a result of these measures there has been no poaching of elephants in Zakouma for more than two years.
African Parks entered into a public-private partnership with the Chadian Government at the end of 2010 to manage Zakouma, one of the last strongholds for migratory herds of savannah elephants in the central African region. Given that the gestation period for elephants is 22 months, Zakouma’s elephants had settled down enough to start breeding within a year of African Parks assuming management of the park.
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Labuschagne concludes, “We are thrilled that Zakouma’s elephant numbers are now growing but are mindful of the continual challenges that we face. At the moment we are implementing major new anti-poaching initiatives to combat ongoing threats that now include the deteriorating situation in the Central African Republic to the south of us.”
Last year the Government of Chad launched a national programme to combat elephant poaching and protect Chad’s remaining elephant populations. This national initiative is a first for the Central African region where elephant numbers have declined by 62% in just 10 years. A National Elephant Monitoring Centre in the capital city of N’Djamena has been set up by African Parks and is run under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment. It includes the satellite tracking of collared elephants throughout Chad.
The living dead, scientists call them: populations of animals so small their extinction is all but inevitable. At the top of the list may be West Africa’s lions, according to a paper published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
Scientist Philipp Henschel of the conservation organisation Panthera is calling for the listing of West Africa’s lions as critically endangered.
Lions in West Africa are few and far between and isolated from their Central African neighbours. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently classifies them as regionally endangered, while lions in Central, East and Southern Africa are listed as vulnerable.
“Although the status of African lions everywhere is concerning,” says Henschel, “the situation is particularly alarming in West Africa.” Only 406 lions may remain there, according to surveys the research team conducted. The species now roams in just one percent of its historical range.
An inventory of the region’s lions conducted in 2001 and 2002 revealed that 450 to 1 300 lions remained. In response to those findings, Henschel undertook a new survey from 2006 to 2012 in West Africa’s savannas and woodlands. Working alongside Panthera researchers were biologists with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Nigeria National Park Service, among others.
The lion survey team at Gashaka Gumti National Park, Nigeria
The scientists searched high and low for lions, padding along dry riverbeds, old park roads and game trails, and through lowland tropical rainforests. They faced the same risks as the lions they sought to find. Henschel negotiated with rebel leaders for access to lands and invited poachers to work with the team.
Among the objectives was looking for spoor – tracks, trails, scents, droppings – in 21 West African protected areas that once harboured lions. “We could confirm extant lions in only four,” says Henschel. In many of the areas, lion populations have almost bled out. Disease, poaching and habitat loss are leading to lion deaths.
The stakes are high. West Africa’s Lions differ from those in East and Southern Africa. Studies have shown that West and Central African lions are smaller in size and weight, have smaller manes, live in smaller groups, and eat smaller prey than lions elsewhere on the African continent. The differences are also reflected in their genes. If lions disappear from West Africa, according to Henschel, unique populations found nowhere else in the world will be lost.
The IUCN now manages two subspecies of lions: Panthera leo leo across Africa, and Panthera leo persica in India. But the main subdivision of lions genetically is within Africa, scientists believe, between the lions in East and Southern Africa versus all others. The two groups in Africa, the researchers say, should be listed and managed separately. If that happened, West (and Central) African lions would possibly be called Panthera leo senegalensis.
The last best hope for Panthera leo senegalensis may lie where the buffalo and antelope still roam; in Pendjari National Park in northwestern Benin, which adjoins Arly National Park in Burkina Faso. Along with W Transborder Park, which spans Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin, the three parks form the WAP (W-Arly-Pendjari) complex. WAP is the largest protected ecosystem in West Africa.
From March 19 to May 22, 2012, Henschel and others surveyed more than 75 percent of the WAP complex. The total lion population there was estimated at 356 lions. Lions were also confirmed in three other West African protected areas; Kainji Lake National Park, Nigeria (an estimated 32 lions), Yankari Game Reserve, Nigeria (2 lions), and Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal (16 lions).
Lions have disappeared across Africa as human populations have overtaken the landscape, competing with wildlife for habitat. Savannas have been converted into farms and fields for agriculture and livestock. Uncontrolled logging and burning have led to deforestation, desertification, and declining water quality. Some places in West Africa have become near deserts.
“Weak management of lions’ habitat due to a lack of funds has led to a collapse in lion prey populations and lions,” says Henschel. One West African park’s management budget is, he says, “roughly US $20 per square kilometre; incredibly low. To reverse the declines and stabilize populations of lions and their prey, we need a huge increase in financial backing for protected areas.” He points out that the WAP complex has received sustained assistance from Germany and the European Union. Hence, there be lions.
The empty forest, or empty savanna, syndrome it’s called. Habitats that echo only silence, their lifeblood drained by a gamut of environmental problems. The savannas and forests of West Africa grow quieter with each passing year, and their lion roars fainter. Soon the only voices we hear may be our own.
CapeNature and the Endangered Wildlife Trust are excited to announce the discovery of a population of the critically endangered riverine rabbit in the Anysberg Nature Reserve. These rabbits represent the first population to be discovered in a formally protected area.
Until now, this critically endangered species occurred exclusively on privately owned farmland or private reserves, where landowners have been working with conservation authorities and NGOs to ensure their survival.
Riverine rabbits have occurred along the seasonal rivers in the Nama Karoo since the turn of the last century but were only discovered in the Western Cape’s Succulent Karoo in 2004. While much work has been done on the Nama Karoo population, little is known about the rabbit’s habitat preferences and biology in the Succulent Karoo.
Corné Claassen, CapeNature’s Conservation Service Manager and Marius Brand, Anysberg Reserve Manager, led a determined search in Anysberg for this species on the night of 5 December 2013. Their persistence paid off, and a young riverine rabbit was captured, thus not only confirming the presence of riverine rabbits in the reserve and that the population is reproductively active. Following the collection of genetic samples, the rabbit was safely released.
Christy Bragg, Manager of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Drylands Conservation Programme, was ecstatic upon receiving the news. Bragg said the Endangered Wildlife Trust and CapeNature have been working closely together in the Western Cape to learn more about this iconic Karoo species, and it is wonderful to find these elusive rabbits in new territory.
Anysberg lies in the Klein Karoo and is just over 81 000 ha in size. The reserve was established in 1987 to conserve the local veld type and to re-introduce game species that historically occurred in this region. The Anys, Touws, Prins, and Buffels rivers and tributaries of the Gourits river system flow through the reserve.
The Drylands Conservation Programme has trialled the use of camera traps to census riverine rabbit populations and will be launching a full-scale study in 2014. Ultimately the cameras will be used to not only detect the presence of this shy species but to provide sufficient data to determine population densities and trends in population numbers over time. This species is endemic to the Nama and Succulent Karoo areas and serves as an important indicator species for riverine habitat health.
Members of the public are requested to report possible sightings of riverine rabbits to Christy Bragg or Corné Claassen.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s riverine rabbit project is supported by the Altron Group, Lindt Chocolatiers, Mazda Wildlife Fund, Rand Merchant Bank, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Koos and Rona Rupert Opvoedkundige Trust, National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations, Sean Williams Living Creatures Trust, and many individuals, farmers and partners.
ALSO READ about a population of the riverine rabbit found in Baviaanskloof
An alpha female has been re-collared and two young wild dogs collared for the first time in the 13 member-strong pack at Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia, in anticipation of a natural split in the group.
ZCP project leader, Egil Dröge, and Liuwa Plain scout, Armstrong Chinga, attach a VHF collar to one of the wild dogs.
The VHF collars fitted to the three dogs will enable researchers from African Parks and the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) to track them within the 3 660 km² expanse of Liuwa Plain. Wild dogs typically cover between 5 to 10 kilometres per hunting period, hunting twice a day early morning and late afternoon into the night. Without collars it is difficult for researchers to keep abreast of their movements. The satellite collars fitted to the dogs will function for three years.
In order for the collars to be attached the dogs were first sedated. The tranquilising darts were fired at close range by an experienced wildlife veterinarian and took the standard 5 to 10 minutes to take effect. The closer the darter to the animal, the less velocity required which ultimately means a softer impact for the animal. The collar was attached on each animal while it was unconscious. Once the collar had been fitted and a health examination completed, a reversal drug was administered to induce consciousness. During the procedures each of the dogs was carefully monitored and a check kept on their vital signs by the veterinary and research teams. Water was also applied regularly to their coats to help keep them cool.
The entire process from the initial darting to recovery took approximately 30 minutes per wild dog. The veterinary and research teams remained with each dog while it emerged from its “wobbly” stage, until it was evident it had made a total recovery.
One of the reasons wild dogs are efficient hunters and eaters.Pack members “check up” on their fellow wild dog as the reversal drug takes effect.
The Liuwa research team, led by Jassiel M’soka and Egil Dröge from ZCP, is studying a range of wild dog characteristics and trends including their birth and mortality rates, their hunting efforts and successes, and kleptoparasitism (a form of feeding in which one animal takes prey from another) by hyena and lion. The ZCP team is also investigating the behavioural impact wild dogs (and other predators) have on their prey species.
“At Liuwa our study of wild dogs is researching their effect on their main prey, namely wildebeest, zebra and oribi. From other studies it is known that predators can affect the body condition, including the fertility rates, of their prey,” said Dröge.
Egil Dröge and his team are convinced that the pack will split. “They have to” he said, “Currently there is no breeding potential within the pack as it consists of the alpha female and her offspring from 2012. The offspring from 2010 all left earlier this year in three different groups while the offspring from 2011 sadly died in a natural fire at their den. The alpha male died last year during the denning period.” He believes that the current pack of 13 will probably split into three to five groups and pair with other wild dogs in Liuwa to form new packs.
Research of Liuwa’s wild dogs began in 2010 and is on-going.
Information provided by iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority
In 2001, Mandela said “iSimangaliso must be the only place on the globe where the world’s oldest land mammal (the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest terrestrial mammal (the elephant) share an ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish (the coelacanth) and the world’s biggest marine mammal (the whale).” Today, after 44 years of absence, iSimangaliso also has lions.
The addition of lions affords the park Big 7 status, with all of the key terrestrial animals present plus whales and sharks in the marine section. The marine section also includes turtles and the myriad of life on the coral reefs, making iSimangaliso (previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) one of the most diverse parks in Africa.
“The iSimangaliso Authority dedicates the historic reintroductions of lion into iSimangaliso, to the memory of our leader and former President Tata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,” said Mavuso Msimang, iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority board chairman.
In 1999 iSimangaliso Wetland Park was listed as a world heritage site and South Africa’s foremost natural wonder, along with Robben Island and the Cradle of Humankind, during the time of Mandela’s Presidency.
“Before becoming South Africa’s first democratically elected President, Mandela and half a million other South Africans had signed the petition opposing the mining of Lake St Lucia’s dunes. This was followed by the most important decision in the establishment of iSimangaliso and its listing as South Africa’s first world heritage site – the vision and decision in 1996 by President Mandela and his cabinet to disallow mining in favour of conservation and eco-tourism,” said iSimangaliso CEO Andrew Zaloumis.
Under the park’s mandate of ‘development to conserve’, iSimangaliso is providing significant and sustained employment and community upliftment. Under iSimangaliso’s watch tourism businesses in and around the park have grown by over 80% in the last 10 year, creating thousands of jobs.
In his speech at the release of elephants into iSimangaliso after 100 years of absence, Mandela said: “There can be no better icon for the holistic approach we are taking to conservation and development of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. This re-introduction is an almost spiritual form of restitution. It is an attempt to recreate the wholeness of nature so that we can live in harmony with its creator’s magnificence… so that the descendants of the elders of Maputaland, the generations of the future, too can experience this grandeur.” Now, many years later, this sentiment could be repeated as lions re-enter the Park.
The first family of four lions, of a planned three groups, were released to the uMkhuze section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. An adult female and three sub-adult offspring (a male and two females), are the first of a total of eight planned for this section of the park. The lions were trans-located from Tembe Elephant Park and had spent five weeks in a purpose-built boma to acclimatise them to their new environment before being released.
Lions were last seen in uMkhuze some 44 years ago. Two more females and a coalition of two males (brothers) will follow to form the base of the new iSimangaliso lion population.
Adult lions are fitted with satellite collars to monitor their movements for biological and safety reasons.
“This historic introduction of lions brings iSimangaliso closer to achieving its conservation vision – the full restoration of functioning eco-systems , and the re-establishment of the migratory patterns of historically occurring animal populations from the top of the Lebombo mountains to the sea as they occurred in the times of Shaka and before fencing fragmented the landscape and constrained animal movements”, commented Andrew Zaloumis during the release.
Several thousand heads of game have been trans-located into iSimangaliso since 2000. All the game that historically occurred in the region (including oribi, tsessebe, black and white rhino, elephant, wild dog, cheetah, buffalo, waterbuck and blue wildebeest) with the exception of eland, have now been re-introduced. Eland are currently being sourced for an April/May 2014 introduction. Hyaena and jackal have returned on their own and populations are flourishing.
This is the result of 13 years of hard work by iSimangaliso staff settling land claims, removing thousands of hectares of plantations and erecting over 350 km of “Big 5” fencing. Much of this work has been undertaken by community enterprises creating significant employment in an area marked by unemployment and poverty. Fencing was done with the support of communities, involving negotiated agreements with seven traditional council chiefs. Community leadership see the introduction of lions as a boost to tourism and along with this, more opportunities for their residents.
Renowned conservationist Dr Ian Player is also highly supportive of the iSimangaliso’s efforts at restoration of the original animal populations and biodiversity. “This is a great day for conservation. iSimangaliso has shown us that at a time when conservation budgets are at their lowest and there are so many other priorities globally, parks can still prevail.” he said.
Uganda is Africa’s premier birding destination, with the list of birds found in the country topping 1 000! Many of these birds live only in these tropical forests, with rare sightings being described as “mythical” while it is believed that some of the birds living in the remote forests of Uganda may not even be classified as of yet!
This beautiful country must be on any birders bucket list, and this is our list of the top 10 birds to see in Uganda.
The shoebill is endemic to Africa, and birders from around the globe flock to Uganda to catch a rare glimpse of this clumsy giant. For a long time, this bird was not protected and its eggs were frequently stolen from nests until the Uganda Bird Guide Club’s efforts made it illegal to trap these birds and steal their eggs.
The green-breasted pitta is a difficult bird to find despite its relatively common status in central African countries. It lives well camouflaged in the lowland tropical forests, and photographing one of these little guys is a bird lover’s dream.
The vivid colours of this eye-catching bird can only be seen in two places in the world – The Itombwe Mountains in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda’s Bwindi Forest. The species is declining due to the loss of its habitat from forest clearing and degradation.
The great blue turaco and white-crested turaco are some of the largest, most exquisite birds found in Uganda. These birds are actively hunted as their meat and feathers are highly sought-after commodities.
One of the world’s rarest birds, Shelley’s crimsonwing can be found on most bird-bucket lists. They live in a thin strip of mountains and volcanoes – known as the Albertine Rift – that borders Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photos of these beauties in the wild are almost non-existent – the only known images are of birds netted (and released) during biodiversity surveys.
This picturesque bird is characterised by the central flight feathers that appear during the breeding season on the males. Raised vertically during display, it is a dream come true to see these birds during this short time span when their feathers can stretch up to 38cm.
The short-tailed warbler can be found primarily in Uganda’s forest undergrowth, while the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are also home to this camouflaged species.
Found in the subtropical montane forests and moist shrublands of central Africa, these brightly-coloured birds are one of the more common birds seen in Uganda. Thankfully, their population levels seem to be stable for the most part.
This beautiful medium-sized bird lives in high-altitude forests and has a large range throughout central and southern Africa, although it is rarely seen.
The giant black-breasted barbet has been seen by very few individuals and is highly sought after by bird watchers. Unfortunately, it tends to live in areas of human conflict, and so it is rarely seen by tourists. Uganda is one of the safest regions to catch a glimpse of this magnificent bird.
For the Maasai and Samburu people of East Africa, cows have always been their most important possessions. Cows represent wealth – the more a person has (some have 500 cows), the wealthier they are. To the Maasai and Samburu, cows are currency. But this story is about the camel.
Most tribal families raise cows for blood and milk, but the bovines’ monetary value lies in the fact that they can be sold and traded for goods and services. Other livestock, such as goats and sheep, are kept for meat and milk, whereas donkeys are used for carrying things, such as water containers to and from the river.
To the Maasai, cattle represent wealth. The more cows one owns, the greater respect one is due. Camels have the potential to be of more value than cattle to the Maasai people.
Several years ago, I was invited by Heifer International to visit their Maasai Camel Project in Tanzania. The organisation had realised that camels had the potential to be more valuable than cows – they produce more milk, are more tolerant of drought, feed on plants that aren’t attractive to wildlife (therefore do not compete for food), and have hooves that don’t cause soil erosion. Heifer International offered a number of the humped beasts to some Maasai pastorals who agreed to give them a try. As one of the project members told me, “Camels don’t need a lot of looking after. You can let them loose at night without fear of losing them to lions.”
The more I learned about camels, the more they seemed to me an obvious and sensible alternative to cows. I was sure the practice of owning them would spread quickly. With all their benefits, how could anyone not want them?
Eight years after my Heifer International visit, I am now in Kenya and Tanzania, trying to understand why owning camels is still such an anomaly. I ask some Maasai and Samburu men what they think about owning camels instead of cows. “We have always had cows,” they tell me, “the Maasai will never use camels.”
“But there are some Maasai in northern Tanzania who have camels now,” I tell Edward, the guide at the safari lodge I’m visiting. He doesn’t believe me, telling me he knows nothing about that. “Cows are what we have always had. We aren’t changing,” he adds, shrugging his shoulders.
“We don’t like the taste of camel meat or milk,” another Maasai warrior tells me. Few of his countrymen seem interested in discussing camels, let alone learning more about their advantages over cattle. When I tell a group of 20-something Samburu men that the Maasai are not interested in camels, one of them explains; “the Samburu have had more experience and interest in camels because the Somalians have been bringing them across the border into Samburu for years.”
“So why don’t more of you have camels instead of cows?” I ask.
“My family wants to have camels, but we can’t afford them,” says one young man. Another agrees. ‘They are good, but they are very expensive.”
“How much does a camel cost?” I ask.
“One camel costs 36 goats or sheep. One camel costs three donkeys or 12 cows,” he answers. Later I find out a camel costs 60 000 Kenyan shillings, around US$ 700/R 6 700.
For the Maasai, the traditional beast of burden is a donkey. For the group of Samburu men with their goats, they would have to trade 36 goats to acquire just one camel.
“But camels are good for milk, meat, blood, and to carry things,” I tell them. “‘ They can replace cows, sheep, goats and donkeys. It makes so much sense to trade in your other animals for them, no?’
Trading the animals for camels is not something they have ever thought about, the boys tell me. Then it hits me. The camel vs cow debate has nothing to do with practicality and everything to do with tradition. The Maasai are well known for holding onto their traditions despite the encroaching modern world, and I admire them for that. For example, young Maasai and Samburu men use their cows to attract a wife. The more cows they own, the higher their chance of finding the pick of the girls. “No girl is going to choose someone with one camel over another who owns 12 cows.” I am told. Everyone seems to agree that quantity is what matters most in matters of the heart.
I visit another Maasai group. While talking to a 7-year-old boy who is the goat herd for his family, I ask, “When you grow up, do you want to have cows or camels?”
“Camels,” he says without hesitation.
I won’t tell Edward. Even if I did mention it, he wouldn’t believe me.
I have heard several times that Bamako, the capital of Mali, is the one of the world’s fastest growing cities.
With concrete forming the basis of most buildings in Bamako, the city has an insatiable hunger for cement and sand. Even though the Sahara Desert swallows up half of the northern part of the country the sand from the desert is too fine for use in constructing concrete buildings. The coarse sand dredged from the bottom of the Niger River is far better to make a strong, long-lasting concrete.
Even in this age of dredging machines and mechanical loaders the “sand men” of Mali are collecting the sand in a far more labour intensive way. I suppose you could say in a traditional way but the need for collecting sand further up river has only come into play in the last twenty years so although it seems like they may have done this for centuries it is only a recent development.
They have designed special boats that are far wider than the traditional Pinasse and then they tie 15 to 20 of them together and push them upriver to collect the sand. Only one boat has an engine and they place the powerful mother ship at the rear of the flotilla; propelling the fleet forward as it functions as the main point of steering. The other boats are steered by pushing away from obstacles with long bamboo poles.
Every afternoon at about 4pm the group assembles at the port at Kalaban Coro to push the boats out into the river with their long bamboo poles to meet up with the mother ship. They then quickly tie the boats together before beginning the 60km punt up river. They arrive at the sand bank at about 10 pm and then it is time to jump into the water and start filling the boats.
On arrival the pilot of the mother ship starts yelling for everyone to wake up, get in the water and get to work. Chest deep water, they completely submerge themselves every ten seconds or so for the next 3 hours. With their only tool being a bucket they painstakingly collect their quota, responsible for filling up their own boat with sand. They work without lights and all around you can hear the sound of the men as they duck under the water to collect a bucket full of sand before announcing their arrival back above the surface of the water with a loud exhalation of breath.
The boats arrive back in the port at about 8am and then there is another team of men waiting to unload the boats and transfer the sand to the waiting trucks which quickly race off and deliver it all over Bamako. There is a heap of shows on TV that love to show the viewers the worlds worst, hardest, most dangerous and dirtiest jobs and no doubt this could probably get a run on most of them but these guys are tough and they go about their work quietly. They earn $10.00 a day and work 6 days a week with Friday traditionally being the day when the “sand men” of Mali can have a well-earned break.
Trophy hunting is often the subject of heated debates. The hunting of predators is a particularly sensitive topic, often described as a cruel, needless practice that has no conservation value for the species concerned. Trophy hunters, on the other hand, claim that hunting predators is an essential part of conservation outside of national parks.
Here then, is an example of how trophy hunting can be of benefit to conservation if formulated properly and managed strictly. The notes in this blog post refer to a particular area in Namibia (Kunene) and do not speak to trophy hunting operations elsewhere.
As with most hotly contested issues, trophy hunting is more complex than it first appears.
Typically, two main questions regarding trophy hunting arise: 1) is trophy hunting beneficial for conservation? 2) Is it providing substantial benefits for local people? I believe that the Namibian government has a good trophy hunting system in place, which keeps corruption to a minimum and provides direct benefits to local people. I therefore use the Namibian system as an example of how trophy hunting can benefit conservation and local communities in Africa.
There are two distinct types of farmland in Namibia – communal and commercial farms. In the commercial farming areas, land is parceled up into privately owned farms that may be used for livestock, game farming, hunting or ecotourism. In the communal areas, the land is owned by the state, but inhabited by people who farm with cattle, sheep and goats. Although trophy hunting on commercial farms in Namibia is worthy of consideration as part of the hunting debate, I will focus here on communal farmlands.
Although Namibia is currently hailed as an outstanding example of conservation in Africa, this was not always the case. In the 1980s, illegal hunting by foreigners and locals was rife in the communal lands now known as the Kunene and Caprivi/Zambezi regions. Poaching was rife, and the very idea of conservation was met with hostility, as it was seen as yet another means of oppression by the apartheid government.
This situation changed with new legislation by the independent Namibian government in 1996. The essence of this legislation was to give Namibians living in communal areas rights to utilise their wildlife sustainably and to benefit directly from ecotourism in their regions. The main prerequisite for these rights was that the people formed local institutions to manage and conserve wildlife within self-defined areas; these institutions are known as conservancies. Democratically elected committees run the conservancies to manage the wildlife and money from wildlife-related activities within their boundaries. Through their conservancies, local people can now charge trophy hunters and ecotourism operators for using the peoples’ natural resources.
Today, community conservation in Namibia can be compared to a three-legged pot (or ‘potjie’), which has three supporting ‘legs’. These legs are local ownership, ecotourism and sustainable use. Local ownership of wildlife is the most important of these legs, providing the foundation for the other two legs. Ecotourism and sustainable use (including, but not limited to, trophy hunting) are the two main income-generating avenues for Kunene conservancies. The relative importance of these two legs varies from one conservancy to another.
Three of the five conservancies in the southern Kunene sub-region, with whom I work closely, have a stable income from hunting and ecotourism; the fourth relies only on hunting, and the fifth relies solely on ecotourism. The first three indicated that roughly one-third of their income (R120 000-150 000 per year) is derived from trophy hunting, the rest coming from ecotourism and other forms of wildlife hunting (e.g. for meat). Together, these conservancies manage 10 835 km2, home to approximately 5 900 people.
The conservancy which currently relies exclusively on trophy hunting generates R100 000 annually but is in the process of building an ecotourism lodge to increase its income-generating potential. One of the main reasons this conservancy has been slow to realise its ecotourism potential is that it is not as scenic as the other conservancies in the region. Thus, investors have started with the more spectacular conservancies, leaving this one to depend on hunting. Without trophy hunting, this conservancy – covering 2 290 km2, home to 1 300 people – would simply not exist.
Finally, one conservancy has chosen to rely solely on income from ecotourism and not to allow any kind of hunting in their area. The reasons for this decision are multiple, but it is important to note that the local people decided to use only ecotourism. This is the smallest of the five conservancies (286 km2, home to 230 people), yet it is a hotspot for ecotourism, as it has a famous rock art site within its boundary. Several lodges and a campsite operate within this relatively small area, and there is simply not enough space to include trophy hunting – most eco-tourists do not appreciate gunshots! Simply put, it made more sense for this conservancy to rely on ecotourism alone.
The main species hunted in all conservancies are antelope. As illogical as it may sound, allowing conservancies to kill antelope has been the primary reason for the recent increase in the range and population numbers of antelope species in the region. Hunting in the Kunene region has shifted from being an uncontrolled, illegal past-time for many local people to being a controlled, legal form of income generation from a small number of foreign hunters. After recovering from severe drought and intense poaching in the 1980s, wildlife populations increased and started stabilising after the establishment of communal conservancies. From 2003-2011, annual road-based game counts have shown that the main prey species in the Kunene region (springbok, gemsbok and mountain zebra) have either maintained their population numbers or increased.
The number of springbok seen on annual game counts in the Kunene region of Namibia. Photograph courtesy of ≠Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancy. Data used with permission from the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO).The numbers of gemsbok and mountain zebra seen on annual game counts in the Kunene region of Namibia. Photograph courtesy of ≠Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancy. Data used with permission from the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO).
Each conservancy is granted a hunting quota of game animals by the government; they then reach a bilateral agreement with a trophy-hunting operator. In this agreement, the trophy hunter agrees to pay a certain amount for each antelope shot in the conservancy (amongst other conditions). The conservancy sends one or more of its employees with the hunting operator and client when on safari to ensure that they comply with the terms of the agreement. The conservancy then records the number of animals shot by the hunter and ensures that he pays them for what he shoots and that he does not shoot more than the agreed quota.
So what does trophy hunting in the context of community conservation mean for conservation, especially for carnivore conservation? As outlined above, controlled trophy hunting of prey species has led to an increase and stabilisation in their populations, which support the predator populations. The lion population, which is well studied and monitored by the Desert Lion Conservation and Research project, has increased from approximately 20 individuals to over 130 during the time that conservancies have operated in the region.
One of the lions monitored by Desert Lion Conservation and Research project.
Conservancy game guards regularly patrol their conservancies and report all sightings of predators and incidents of livestock losses to predators. The data they have produced indicate that other predator populations have responded positively to conservation in the Kunene conservancies. Although these data do not indicate absolute numbers of predators, one can confidently say that predator sightings are increasing in the region.
The number of cheetah, spotted hyaena and black-backed jackal sightings recorded by conservancies in the Kunene region of Namibia. Data used with permission from the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO).The number of caracal, leopard and lion sightings recorded by conservancies in the Kunene region of Namibia. Data used with permission from the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO).
Besides the fact that predators now have more to eat in communal conservancies than previously, they have also been directly conserved through the conservancy system. Conservancies are allowed to sell a limited number of predator species as trophies each year, with the quota once again determined by the government. Two of the abovementioned conservancies support lion populations and may thus be granted one lion as a trophy per year. Trophy hunters pay US$ 8000 and US$ 9000 per lion, per their agreements with the respective conservancies. Similarly, four conservancies charge their hunters US$ 2000 – US$ 4000 for a leopard and US$ 1300 – US$ 2000 for a cheetah. These two species are not always successfully hunted, so there may be several years where no leopards or cheetahs are shot in these conservancies, even though they are provided quotas for them.
The hunters and conservancy employees after a leopard hunt. Photograph courtesy of ≠Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancy.
Trophy hunting carnivores is more complex than hunting their prey species, and it may be argued that the species considered above are worth more than the ‘price tag’ they are given by trophy hunting. Carnivore populations are also sensitive to overhunting and may thus decline if trophy hunting is not strictly controlled and monitored. However, the situation with carnivores is further complicated by human-predator conflict. As most of the conservancies’ occupants are livestock farmers, the presence of a healthy predator population represents the potential for loss of income. Conservancies in the Kunene region have reported increasing livestock losses, which match the increase of predators shown above.
The number of livestock losses reported by farming communities living in conservancies in the Kunene region of Namibia. Data used with permission from the Namibian Association of CBNRM Support Organisations (NACSO).
In two conservancies, I investigated the livestock losses in more detail for 2010-2012. Farmers lost livestock (cattle, donkeys, horses, sheep and goats) to the value of N$ 91 000 per year in one conservancy and N$ 196 600 per year in the other. Both conservancies support the full gamut of predator species (i.e. all cat species, hyenas, jackals and baboons). They have thus occasionally sold lion, leopard and cheetah to their respective trophy hunters. The fact that these predators have a direct value is thus a primary argument that conservancy managers use to pacify their members who regularly lose valuable livestock to these species. Furthermore, the value given to predators by trophy hunters is much easier to explain to local farmers than the nebulous concept that eco-tourists enjoy seeing these species.
Although the value of lions as trophies is an important argument for their conservation, the conservationists in the region are continually working to find other ways to place a tangible value on the species. These ideas include charging tourists to the region per lion sighting and/or employing local people to act as ‘lion guides’. Replacing lion trophy hunting with strategies depending solely on ecotourism may be in the pipeline, but these ideas will only be realised if the ecotourism industry fully supports them. In the meantime, however, we continue to use the lion’s trophy ‘price tag’ as an incentive for their conservation. If a blanket ban were to be placed on hunting the species, or if the hunting market were reduced (i.e. if the U.S.A. places lions on their list of endangered species), we would lose this bargaining chip.
The consequences of not responding to human-predator conflict in an immediate, tangible way can be severe for farmers and predators. Showing that predators have real value to rural livestock farmers is not an easy task, even within a working system. In cases where predators cause severe or continued losses, farmers may destroy the ‘problem animals’ themselves without waiting for government-approved hunting permits. These are lose-lose situations where farmers lose many livestock and predators are destroyed in retaliation, with no financial gain. Curbing the number of these incidents is the real challenge for carnivore conservationists in Africa.
A lioness and cub killed for cattle predation (cow leg in foreground). Photograph courtesy of ≠Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancy.A cheetah killed for goat predation. Photograph courtesy of ≠Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancy.
Moving beyond the conservation of carnivores, we must remember that conservancies cover portions of a larger ecosystem. The existence of conservancies means that species such as elephant and rhino threatened with poaching across the rest of Africa find a haven in Namibia. This protection is based entirely on the principle of local ownership – the communities living in conservancies are the legal owners of the wildlife they live with. As legal owners, they can use many species through sustainable trophy hunting. Creating laws that dismiss these ownership rights will undermine the best example of community conservation in Africa.
This is Roxy, the most amazing mama pangolin in the whole world. She was wild-caught and taken around a local town in a box, to be sold on the black market. A shop owner felt sorry for her and bought her. He then called a local wildlife organisation which in turn called the Pangolins International (PI).
This rescued Cape pangolin took a liking for Maria Diekmann (founder and director of PI). The unexpected bond was such that Maria was allowed to join this most whacky and enigmatic creature in her wanders and nocturnal foraging.
However, as the PI team prepared Roxy for her release, Maria went in for a final check, and Roxy crawled slowly towards her and sat in her lap.
Maria saw what appeared to be a snake coiled up around her stomach; however, she quickly realised that Roxy had given birth, and its umbilical cord was still attached to the baby.
Maria slowly got her back into the corner she had been using as a den and watched how she broke the cord and curled around the baby. She had just witnessed the first captive birth of a Cape pangolin in history.
For the following two months, Roxy raised her baby pangolin in the most surprisingly calm and relaxed manner, allowing Maria and other volunteers or visitors to take the odd peak and photo of her little miracle.
PI will keep caring for their new baby, but they desperately need to find funding. This year they have already been contacted several times to collect and release five Cape pangolins back into the wild.
Never under any circumstance are Cape pangolins purchased from their captors to avoid stimulating trade; instead, long and expensive cell phone negotiations ensue until a handover is agreed.
Every rescued Cape pangolin sets PI back a handsome N$10,000 on its tight budget. But the reality is if they don’t do it, who will? Find out more here about sponsoring a pangolin.
I witnessed something that was both unsettling and enthralling in my garden in Windhoek, Namibia. One bird taking on another is nothing unusual, but on this occasion, a tiny owl killing and decapitating a sweet, colourful lovebird was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
A young pearl-spotted owlet had been frequenting our garden and had become quite used to my presence. Early one morning, I was alerted to a commotion at the birdbath. So I grabbed my camera and investigated, only to find that the owlet had pinned a rosy-faced lovebird to the ground!
The hapless lovebird was still feebly flapping its wings when I arrived, but soon gave up the struggle. The owlet kept peering about as if deciding on the next course of action and eventually flew – with the lovebird trailing behind – onto the birdbath.
It then proceeded to fly into a tree a few metres away, perched briefly before flying into a palm tree before reaching its final destination – a large jacaranda tree.
Wedging the lovebird into a secure position proved no easy task, and eventually – after much fluttering and hopping about with its prey – the owlet proceeded to decapitate the fated lovebird and to swallow its head – beak and all!
It seized the rest of the carcass later that afternoon and thus had a very productive day, all in all.
This, incidentally, is the same pearl-spotted owlet which my rottweiler swallowed on a previous occasion. I will never forget the sight of two yellow feet sticking out of either side of its mouth and me galloping after dog and bird – on crutches and moon boot (I had a broken foot after clumsily falling down the stairs). I think the entire neighbourhood heard me as I screamed for the dog to let go and eventually managed to wrestle him down to the ground and prise his mouth open. The wet and bedraggled owl plopped to the ground – alive and unhurt!
The tiny bird squawked indignantly and flew off into the nearest tree – but has amazingly not packed its bags and left for good. Read more about Africa’s tiny owls here
– Philetairus socius eremnus, living in the Orange River Valley; – Philetairus socius socius, inhabiting the S. Kalahari in NW Northern Cape and S. Namibia; – Philetairus socius xericus, roughing it in the Namibian escarpments; – Philetairus socius geminus, isolated from all other sub-species and thriving in Etosha and S. Owambo areas in N. Namibia.
2. Unlike other weavers who build their nests in the breeding season, Sociable Weavers use and maintain the nests throughout the year. They nest in colonies as small as 10 individuals and up to 400-500 birds. Their nests are instantly recognizable, massive and resembling huge apartment blocks. The nest structures can reach heights of up to 4 m. From a distance the nest may typically look like a haystack stuck up on a large tree or telephone pole.
3. Preferred nesting sites are generally long, smooth, poles or sparsely-branched trees to deter predators such as Cape Cobras, Black Mambas, Boomslangs, baboons, rats or genets are always after weaver chicks and so preferred nesting sites are generally long, smooth, poles or sparsely-branched trees.
4. Different materials are utilized for different sections of the nest, each material choice being purposefully selected. Large twigs and stems, placed at an angle and pointing downwards, cover the roof of the nest. Grasses are shoved into the structure until firmly secured. It is believed that the crown of sharp grass spikes picket-fencing the tunnel entrances may be designed as protection from predators.
5. Telephonic and Electrical Power companies have battled for years with the design of telephonic poles and power line structures able to cope with the weight of these nests, especially during the rainy season when they become somewhat waterlogged and become so heavy (several tons) that they drag down the supporting poles.
6. Photographic evidence has proven that some of these nest structures are over 100 years old.
7. Access to the nest core is via a smattering of galleries that lead to the breeding chambers, the tunnels leading to such chambers average 25 cm long and 7 cm wide, and the breeding chambers themselves are often 10 to 15 cm in diameter. The nesting chambers are lined with soft materials, such as feathers, fluff, wool, or hair.
8. Protection in numbers seems the favoured strategy, hence why colonies often resemble multispecies “ghettos”- often allowing other “guests” to breed and roost in the nest – including African Pigmy Falcons, Pied Barbets, Rosy-faced Lovebirds, Familiar Chats, finches, sparrows, tits, and opportunistic White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures, Verreaux’s and Spotted Eagle Owl, as well as several Eagle species roosting and nesting on the top of the nest.
9. The nest has proven itself to be an effective temperature buffer, against the cold temperatures at night (especially in winter), and high temperatures during the day, reducing temperature variability in nest chambers. The extent of this buffering effect depends significantly on the position of nest chambers within the communal structure, and on the depth to which chambers are embedded within the nest mass. Not, surprisingly older and more veteran pairs tend to occupy chambers with the highest thermoregulatory benefits.
10. In winter this temperature insulation translates into significant energetic savings for its inhabitants, reducing their food intake demand and enhancing their ability to survive in the leanest months of southern Africa’s harshest semi-arid environments. In the heat of the day, or the chill of winter nights individuals ride the thermal challenge by roosting alone when hot, or together when cold.
11. Energetically rested and physiologically unstressed, Sociable Weavers live a poised existence ready to react to any unpredictable rainfall event. A mere 20mm downpour, even if out of season, may trigger the entire colony into breeding mode, and depending on how the environment reacts to the rain, breeding pairs may be able to churn out up to four broods (4-5 chicks each), with the offspring of the first brood helping their parents raise subsequent broods, and even attracting totally unrelated “helpers” eager to ensure that enough food is found for the last broods as resources wane and dwindle away.
See below for photographs of the Sociable weaver’s nest, taken in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa.
Close encounters with Africa’s megafauna are an irresistible magnet for many tourists in Africa, and for some, the closer the encounter, the greater the thrill. Walking with lions is now a popular tourism activity.
So when a tourism operator offers the chance, for a fee, to ‘walk with lions’, it is no surprise that there is a steady flow of punters eager to do it. And when it is claimed that the money goes towards an elaborate project purporting to rewild lions, it seems, superficially at least, to be a Good Thing.
After all, Africa’s wild lion population is in bad shape. A half-century ago, some 100,000 lions ranged across Africa’s savannas, but lion habitat is only a quarter of what it was then, and today lion numbers are fewer than 30,000. Forty per cent of these live in Tanzania, and only nine countries can claim to have more than 1,000 wild living lions. To say that lions in the wild are on a one-way ticket to extinction is arguably no overstatement. So, where could there be a problem with any attempt to reverse the trend?
Well, controversy and conservation are well-acquainted and pretty well constant companions. And around the operations of Antelope Park in Gweru, Zimbabwe, and their sister operations called Lion Encounter at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, where ‘hands-on’ interaction with these great felines is promoted, the controversy is well and truly raging. Walking with lions is their major tourist attraction – and questions are being asked about how lions are sourced and where they disappear to when too big to walk with humans.
Antelope Park, as stated on its website, is “home to the world-famous ALERT lion rehabilitation programme, as seen in the major UK TV documentary series Lion Country.” ALERT, it would seem, is the umbrella organisation in a network of subgroups: ALERT is a non-profit body, but the subgroups are not.
The nub of the issue is the ALERT’ vision’, which is founded on a four-stage rewilding strategy, with stage four being the successful release of lions into true conservation areas. One understands that grand ideas are not always realised overnight, but ALERT was founded in 2005 and has yet to release any lions into the wild. But lions, true to the basic strategy of all life, reproduce. Cubs taken from their pride groups to walk with tourists soon outgrow their purpose and are moved up a stage, and ‘new’ walking specimens are brought in. The lions in the middle stages of the rehabilitation model will mature and will breed. And as the breeding cycle continues, the number of contained lions grows. Unless lions are legally released into a wild area, the ‘captive’ population has to balloon. It’s simple arithmetic. Figures provided to Africa Geographic by ALERT show a significant build-up of baby lions (where the money is made), a significant death rate in the middle stages and no successful final stage releases to date. After eight years, those numbers speak for themselves. And yet ALERT persists with its conservation claims, and volunteers and tourists flock to their operations. Let me be clear on this; I am all for successful tourism operations – but not when they redirect money from genuine conservation activities and not when the promises of conservation impact are nothing more than a thin marketing veneer.
The ‘excess’ lions from these breeding operations will have to go somewhere to relieve the bottleneck, and if that destination is not a legitimate conservation area, where will that somewhere be?
The fear and, in some quarters, strongly held suspicion is that via some form of wildlife laundering system lions will find their way into one or more of the many lion breeding farms that serve canned lion hunting operations.
This would certainly not be conservation in any shape or form. In fact, it would mean quite cynically that conservation money from volunteer internships, fees to walk with lions and donations is being diverted from excellent conservation projects into operations of questionable ethical standing.
If this is not the case, then only complete transparency and accountability for all the lions involved from cradle to grave will allay the growing disquiet of the conservation world. And even if such transparency is forthcoming, is it, in the first place, sensible to offer ultra-close encounters with big, dangerous animals? Attacks on humans and maulings have already occurred at Lion Encounter, and quite possibly, a real tragedy awaits. But that is another story.
I asked Dereck Joubert, conservationist, National Geographic Explorer in Residence and wildlife documentary filmmaker extraordinaire for his views, so I sign off with his wise words:
“There has been a proliferation of these walking with lions operations, not just in Africa. I also saw them in Mauritius. In my opinion, the activity is fundamentally flawed. A lion is a potentially dangerous animal, and walking with it not only exposes guests to an accident that will result in the lion needing to be killed but also erodes the wildness, the mystique and the very essence of what a wild lion is by taming it.
It is the respect for that vitality and wildness that drives our conservation of wild lions. If you consider that there are probably 6,000 lions in captivity but that we never include those lions into the overall figure of between 20,000 and 30,000 in the wild, its because the conservation of lions is not based on the total number of lions there are in the world, but those in the wild. As such, captive lions have little to do with conservation.
The fact that the captive lions simply confuse the conversation about lion conservation is one thing, but I worry about what happens when the lions get old, injured, sick or a little less cute to walk with. Do they feed a canned lion hunting scheme? Probably.
And canned lion hunting is one of the greatest misguided uses of an icon of Africa. It damages the reputation of South Africa, it is spurred by greed alone, and it has stimulated a market that could be responsible for the collapse of not just wild lions but tigers as well, via its evil cousin the bone trade.”
All photos were taken by an Africa Geographic representative on assignment.
Gert van der Merwe’s personal account of the great springbok migration is told in Lawrence G. Green’s book Karoo. Towards the end of the 19th century, Gert’s family moved their sheep and cattle between decent grazing lands, helped by their shepherds and a San wagon leader who must have previously experienced the migration. “The trek buck are on their way, and we’ll be trampled to death if we stay in the riverbed,” he warned when only a cloud of dust was visible in the distance.
The party heeded his advice. They cut down thorn trees and arranged a barrier of piercing spears around the wagon and oxen, hoping the thorn rampart would divert the springbok’s course. Pyres of dry grass and green sticks were prepared. The fire and smoke would act as a further line of defence against the charging horde. The springbok were around three miles (five kilometres) away when Gert heard the stampede for the first time. Until then, he’d only been able to see the plume of dust caused by the throng of tiny feet. Small animals like meerkat, jackal and other species were already instinctively seeking refuge. Gert’s party lit the fires and waited as the terrifying yet awe-inspiring sight approached.
The frontrunners veered around the hill, avoiding the thorn and fire defences, but the springbok tsunami could only be held off for so long. Soon they collided with the defences, and the injured and fallen were often trampled by others. When the barrier could take it no longer, the springbok ran among the cattle that joined the rampage.
Springbok Hunting in South Africa The Illustrated London News, April 27, 1850, Springbok Article 1850
Gert claims that the dust cloud was so thick it became hard to breathe. His wife covered their children with blankets in a desperate attempt to prevent them from being smothered. It took around an hour for the bulk of the herd to pass. Stragglers and wounded animals tried to catch up for some time afterwards. Gullies in the veld filled with the carcasses of dead springbok. It sounds impressive, but ‘majestically’ doesn’t sound like the correct word to describe the way they swept across the plains.
A disturbing reality
The most recent migration took place in 1896. Since then, hunting, roads, fences, urbanisation, farming and other human developments have wiped it out. It is doubtful whether Gert and his group would have dreamed that the springbok migration would be totally annihilated within a few years of their experience. Perhaps the collapse of the sardine run in our lifetime might appear as unlikely to us as the demise of the springbok migration would have to Gert.
We’ll never know the full biological intricacies behind this migration as it was never scientifically studied. Today, it’s neither practically possible to reconnect the immense tracts of land that have been bisected by roads and fences, nor to recreate the springbok’s complex natural behaviour.
Conservation strategies need to move within the realities of human land use. The Mountain Zebra–Camdeboo Corridor Project realises that fact. The project’s aim is not to drop fences, dig up roads or change land use, but to preserve the veld. Early indications are that this unique partnership between landowners and national parks could be a model project for the future.
The radio crackles, a dusty message. Not good news – the Maasai are hunting a lion.
The cats have reportedly broken into a boma overnight and killed 40 shoats (sheep/goats) and a cow. The loss is devastating to the family involved. In anticipation, Big Life, a local conservation organisation, has already sent rangers to the spot to monitor the mood. The latest message ignites a flurry of action at the headquarters.
I join the small group on the back of a Land Cruiser, a team of rangers involved in a fight with deep emotional triggers. In this pastoralist society, livestock represents wealth, and predators can wreck livelihoods. Retribution can be swift. The rangers joke nervously, the information is vague, and the outcome is unpredictable. We race through the dense bush on the lower slopes of the Chyulu Hills and accelerate as we hit the vast yellow plains below. After an hour of bum-bashing travel, someone spots a distant human silhouette on a hill. Soggy black cotton soil is an impenetrable barrier between us, and from here, we walk.
The bush is quiet after the roar of the car engine, and boots crunch on volcanic soil. The rangers fan out over a gentle slope, no sign of life, human or animal. Eventually, a shout from below, and a sad find. A young lion killed by Maasai spears. Her claws, tail and ears are gone, prizes for those most instrumental in her death. To the men involved, this killing is a form of revenge, but it also represents one less lion threatening their livestock. There is no right or wrong here, and as we turn, the only hope is that the death of one lion will end this incident. But movement in the distance signals that this is not over. A line of forty Maasai men marching across the dry land, heading in the direction in which the rest of the pride had fled.
We head back to the vehicles, and the rangers move off in the same direction as the advancing men, parallel but maintaining distance. In the meantime Richard Bonham (head of Big Life) has arrived in his small plane and is swooping low over the plain, pretending to chase the lions and thus lure the hunting party in the wrong direction. We park on a nearby rise and watch as the scene unfolds. The hunters have skirted one side of a hill, and the rangers are on the other. Both move in the same direction but are invisible to each other, and we realise that a meeting is inevitable. I am with Sambu, a senior staff member of Big Life and an excellent negotiator with an in-depth understanding of both sides of this story. We leave the vehicles and begin to climb the gentle slope. Suddenly, the silence is burst by a loud wail, followed by the collective voice of fifty men chanting and hollering. The few rangers I am with take off at a run, and I follow behind. We can’t see anything, but the volume speaks of a serious confrontation. I stay below the ridge, not wanting to introduce the potential complication of my presence, and to be completely honest, also not desperate to run into a melee of angry Maasai. Minutes clunk by. Slowly things seem to cool off. I risk joining the outskirts. The scene is awfully real; this is what conservation is about here. Forty Maasai people, adorned in everything from Manchester United jerseys to full traditional regalia, face off with the green fatigues of thirteen Big Life rangers. Every man on both sides is from the area. Sambu’s voice battles the presence of these proud men. I understand nothing, but the body language needs no interpreting. He talks for the lives of the four remaining lions, and slowly I observe the tide begin to turn. As the ugly mess breaks up, faces emerge. I realise this is not a group of testosterone-driven young men but a diverse group spanning teens to old men. This hunt was not for pride or bragging rights; it was a response to a terrible loss. Some of the hunters have moved off to the side, and the vocal core begins to shrink. Slowly, men start to walk away; some return to pull their friends with them. Finally, they are all turned. The landscape breathes out.
Here, as across Africa, lines are emerging in the fight to conserve ecosystems – people that derive benefits from wildlife versus those that don’t. This is no longer a romantic story of African people holding onto their traditional way of life and coexisting with predators. Livestock was traditionally valued, but these days school fees and cell phone bills need to be paid, and the local definition of value is swimming out of focus. No matter how much you might like having a lion roaring in the distance or are prepared to coexist with it, there is only so much loss that you will tolerate before it becomes too much. And then you retaliate. I challenge anyone to look me in the eye and tell me they would do differently. It’s the age-old mantra – cost versus benefit. This is not some abstract western economic concept to be bandied about by greybeards; it is the universal trade-off that drives decision-making, conscious or otherwise, in every living human. The notion that local communities need to derive value from wildlife is not new, but successful attainment of this goal appears elusive across the continent. Until each person sees the actual benefit of having wildlife around them, you cannot expect them to act other than in their own best interests. If that means killing a lion, then this should not come as a shock to our western conservationist sensitivities.
Although the term “giant mole-rat” may not immediately inspire love, the mole-rats of Africa are a fascinating bunch.
They spend practically their entire lives underground building elaborate tunnel systems and feeding on plant stems. This underground lifestyle has led them to evolve small ears, tiny eyes, forward-pointing teeth for digging, and nostrils they can shut at will while digging. Some species are exceptionally social, such as the most famous, the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), while others live mostly solitary lives. If that’s not enough, the family of mole rats, dubbed Blesmols, may even help us find a cure for cancer.
“They are long-lived rodents (Fukomys more than 20 years [and] the naked mole-rat more than 30 years) and have become a focus in cancer research as they don’t seem to develop cancers,” Paul Van Daele an expert on Blesmols with the University of Ghent told mongabay.com.
A juvenile Caroline’s mole-rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae). Photo courtesy of: Daele, P.A.A.G. van et al.
In 2002, Van Daele and his team noticed a distinct-looking mole-rat in Zambia, although similar to giant mole-rat (Fukomys mechowii) it was noticeably smaller. It took several years to confirm their hypothesis that they had uncovered a new species, but a recent study by Van Daele and his team in Zootaxa describes the world’s newest mole-rat: Caroline’s mole-rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae), distinguished by a distinct skull shape and confirmed by DNA and chromosome tests.
The new mole-rat was found in the Ikelenge pedicle, a geographic area that covers portions of Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola. Although little research has been conducted in the Ikelenge pedicle, scientists believe it is a hotspot for animals found nowhere else, i.e. endemic species. Already scientists have discovered 28 endemic species: one amphibian, five mammals, three butterflies, and 19 dragonflies. This unique region is made up of gallery forests along rivers and wetlands (known locally as mushitus) and woodlands dominated by miombo trees, where the new mole-rat was discovered. But, like most forests in the world, these are imperilled.
The habitat of Caroline’s mole-rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae). Photo courtesy of: Daele, P.A.A.G. van et al.
“As both gallery forest and miombo woodland are turned into cropland at an ever-increasing rate, the maintenance of such an evolutionary theatre will presumably only be possible through conservation of wider protected areas such as the proposed two-pedicles transfrontier conservation area,” Van Daele and colleagues write in their paper.
Caroline’s mole-rat likely faces additional threats from pest control and hunting as mole-rats are commonly targeted by hunters, providing an important protein source to local populations.
Van Daele named the new species after his late wife, Caroline Van De Woestijne, who helped discover it.
“She produced the first karyotype [description of chromosomes] of this species,” he says. “She died of malaria while we were living in Africa, on the very day we were together for 16 years. She was at that moment involved in an environmental education pilot project, ultimately resulting in the infusion of [environmental education] in the primary curriculum in Zambia.”
Every year scientists discover nearly 20,000 new species, around half of which are insects. Finding new mammals is particularly rare. For example, in 2009 out of 19,232 new species described, only 41 were mammals (or 0.2 per cent). Usually, new mammals are small and belong to either the rodent or bat families.
The habitat of Caroline’s mole-rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae). Photo courtesy of: Daele, P.A.A.G. van et al.
Even though many South Africans speak English, that doesn’t mean you’ll always understand us. With a lot of local slang, South African English has a flavour of its own, borrowing from Afrikaans and the country’s eleven official languages. Even the greeting hello has many layers to it. By MzansiGirl.
Here are 10 ways to say Hello, South African style:
1. Howzit – A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as “How are you?” or simply “Hello”.
2. Heita – An urban and rural greeting used by South Africans. A cheery slang form of saying “Hello”.
3. Aweh – A South African slang word used to acknowledge something or greet someone and is mainly used in the coloured community.
4. Sawubona (First person singular) – If you meet a South African and you would like to greet them in isiZulu, you can say “Sawubona” meaning “greetings”.
5. Molo – You can also try to greet a South African in Xhosa by saying “Molo” which means “How are you doing?”
6. Unjani – This is another way you can greet someone in isiZulu meaning “Hello”.
7. Thobela – Thobela means “How are you?” which is a formal way of greeting someone in Pedi.
8. Dumela (Setswana) – Mainly used with the Tswana people, this can also be used to greet a South African.
9. Hoe gaan dit? – Taken from Afrikaans, which means “How are you?”
10. Sharp Fede – South African township greeting meaning “Hello, how are you?”
Former NBA player and Chinese icon, Yao Ming, launches a major public awareness campaign against the sky-rocketing consumption of rhino horn and ivory in China. Partnered with WildAid (WA), Save the Elephants (STE), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and the Yao Ming Foundation, this initiative is taking a major step towards closing the bushveld slaughterhouse, once and for all.
‘We are facing the very real possibility that one day all of Africa’s rhinos will be extinct,’ said Dr. Philip Muruthi in Beijing during the campaign launch, ‘and as much as we greatly value the business partnership and investment of our Chinese comrades, today we invite the Chinese to also become our esteemed partners in conservation.’
In recent years, South Africa has been bearing the brunt of poaching: 668 rhinos have been killed in 2012 alone and this year’s death toll is well under way of setting a new record should current poaching trends persist. On 11 April the Department of Environmental Affairs confirmed 227 cases of poached rhinos for 2013. Losing this iconic African species will not only ‘be a global tragedy, but it would also mean the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars across the [African] continent,’ said Muruthi. The pachyderms are a key tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world.
In 2012, Ming spent 12 days scouting and filming in Kenya and South Africa on a mission to gather hard facts for his upcoming documentary. It is to be aired in partnership with Natural History New Zealand later this year. During his trip he experienced the two faces of wild Africa: a vibrant and beautiful one when he observed elephants roaming freely, and a darker and more disturbing one when later encountering the bodies of five poached elephants and one rhino. ‘Let us save rhinos together and never buy rhino horns. Because when the buying stops, the killing can too,’ said Ming.
‘The Chinese public may not realise it, but the demand for rhino horn in Asia leads to one rhino being violently killed roughly every twelve hours,’ explained Muruthi. Wildlife conservation safeguards biological and ecological diversity for both future generations and our own enjoyment of the environment today. It is of vital importance in providing not only protection against poaching but also a foundation for sustaining the integrity and diversity of ecosystems throughout the world. Arguably, not all people recognise its necessity as a key factor in preventing the ongoing decline of our planet’s wildlife populations.
The Chinese research company HorizonKey recently conducted two public surveys on elephant and rhino poaching, with revealing statistics for the three major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. These are the findings:
– Over 50% of the nearly 1,000 participants do not think elephant poaching is common.
– One of three (33%) believes ivory is obtained from natural elephant mortality.
– Two of three (66%) are not aware that rhino horn comes from poached rhinos.
In both studies, over 90 per cent of the participants agree that the Chinese government should enforce the ban on ivory trade and take stricter action to prevent the use of rhino horn. ‘Because of the demand for ivory, poaching has erupted all over Africa,’ stated Daballen. Over 25,000 elephants are today poached and killed annually for their ivory, reaching a level seen only before the 1989 international trade ban.
Ming already led WA’s previous campaign against the use of shark fins for culinary purposes in China, which proved highly successful. It was credited with a reduction of 50 to 70 per cent in shark fin consumption. ‘Poaching threatens livelihoods, education and development in parts of Africa due to the insecurity it brings and loss of tourism it generates,’ said Ming, who is convinced that ‘when people in China know what’s happening, they will do the right thing and say no to these products.’ Peter Knights added that both ‘elephants and rhinos are conservation flagships, national icons [and] goodwill ambassadors. They are the pandas of Africa.’
The Yao Ming Foundation
The Yao Ming Foundation (YMF) was established in response to the devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan Province, China, on 12 May 2008. After more than 185 schools were destroyed, YMF committed to rebuilding five schools in the earthquake region. It also supports additional educational opportunities in both the US and China. To find out more about the initiative, visit http://theyaomingfoundation.org
I’d like to share some safari photography from my recent trip to Africa. It was an amazing experience.
I had no phone or internet connection for most of the trip! Sometimes I’d put down my camera and just immerse myself in their lives. That allowed me to learn more about the people and their traditions. Living with them definitely helped quite a bit in capturing some of these photographs. Sharing meals and laughs, learning how to sing, and teaching them my awful dance techniques were some of the highlights of this trip. Not to mention pancakes made from a root of a banana-like tree that was fermented in the ground for 7 months!! Yummy!!
I made notes under many photographs so that you can understand a bit more about each photo and what it represents. Please note that there’s some nudity. For many of us, it’s a bit of a taboo, but it is normal for a number of tribes in the areas where I’ve photographed.
The conditions some of these tribes live in are pretty harsh, and I often wondered how they survive. They’re adapted very well, and yet the mortality rate is extremely high. Even 2 of my DSLR cameras did not survive the trip…
Enjoy!!
Portrait of a Mursi woman. Mursi are one of the most unique tribes in the world. They are mostly known for wearing lip plates. Among the other tribes, they are known as the most fierce warriors. I enjoyed dancing, singing and trying to communicate with them. We are unique to them, just like they are unique to us.At around puberty, females cut their lower lip and install a clay plate in the opening. As time goes by, they stretch the hole and put a bigger disk in it. Those plates can easily reach 7 inches in diameter! Lower teeth are often removed to make the lip plate sit comfortably in the opening.There are a lot of kids everywhere. They tend to know 1-3 English words
Kids help their parents by looking after their younger siblings. I saw many 4-6-year-old kids carrying their brother/sister on their backs.Guns are owned by most, if not all, men in all the tribes. Kalashnikov AK-47 is a weapon of choice. Most tribesmen own guns, with the Kalashnikov AK-47 being the weapon of choice. In fact, owning a gun is a prerequisite for getting married, as is ownership of at least 30 cows (which are given to the parents of the bride).The Suri’s grazing lands are under intense competition from neighbouring tribes, and as a result, they have to protect themselves and their cattle.
These girls are from the Hamer tribe. Note the hairstyle, which is typical for women in that tribe
There is often not enough grass around the villages, and so sometimes, the cattle are taken many miles away
Mother is trying to calm her child. Behind is her house. It may not seem big, but that’s where her family lives. A 60 sqft house for the whole family!!Adults often mix cattle blood with milk for drinkingHere’s a woman with a leather ring around her neck. It indicates that she is the first wife. No other rings are visible. That means she is the only wife her husband has.In some areas, you can find kids on the side of the road dancing and doing tricks. All they want is an empty water bottle. Ignorant tourists feel sorry and give them money, bottles and other gifts. They don’t know that these kids are skipping school with the idea that they rather do this and make money(they sell the bottles) than study. Empty water bottles are sold in markets!The scars are from the bull jumping ceremony. Women let their men whip them with sticks, inflicting deep scars. If I am not mistaken, they also put oil or butter on the wounds to make the scars bigger. Every woman has to go through this ceremony. They are very proud of their scars!This is how coffee is made in Ethiopia. Beans are roasted right in front of you. Then they are crushed, and hot water is added. I am not a coffee drinker, but I had it almost every day! You won’t be able to drink Starbucks after trying this coffee!!Many tribes eat raw meat…They claim it tastes better than cooked!All of these decorations are to show what tribe he/she belongs to. Beads are used in prayers to count blessings. They also believe that beads bring peace, health and prosperity to the wearer.Many men and women take good care of their hairYoung people sometimes put on “everything they have” when they go to the market to show off to the ladiesTraditional Evangadi dance
The Loliondo Game Controlled Area (LGCA), one of Tanzania’s most well-known Maasai community concessions and wildlife destinations is in the spotlight as local stakeholders and outside financial interests clash over its natural resources.
These tensions are not new, and given the location of Loliondo and the bounty of wildlife and grazing it carries, such tussles over competing land-use options are not surprising – what is surprising though is the manner in which the Tanzanian government has chosen to deal with the crisis. By choosing to side with a notorious foreign hunting company over a local Maasai community, they have shown a blatant disregard for traditional land-use rights and exposed the contradictions in their stated conservation goals.
Lying adjacent to the north-eastern portion of the Serengeti National Park, the significant array of wildlife found in this 4 000sqkm concession has over the last two decades attracted increasing numbers of hunters and ecotourists. The current dispute involves a United Arab Emirates (UAE) based hunting company called Ortello Business Corporation (OBC) with strong links to the royal family and military leaders of this tiny Arab state – they want their own private hunting grounds within Loliondo.
But tourism is a very recent arrival to these verdant ancestral lands of the Maasai who have been living and grazing cattle here for the past 200 years or so. More recently, this historical tenure was formalized in a 1959 compensatory agreement when the Maasai were moved here for permanent settlement after being banished from the Serengeti when it was declared a national park. Back in 1993 when OBC first muscled its way into Loliondo, Tanzania had just emerged from decades of heavy socialism that brought state control to every aspect of life. Quick to take advantage of the transition, the Arabs approached the then government and in the negotiations the Maasai were never consulted in any way over the granting of a long term lease. By all accounts this came as a Presidential decree offering extremely favourable terms to the new leaseholder.
Without consent or any form of buy-in from the traditional landowners, this was always going to be an acrimonious relationship. And the Arabs case has not being helped by allegations of illegal and unethical hunting practices, including the use of aircraft and machine-guns as well as baiting wildlife from the nearby Serengeti. Other accusations against them include the theft of wildlife from the concession, acts of intimidation and threats and bribes paid to silence people from within the community and government. This has all led to numerous public clashes between community residents and OBC and the authorities, who the Maasai accuse of being in cohorts with each other.
While the official government line for dealing with the disputes at this moment revolves around securing wildlife corridors in Loliondo, the inside view is that the Arabs are looking for new and better hunting grounds as they have pretty much blighted what they had. And it would seem they may just get their way again. In a recent announcement, the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism proposed that Loliondo be split into two sections – 2 500sqkms for the Maasai and a 1 500sqkm ‘wildlife corridor’ to be reclaimed as the Minister put it “for the benefit of the nation.” With this move however, government has in essence served the Maasai with an eviction order by expropriating almost one-third of their ancestral land, and in the process made provision for the Arabs to get a new lease on an exclusive hunting bloc running alongside the Serengeti.
The issue here is not about refuting the Minister’s wish to protect the country’s wildlife – all would agree this is imperative. Rather, it’s about the continuation of policies that entrench historical land injustices and a mindset that cannot accept the ownership, empowerment and conservation credentials of traditional communities living on the edges of Africa’s protected areas. The marginalization began with the arrival of colonial powers and the dispossession and impoverishment processes were completed during the creation of the continents national parks and reserves. Post-independence governments inherited the mess, but barring a few notable exceptions, they have only served to compound the injustices.
And the great irony here is that ‘for the benefit of the nation’ may actually mean for the benefit of a few wealthy foreign hunters with an appalling conservation record – and this will come at the expense of Tanzanian citizens that have historical rights to Loliondo and a belief system and pastoralist lifestyle in keeping with being natural conservators of wildlife.
This decision points to one of three scenarios. 1) The Tanzanian government simply has no regard for the traditional land rights of their citizens, 2) They again have failed to understand the dynamics and direct links between alienated and impoverished rural communities and many of the conservation battles taking place in and around protected areas or, 3) Both of the above are correct and this has led to high-level politicians believing the financial takings on offer are acceptable. It’s a decision that must be questioned at every level.
This battle is far from over. As a local Maasai councillor has said, “We are not ready to surrender even one meter of our land to investors for whatever reasons.”
Where to begin? I spent a few weeks in Morocco back in December 2012 to January 2013. On my 3rd day there, I caught an infection which later grew into bronchitis. I was in a lot of pain, and there were days when I had no energy to hold even my smallest camera. Thankfully antibiotics did the work (eventually, when I was able to visit a hospital to see what was happening), and I am fully recovered now.
It was definitely an experience of a lifetime!
During the day, it’s pretty warm in Morocco with about 16-21C, but the temperature would get down to about +4C at night and in some areas, I’ve had to endure -5C while having no access to warmth. Electricity and hot water seem like expensive commodities in rural areas, and not many people have constant access to them. Luckily, winter does not last long, and during the summer, the temperature is scorching 24/7. Although I can’t really comment on summer food, in the winter, meats such as chicken, beef and lamb are very popular, along with tajine, rice, olives, vegetable soup, couscous and bread. Areas near the ocean tend to consume more seafood. I loved the lamb kebabs – they didn’t have that pungent taste and smell. It’s incredibly delicious! Mint tea and coffee are very popular drinks, and unlike coffee shops in other countries, they are served in tiny cups. Prices for a cup of coffee or tea range from about 0.30 cents to a more common ~$1-1.30, even for locals. Definitely not cheap.
As in some other countries, photography is challenging as nobody in general likes to have their photo taken. Women and girls usually quickly cover their faces as soon as they even see a camera.
I have here almost all the pictures I was able to take. There’s a bit more information provided under certain images with more explanation.
Streets of FezStreet food is delicious. I took a picture of a man cooking my lamb kabobs ($3 for a meal)Fez, birds-view of the rooftops.Tannery in Fez. This is where they dye leather products you find at markets in the country. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well, and when you bend, say a leather belt, it leaves a permanent mark.Men working at a Tannery in Fez. It’s located in the Old MedinaKids playing at a school’s playground… I found it very creative, considering there are no other toys available.Street food is delicious. I took a picture of a man cooking my lamb kabobs ($3 for a meal)Sahara DesertSahara at sunrise
Sweets for sale at Marrakech’s market. On the right is a picture of Mohammed VI, who is currently the king of Morocco. It seemed to be loved by many as pictures of them are everywhere(restaurants, houses, streets, restaurants and shops)
First things first. No, sawfish are not cetaceans. Whales and dolphins are cetaceans; sawfish are sharks. But since my interest in Guinea-Bissau’s dolphins led me to the sawfish project, I have developed a fascination with this mysterious species, which seems poised for extinction. I am still horrified that such a distinct species, almost like something from an undersea fairy tale, could disappear from under our eyes in the modern age. And simultaneously, I hope and want to believe that we can still find them, that I might yet see a live sawfish. Go here to read part one of this story.
Now, to the study results, which may knock these hopes of mine solidly to the ground. Not once did we hear about or see a very recently-caught sawfish. It seems that these fish, once common and frequently caught in Bissau-Guinean waters, are now a rarity. Almost all the fishers on the Bijagos indicated that they had not seen or caught sawfish for several decades. In other areas, however, a handful of fishermen did seem to indicate that catches had been more recent if sparse – several individuals stated that they knew of catches in the last 2 years. This contrasts with the landings data, which suggested that the last known catch of a sawfish was in 2005.
Considering the importance of these fish to the cultures of many Bijagos islanders, I was surprised and disappointed that they showed little dismay at the decline of such an emblematic species. Having used the image of sawfish in dances and costume for sacred ceremonies such as male circumcision and having prized the meat of the sawfish so highly, I imagined that its disappearance would have left more of an impact, but when I asked what they used for these ceremonies, now that they could no longer find sawfish, they were happy to report that a cow has the same value. Somehow I’m not sure that cows will fill the role in Guinea-Bissau’s marine ecosystem, though. Nor do they capture my imagination as the sawfish, with its mysterious, quite unbelievable form, does.
Elsewhere in Guinea-Bissau, sawfish are less important culturally but still held in high regard for their meat. We also asked whether anyone had a ‘saw’ (rostrum), as these were commonly kept as decorations in fishermen’s houses, and in some parts of the Bijagos, the saws were used on ceremonial masks and headdresses. Yet, it seems that the few tourists and travellers to have made it as far as the Bijagos Islands have cleaned out the villages of their remaining sawfish saws – I only saw one, in Cacine, during the month I spent in the field, as well as several on display in the Bijagos cultural museum in Bubaque, and in Bissau.
When asked about the possible reasons for the decline of sawfish in their region, fishermen made several suggestions. Many of them acknowledged that overfishing may have played a large role and the influx of overseas fishermen to Bissau-Guinean waters was also frequently mentioned. Interestingly, older fishermen noted that sawfish used to be caught only with spears from the beach and that nets were not used there until recently. The sawfish’s saw can easily become entangled in a net and may have significantly increased the number of these fish being captured. Finally, many fishermen noted that the practice of finning, where a shark’s fins are cut off, and the rest of the body is discarded back into the water, is now common in Guinea-Bissau and may well have contributed to the sawfish’s decline. The practice of finning gained worldwide press attention in late December, as thousands of shark fins were found drying on the roof of a building in Hong Kong (read more here), but has been ongoing for years and seriously threatens to drive numerous sharks species to extinction in the next few years.
The next steps in this study will involve following up with the few fishermen who knew of areas where sawfish might still be found. This information might be unreliable, but it is the only information we have at present for such a rare fish. The key is to locate at least one area where sawfish are still found and assess whether the species’ recovery might be possible.
Any information on sawfish from Africa, past or present, is valuable to research. Have you seen a live or dead sawfish, or the saw of a sawfish, anywhere in Africa? Or do you have photographs of old sawfish catches? If so, please contact Ruth Leeney and help conserve these amazing fish!
Why would a birder want to visit Ethiopia? We have all seen the television news pictures of a famine-torn land. Surely this is no birding destination? How wrong is this idea.
Ethiopia is a vibrant, exciting, bird-rich country with a list of some 850 species and a surprising range of habitats, second only to South Africa in the number of endemic bird species on the continent. Surprising?
As a must-visit destination which we would thoroughly recommend, this new guide will open your eyes to an Ethiopia far removed from the TV pictures. Birding Ethiopia is very different from many sites guides we have used over the years. It is immediately eye-catching and a peek inside shows a lavishly illustrated book. Its 189 pages are packed with information, maps and breath- taking photographs of “must-see” birds. Of course a site guide must deliver a lot more than good looks and we settled down to read the text and see if it matched our recent experience of a month of fast-paced birding in Ethiopia in February 2008, during The Biggest Twitch.
The three authors, Ken Behrens, Keith Barnes and Christian Boix, are all hardened field birders and are never happier than when birding in the fast lane, a perfect team to write this book. All three have travelled throughout Ethiopia and visited every site in the book many times and know the locations, conditions and birds intimately. Not only do they know the sites and birds but they are accomplished bird photographers and their work brings the excellent text to colorful life with amazing bird images.
So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Is this a good site guide worth buying? Does it deliver for the birder planning a trip to Ethiopia?. The book opens with a map showing the locations of all 26 covered. This is followed by a very comprehensive 23-page introduction, which covers everything you need to know about this fascinating and so often misunderstood country. All the usual headings that we have come to expect in a travel guide, visas, driving, language, money, health etc are covered in short and to-the-point paragraphs, no waffle here. Suggested itineraries are outlined depending on how many birding days you have in-country, very helpful. Even the introduction is sprinkled with loads of photos of both birds and scenery, helping to build a picture of Ethiopia, something we would have found very useful before our own visit.
The section on bio-geography is particularly useful outlining the main habitats – a surprising diversity from the cold highlands, through forests and south to the deserts. By the time we had finished just the introduction, it had us planning another visit!. The birding sites are divided into three regions – The Northwest, The Great Rift Valley and The South – reflecting habitats and birding style. Each of these regions has a clear easy-to-read map with sites numbered for quick reference.
An introduction details habitats and special birds to be found here.Each site is then treated in detail with a specific introduction giving information on the species and habitats at this spot. Next follows a list of “Species of interest”, then “Habitat” detailing altitude and vegetation. “Birding” describes in detail how to approach each site to see the maximum number of birds and here it is obvious the authors really know their stuff, with detailed information rather than sweeping generalizations found in many sites guides. In keeping with the rest of the book the style is concise without flowery use of language; this is written very much by birders for birders.
The text is cross-referenced with the site map, a letter on the map shows the key places, and this letter is embedded in the text. More stunning images are found on nearly every page: Spot-breasted Lapwing, Half-collared Kingfisher, Chestnut-headed Sparrow-Lark, Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco and Stresemann’s Bush-Crow, mega birds you just have to see! A short section, “Time”, gives advice on when and how long to spend visiting each site. Then the “Directions”, where details of how to find each site, and once found … just where to bird. Again the authors’ first-hand experience comes through the text.
Scattered amongst the site descriptions are information panels on related subjects. These are separate from the site text so do not distract the reader trying to find a vital piece of info. These panels give added value by discussing such topics as White-tailed Fluftail status, gelada baboons, endemic bird areas and more. Following the site descriptions, which form the bulk of the book, comes a “Specialty Birds of Ethiopia” section, and here are listed all the birds that make this country a must for the travelling birder. What a mouth-watering array of birds can be found in this enchanting country.
The list follows Clements “Checklist of Birds of the World” (2007) and endemic species are highlighted in bold. Each page brings more wonderful birds that any keen birder would love to see; again stunning photos bring the pages to life. Check out the Short-tailed Lark on P146 or the Stresemann’s Bush-Crows on P155.
Finally the book concludes with an index of bird species. Here we have one small niggle: the species are not cross-referenced with the site numbers, rather the page number(s) where the bird is mentioned, not always the key site for the species. However, where the reference refers to a photograph, the page number is in bold which is helpful.
To summarize, this book is a pure joy to use and raises the bar considerably for any future site guides. The three authors are to be congratulated on a simply superb user-friendly work. Even if you think you will never visit Ethiopia, it is well worth getting this book to see how a site guide should be, and we would not be at all surprised if after reading the book you start planning that trip you were never going to take!
Birding Ethiopia – A guide to the country’s birding sites. By Ken Behrens, Keith Barnes, Christian Boix. Published by Lynx Edicions – Montseny, 8, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, www.lynxeds.comISBN: 978-84-96553-55-3 Language: English. Format: Paperback. Pages: 256. Published: January 2010. RRP: £25.99 approx. $40 or 30 Euros.
– ‘Where are you off to in your search for sawfish?’
– ‘Guinea-Bissau’
Queue quizzical look, which led me to explain that Guinea-Bissau (hereafter GB) was a small country to the south of Senegal, on the coast of West Africa. Quizzical look replaced by a blank nod.Very few people have heard of GB, or know anything about it, yet this little country has experienced much more than its share of warring and disruption since before its independence from Portuguese colonists, and a sense of unrest still prevails. It is this lack of stability which leaves the country poor, with little investment or development.
Sawfish rostrum or ‘saw’. Photo: S. Wearne.
I was due to travel to GB in May this year to do a short contract for the French NGO, Noé Conservation, and then to do some of my own research on cetaceans. A sudden coup in early April, a fine example of the instability still plaguing this small nation, led me to delay my plans until things had calmed down. And so it was that in October, I set off for GB, determined to find out more about the supposedly near-extinct sawfish (fish of the scientific family Pristidae) and to establish whether, indeed, GB was as important a habitat for rare Atlantic humpback dolphins (Sousa teuszii) as had been suggested.
Plans changed considerably once I was in GB, and I spent the entire duration of my 5-week stay there collecting information on sawfish from fishermen and training local staff to carry out more interview surveys. We worked in 3 areas: the Parc National d’Orango (Bijagos Archipelago), Cacheu (northern mainland GB) and Cacine (in the south). The Bijagos is highlighted in guidebooks and websites as a cluster of pristine, isolated islands surrounded by turquoise waters full of fish, rays, turtles and other marine life; a haven for fishermen, snorkelers and those seeking a quiet respite from the noise and bustle of the mainland. Despite the islands’ beauty, it didn’t quite fit the Western ideal of a tropical escape. Food was limited to fish and rice, with few tropical fruits available. It’s hot – the kind of heavy, oppressive heat that makes even a 1 km walk to the beach seem like an enormous undertaking. We came across several miniature floating islands of trash on our way around the park by boat – one memorable one comprised an abandoned fishing net which had captured myriad plastic bottles, bags and other detritus until it became a choked mass that was near impossible to lift from the water. Local people were friendly and welcoming, on the whole, but not familiar with the link between individual actions and the health of the seas on which they so depend. Nowhere was this clearer than on the ferry on the way from the mainland to Bubaque, the most developed of the Bijagos Islands. We were packed so densely, amongst chickens and suitcases and portable stoves and plastic tubs and sacks of rice, that many of us stood for the entire 6-hour journey, and upon finishing their cans of sugary drinks, boxes of wine, packets of biscuits and bags of peanuts, no one seemed to give a second thought to casting the packaging into the wake of the heaving vessel. Soon to be cast upon some beach, I thought, inside the stomach of a tired old turtle. But object and be seen as the interfering foreigner in a place few white people visit. There are better ways to change people’s actions, but a much-bitten tongue is required in the interim.
Hauling in the rubbish-filled net, between Orango and Bubaque. Photo: S. Wearne.
It’s easy to criticize, but these islands are even more resource-limited than the Bissau-Guinean mainland. The lack of access to the islands – one ferry now runs once a week between Bissau and Bubaque – means that they have, until recently, retained their unique heritage and have been far less influenced by Western culture than the rest of West Africa. But their continued inaccessibility means that whilst modern products reach the islands, education (at least in terms of environmental awareness) has not. This, combined with increased fishing pressure from local and overseas fishermen, is likely to place new stresses on an important refuge for marine life.
But back to the study. The sawfish is an emblematic species for West Africa, demonstrated by the fact that it appears on the coins and notes of the Central West Africa currency, the Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFA). In GB, especially in the Bijagos islands, it is of particular cultural importance, with a sawfish’s saw (rostrum) featuring on many headdresses and ceremonial masks. Elsewhere in the West Africa region, the sawfish’s saw, when placed on the roof of a house, provides protection from evil spirits or signifies the strength and courage of the owner. The capture of a sawfish was required, in many Bijagos islands, for a young man to partake in some rituals such as circumcision and ‘grandesa’ (climbing the social ranks) ceremonies.
Bijagos Islander wearing sawfish ceremonial mask.CFA banknote, showing a stylised image of a sawfish.
In the next post, I’ll provide an overview of the findings of this study and the next steps for the sawfish programme in GB. Thanks for reading!
The perfect way to brush up your skills in the bush.
Three years ago Africa Geographic Travel and Alison Nicholls embarked on a fascinating and rather left-field Safari concept for the first time – an Art Safari. We planned for a small group with a relaxed itinerary and very understanding hosts – to allow the creative juices to flow. We invited artists and would-be artists of all skill levels to join us in the bush armed with a drawing pad, brushes and pencils. Alison then took them through the basics of illustrating and sketching techniques (plus a few crafty tricks her and there) so that they can all capture the daily goings-on in South Africa’s Madikwe Game Reserve.
The safari was a huge success. Here is some feedback from those that went along:
Ilona Etlenyi – Art Safari September 2011
The first part of my trip was an art- safari organized by Africa Geographic. Some of us met in Johannesburg the day before starting on our trip to the Madikwe Game Reserve. The selection of the Bush House was an excellent choice. We were the only guests at Bush House, and were treated as if we were royal guests. The rooms were most comfortable, meals and game drives were organized according to our wishes. Since it was unusually cold, we opted for game drives later in the day, since we had plenty to view and sketch sitting in the lawn chairs by the waterhole. Alison gave art lessons during the afternoons, we sketched a lioness eating a kill, we observed an elephant carcass at length (the stench was unbelievable), we saw zebras, giraffes, elephants, etc. One morning we went landscape painting to an area called Baboon Ridge.
I think all of us were sorry to leave at the end of 4 days.
Sketching by the waterhole
Penelope Bodry-Sanders – Art Safari September 2011
What I loved about this art safari is that you don’t have to be an artist to fully enjoy yourself. Art and science depend on “intense seeing” and if you want to sit quietly and watch animals move and interact with their environment and each other, an art safari provides the opportunity to fully explore and understand what you are seeing without the rushing about that so often prevails on traditional game viewing safaris.
For the artist, the experience is unparalleled and heightened on every level. Alison Nicholls is a generous and knowledgeable leader/teacher, helping you understand how animals are built, how they move and why they behave as they do. What better way to understand an animal than to draw or paint it? Alison is also a lovely and amusing traveling companion. I’ve been on over eighteen safaris and have never so thoroughly enjoyed my animal watching experiences. In fact, I cannot imagine going on future safaris without a sketchbook and pencil in my backpack and taking the time to sit, watch, listen, and to really “see” and record the marvels unfolding before me.
Lewis Mazzuca, Colorado – Art Safari September 2012
I attended Alison Nicholls’ Africa Geographic watercolor safari as a non-participating spouse. I’m not a watercolorist, I’m a photographer and have been on four photo safaris previously. Using my photo safari experiences as a baseline, I’ll state unequivocally that never have I experienced such professionalism, enthusiasm, organization and warmth as I did with Alison on this safari. All previous photo safaris I’ve been on paled in comparison.
Alison’s organizational skills are superb, and her ability to orchestrate game drives, meals and other logistics all while providing each individual enough attention and mix it with a lot of laughter is most impressive. I would not hesitate to recommend this African Geographic watercolor safari to my closest family and friends. Thank you Alison, you made the safari an excellent experience for all.
Bobbi Bryson, Colorado- Art Safari September 2012
Alison taught us how to really look at an animal and see things that you don’t see from photos. I was able to continue sketching on the rest of our trip in Africa and found the game drives to be more interesting than before because I was constantly trying to sketch and by the end of our trip my sketches had much improved…
Stacy Edick, Texas- Art Safari September 2012
This trip exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. From the hospitality of the Bush House, to the gentle and patient teachings of Alison, to the incredible company of fellow artists on a journey, the trip honestly is beyond words.
Celia Clowe (USA) – Art Safari September 2012
The trip was amazing. We saw 4 of the Big 5 + lots more. Sketching in the bush with Alison was a delight; she is thorough, humorous, knowledgeable, and patient. I found it amazing that the placement of a single line transformed my house cat into a lion. The lodge accommodations were 5 star, the food delicious and Geraldine the perfect hostess – really! Fantastic trip, well planned, what a pleasure.
Barbara Womack,Phoenix – Art Safari 2012
This past September I had one of the most memorable experiences of my life on a special art safari with Alison Nicholls, organized by Africa Geographic Travel. From start to finish, everything about this trip was outstanding. Prior to the trip, Alison provided our small group (5) with information on art supplies, clothing, and a range of other helpful tips. She made herself easily available by phone or email. Africa Geographic Travel was also very helpful (particularly Christian Boix) in making all necessary arrangements, like setting up my additional hotel reservations and handling logistics on a couple of private tours I wanted to take prior to the art safari.
The 2013 Art Safari will once again run this year (2-6 September), spending four nights in South Africa’s animal-rich Madikwe Game Reserve, based at the homely and relaxed “Bush House” Lodge. Once again we have booked out the entire camp exclusively for Africa Geographic Travel guests, so that you can while away your days sketching in the field and at the waterhole, soaking up Madikwe’s wildlife opportunities and Alison Nicholls’s trademark and endearing informal tuition.
No matter what your skill level may be, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist, Nicholls will endeavor to grow your skills and style in a relaxed environment whilst demonstrating how to sketch animals quickly, accurately and effectively.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn and improve your creative skills while enjoying the camaraderie of other wildlife lovers and the pleasure of being in the bush.
The rough road through the salt pans, lined with greater and lesser flamingos, glossy white pelicans and scurrying speckled waders, led us to the salt works’ pump station. A good 50 metres and more from the waters edge lay a long, thin creature, bedecked in a patchwork jacket of red, purple, black and white that seemed ironically jaunty and carefree. Beneath the soaked rags that provided protection from the sun and drying wind, lay a forlorn pygmy right whale, the world’s smallest baleen whale*.
Pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata), & pump station in the background
Very few people have ever seen a pygmy right whale, and although I recently completed a scientific publication on this species**, summarising all the records we have of pygmy right whales occurring in Namibian waters, I too, had only seen the skeletons of pygmy right whales before. Pygmy right whales live only in the southern hemisphere and have been seen alive at sea only a handful of times, and much of what we know about them comes from studies of stranded animals in Australia and New Zealand. But here, under her multicoloured sunscreen, was a sleek, smooth hydrodynamic body, black on top fading to blue-grey on the sides and a white belly; an offshore whale in a decidedly onshore environment. No doubt stressed, the whale mostly kept her eyes closed as we covered her completely with extra towels and a bedsheet I had stuffed into my bag, keeping the blowholes on the top of her head uncovered so she could breathe. We then soaked the covers with seawater to keep her cool and prevent her skin from drying out.
The pygmy right whale was covered to prevent sunburn
The pygmy right whale reaches about 6 metres in length at adulthood (most baleen whales are considerably larger, with the blue whale reaching up to 30 metres). However, the little visitor at the pump station was just over 3 metres in length, indicating that she was a young animal, perhaps only a year old. Nonetheless, she likely weighed over 400 kg, and we did not think we would be able to lift her and carry her across the mud to the water’s edge while the tide was still low. So for three hours, we waited, watched, applied sunscreen to ourselves and seawater over the whale, and kept an eye on the jackal that was loitering in the background.
It’s so rare to encounter pygmy right whales that any stranding provides a unique opportunity to find out just a little more about the species. So, of course, while we waited for the tide, we collected what information we could – body measurements, photographs of every part of her and a skin sample which will be used for genetic analysis.
The tide was rising, and by four o’clock, it had suddenly crept around our feet as we struggled into our wetsuits. The stretcher that was purchased in 2009 for the Namibian Strandings Network, funded by the Walvis Bay Municipality, was put to good use, and soon we were sliding a young pygmy right whale down the mudflats towards deeper water. After getting her muscles warmed up and her swimming motion coordinated, she started to move her tail more strongly, and we released the stretcher, still supporting her gently from underneath. Moments later, she kicked her tail and swam out into the bay. There was no further sign of her, so we could only hope that she had found her way around Pelican Point and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Simon, Hannah and Monica recording measurement dataThe team getting it on the stretcher
THANKS
Many people were involved in this rescue. Thanks to Antonie Potgieter and his colleague at the saltworks, who stood by until we arrived and provided the all-important covering to protect the whale from the sun. Naude Dreyer &Nico Robberts assisted the Namibian Dolphin Project team. Thanks also to Sandwich Harbour 4×4 for bringing along three enthusiastic Swiss tourists who provided the extra muscles needed to carry the whale out to deeper waters!
* Baleen whales are whales without teeth – instead, they have plates of baleen (called ‘whalebone’ in the past), made from keratin (as are our fingernails), through which they sieve the seawater, straining out the tiny animals on which they feed.
**R.H. Leeney, K. Post, P.B. Best, C.J. Hazevoet, S.H. Elwen. Pygmy right whale records from Namibia. African Journal of Marine Science (in press).
This series of disturbing and yet fascinating images forms part of the work of acclaimed photographers Pieter Hugo and Adetokunbo Abiola in their book The Hyena & Other Men.
Photographer Pieter Hugo visited Nigeria to better understand this strange relationship between man and beast after seeing an image taken by Nigerian journalist Adetokunbo Abiola.
He travelled with this small family group of street performers and traditional medicine peddlers who use these animals as props, a practice handed down over many generations of hyena men. Hugo described this arrangement as “…hybridisation of the urban and the wild, and the paradoxical relationship that the handlers have with their animals – sometimes doting and affectionate, sometimes brutal and cruel”. His description reminded me of so many other human/animal relationships that go the same way.
Personally, I am horrified at the images and all they say about how their relationship with animals can become so twisted and conveniently devoid of any compassion. And yet I feel drawn again and again to the images – just like the throngs of onlookers who pay money to see these animals perform in the streets of Nigeria. If this wretched circus were to appear in your street, would you also be drawn into staring and so play a role in the sick system?
These pictures of a naked baboon were taken outside the complex of the Caribbea Bay Hotel, Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. Photos by Ann Warner
Says Ann Warner:
“We were returning to the hotel at about 4.30 pm in the afternoon when I could not believe my eyes and asked my husband to stop the car.
Sitting on a rock was this very unusual baboon. I have to admit it gave us quite a fright and while I did manage to take these four shots, several more came out blurred due to my hands shaking. It seemed to be tagging along with a large troop of baboons that were passing through the hotel grounds and feeding in the vegetation close by. All eventually moved off with this naked baboon.”
Dr Hamish Curry, a vet in Cape Town that has assisted with baboon issues on the Cape Peninsula reacted to the pictures by saying,
” It’s not a pretty sight. I would need a history to get a proper diagnosis – but sarcoptic mange is possible. This is caused by an insect Sarcoptes scabei which is infectious to all mammals but generally will manifest in times of stress, as in nutritional stress and others. Fungal infection and hormonal imbalance are other possible causes.”
Greyton is a wee, twee village a couple of hours’ drive from Cape Town.
Set in the Overberg region, with the Sonderend mountains as a backdrop, Greyton is all oak-lined lanes and itsy, bitsy country cottages. I recently spent a weekend here, and it felt like I’d wound back the clock and time travelled into an Olde English parish with white picket fences and farmers’ markets to boot.
Here are my top 10 things to do:
1.Sleep in The Treehouse. This place is really rather special – created by interior designer Anna Elisabettini and decked out with a four-poster bed, stand-alone clawfoot bathtub and gilt gold mirror – it’s Marie Antoinette meets Robinson Crusoe – weird but utterly wonderful. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to sleep in the treehouse, I discovered it because I stayed at one of Anna’s three other options – Mark Cottage, a gorgeous little place with curtained-off alcove beds built on straw bales and a patio shaded by olive trees and vine trellises.
Mark Cottage
2. Go to the Saturday morning market. With bunting, hay bales and home-baked pork pies, you’ve got all the makings of a village fête at Greyton’s Saturday morning market. Open from 10am-Midday, look out for the deliciously refreshing watermelon juice and make sure to take home a tub of Loret’s red pepper and cashew nut pesto – it’s great mixed with pasta, olives and feta.
3. Ogle at art. It’s everywhere in Greyton; you’ll even find random paintings on the walls of houses – like this cow wearing a Father Christmas hat… Greyton has become somewhat of a haven for the artistically minded, David Kuijers, with his clean-cut lines, bold colours and child-like illustrations, is one of the more well-known; his art studio is well worth a look-in.
4. Eat good food. With freshly baked cakes, local meats, cheeses, jams and breads – Vias Deli is the place to go for a hamper full of food. Stock up and take a picnic to the nature reserve, or dine out at one of Greyton’s restaurants. Go to The Posthouse for a mean pork belly, Searles rustle up tasty pizzas best enjoyed in the garden, Peccadillos has a blackboard menu of traditional British grub, and Oak and Vigne does moreish sourdough sandwiches – opt for the BLT with homemade mustard mayo.
The Posthouse
5. Ride a bicycle. Hire some wheels for the day and peddle yourself around Greyton’s side streets, soaking up the scenery at a leisurely, laid-back pace. Mountain bike buffs are in luck; the options in and around Greyton have increased dramatically in the last year thanks to a small band of enthusiasts who have built and marked many kilometres of track. Join the locals for 2-hour weekend trails leaving from the Oak & Vigne Saturday and Sunday at 7.00 am (during summer). Check the notice board next to the trail map at the Oak & Vigne (pictured below).
6. Gorge on choccies. From humble beginnings, the Von Geusau Chocolaterie was started in a small cottage in Greyton by a former frustrated city accountant with a passion for fine chocolates. Richard Von Geusau learnt the art of chocolate making in Belgium, and his artisanal chocolates are high in cocoa with no artificial flavours or vegetable fats. All the chocolates are meticulously made by hand and infused with fresh farm cream, roasted nuts, exotic liqueurs, and geranium oil, amongst others. You’ll find his tasting room next to the Oak & Vigne on DS Botha St.
7. Taste local wine. Greyton has several boutique wine producers on its doorstep and open for tastings by prior arrangement. Andy Mitchell Wines offer garagiste-style blends; the first a Syrah produced in 2003 called Breakfast Rock, named after the highest point of the Greyton to McGregor trail, which starts very close to the cellar. Local Lismore Estate Vineyards was started by Californian Samantha O’Keefe, who believes she found paradise and the perfect terroir in Greyton. Her passion, combined with vines planted at 300 metres, chilled by the winter snow and nourished by the African summer sun, produces classic cool climate wines which are rich, complex and lovingly handcrafted.
8. Take a hike. There are many hiking routes starting from the nature reserve – including the Upper Gobos walk, which trails along the flat hilltop, covered with orchids and aristeas at the right time of the year. The path provides wonderful views of the village and the Riviersonderend mountains, with surrounding fynbos and a rock-hopping mission across the Gobos River. Watch out for the birds—plenty of sugarbirds, weavers and the endemic orange-breasted sunbird.
9. Peek-a-boo at a doll’s house. Norma Musgrave began collecting and curating doll houses back in England; she bought her first piece for her 50th birthday and started going to collectors’ fairs and visiting stately homes for inspiration. You can take a look at her creations inside Searles Trading Post; it’s like a scene from a period drama with one room (top left in picture) housing an old gentleman in a harris tweed jacket, monocle in his left eye, reading the newspaper.
10. Take home local crafts. Greyton is filled with treasures and trinkets – from pretty printed pillow covers to handcrafted rosehip candles and blown-glass suncatchers. Potter around the shops along main road and DS Botha St, and you’ll surely find something that catches your eye.
Find out more about Greyton on the Greyton Tourism website. Greyton is a popular weekend getaway from Cape Town.
The Magnificent Seven roamed Kruger National Park less than thirty years ago. They were seven impressive elephant bulls with tusks weighing more than 50 kg each. Information provided by SANParks
Dr. U de V Pienaar – the Chief Warden then – decided to publicise these elephants as a successful example of Kruger’s conservation work. He named these bulls The Magnificent Seven …
Over time the tuskers became well-known, and now, many years later, they are still remembered as some of the most glorious animals in Africa.
These are their stories:
Dzombo (c.1935–1983)
The word Dzombo is derived from the Tsonga word Dzombolo meaning ‘to wait for something that is slow in coming’. This elephant was named after the Dzombo stream that traverses the Mopani Flats between the Shingwedzi and Shawu valleys.
Dzombo was the only one of the “Magnificent Seven” to be killed by poachers, and it was only by a stroke of luck that Dzombo’s two tusks were not taken. He died in a hail of bullets from an AK 47 fired by a poacher from Mozambique in October 1985. The miscreants were in the act of chopping out the tusks when they were disturbed by the approach of Ranger Ampie Espag and fled, leaving their trophies behind. Dzombo met an untimely death at the age of 50 years. (Dzombo’s tusks are on display in the Letaba Elephant Hall)
João (date unknown)
Named by Anthony-Hall Martin after Prester John, the legendary priest-king of ancient Africa. (João being the Portuguese for ‘John’) João was a very large bull with a shoulder height of 340cm.
João was wounded by poachers in 1982; at this time, he was immobilized to investigate the damage. Fortunately, the wounds were not fatal, and after a dose of antibiotics and cleaning of the wounds, he was revived. While immobilized, he was fitted with a radio collar and measurements of his tusks were taken. His tusks were an estimated combined 130kg which at the time would have made him the heaviest ivory carrier of the Magnificent Seven.
In 1984 (approximately aged 45 years) João broke both tusks close to the lip line (20-30cm), presumably in a fight with another bull. Unfortunately, the pieces were never found, and as a result, João is the only member of the Magnificent Seven who is not represented in the Letaba Elephant Hall.
Kambaku (c.1930-1985)
Kambaku is the Tsonga word for ‘great tusker’ or ‘old elephant bull’. This bull moved over a huge tract of country stretching from Satara/Orpen and the Timbavati to Crocodile Bridge. Kambaku’s left ear had a perfectly round hole close to the outer edge, and towards the end of his life, he had no tail hairs.
Unlike several of the other Magnificent Seven bull, Kambaku was always seen alone. He was more than 55 years old when he was shot in late 1985 by Regional Ranger Lynn van Rooyen from the Lower Sabie Ranger Section. The bull was in obvious pain from a bullet wound suffered during a foray across the Crocodile River into a neighbouring sugar cane fields. The bullet penetrated his left shoulder, leaving a large wound which eventually became septic. When he could no longer walk, and it was clear that death was imminent, he was mercifully shot. (Kambaku’s tusks are on display in the Letaba Elephant Hall)
Mafunyane (c.1926–1983)
This bull was named after the former warden of the Kruger National Park – Lou Steyn – who was well known for his quick temper. (Mafunyane is the Tsonga word for ‘the irritable one’, which appropriately refers to the elephant’s intolerance of humans.)
(Kloppers & Bornman (2005) (A Dictionary of KNP Place Names) gives the meaning of the name as “One who eats greedily”)
Mafunyane’s tusks are fairly straight, and their tips are worn to a chisel edge as a result of being rubbed on the ground as he moved. His tusks were perfectly symmetrical and of identical length and mass. The bull had a 10cm hole in the right side of his skull that extended into his nasal cavity, allowing him to breathe through this passage. One of the toes on his left hind foot was splayed to one side so that he left a distinctive impression, distinguishable from other elephants.
Mafunyane was the most famous of the “Magnificent Seven” although he was only seen in the wild by a handful of people and was rarely seen by visitors as he kept well away from roads. This could be attributed to his shyness or to the fact that his chosen roaming area was very remote.
The immobilization of Mafunyane on 8 June 1983 to fit a radio collar and to make plaster casts of the bull’s ivory nearly spelt the end for this bull. When given the antidote to the immobilization drugs Mafunyane due to his immense tusk size, was unable to ‘rock’ himself onto his chest, which would have allowed him to stand up, and his repeated efforts caused him to dig his tusks further into the ground. Several strategies were tried to raise him but all failed. After he had been down for several hours and front-end loader was brought in to assist the team. Mafunyane was eventually ‘scooped’ to his feet, and the bull rose and ran into the nearby Mopane bushes, much to the relief of the capture team.
Mafunyane’s remains were found on 16 November 1983 near Tari River, Northwest of Shingwedzi. He had been dead for approximately 3-4weeks and appeared to have died of natural causes. He was about 57 years old when he died. (Mafunyane’s tusks are on display in the Letaba Elephant Hall)
Ndlulamithi (c.1927–1985)
Ndlulamithi earned his name from his appearance, which is a traditional Tsonga word meaning “taller than the trees”.
The handsomely curved tusks of Ndlulamithi, the left one sweeping low and well forward, are significantly more twisted than those of the other large bulls. He was considered a tall elephant – probably around 345cm high at the shoulder.
Ndulamithi was first identified in 1980 along the Nkokodzi River in northern Kruger National Park. He was an aggressive yet secretive elephant and was seldom seen. This bull received some fame for charging Dr Anthony Hall-Martin and his assistant while they tried to photograph him on foot, his intentions unmistakable. He died of natural causes in 1985 in the Shangoni area at an estimated 58 years of age. Paul Zway, section ranger of Shangoni at the time, found his remains not far from the Nkokodzi Spruit. (Ndulamithi’s tusks are on display in the Letaba Elephant Hall)
Shawu (c.1922–1982)
The “Shawu Bull” was named after the Shawu valley (Vlei) where he spent much of his life.
Shawu moved over a large range which spanned the flat mopani-covered plains country between the Letaba and Shingwedzi rivers and stretched from the main road to Lebombo Hills. Shawu’s tusks are the longest on record in the Kruger National Park and one of the 6th longest to ever come out of Africa.
Shawu was a fairly approachable animal and showed no particular fear or distrust of vehicles. He was a large bull with a shoulder height of 340cm. Due to the pincer formed by his large tusks, he was sometimes referred to in Afrikaans as “Groot Haaktand”. In 1981 it was decided to fit Shawu with a collar as poaching was a constant threat from Mozambique, this was successful, and he was monitored regularly.
Shawu died of old age in the Kostini area east of Shingwedzi, near the northern watershed of the Shawu Valley (Vlei), in October 1982. He had been ill for some time, and his condition and movements were monitored daily towards the end of his life through a radio transmitter which had been fitted in a collar around his neck. He was close to 60 years old when he died. (Shawu’s tusks are on display in the Letaba Elephant Hall)
Shingwedzi (c.1925-1981)
Shingwedzi was named after the river and rest camp, where he spent the last few years of his life. (Shingwedzi means “place of ironstone”, referring to the gabbro rock outcrops common to the area. Shingwedzi is derived from the Tsonga word ngwetse, which means ‘the sound of metal objects rubbing against each other’). Shingwedzi’s ivory offers a good example of the classic master-servant tusks. He had a large right servant tusk and a shorter left master tusk.
Shingwedzi was found dead under a sycamore-fig tree – a short distance from Shingwedzi camp – in January 1981, and as far as can be determined, he died of natural causes. The age of an elephant can be fairly accurately determined from the state of wear of the teeth. In the case of Shingwedzi, the last molar (molar 6) was well worn down, giving him an estimated age of 56 years. (Shingwedzi’s tusks are on display in the Letaba Elephant Hall)
Here they are – the most interesting and sought-after birds in Ghana, according to Africa Geographic safari guru Christian Boix
1. White-necked Picathartes
Bounds through the forest stealthily and effortlessly from one liana to the next in a gollum-like fashion. These birds gather in silent and mysterious crowds by cave entrances to breed in overhangs – building half-cup mud nests just like swallows do. Ravishingly gorgeous and enigmatic, this afro palaeo-endemic is Ghana’s indisputable MEGA!
2. African Piculet
Africa’s smallest Woodpecker may not be the most colourful, but it sure oozes plenty of energy… and if you ever catch sight of one, you will no doubt be amazed by its relentless twig-drilling prowess. The very trait gives away its whereabouts.
3. Great Blue Turaco
Photo copyright Benjamin Schwartz
Bigga, betta and several times louda, this gargantuan turaco-on-steroids never disappoints!
4. White-throated Blue Swallow
Scarce and fleeting, this riverine swallow never fails to dazzle the observer with its electric and eclectic blues
5. White-crested Tiger Heron
Photo copyright Christian Boix
Although it may never be admitted, this extremely shy yet chunky Bittern of the lowland forests will continue to represent a significant milestone in anyone’s Afrotropical birding existence/endeavours.
6. Egyptian Plover
Arguably the most handsome shorebird in the world, this radiant and gutsy wader can be easily seen strutting its stuff along the shores of the Volta, and per-chance, picking debris off a crocodile’s dentures if you are extremely lucky.
7. White-breasted Guineafowl
Vulnerable, rare and localized, this chunky and sought-after game bird moves in a ghost-like fashion through the glooms of Ghana’s lowland forests, providing but glimpses to the lucky few patient enough to track them down.
8. Standard-winged Nightjar
Photo copyright Ian Fulton
Displaying the most exquisite and delicate plumage in Africa, this lekking nightjar will have you in awe as it approaches or hovers over you with its feathery trains, which at dusk twirl and whirl as they are trailed, resembling two mobbing drongos in hot pursuit. Indeed – a MUST-see to BELIEVE!
9. Yellow or Black-Casqued Hornbill
Loud, loquacious and voluptuous, both these species may be seen with relative ease from the canopy walkway at Kakum NP, a huge advantage from the usual dappled and fleeting glimpses provided from the forest floor. Listening to their approach in the canopies of Kakum, with wing beats that closely resemble a steam engine at full speed, eyeing out these canopy behemoths as they fly past you a few meters away is something you can never forget.
10. Western-wattled Cuckoo Shrike
Resembling one of Madagascar’s Vangas, this near-mythical canopy-dwelling and elusive species has graced very few birders and kept many more wishing, hoping and dreaming for a fleeting sight.
There you have them – the 10 most remarkable birds in Ghana!
Northern Zambia. Shiwa N’gandu to Kapiysha Hot Springs. 22- 24th November 2012
After leaving the Great North Road, I drove along a dirt track until I came to a surreal visual. The scene was old, English countryside brick houses and an avenue of eucalyptus trees leading up to a huge country estate in the middle of Africa.
The land was bought by Stewart Gore-Browne, a colonial boundary commissioner who stumbled across Shiwa N’gandu (the estate) in 1914 and deemed it picturesque enough to be the setting for the house of his dreams. After he died, the house fell into decay, that is, until it came into the care of Jo and Charley Harvey who restored it to its former glory.
I am staying in the Chitele room, named after Chief Chitele, who supposedly stayed here on a visit with Gore-Browne. Being at altitude it gets pretty chilly at night and it’s very welcomed when the ladies come and light the fire in the room at around 4pm. The warm glow sets quite the scene alongside the hunting trophies on the walls from Gore-Browne’s days. There is also no electricity nor MTN cell phone reception and I am going a little cold-turkey from all my digital gadgets.
Jo and Charley are treating me very well indeed, they took me on a drive around the property – there are plenty of magnificent vistas and loads of birds and game to see. We even visited the lake which captured Gore-Browne’s imagination, it was this same lake where David Livingstone lost his dog to a crocodile and it’s said that this is where he completed his final writing before his death.
Apart from the beautiful surroundings, the house is just so full of stories. I could spend days looking through all the photo albums and diaries that Gore-Browne kept, soaking up the bygone years. The Harvey family are related to the late Gore-Browne and they have some great stories to tell, it was an absolute pleasure sitting in the lounge for drinks and dinner with them – never a dull day working the land I hear. I suddenly felt very inspired being there and I am now determined to find myself a ‘project’ for when I get back.
After a good night’s rest I went off to Kapishya Hot Springs with another Harvey, Mark. It’s only 20kms down the road and yet it’s so-o-o different. The vegetation is tropical – green and fresh and the chalet design has a distinct Thai/Indonesian feel. There is a campsite too.
Of course there are the hot springs themselves, which are completely natural. I wish I could’ve stayed longer as there is so much to do! Apart from walking the bird trail, floating and swimming in the river and springs, there is a beautiful new spa offering a variety of massages and treatments. Unfortunately all I had time for was a dip in the springs.
Incidentally, Mark’s wife is a brilliant cook. She made us a scrumptious curry and supposedly does some mean stir fries too. After sharing a bottle of Italian Prosecco in the middle of ‘darkest Africa’, I decided to call it a night as I had a long drive the next day. My next destination, only 250km from Shiwa N’gandu, is an enchanting manor on a huge estate in the middle of Zambia with a fascinating history and stories to tell as the crow flies, but owing to a flooded river I had to take a lo-o-ong detour around Lusaka to get to South Luangwa National Park.
The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) population in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP) has increased to an estimated 400 individuals, according to the recent released results of a three-week census carried out by the Ugandan Wildlife Authority (UWA) in September and October 2011.
This is an increase from the 2002 and 2006 censuses, which showed the total number of mountain gorillas in the region to be 320 and 340 respectively. The recent tally has revealed that there are 36 gorilla families and 16 solitary males living inside Bwindi.
It is estimated that there are now 880 mountain gorillas left in the wild. (A 2010 census in the Virunga massif region – made up of Mgahinga Gorilla National Park (Uganda), Volcanoes National Park (Rwanda) and Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo) – showed the population stood at 480; Bwindi holds the balance of the population.)
“The mountain gorilla is the only great ape whose population is increasing despite continuous pressure on its habitat,” said Dr Augustin Basabose, Interim Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP). This positive trend is due to the strong collaboration among the three countries where mountain gorillas live and the collective efforts on the ground by park staff, surrounding communities and local government and non-governmental organisations.”
The census teams moved through Bwindi twice, making use of new genetic technology and field methods to get the best results possible. “Even with evolving census methods, the results indicate that this population has indeed increased over the past five years, and that is very encouraging for this critically endangered species,” stated Maryke Gret, Technical Advisor to the IGCP.
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Africa.
Note: While it was initially planned for the census to include Sarambwe Nature Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a protected area connected to Bwindi. increasing insecurity in the region at the time precluded entrance by the UWA team.
Ethiopia is the opposite of what the world tells us – there’s nothing that will prepare you for the beauty and richness of experiences this country has on offer. I certainly had no clue what was in store for me the day I visited Simien Mountains National Park.
The aim of my Ethiopia visit was to enjoy the ruggedness of the Simien Mountains, otherwise known as the Chessboard of the Gods. It’s also one of the best places in the world to view Gelada monkeys at close quarters. That said, just how close my encounter was going to be was certainly not on the brochure!
Finding a troop of Gelada’s was not too hard. Essentially once you have spotted one, you can expect several hundred in tow; they are gregarious and very social (no jokes!). They are also the last surviving species of a once widespread group of grass-grazing primates, living in some of the most complex primate communities and indeed requiring the most advanced and varied communication skills – which in Gelada consist of an incredible vocabulary of grunts, barks and mutterings that is very audible when you are sitting amongst them.
Out of the blue, a small female ambled towards me and sat a foot away from me with her back to me. Scared to spoil the moment, I did what any great biologist in the world would do… NOTHING!
Annoyed by my lack of social skills, the female turned her head, gave me the once-over with her beady eyes and, placing her left hand over her right shoulder, tapped and shrugged her shoulder. The primal instinct in me knew exactly what I was being asked to do, and letting go of all fears, I reached over and started to groom for the very first time. A total novice, I applied every move I had observed over the last years and duly worked her fur and back from one shoulder blade to the next.
Gotta admit that I was petrified that on the next hair parting, I would find some “gogga” (ectoparasite) that would require me to pry it out and bite its head off. Luckily, my first-ever grooming partner was parasite-free. My eyes were hurting though – from keep an eye on my chore and on the nearby large dominant males in case they objected to my actions.
Just as I thought I was off the hook, she turned her head to reveal eyes tightly shut and bright pink eyelids – signs of ecstasy. She motioned unequivocally with her hand and, by tilting her neck sideways, asked for a neck groom.
I worked her neck on both sides, scalp, behind the ears and throat… and finally decided to call it a day. As I started to leave she spun around on her buttocks and faced me, scanning for fur to groom. It was my turn and so I lowered my head and pointed at it; she rose in front of me and started to work my curls, ears, neck, and sideburns!
Tables now reversed I still feared that she may find something in my hair. After all, she was a pro at this game and surely had a much better-trained eye than mine. But fortunately, it all ended in a draw – Ethiopia 0, South Africa 0.
My troop and fellow travelling partners on this safari to Ethiopia now needed lunch, and her troop had drifted a few meters beyond… somehow we both knew to which troop we belonged and parted our ways. However, there is not a day that goes by that I wonder how she shares this story with others.
On those cold, miserable winter evenings, when you were snugly tucked in front of the fire, Karoline Hanks was tackling the elements, on the lookout for toads.
It’s nightfall in Noordhoek. Angry black storm clouds shunt over the mountain and then clear temporarily to reveal a perfectly plump, full moon.
Right now, the rain is coming down in sheets, and that’s my cue to get togged up in a bright reflective rain suit and head out into the busy rush hour traffic.
I plug a cable into the cigarette lighter, fasten the revolving amber warning light onto the roof, slap two big magnetic decals onto the side and back of my vehicle, toss my clipboard, egg-flip and torches into the passenger seat and set off.
At an agonizingly slow 40 kms an hour, I cruise up and down Silvermine and Main Roads, wiper blades swishing and hazard lights flickering.
My eyes are peeled to the slick, shiny tarmac.
I do this for three hours. Fellow volunteer patrollers will be out scouring a different stretch of road, and a fresh pair of eyes will arrive to relieve me and scour my beat later in the evening.
A female western leopard toad on the verge, facing the opposite side about to make her perilous way across the road. She’s massive – you cannot miss her bright, shiny form against the dark road. I quickly move to the side of the road, stop the car, flash a torch up and down in the direction of the animal to warn speedy home-comers and dash across the road to pick her up and move her over. Very often, she’ll emit a grateful little grunt from deep in her belly.
This can happen up to 20 times on a single patrol.
I am very often just too late. On one particular patrol, I had to move (and record) as many as ten dead toads with the (rather undignified) egg-flip. This is done purely for statistical reasons. It is the most heartbreaking aspect of the evening. So often, it is a matter of seconds – skip a beat, and you reach the shiny twitching mess in the wake of an uncaring motorist.
These days, the endemic western leopard toad (Amietophrynus pantherinus) is restricted to small areas of the Overberg and a few isolated pockets in the southern peninsula. As an ‘explosive breeder’, the leopard toad only breeds during a specific window period towards the end of the rainy season. They migrate almost exclusively on wet, rainy nights and, more commonly, under a full moon.
The urge to breed comes with the overwhelming impulse to move. They face a hazardous journey from gardens to ponds – where mating and egg-laying take place. Decades back, this would have been perfectly hazard-free. Today, however, the spaces between breeding ponds are now crisscrossed with electric fences, walls, canals, driveways, swimming pools and, worst of all, increasingly busy roads.
The scourge of suburbia and development has resulted in a significant decline in populations of the western leopard toad. Introduced or exotic fauna and flora like domestic ducks, koi fish and algae also threaten the integrity of breeding habitats.
This is where the patrollers come in. We are there to help the males, females, and even amplexus (mating) pairs get from A to B without being pancaked by rubber.
There are many patrols in a single season (up to 430 this year). 2012 was a particularly long one in the southern peninsula, with the toads starting their movement much later than usual and keeping us on our toes well into September.
The 2012 season saw a total of 562 toads saved in the Noordhoek/Sun Valley/Fish Hoek and Clovelly area. Sadly, it also saw about 130 senseless fatalities. On the busiest night of the season, a staggering 101 toads were encountered on the roads – just on the Noordhoek beat!
The Toad NUTS group has been up and running since 2008. Under the leadership of two passionate local residents (Alison Faraday and Suzie J’Kul), the group has grown from strength to strength and has managed to attract an astounding number of loyal, dedicated volunteer patrollers who give up their time and energy every season.
When confronted by the cynics – and there are many about – one is challenged on the degree of dedication, time and effort put into saving one species. Why spend so much energy saving a toad, I am asked – when thousands of people down the road are living in squalor?
Or… why bother? They’re just toads. Sure….and over there, there are ‘just’ wild dogs….or blue swallows…or riverine rabbits. Who gets to choose what is more important – when, let’s face it….choices abound!
I’m tired but happy. I’ve counted 14 different species, and there are literally hundreds of animals spread out before me, cropping the fresh emerald grass that is sprouting through the black ash left by a veld fire that tore through here a week ago. Zebras are braying everywhere, and between the jostling herds are rare species – roan, sable, tsessebe and a handful of eland. Last night more than 100 elephants ghosted through to drink at the three springs on the plain.
Where am I? Not in Tanzania, not Botswana, not Kenya. I’m in Hwange National Park, taking part in the annual game census organised by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe, formerly the Wildlife Society of Zimbabwe.
The game count has become the focal point of the travel calendar for my wife and me. This year’s was our 13th, and it’s a wonderful, unique experience that’s accessible to ordinary people.
Teams of volunteers assemble at Hwange’s three rest camps – Main, Sinamatella and Robins – just before the last full moon of the dry season, usually in late September or early October. Coordinators then dispatch the teams (typically two to four people) to waterholes, hides and pools in otherwise dry riverbeds across Hwange. Once in place, the idea is to stay put for 24 hours, from midday to midday, and to count and (if possible) sex anything that comes along. The full moon provides surprisingly good light at night, and if the sky stays clear, as it did this year, a fairly accurate count can be made.
The Hwange game count has been running since 1972 and is the longest continuous wildlife census in southern Africa. Results are tabulated in a professional report that is available to national parks and researchers. It’s particularly useful for keeping tabs on rare and endangered species such as African wild dog (painted wolf) and cheetah.
Zimbabwe has had good rains in recent years, but last year’s wet season was short and the effects are visible as we drive through the park. Hwange’s flagship viewing hides at Nyamandlovu and Masuma overlook teeming herds of game, but water around our base camp, at Robins in the northwest of the park, is in short supply.
That’s bad news for Hwange’s elephant population (estimated at between 30 000 and 50 000), and at several waterholes, we see elephants that have died of exhaustion. The flip side of this sad sight is that predator numbers are excellent; we see lions on six of the seven days we are here. Also, with wildlife clustering around the remaining water points, we know we’ll have a good count.
Our coordinator has assigned us to one of my favourite of Hwange’s hidden gems – the vlei behind the abandoned Deka Private Camp, way out to the west of Robins on the Botswana border. Driving through kilometre after kilometre of dry golden grass and mopane trees reduced to toothpicks by hungry elephants, a first-time visitor might think that there are few animals left in the park. This is a mistake.
Hwange is dry, and many of its waterholes are pumped, but there are also numerous natural seeps and springs, and these are where the animals seek sustenance when the temperature hits 40 degrees and the wind sucks the last of the moisture out of the remaining vegetation.
Deka Vlei is one such place. When we arrive, it’s like a mini Serengeti snapshot, with plains game covering the open savanna, shimmering in the heat. We set up our two Land Rovers on a rise and put up an awning to protect us from the worst of the sun. But there’s a breeze blowing, so it’s bearable by day and chilly by night.
Taking it in shifts, the four of us sit out the long night, and at five in the morning, a male lion starts roaring. He doesn’t pass us, but friends counting from the veranda of the old Deka camp, a kilometre from us, see his pride of 14 lionesses and cubs.
For a nominal membership and game count fee, I’ve been allowed to experience something magical, sitting under a full moon in the middle of the bush with only my wife and a couple of friends, contributing in a small way to something that we hope will be of use to someone.
For more information on the Hwange game census, contact Tony via his website www.tonypark.net
‘Legend’ is a word thrown around all too often in this day and age, but the term encapsulates the reign of the Mapogo lions in the Sabi Sands (Greater Kruger) to perfection. For the last six years or so, this notorious band of brothers has ruled the area with an iron paw. They are true warriors and have proved themselves time after time on the field of battle. During their prime, 6 of these magnificent specimens patrolled their territory, dispatching all competitors and striking fear into the hearts of all that found themselves in their way.
Legend has it that the Mapogo lions were responsible for killing numerous males, females and cubs as they stamped their authority on their domain. Whole prides have been wiped out in their relentless march for dominance, and challengers have been eaten as acts of defiance. A former warden of the Sabi Sands has been cited saying that he believes them accountable for over 100 lion fatalities, although the true number will probably never be known. Never before has the local lion population been so dominated, and it is stories like this that have elevated their exploits to legendary status.
These pride brothers may have a fearsome reputation, but in the world of the lion, they should be seen as the epitomes of what a successful coalition should be. The Mapogo lions have been labelled as sadistic and remorseless, to mention only a few adjectives assigned to them, and yet their exploits have ensured safe breeding grounds and stability in an area of unusually high competition. Their success has changed the dynamic of the lion population in this area forever, and it is no surprise that litters are becoming skewed in favour of male offspring. This is inevitable as nature attempts to balance the scales and provide a more level playing field.
In recent years, new and equally formidable coalitions have been responsible for whittling down the Mapogo’s numbers as territorial lines were drawn in the sand and crossed, and repeated battles were waged. The Majingilanes in the north and the Southern Pride males in the south have both had their say in shaping the new regime and now all that remains of the mighty Mapogo are two ageing specimens known as Makhulu and Pretty Boy.
Since being overthrown by the Southern Pride males, the last of the Mapogo lions legends have been sighted regularly on Sabi Sabi as they search for new territory or maybe just sanctuary as they live out the remainder of their days. At 14 and 11 years of age, they have surpassed the life expectancy of most male lions and carry the scars of years of conflict on the front line.
During my six years of working in the bushveld, I have been privileged to view and come into close contact with many different lions from different areas of South Africa and Tanzania, but I can honestly say that I have never witnessed such magnificent specimens as these two remaining legends. Perhaps the stigma attached to them accentuates their aura, but they are the most intimidating lions I have laid eyes upon. It is not merely their freakish size and musculature that raises the adrenaline levels and starts the heart pounding, but the look contained deep within their eyes.
Peering into those yellow abysses, one can truly feel the history and experience of many a hard-fought battle in which the deciding factor was power and a will to survive. Their eyes bore through you like no other lions I have ever seen, and I refuse to believe anyone who claims not to feel a slight pang of uncertainty when they stare back at you. The uneasiness of their presence is something that I have never felt before when watching the Kruger males. For fear of downplaying the current kings of Sabi Sabi, the last of the Mapogo make them look like kittens.
It is hard not to paint the Mapogos as terrifying, evil beasts due to the wrath they have rained down on the area, but I hope they are remembered as great rulers and protectors. They have raised the bar as to the expectations of male coalitions in so far as protecting territory and ensuring their genetic success. They should be seen as role models, not killers.
In conclusion, legendary status is hard to achieve, but ask anyone who has worked in the Sabi Sands for the last seven years, and they will tell you tales of the Mapogo. Sadistic tyrants or protective fathers? Both could be claimed true, but the fact is that their arrival heralded a new age of the lion population in the Sabi Sands. Love them or hate them; their exploits will never be forgotten. These tales will undoubtedly be embellished and exaggerated, but this is how great icons are born. Over time, these stories will become myths, and myths will become legends: a fitting legacy for the most famous lions of the modern era.
Find out about the Greater Kruger for your next African safari. You can choose a ready-made safari or ask us to build one just for you.
On a recent trip to the Cederberg with my 9-year-old son, I arranged to meet a young researcher working for the Cape Leopard Trust. I was keen to chat to her about the work of the CLT on caracals, and to try and expose my son to the blood, sweat, mud and tears side of scientific research and data gathering.
Unfortunately, on the day we had set aside to hook up, a fairly vicious cold front whipped in over the mountains, and the usually red-tinged rocks were being lashed by icy wind and rain. Our little mountain hut at Driehoek became the only viable warm, dry meeting place.
The diminutive, bubbly, French-speaking Marine Drouilly spent well over an hour with us, and we all huddled around her laptop, looking at all the incredible images from the various camera traps and learning all about her work.
The main objective of Marine’s project is to study the spatial and behavioural ecology of the caracal (Caracal caracal) in a fairly extensive area of the Cederberg, including the Cederberg Conservancy. Very little has been published about this elusive species, particularly concerning interactions with the area’s apex predator, the Cape leopard (vital natural regulators of caracals).
Armed with up-to-date data and knowledge, effective conservation and management strategies can be designed and implemented. With a more solid understanding of the way these two species interact (with regards to interspecific behaviour, habitat use and prey preferences); it is more likely that local farmers will come to understand how critical it is to maintain ecological balance. Marine pointed out that there is a real paucity of data addressing even the most basic ecological questions for many of the smaller predators, not just caracal.
Thanks to almost a decade of tireless work by the Cape Leopard Trust (and with the support of local farmers), the level of leopard persecution by farmers has diminished significantly in the Cederberg.
It is fairly well known that livestock farmers throughout southern Africa are less than partial towards caracals or ‘rooikat’ and they are very often persecuted because of the suspected damage to small livestock. Tragically, these beautiful cats are even classified as ‘problem animals’ in this country – along with jackals, badgers and genets. Beyond the Conservancy boundaries, caracals frequently come into conflict with farmers, where livestock become opportunistic prey items. In most natural areas, natural prey animals are still available to these cats.
Marine went on to explain that the caracal is considered a ‘mesopredator’ – a term that refers to its trophic ranking. What is important in this study is to get a handle on what would happen if the apex predators were persecuted to the point where they were removed from the system. Would there be what scientists dub ‘mesopredator release’? There are catastrophic examples of this from all over the world – from the removal of wolves in Asia, bears and wolves in North America to lions and wild dogs here on our continent. Such negative impacts on apex predators can have devastating ecological consequences. The ripple-down effect can often lead to an increase in populations of the mesopredator, which, in turn, can negatively impact the ecology of the prey species.
So just how will Marine be tackling this big research question? How does one search for and analyse the proverbial needle in a haystack? These animals are notoriously difficult to study given their elusive, nocturnal habits. Through a painstakingly slow process of capturing and collaring animals (with GPS devices), vital data on their movement can be gathered, and mapping can begin to take place. Plotting movements, verifying how feeding ecology compares to other species and establishing the extent of their home ranges all form pieces in the giant ‘caracal jigsaw puzzle’. Once the pieces are put together, it will then be possible to find and suggest practical solutions to reduce the inevitable human-wildlife conflicts that play out between caracals and farmers.
Marine has been working in the area since March 2012. What struck me about Marine is her real love for these much-maligned animals. This is no hard-arsed researcher – here is a soft-hearted soul who really wants to be sure that the animals do not suffer at all in the process of data gathering and she makes sure that the safest possible capture techniques are used (and has gone so far as to try out one of the methods on herself!)
Marine explained that CLT’s founder, Dr Quinton Martins, began collaring caracal in 2008 to assess the feasibility of conducting a full-blown study on the species. Martins and his team collared 3 male caracals before Marine’s arrival. The team have since managed to collar a female.
The data gleaned thus far shows that territorial male caracals can have ranges that extend as far as 100 square kilometres! They have also established that caracal prey ranges from klipspringer, grey rhebok, grey duiker, grysbok, dassie, bat-eared fox to (surprisingly!) black-backed jackal. What I found particularly fascinating and pertinent was that of the 21 caracal kills located in 2009 using GPS points, only one was a lamb. Food for thought, indeed.
Marine also showed us an impressive collection of photographs taken with the dozen or so cameras that have been placed in the field. From large and small-spotted genets leaping high into the air in response to the flash, to curious baboons with their noses pressed up against the lens, aardwolf, porcupine, African wild cat, honey badgers, nightjars and even a striped polecat. Getting up close and personal with the hustle and bustle of the Cederberg night prowlers was a rare treat indeed.
The Cape Leopard Trust is the main sponsor of Marine’s caracal project. The use of the research vehicle, the 4 GPS collars, fuel and traps are all courtesy of the CLT. When you consider that a single collar costs R 20 000 and a camera can cost up to R 3 000, this is no walk in the park when it comes to funding needs! Very often, the cost of research equipment is what limits the extent of scientific research. The project recently received funding from the Wilderness Wildlife Trust to cover the veterinary fees.
What is truly heartening about this project is how farmers and landowners in the area (particularly in the Conservancy) have allowed for studying a self-regulating population of caracal and leopard over the years. This project stands as a real beacon of hope and an example of how (with just the right level of intervention) landowner attitudes and behaviour can shift and human-wildlife conflict can be avoided.
The above image was recently submitted by Vanessa Bristow, who called it ‘The Boy with Sapphire Eyes’.
Within minutes of posting this magical picture, there was an enormous flood of comments and feedback. Amongst much of the rumpus was a fair degree of suspicion, doubting and downright slander about the picture’s authenticity. Swoops of ‘blatant photoshopping’ were amongst the commotion. Most people came to their immediate conclusion that this photo was fake!
Let us set the record straight. The photo of the boy with sapphire eyes is not altered at all. Here is a comment from the photographer herself:
“To all of you DOUBTING THOMAS’ out there who distrust the originality of this photograph: It is NOT Photoshopped. I was in the local communal lands looking for my lost Dalmatian dog, and I stopped to ask his mother if she had seen it. While I was talking to her, her son, who was playing with his siblings and friends nearby, caught my eye. I asked her if I could photograph him, and this is the first picture that I took of him – it was possibly his first interaction up close with a white person, and his fascination in me, or the camera, is evident. I took a few photos of him at the time and a few more later during a follow-up. An ophthalmologist friend had this to say about his unusual eyes:
[quote]”The picture of the little boy with the blue eyes and dark skin probably represents Ocular Albinism or Nettleship-Falls albinism, or Juvenile uveitis. Both conditions cause the pigment of the iris to be less dense.”[/quote]
Thanks for all the support from those of you who like my picture.
The below picture of Theuns was taken a week or two after the first. This time, he was much more relaxed with me, and I let him “click” the camera a few times to get him to engage with me.”
Photo copyright Vanessa Bristow
Continues Ms Bristow: “I must say, when I first saw the photo, I initially thought that blue eyes sometimes occurred in black people because of a recessive gene. If you are interested in reading a fascinating book – I recommend ‘The Sunburnt Queen’, by Hazel Crampton. Based in the 1730s, the book is about a seven-year-old English girl who was washed up on the Wild Coast of South Africa and adopted by her rescuers. She grew to be a woman of astounding beauty and wisdom and became the wife of a prince; thus starting a dynasty that extends to many of today’s Xhosa royal families.
Because of her recessive gene in the bloodline, now and then, a black child in the area is born with bright blue eyes.”
Armed with a spotter plane and a LandRover in hot pursuit, wildlife artist Guy Coombes searched for the elusive spotless cheetah.
“I was told about this incredible ‘morph’ phenomenon that has not been seen for over 90 years. The last one recorded was shot in Tanzania in 1921. ‘Morph’ means a genetic colour variation; the most well-known being the ‘king’ cheetah, specimens of which have only occurred in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Mughal Emperor of India recorded having a white cheetah presented to him in 1608, saying that the spots were blue in colour and the whiteness of the body also inclined to blue-ishness. There are also reported cases of melanism or albinism, but the latter does not apply to this spotless cheetah. The only reported cases of this morph, which scientists believe is a recessive gene like the king cheetah, have been in East Africa from the subspecies, acynonix jubatus raineyii.” – excerpt from Guy Coombes’ account with a ‘morph’ cheetah
Guy Coombes photographed this rare ‘morph’ cheetah in the Athi-Kapiti area of southern Kenya over a year ago.
Cheetahs are the fastest land mammals, with documented speeds up to 115 km/hour in captivity and 93 km/hour in the wild, but they cannot maintain such speeds for more than a few hundred metres. By comparison, sprinter Usain Bolt hits a top speed of 45 km/hour over a maximum of 100 metres.
They are found in a wide range of habitats, from dry forest and thick scrub to savannah grassland and arid deserts. Read more about cheetahs here.
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