A brief report has identified existing problems within Zimbabwe’s conservation industry, caused by bureaucratic incompetence within Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) and erosion of ethical principles, and resulting in habitat destruction and indiscriminate killing of wildlife. The report suggests that the old ‘fortress’ model of conservation has to adapt to now also include the socio-economic expectations of surrounding communities.
The report notes “ZimParks is expected to generate its own income from both non-consumptive and consumptive activities, such as ecotourism and sport hunting. However, a perennially lean budget, use of obsolete equipment, low morale among the staff, and high staff turnover,” and continues “the situation is continually made direr by fraudulent tendencies, where ZimParks officers, state police and politicians are regularly implicated as accomplices in wildlife poaching syndicates. On the other hand, the techniques used by poachers are dynamic, with recent elephant (Loxodonta africana) poaching tactics involving lacing water sources and salt licks with cyanide poison, which also kills secondary targets such as scavenging vulture species.”
Mention is also made of certain internationalNGOs that pursue agendas to hoodwink donors and generate ‘lavish lifestyles’ for NGO management, far away from the reality on the ground in Zimbabwe.
The report suggests that the granting of wildlife concessions to NGOs and ecotourism establishments can lead to natural resources being “looted and mortgaged [by] predominantly foreign influences, with unverified management concepts”.
The report stresses the importance of “Active involvement of local communities in mainstream conservation [that] could harness indigenous knowledge systems for effective wildlife conservation”.
The report recommends: “the establishment of Community Share Trusts, funded through levies on local ecotourism, sport hunting and the extractive industries, such as mining. Such devolution could finance compensation schemes and capital development projects such as value addition to non-timber forest products, livestock and crop insurance, and mitigatory initiatives such as the ‘fencing people in, fencing elephants out’ concept.”
Full report: Hlengisizwe Ncube (2019). A call to embrace adaptive management for effective elephant conservation in Zimbabwe. South African Journal of Science. https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2019/5413
Zambia, a country in southeast Africa, has approximately 1,200 lions, one of the largest lion populations on the continent. More than 40% of the U-shaped country is protected land, with over 120,000 square miles of national parks, sanctuaries and game management areas for lions to roam.
Zambian lions are split into two subpopulations, with one in the Greater Kafue Ecosystem in the west and the other in the Luangwa Valley Ecosystem in the east. Between these two geographically different regions lies Lusaka, Zambia’s largest city, which is surrounded by farmland.
People had assumed that the two groups of lions did not – even could not – mix. After all, they’re separated by a geographical barrier: the two regions feature different habitats, with the east an offshoot of the Great Rift Valley system and the west part of the southern savannas. The lions are also separated by what’s called an anthropogenic barrier: a big city that lacks wildlife protection, making it seemingly unsuitable for lions.
So mycolleaguesand I were surprised when we found that a small number of lions are in fact moving across the area in between presumed to be uninhabitable by lions. These sneaky lions – and their mating habits – are causing the high levels of genetic diversity we found in the entire Zambian lion population.
Identifying which genes are where
Working with the Zambian Wildlife Authority, biologist Paula White collected hundreds of biological samples from lions across Zambia between 2004 and 2012. Eventually, a box of this hair, skin, bone and tissue, meticulously packaged and labelled with collection notes and sampling locations, arrived at my lab at Texas A&M University.
Our goal was to investigate genetic diversity and the movement of various genes across Zambia by extracting and analysing DNA from the lion samples.
From 409 lions found inside and outside of protected lands, I looked at two kinds of genes, mitochondrial and nuclear. You inherit mitochondrial DNA only from your mom, while you inherit nuclear DNA from both of your parents. Because of these differences, mitochondrial and nuclear genes can tell different genetic stories that, when combined, paint a more complete picture of how a population behaves.
My mitochondrial analysis verified that, genetically, there are two isolated subpopulations of lions in Zambia, one in the east and one in the west. However, by also looking at the nuclear genes, we found evidence that small numbers of lions are moving across the “unsuitable” habitat. Including nuclear genes provided a more complex picture that tells us not only which lions were moving but also where.
Genes on the move as lions roam
The amount of variation from alternate forms of genes found within a population is known as genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is important for a wildlife population because more genetic options give animals a greater chance for adaptation in a changing environment. Genetic diversity can also tell biologists about ways a population can fluctuate.
To a geneticist, migration, also referred to as gene flow, is the movement of genes from one geographical place to another. Mitochondrial DNA, inherited from the mother, can only tell researchers where genes from mom have been.
In the lion mating system, males travel long distances to find new prides, while females remain in or close to the pride they were born in. So, for the lion, it’s primarily males that are responsible for the movement of genes between prides. This male-mediated gene flow explains the lack of gene flow seen in mitochondrial genes compared to that of nuclear genes – female lions aren’t making the journey, but they do mate with new males who come from far away.
Male-mediated gene flow has helped keep the lions of Zambia genetically healthy, increasing genetic diversity by introducing new genes to new areas as male lions move between subpopulations. The eastern and western subpopulations each have high levels of genetic diversity; since only a few lions move between the groups each generation, the subpopulations stay genetically distinct.
My colleagues and I were also able to determine where the lions are moving based on which individuals are more genetically similar to each other. Lions in the North and South Luangwa National Parks, part of the eastern subpopulation, appear entirely separated from the western subpopulation. Gene flow is occurring through the southern regions of the east subpopulation.
Lions are most likely travelling a route between the Lower Zambezi National Park and eastern corridor to the Kafue National Park in the west, possibly along the Kafue River. We can’t tell which way they’re moving, but by looking at where lions are more closely related, we can see where genes are being moved.
Lion data can help manage wildlife overall
Human-lion conflict is a big issue in Zambia, particularly outside of protected land. If lions were moving across human-dominated areas, you’d think they’d be seen and reported. But these lions are sneaking through virtually undetected – until we look at their genes.
As a large, charismatic carnivore, lion research and conservation influences many other species that share their habitat.
Wildlife managers can use these findings to help with lion conservation and other wildlife management in and around Zambia. Now that we generally know where lions are moving, managers can focus on these areas to find the actual route the big cats are taking and work to maintain or even increase how many lions can move across these areas. One of the ways of doing this is by creating more protected land, like corridors, to better connect suitable habitat.
Full report: Caitlin J. Curry, Paula A. White, James N. Derr (2019). Genetic analysis of African lions (Panthera leo) in Zambia support movement across anthropogenic and geographical barriers. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217179
Africa’s lions, one of the world’s most iconic animal species, are facing a catastrophic decline with their population numbers dropping 50% in only 20 years. According to a new report published by Equilibrium Research, “lions will not survive the 21st century on goodwill alone. Nor will they survive if reduced to being merely the centrepiece of a high-status vacation for foreign visitors to the continent, or even the target of trophy hunters”.
Listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List (meaning that they are vulnerable to extinction soon), there is great concern that the vast majority of the population is inferred to have declined at a rate that meets the criteria for ‘Endangered’ (high risk of extinction in the wild). Some estimate the lion population in Africa to be between 18,841 and 31,394 (although many believe that 20,000 is closer to the mark).
To raise awareness of the issues facing lion conservation, this latest report, The New Lion Economy. Unlocking the value of lions and their landscapes highlights the importance of lions and their territories for Africans, detailing how lions contribute to Africa’s economy, beyond tourism and hunting revenues.
Lions are the ultimate indicator species of healthy intact savannah landscapes in Africa. Their dramatic decline is a sign of the pressures on land and communities throughout their range. “Landscapes supporting lions, ‘lionscapes’, provide more ecosystem services, the benefits that humans receive from healthy ecosystems, than the average across Africa,” reads the report. “Yet many of these services will disappear if ecosystems are lost or degraded. Lions, therefore, make excellent indicators of ecosystem services and sustainable development.”
The report shows that the economic development of Africa and conservation of nature are convergent, not conflicting goals.
“It is a false dilemma to suppose that Africa’s wildlife and wild landscapes must or should be sacrificed for the continent to modernise and maintain the steady pace of its economic growth,” said Mr Kaddu Kiwe Sebunya, CEO of the African Wildlife Foundation.
The findings provide evidence that lions are a perfect flagship or umbrella species on which to focus policy and development decisions, and investing in lion conservation, as the reports shows, provides a range of benefits.
“Investing in lion conservation is not simply a charitable act that might protect populations of one particular species, however important. It also protects the many commercial and subsistence values that rely on lions directly, or that rely on the landscapes where lions live, and come as a no-cost extra to conservation,” added Sebunya.
The New Lion Economy shows:
• Lions directly support ecosystem services;
• Lion conservation supports other ecosystem services;
• Lions also have important livelihood, cultural and political values;
• Lions can generate economic benefits and attract new sources of revenue;
• Lion conservation is not just a matter for conservationists, but for anyone interested in a sustainable and vibrant future for Africa; and
• Lion conservation needs serious investment if these wider values are to be retained.
According to the report, a range of actions are needed to support lions and ecosystem services:
• Measure and communicate the value of ecosystem services (actual and potential) to all sectors of society;
• Rebuild ecosystem services to improve food, carbon, water and human security in sub-Saharan Africa;
• Use the market for these ecosystem services to support conservation throughout the lion range;
• Create business models that support both ecosystem services and lions;
• Create conservation models that reflect the needs of human communities;
• Encourage policymakers to consider these benefits (and their potential loss);
• Encourage governments and international donors to invest in lion conservation;
• Recognise the significance of the continent’s unique biodiversity in shaping and sustaining Africa’s cultural heritage; and
• Restore lion populations as an indicator of healthy ecosystem services.
“Their decline is a tragedy for the whole world,” said the report. “And if Africa loses more lions, many countries will not only lose the direct economic benefits that they bring through tourism and trophy hunting but likely also a host of other ecosystem services that come from the threatened habitats through which they stalk.”
For some wildlife photographers out there, capturing the true essence of a photo is their primary goal – a photo where it goes beyond the physical image and portrays the raw emotion of another’s world. For Charlie Lynam, this is precisely what drives his passion for wildlife photography and ignites his desire to continually seek out and create incredible shots. It is through photography that Charlie has been able to connect with nature, one incredible click of a second at a time – to express and capture brief, fleeting moments, otherwise lost. His photos showcase the best that African wildlife and landscapes have to offer – unique images that create awareness and appreciation of the beauty and rawness of the natural world.
In this gallery, we want to share with you some of Charlie’s favourite photos taken during his wanderings across Africa and from his home in South Africa’s Ingwelala Game Reserve. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the spectacular sights of the African wilderness.
“Once Africa has touched you, life will never be the same”. I was born and raised in England, but somehow fate decided my destiny was Africa. I am fortunate to have developed a lifestyle from my two greatest passions – wildlife and photography – which make for the happiest of marriages! I gave up a lucrative career in high-tech to follow my calling and have never looked back. I have great faith in the power of visual media and its ability to educate, inspire, create awareness and shape change. My raison d’etre is to be an ambassador for all things wild. I hope that my enthusiasm and photography will act like ripples in a pond that encourage others to protect, conserve and sustain this beauty for future generations. I am still unsure where this path will lead, but I enjoy the journey of following the roads less travelled. See more of Charlie’s work on website, Instagram and Facebook page.
The Zambia National Community Resources Board Association (ZNCRBA) has called for the immediate suspension of trophy hunting in all hunting blocks until the government releases all funds owed to communities through the individual Community Resource Boards (CRBs).
In a statement (see end of article) issued to the media by the CRBs, communities have received no concession fees since 2016 and no hunting revenue since 2018. The statement points out that by law, the CRBs are entitled to 15% of the concession fees and 45% of the hunting revenue, while the chiefs who run the communities receive 5% of both. The CRBs use these funds to support the employment of over 1,000 community scouts, community coordinators and bookkeepers, and to support community development projects (including the establishment of boreholes, schools and clinics) in the game management areas (GMAs).
In Zambia, wildlife areas are divided into national parks (where no hunting is allowed) and game management areas (GMA), which act as a buffer between the parks, farmlands and private hunting reserves. Legally, there has to be revenue-sharing from hunting and concession fees with the communities in the GMAs.
“It is regrettable that since the transformation of Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) in 2015 into Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), the communities and their Royal Highnesses have been denied their share of income from the concession fees. This is a clear violation of the spirit of devolved wildlife governance. Their Royal Highnesses and CRBs should actually have been retaining the 100% of the concession fees as they are owners of the customary land,” the statement read.
The CRBs have now withdrawn their signatures to all the hunting permits in their areas and have refused to sign any others. This will stop any trophy hunting in the future unless the government pays the funds owed.
In the statement the CRBs claim that in 2012 a conference was held with communities, the government and stakeholders where progressive resolutions were agreed to: Firstly, to allow hunting operators to pay the CRBs their share of the revenue directly, and vice versa for government fees. And secondly, the sharing of concession fees were to be reviewed in order to allow the communities – the landowners in GMAs – to receive a higher share. These resolutions “would have avoided the current problems” if they had ever been implemented.
“We are immediately calling for the suspension of the hunting activities in all hunting blocks of Zambia,” the statement continues. “We as signatories to the hunting concession agreement have withdrawn our support – making the existing agreements null and void. We would be working with our community scouts and community members to prevent any further hunt until the matter is resolved. All hunting camps in GMAs will be secured to block any attempt to re-open hunting.”
While the press release states that they will stop all hunting going forward, hunts already underway will be allowed to be completed. The CRBs concludes the statement by appealing to hunting operators to engage with the government to release the funds belonging to communities or sue the government for any loss of business as a result of their action.
Below is the statement shared by the Zambia National Community Resources Board Association (ZNCRBA)
Images of a rare spotted zebra foal have been sweeping the Internet this week after photographers caught sight of the spectacularly-coloured animal in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
The tiny foal, who has a dark coat with white polka dots, was first spotted last Friday by Maasai guide Antony Tira – who subsequently named the foal Tira. The following day wildlife photographer Frank Liu came across the plains zebra foal while searching for rhinos.
Tira the foal appears to be pseudo-melanistic. Also referred to as abundism, this genetic anomaly is a variant of pigmentation, characterised by dark spots or enlarged stripes, which cover a large part of the body of the animal, making it appear melanistic. One other example of abundism is the ‘king’ cheetah.
This condition is hereditary but can skip generations, and can be passed on by generations that show no visual signs of the condition.
It’s going to be a difficult life for little Tira, as most zebras with such unusual colouration stand out from the herd and make easy targets for predators. He may also suffer a bit more than others from biting flies as the latest research shows that zebras’ stripes act as a deterrent towards flies and other blood-sucking parasites. In Africa, flies carry dangerous debilitating diseases such as trypanosomiasis and African horse sickness, which cause wasting and often death. Therefore zebras must utilise both behavioural defences (running away and tail swishing) and morphological striping to avoid flies.
But for now, Tira seems to be fitting in well with the rest of his herd in the Maasai Mara, followed closely by many keen wildlife photographers and guides, so here’s hoping he will do just fine!
It was pitch dark and a bit chilly as I made my way cautiously to the outside privy, scanning the inkiness with my head torch for predators and things that go bump in the night. There had been plenty of hippo and elephant activity all night, and so I was wary. And there she was, 12 paces from me, all tawny feline grace and power as she stood staring, uncertain about what to do next. I too was uncertain, and our moment of mutual fascination and frozen indecision was broken when she merged with the ink to my right – a bit close for comfort. I concluded my privy business with all senses on full alert, and retired to bed, eventually being lulled to sleep by southern ground-hornbills hooting in the distance.
The next morning I found her tracks around my hut, and those of her companion – a very large male lion. My decision to close the wrap-around fold-out cane windows at night was a good one…
Elephants, dwarfed by the wide Save River
This was my first visit to Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park, and I was travelling with close friends Sharon Haussmann and Dex Kotze, who also had this iconic paradise on their life lists. Guests of park management, our mission was to find out for ourselves why Gonarezhou has amassed such an ardent following as a ‘bucket-list” dream destination for experienced travellers. And, to better understand why Gonarezhou is a rising conservation success story.
Look, this is not your thing if you are into rim-flow pools and Paris-trained pastry chefs; it’s more for those of us that seek the wilderness solitude of truly wild Africa. That said, there is a luxury lodge to the north that I recommend highly – but more about that later. Accommodation within the national park ranges from rough and remote wilderness camping to very comfortable self-catering chalets, and park management is looking to invest significantly into further photographic tourism offerings inside the park.
The iconic Chilojo Cliffs – the most photographed feature of Gonarezhou National Park. This 13 km-long sandstone ridge dominates the landscape, looming 200 m above the wide Runde River floodplain. We arrived at the Runde River picnic and camping spots facing the cliffs in the early afternoon and decided to spend the remainder of the day there, absorbing the spirit of the area and taking photographs while the sun and shadows tracked across the landscape. Luckily, we had come prepared, with plenty of gin & tonic, ice and snacks. Two herds of elephants crossed the river in front of the cliffs during our time there, but they were too far away to be photographed.
TIP:Plan to spend plenty of time at Chilojo Cliffs, to absorb the spirit of the place and to get a decent photograph. The cliffs are best photographed from mid to late afternoon, but hazy skies and long shadows can influence your photographic results. There is a long and bumpy drive to the top of the cliffs, but we opted out, deciding instead to focus on the view facing the cliffs.
We chose to drive to Gonarezhou from our homes in the Hoedspruit area, routing through the Kruger National Park, and so had the pleasure of exploring Gonarezhou on our terms. Entering the southern section of Gonarezhou via the Sango (Chicualacuala) border post between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, along the way we crossed the Limpopo River and the Lebombo Mountains. This route took us along some of the ancient migratory paths that elephants use when travelling between Kruger and Gonarezhou. There ARE more accessible ways to Gonarezhou!
Our primary reason for visiting Gonarezhou was to understand better the challenges facing elephants as they move seasonally between Kruger, Gonarezhou and protected areas in Mozambique, a passion I share with my travel companions.
A large herd of buffalo grazing on the fertile Save River floodplain
SWIMUWINI CAMP
Our first stop inside the national park was in self-catering cottages at Swimuwini, a charming camp near the park’s southern HQ of Mabalauta. The old-school vibe reminded me of early-day Kruger National Park camps. Our immaculate cottage sheltered under an enormous baobab tree and commanded outstanding views over the wide and sandy Mwenezi River (called ‘Nwanetsi’ in Kruger National Park).
The river forms the southwestern border of the national park, and the 15,000-hectare community land across the river, known as ‘Malapati’, until recently used as a trophy hunting area, is now managed as part of the national park, where no hunting is permitted. This ground-breaking agreement with local communities is part of the visionary sustainable strategy for Gonarezhou National Park. Morning coffee with THAT view, as grey-headed and brown-headed parrots squawked overhead – just spectacular. Lions killed a giraffe in camp that night, and only the carcass remained…
Our cottage at Swimuwini, overlooking the Mwenezi River
ELEPHANTS, ELEPHANTS, ELEPHANTS
Gonarezhou is elephant country – hosting a large population of almost 11,000 pachyderms, including the largest tuskers in Zimbabwe, which are from the same genetic population as the famed large tuskers of the Kruger National Park and southern Mozambique areas. The steady increase in elephant numbers in the park is a great success story, and indicative of a well-managed protected area. BUT the convergence of elephants into a well-protected area also speaks of a bigger-picture management issue that African countries are trying to address.
Elephants used to migrate freely between Gonarezhou in Zimbabwe, Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Mozambican national parks of Limpopo, Zinave and Banhine (and other areas), in search of seasonal food and water and for mating purposes. Although some elephants do still follow these ancient migration routes, the number of migrating elephants is significantly reduced, because of human pressure and ‘fear zones’. When poachers and trophy hunters ply their sordid trade, elephants (particularly family groups) get to understand the threats, and actively avoid those areas where possible – hence the term’ fear zones’. In common with many formally protected areas, Gonarezhou is almost entirely surrounded by trophy hunting blocks.
Also, there is an ongoing tension between rural villagers living near the park and elephants, which raid crops and threaten lives. Problem-causing elephants are killed, usually by trained rangers, to protect lives and livelihoods. To better understand the difficulties faced by rural communities that live amongst elephants, please read my story Life With Elephants. As a result of these combined pressures, elephants remain primarily within the boundaries of Gonarezhou National Park for far longer than nature intended and place increased pressure on the habitat.
Throughout Africa, this is a familiar story – the concentration of elephants into areas not biologically resourced to host such large numbers throughout the year. This results in there being ‘too many elephants’ in specific areas, while Africa-wide the elephant population is being hammered by poaching.
The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) is a visionary international drive to protect 10 million hectares (five times the size of Kruger National Park) spanning South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique – and so re-establish these natural elephant migration patterns.
Huge herds of elephants define the Gonarezhou experience
MASASANI MANANGA
And on we journeyed, driving from the south through the dry deciduous woodland centre of Gonarezhou to Masasani Mananga in the north, near the main national park HQ of Chipinda Pools. The name Masasani means’ good Samaritan’, a very apt name for this rustic, off-the-grid self-catering camp. We used the camp as a base for a few days, as we were shown around the area by park management.
Malugwe Pan, in the remote centre of the national park. This viewing platform is excellent for lunches and sleep-outs with qualified guides
TOURISM AS A DRIVER OF CHANGE FOR GOOD
The footprint of Masasani Mananga camp speaks volumes for the long-term thinking going into Gonarezhou. The camp was built entirely by local women, from local material and old fence posts. The roofing thatch was purchased from villagers, who harvest the grass inside the national park – legally. Mopane saplings were used for the basic framework and rope for binding is made from ilala palm leaves. The floors are made of goat dung, and the walls are dried mud, painted with charcoal. The wall and floor cladding will require replacement after every rainy season. YES, that would be every year – because this guarantees ongoing employment and a sense of ownership. Wooden furniture is built on-site by a local cabinet-maker.
A collection of photos of Masasani Mananga camp
All waste is removed from the park, and the outside privy for each hut uses Enviro Loo waterless technology. The shower is inside your hut, but you have to hand-pump the water from a point next to your hut and carry it inside to fill your bucket (safari) shower. The water is gravity-fed to your unit, and heated by solar pipes.
Masasani Mananga closes for the duration of the rainy season – November to March every year. A training facility has been established in the park, to train local people for roles such as chefs and guides, to add value to tourists and entrench a sense of ownership amongst local communities. A major power line that runs through the national park is being moved out of the national park, to deliver power to nearby communities and remove an eyesore from the park – how’s that for driving change for good?
Thomas Chauke is a local artisan who makes the doors and cabinets for the camps in Gonarezhou. He is self-taught, having started making doors for his home. Thomas uses local materials such as leaves from the ilala palm, branches and bark from mopane trees, and buys nails and tools from local traders. His dexterity with the machete (large slashing knife) and his precision and focus on the detail were eye-opening. We chatted with him for a while as he worked, with his son Mandla watching closely.
BATTLE OF THE GIANTS
Gonarezhou is undoubtedly the land of giants, and there is an ongoing battle for survival between elephants and baobab trees, although severe drought and ongoing climate change could also be playing a role. Baobabs are, in fact, succulents, and retain enormous amounts of water in their fibrous bodies – and that makes them irresistible targets for thirsty elephants (and eland and porcupine, amongst others) during dry periods. Baobabs can survive severe mauling from elephants, and will not die even if the entire tree circumference is ‘ring-barked’, but they do fall over and die once too much of the tree has been gouged away by elephants.
‘Normal’ baobab lifespans are mere guesswork – growth rings are very faint and often fade away, and so are difficult to count, but carbon dating has been done on a few individuals. The Panke Baobab in Zimbabwe (which died in 2011) was thought to be 2,500 years old, and others have been estimated at 1,000 to 2,000 years old. Usually, old baobabs die by simply crumbling into a pile of fibre, and it is speculated that years of drought in Gonarezhou and increasing regional temperatures are reducing the lifespan of baobabs. Add increased elephant pressure, and things do not look rosy for Gonarezhou’s baobabs.
Gonarezhou Conservation Trust director Hugo van der Westhuizen, who thrilled us with a flight over the northern reaches of the park, told us that Gonarezhou is losing about one baobab per week due to these combined pressures. We saw a few carcasses. I wondered what other knock-on impacts were playing themselves out below us, as we soared over this ancient landscape so defined by the two grey giants. Silent battles that we do not see or hear about on social and news media.
Elephants and baobab trees – grey giants of the Gonarezhou landscape
THE BAOBAB PROJECT
Although elephant impact on baobab trees and other habitats is seen as a natural process, a project to protect individual baobabs was launched in 2015. Many baobabs and other trees were lost in the drought of 1992, and elephant impact on the remaining baobab trees has been noticeable since then. Much of the damage occurs on the river floodplains, where most tourists spend their time, and the decision was made to protect trees in those areas. Methods to protect the trees include placing rocks or fallen logs around the base of trees or wrapping the trunk in wire mesh. These methods are proving to be successful, with a few exceptions.
To protect the baobabs rocks (left) are placed around the base of the tree, or wire mesh (right) is wrapped around the trunk.
This enormous baobab tree, known as ‘Shadreck’s Office’, has plenty of stories to tell. Infamous Mozambican poacher Shadreck Muteruko used the hollow in the tree during the years 1968 to 1983, to store his ill-gotten gains. He killed 20 to 25 tuskers and black rhinos per year, and sold the ivory and horn to Portuguese traders in Beira, on the Mozambican coast. His partner-in-crime, John Puzi, later became an anti-poaching tracker. Shadreck and John were local ‘Robin Hoods’ because they gave the meat to local villagers, and so ensured their loyalty and protection. Many local inhabitants were removed from their homes when Gonarezhou was declared a national park and did not otherwise have access to meat. Shadreck was arrested in 1983, shortly after the introduction of the CAMPFIRE program, which resulted in legal meat becoming available to local people.The author inside ‘Shadreck’s Office’ baobab tree
A BIT OF LUXURY
After a few blissful days exploring north Gonarezhou with park management combined with long nights around the campfire, it was time for a bit of luxury. We fired up the wagon just after sunrise and headed northeast through the park to Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, located on communal land on the border of the national park. The slow drive was punctuated with regular stops, to stretch the legs and to make ‘safari coffee’ – our blend of cold water and ice, coffee and Amarula (a South African cream liqueur derived from the fruit of the marula tree). We justified this decadence because elephants are known to favour the fruit and bark of the marula tree, and so our journey remained on-theme.
We enjoyed wonderful wildlife encounters during this morning sojourn, including painted wolves (African wild dogs) and plenty of elephants. We left the national park by crossing the wide Save River, and arrived at the lodge just in time for a delicious lunch, while green pigeon, trumpeter hornbill and purple-crested turaco lurked in the overhanging trees. And one of the best vistas I have seen from a lodge, in my many years of travelling Africa.
On one extended drive in the north of Gonarezhou, we encountered three painted wolves (African wild dogs) – one female and two males. They hung around our vehicle for a while, seeming not at all bothered by our presence. One of the males had lacerations on his hindquarters, and he appeared very gaunt, with saliva dribbling from his mouth. That afternoon our images and exact location were emailed to members of the Gonarezhou Predator Project – citizen science in action! The female and healthy male in the above photograph were consistently calling their pack members, and all were looking in one direction, to the northeast of us.
We spent two glorious days in the hands of the team at Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge and felt like family. I have heard that everyone feels like that after a spell at this delightful lodge. Our safari guide and knower-of-all-things was John Zvinashe, a local man who has a deep and insightful understanding of Gonarezhou.
Our game drives into the park were extremely enjoyable, especially so because of John’s unique understanding of this wild area. The game drive area easily accessible to Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge comprises a large area in the park known as ‘the confluence’, sandwiched between the Save and Runde rivers as they merge downstream of the lodge, with ‘Garden of Eden’ along the banks of the Save River being particularly rich in wildlife and scenic beauty.
John Zvinashe explains the inner workings of mopane leaves. This man’s extensive understanding of life beyond the usual knowledge base astounded us. Top right: ‘Garden of Eden’, a wildlife-rich game drive area on the banks of the Save River. Bottom right: The Save River forms the northern boundary of Gonarezhou National Park. This breathtaking view is from the breakfast terrace of Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
A quick online search will inform you that ‘Gonarezhou’ means ‘place of elephants’, but John offered a different interpretation – that this is a Shona phrase, meaning ‘horn (gona) of (re) elephants (zhou)’. He went on to explain that a powerful local sangoma (traditional healer) by the name of Khomondela used a hollow elephant tusk to administer his potions, and thus the name Gonarezhou was born. Local knowledge is always more interesting!
On the topic of names, John refers to zebras as ‘disco donkeys’ – which had us in stitches. Shout out to him for showing me my first lemon-breasted canaries and broad-tailed paradise whydahs!
A collection of photos of Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge
THE MAN WITH GONAREZHOU SOIL IN HIS VEINS
During one outing with John, we visited conservation icon Clive Stockil, a proper legend in my circles. Clive was hosting fortunate clients at the remote Chilo Gorge Tented Camp on the bank of a wide sandy stretch of the Runde River, a more rustic option for Chilo Gorge clients. We chatted for a few hours, and I was buzzing for days afterwards. This man is the epitome of community-based conservation, a man with Gonarezhou soil in his blood.
Clive, who is a part-owner of Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, has worked amongst the local Mahenye community for more than 40 years. The conflict between this community and wildlife escalated when they were expelled from Gonarezhou when it was declared a national park in 1975. Removal from their ancestral homeland led to a loss of that sense of ownership that is vital to keeping wildlife and ecosystems secure. They also lost their source of meat protein. Poaching was rife, as was human-wildlife conflict. Clive was requested by the government and local council members to intervene and find a solution.
The author (right) in deep discussion with renowned conservationist Clive Stockil
After many years of hard work and dedication, the basic principles of what would later become the highly successful CAMPFIRE project were implemented, under Clive’s direction. This project works on the ‘community-led conservation’ principle that humans will only care for wildlife if there is a benefit for them. CAMPFIRE is the acronym for “Communal Areas Management Programme For Indigenous Resources”. It empowers indigenous communities to take responsibility for sustainably managing natural resources for their benefit and to ensure the protection of the environment.
Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge was one result of that close cooperation with the Mahenye Community, who benefit from the lodge via the development of a school and guiding academy, maintenance of a clinic, and via the employment of 40 community members as lodge staff. Clive’s latest project with the Mahenye community is supported by the European Union and involves the establishment of a 7,000-hectare community-driven wildlife conservancy bordering Gonarezhou National Park.
Chilo Gorge Tented Camp, for a more rustic Gonarezhou safari
JUST WOW
So, what do Gonarezhou elephants have in common with a fish with the shortest lifespan of all animals with a backbone – the turquoise killifish? This rather extraordinary story was told to me by Simon Capon, who manages business development in Gonarezhou, during a rather enjoyable exploration of a remote section in the north of the national park.
So, the exquisitely-named turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri lives in temporary pools of water in ephemeral river systems in some semi-arid areas of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. It lives for only about nine to 10 weeks before succumbing when the water dries up and has the dubious distinction of reaching sexual maturity sooner than any other vertebrate species – at about 14 days. This fish’s eggs are adapted to last until the next rainfall event – months or years hence. Simon explained that the fish migrates downstream when the water is flowing, a good thing for genetic diversity. But how does the fish migrate upstream, to retain its distribution? This is where elephants come into the picture. Simon told me that research is underway to confirm the theory that elephants are vectors (carriers) of the eggs in their skin folds as they wander between mud wallows and tree rubs. Wow. Although not yet proven conclusively for this particular fish, this has been established for other aquatic species in this area. So, this begs the obvious question – what is happening to this fish’s range and the population now that human pressures severely restrict elephant migration?
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Gonarezhou National Park has a substantial indigenous community engagement and involvement program, embracing several initiatives that include conservation education, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and general outreach programs into communities neighbouring the park. During my extensive discussions with the previously-mentioned Hugo van der Westhuizen, it became clear to me that the involvement of neighbouring communities is the cornerstone of the Gonarezhou team’s strategy. I have known Hugo for many years, and he has not changed his tune about the need to involve indigenous communities – which is possibly why this man has such a successful track record in protected area management. Click here to read more about these vital community programs. This focus on community-led conservation is shared by Clive Stockil of Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, whose life-long commitment speaks volumes.
Clockwise from top: 1) Shangaan dancers; 2) Fresh potable water is an essential resource for rural villagers; 3) A rural Shangaan villager shucks maize (corn); 4) The annual Mahenye Festival offers tourists the opportunity to learn about and celebrate the unique and vibrant social culture of the Shangaan people; 5) Education is a vital component of community outreach
THE ENGINE DRIVING GONAREZHOU SUCCESS
Gonarezhou National Park is managed in its entirety by the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust team, utilising an innovative results-oriented model agreed upon between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS). The Trust became operational on 1 March 2017, following nine years of successful cooperation between these entities, and has a 20-year mandate. The Board of Trustees consists of equal numbers of nominees from ZPWMA and FZS.
Under this model, all cost and investment decisions are made by the Trust management team, and all revenues raised go directly to the Trust, rather than into government coffers. Revenue consists of donations and tourism proceeds, and no hunting is permitted in the national park. The 20-year plan is for Gonarezhou National Park to be financially self-sustainable, and the best tourism commercial strategy for the park is currently under deliberation and implementation.
Anti-poaching dogs being put through their paces
The Trust has the experience and commitment of Evious Mpofu (Senior Area Manager) and Elias Libombo (Community Liaison Officer) in their impressive arsenal of human resources.
I have known Trust director Hugo van der Westhuizen for many years, including during his reign at North Luangwa National Park in Zambia, where his impact was also profound. He and his wife Elsabe make a formidable team. I have often referred to Hugo as the most effective protected area manager that I have met. I don’t say that lightly. Based on my more recent discussions with Trust business development manager Simon Capon, Gonarezhou is in safe commercial hands. His commercial reasoning and strategy are rock solid, and yet agile (a good thing these days). Enough said, watch this space.
Gonarezhou has a high-tech approach to anti-poaching security, with 24/7 surveillance conducted from this ‘war-room’
ABOUT GONAREZHOU NATIONAL PARK
Description
The 5,035 km² (503,500 ha) Gonarezhou National Park lies in the southeast corner of Zimbabwe and is separated from South Africa’s Kruger National Park (2 million ha) by unfenced community land. Gonarezhou is the second-largest national park in Zimbabwe, second only to Hwange (1.5 million ha). To view and download a map of the park,click here.
Wildlife
Gonarezhou hosts 89 larger and 61 smaller mammal species, 400 bird species (plus another 92 ‘likely to occur’) and 50 fish species (including Zambezi shark and small-tooth sawfish at the confluence of the Runde and Save rivers). The park has experienced a significant increase in wildlife populations since effective management was put in place, with the latest (2016) wildlife survey of elephants and large herbivores estimating 10,715 elephant, 4,797 buffalo, 7,421 impala, 1,789 kudu, 446 giraffe, 1,830 zebra, 929 wildebeest, 241 eland and a host of other species. For a comprehensive understanding of the current populations of most herbivore species in the park, download the 2016 elephant and large herbivore survey here.
Clockwise from top left: 1) Pel’s fishing owl; 2) Ground pangolin; 3) Male lion; 4) Cheetah with her two cubs; 5) Flowering impala lilies
Black rhinos
Gonarezhou has twice lost its black rhino populations, with the last of the original population going extinct in the early 1940s. Seventy-seven black rhinos were introduced between 1969 and 1977, which increased to more than 100 before being wiped out by poaching in the 1990s. Editorial note: Reintroduction of black rhinos back into the park commenced in 2021.
Predators
The Gonarezhou Predator Project (GPP), established in 2009 as a collaboration with the African Wildlife Conservation Fund, monitors population trends and identifies and mitigates threats facing predators.
Historical threats to lions included over-hunting in the trophy hunting concessions around the park, retaliatory killing by livestock owners outside the park and depleted prey base. The main threat to painted wolves (African wild dogs) was a lack of prey base. To counter these threats, ZPWMA introduced a moratorium on lion trophy hunting around the park until populations recovered, and GPP introduced anti-poaching measures and human-wildlife conflict mitigation programmes. These measures have been hugely successful, with predator numbers escalating since 2009. Lion populations increased from 31 in 2009 to 181 currently, and the painted wolf population grew from a handful in 2009 to 190 now, of which 125 are adults and yearlings. Leopard, cheetah and hyena populations have also increased. Wire snares used by poachers continue to be a problem for predators, and there is an ongoing need to check painted wolves for snares.
Vegetation and landscapes
Gonarezhou’s vegetation is dominated by various types of woodlands – including alluvial, mopane, miombo, combretum, dry forests and wooded grasslands. Natural grasslands and acacia woodlands are virtually absent, and aquatic systems are limited to the three main rivers and various natural and man-made dams and pans. Baobab trees dot the landscape, towering over all other tree species. Download a 2010 vegetation study here.
Gonarezhou is baobab country
Gonarezhou landscapes are dominated by impressive sandstone cliffs, various seasonal pans and the large Save, Mwenezi and Runde rivers – which feature wide beds, dense riverine forest and steep rocky gorges with waterfalls and pools. The spectacular Chilojo Cliffs on the Runde River is a much sought-after site for tourists and has become the most-photographed feature of the park.
History
The area has been protected in some form since 1934 and was declared a national park in 1975. Before that, trophy hunters plied their trade without check, and large numbers of trophy animals were hunted. Attempts by the authorities to rid the area of the tsetse fly (which affects people and cattle with nagana – sleeping sickness) resulted in vast tracts of riverine forest being ring-barked or bulldozed, natural pans filled in, fences erected, animals exterminated and pesticides sprayed.
Then, just after the area was declared a national park in 1975, civil war broke out, and soldiers treated the national park as their pantry, making snares from the fence wire. To add to the destruction, almost 10,000 elephants were culled by the authorities over 20 years, out of concern for the habitat. The national park is surrounded by trophy hunting blocks and poor communities desperate for protein. Poaching by community members using snares and poisoning used to be rife inside the park, and trophy hunters would routinely bait predators and elephants out of the park, to be shot. Born from that cauldron of fire, present-day Gonarezhou is well-managed, with steadily-increasing wildlife populations and local community involvement. That said, the park faces enormous pressures, and strong growth in tourism support will ensure that this iconic Zimbabwean gem will survive mounting human pressures.
Buffalo skull on the shore of the Save River
Tourism
The current tourism facilities inside Gonarezhou National Park are geared towards the self-catering and adventure traveller, and range from extremely remote wilderness camping sites with no facilities to comfortable fully-equipped self-catering chalets. For a comprehensive list of facilities, and to book your Gonarezhou adventure, go to this website page and to view and download a map of the park click here.
There are currently no luxury safari lodges inside the national park, but bordering the unfenced park boundary to the north is the luxurious Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge. This must-visit lodge enjoys spectacular views over the Save River and into the park and is a short game drive away from some of the best game-viewing areas in the park.
Want to go on safari? To find lodges, search for our ready-made packages or get in touch with our travel team to arrange your safari, scroll down to after this story.
A lion spoor (left) and ‘Art on safari’ by Lin Barrie (right)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, SIMON ESPLEY
Simon Espley is an African of the digital tribe, a chartered accountant and CEO of Africa Geographic. His travels in Africa are in search of wilderness, real people with interesting stories and elusive birds. He lives in Hoedspruit with his wife Lizz and two Jack Russells, and when not travelling or working, he will be on his mountain bike somewhere out there. His motto is ‘Live for now, have fun, be good, tread lightly and respect others. And embrace change’. Image caption: Simon (left) with travel companions and photographers Sharon Haussmann and Dex Kotze
Sometimes great experiences come along unexpectedly and in this case an experience that we won’t soon forget! It was after a few exciting days in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania when we decided to spend some quiet days camping in the mountain village of Monduli Juu – about an hour’s drive from Arusha. The actual campsite, which lies just outside the village, is run by the Maasai themselves and provides stunning views of Mount Meru, the Rift Valley and – on clear mornings – of Mount Kilimanjaro. The Maasai have greatly developed the campsite in the last few years, which now offers toilets and access to water – which is hard to come by in the highlands of Monduli Juu.
The campsite is set in a small woodland area and is very peaceful. A variety of birds including speckle-fronted weavers, rufous sparrows, African grey flycatchers and olive thrushes are a common sight around the campsite.
On the Saturday we visited the local market where everything from goats, jewellery and clothes, to household goods, fresh produce and shoes made from motorbike tyres were for sale.
The following day we went on a short walking safari with Leska, a Maasai warrior, through the woodlands that cover the gentle slopes below the campsite. While large predators are rare in the area, it still is home to a variety of antelopes, gazelles and giraffes which can be encountered while on foot!
We followed the tracks and signs of giraffe and eland and finally met two graceful giraffes who did not mind at all to pose for photos with us. Our young daughter especially enjoyed this close experience with wildlife!
We finally reached the goal of our walk, a lookout point where the gentle slopes suddenly fell away and the vast Rift Valley spread out in front of us in dusty tones of grey, brown and yellow. Within this vast, dry landscape, the Maasai bomas (enclosures) were barely distinguishable and sparsely strewn. Within each boma, there are a number of huts where each hut represents the house of one wife. From this viewpoint, Leska was able to point out the boma where he was born.
We immensely enjoyed our stay at the Monduli Juu campsite. It was the ideal place for us to learn more about the Maasai culture and experience a more intimate, off-the-beaten-track safari.
In a world-first, the single largest GPS satellite tagging of giraffes has taken place in Kenya. Twenty-eight solar-powered GPS satellite tracking units (called ‘ossi-units’) were fitted to endangered reticulated giraffes in a mix of public, private and communal land across northern Kenya in order to better understand their spatial movements and habitat use in the wild.
The project was undertaken by the San Diego Zoo Global (SDZG) collaborating with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Northern Rangeland Trust, Loisaba Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), and BiK-F Senckenberg,
“Knowing where giraffe are, how much space they need, and how they move across the landscape seasonally, is vital to inform effective conservation and planning. For the first time we will now have this information for the endangered reticulated giraffe species,” says SDZG Community-based Conservation Ecologist David O’Connor, one of the leaders of this ground-breaking operation. “It was an immense, collaborative team effort, which is what is needed to move the needle forward in conservation.”
Fitting 28 ossi-units in arid and remote communal lands is no easy task. Each giraffe was carefully darted by the skilled KWS veterinary team before the safe capture and fitting of the ossi-unit capitalising on the long experience of the small expert team of GCF and partners. Important biodata was collected simultaneously including physical measurements, genetic and blood samples. Some of the data was the first-ever collected for reticulated giraffe in the wild and forms part of an Africa-wide effort lead by GCF.
While in the field, the veterinary team also treated other injured wildlife and reunited an orphaned giraffe calf with its mother – contributing to the all-round conservation success of this operation.
“Since we first trialled GPS satellite technology on giraffe in northwest Namibia in 2001, these units have gone through quite a design evolution. The latest design is small (the size of three matchboxes), less obtrusive with better technology and increased battery capacity compared to previously giraffe collars and head harnesses. The opportunity to bring field conservation science and technology together allows us to unravel many mysteries about giraffe across Africa,” adds Dr Julian Fennessy, Director of Giraffe Conservation Foundation, another key player in this operation in northern Kenya.
The ossi-units were developed in partnership with the Kenyan company Savannah Tracking. So far over 115 giraffe in six African countries have been fitted with these trackers as part of the Africa-wide initiative Twiga Tracker (‘twiga’ is Swahili for giraffe). Twiga Tracker is an international collaborative programme led by GCF with SDZG, BiK-F, SCBI and Wildlife Conservation Alliance, to better understand spatial movements of all four giraffe species and their habitat use throughout Africa. Using science as a base to support long-term giraffe conservation, Twiga Tracker aims to track a minimum of 250 giraffe across their range by the end of 2020.
Some giraffe populations are in peril, facing many threats in the wild such as loss of large-scale habitat, fragmentation and degradation of their preferred habitat, disease and in some places, illegal hunting/poaching. These threats were highlighted when reticulated giraffe were assessed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List in 2018.
As one of the first countries in Africa to develop and commence implementation of a National Giraffe Conservation Strategy and Action Plan, Kenya is at the forefront of giraffe conservation. While Kenya is home to the vast majority of reticulated giraffe, it is also the only country in Africa that hosts three different species of giraffe.
As part of the continent-wide Twiga Tracker, this latest GPS satellite tagging of reticulated giraffe will allow our team to monitor the movements and habitat use of individual giraffe in these critical connected refuges over the next few years. It is estimated that reticulated giraffe numbers have dropped by over 50% in the past 30 years alone, and it is essential to better understand their needs to help protect this species.
While technology can help conservation, it is important to complement these technological advances with on-ground field-based monitoring linked to clear conservation objectives as identified in the National Strategy. SDZG in collaboration with partners is doing just that: since 2016 a team of Twiga Walinzi (giraffe guards) are supporting reticulated giraffe conservation in northern Kenya. The programme, which is wholly implemented by local community members, has cemented itself as a leader in community-based giraffe conservation in the area and the results have helped us make informed conservation management decisions.
Together we can make a difference for giraffe before it is too late.
The unpredictable nature of wildlife is what makes going on safari special and unique. Who knows what may be lurking around the next acacia bush or down a quiet dry riverbed? However, knowing what signs to watch for and adopting a deeper understanding of animal behaviour can give you that little boost in ‘reading’ this unpredictability. Being patient and knowing when to hang back and concentrate on one animal, rather than hurrying off to the next sighting, may be rewarded with an unbelievably epic sighting. And if you are lucky enough to bear witness to any sighting of such magnitude, then it is sure to remain in your memories for a long time to come.
And this is clearly what happened to professional wildlife photographer Kevin Dooley on one particular morning in Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. Below he shares with us his account of what was at first a very typical sighting of a leopardess and her cub but soon turned into something beyond his wildest imagination.
“We were photographing this leopardess with her cub, who were both showing signs of being hungry. The cub was licking its mom’s face and rubbing up against her, while she was looking thin and acting restless. Soon the leopardess left the cub in the safety of a thick bush and headed down the riverbed in search of food. Leopards usually eat every three to five days, although with a growing cub it can be more frequently.
“We followed the leopardess at a distance and within a half an hour or so we spotted a lone male impala. The impala was at the very end of a long and narrow part of the dry riverbed. The leopardess had also spotted the impala and immediately focused on it. We held tight and let the situation play out, with the leopardess scanning the area and looking for a way to sneak up on the impala without being detected. The leopardess chose a low spot in the riverbed where she was hidden from the impala. This also placed her out of our view. We checked the wind, and it was blowing her scent away from the impala, and so we knew there was a good chance she would have success.
“I focused my lens on the impala and changed my camera settings for a fast action shot. It was difficult because the light was dim due to a very overcast day. I kept my finger on the shutter release and my eyes on both the impala and the area where I believed the big cat would reappear.
“The waiting was intense – over ten long minutes of wondering if the hunt was going to take place. With only a 35-40% hunting success rate for leopards generally, this leopardess certainly had her work cut out for her.
“So many thoughts were going through my mind. Will I get the image? Will the leopardess reappear? Will she be successful? When will this all happen? I have had so many predator-prey interactions in my photographic career that ended in disappointment when the hunt was interrupted, or the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, the potential prey discovered the predator, or the prey ran into brush that was just too thick to photograph. All of these questions and doubts were running through my mind while I waited for the action to happen.
“Meanwhile, I knew that if I took my eyes and attention off this situation for even a brief moment, there was a good chance of missing a possibly great photo. I had to keep it together and not lose my focus – ready with my finger on the shutter release. My experience told me that I would have just seconds to get the photos of the leopard actually taking the impala down.
“As if the leopardess was reading my thoughts, she suddenly appeared! First, a paw slowly came into view, then a nose, followed by her head and eventually her whole body was in sight – all primed and ready for a burst of incredible speed. And then in an instant, she was off!
“I firmly held my finger down on the shutter release, continually taking photos as I panned and followed her throughout the entire hunt. I could not believe my eyes. From the moment she sprang into action to the point where she brought the impala down lasted maybe 15 to 20 seconds. Had I looked away for even a briefest of moments I would have missed it!
“I experienced a mixed bag of emotions – amazement at what I had just witnessed, excitement and accomplishment at having successfully photographed the hunt, and sadness for the impala. It was an overwhelming blast of emotions that I will never forget, a highlight in my photographic career that will be in the top three wildlife encounters of my lifetime of creating photos. There really is no way to explain it. Tears rolled down my face in the happiness of knowing that I just experienced and photographed one of the most amazing moments of my life.”
Kevin Dooley is a professional wildlife and portrait photographer living in New Mexico, USA. His father was a professional photographer, and Kevin grew up working in a photography studio. At the age of 14, he received his first camera from his father, who took him on many journeys to discover himself and his style of photography. These days Kevin teaches wildlife photography and conducts wildlife photographic safaris around the world. For the majority of the year, he can be found travelling through numerous countries – spending most of his time in Africa – in search of creating incredible wildlife photos.
DECODING SCIENCE POST with information supplied by the British Ecological Society
According to a new study, certain species of daisies that close their flowers at night have been found to produce colour in their exposed lower petals that makes them harder to spot for herbivores, reducing herbivory rates of flowers.
In the study, which was published in the British Ecological Society journal Functional Ecology, researchers from Stellenbosch University in South Africa found that tortoises, one of the main herbivores of the daisies, were unable to distinguish the lower petal surfaces against a green leaf background. Tortoises prefer to eat protein-rich flowers over leaves, but when confronted with closed flowers, they showed no preference between them.
When the researchers modelled the colours of the lower petal surfaces in the vision of other herbivores, they also found these colours to be indistinguishable from leaves. In contrast, species of daisy that do not close at night produced the same colouration on their lower petals as the upper petals exposed to pollinators.
Plants face an evolutionary conflict between having flowers that attract pollinators while avoiding herbivores. Often plants defend themselves chemically, but this can have adverse effects on pollination.
“When plants defend their flowers chemically, the pollination interactions can be negatively influenced. Our study shows a novel way in which flowers can avoid herbivores without compromising pollination interactions.” Says Dr Jurene Kemp, lead author of the study.
“These flowers can potentially circumvent the conflict of attracting both pollinators and herbivores by producing attractive colours on the surfaces that are exposed to pollinators (when flowers are open) and cryptic colours that are exposed when herbivores are active (when flowers are closed).”
In Namaqualand, South Africa, where the research took place, daises bloom annually in a spring flowering. This makes preserving flowers, responsible for reproduction, particularly important.
The researchers examined the colouration of 77 Asteraceae species, modelling how they appear in the visual systems of chameleons, horses and goats as proxies for tortoises and larger herbivores in the area, like springbok. They then tested the preferences of real tortoises with both open and closed flowers against leaf backgrounds.
Not all Asteraceae species that close their flowers had cryptically coloured lower petal surfaces, but in the experiments, the tortoises did not readily eat these flowers. Dr Kemp said, “One interesting question would be to test whether non-cryptic flowers have chemical defences and whether these chemical defences are absent in the cryptic flowers.”
On further research, Dr Kemp said “Unfortunately, we could only do this using one plant family in one botanical region, it would be great to see if other plant species also use colour to avoid herbivores.”
The researchers would also have liked to use larger herbivores such as springboks in their behavioural experiments, but Dr Kemp adds that “this was practically not possible.”
Full report: Jurene E. Kemp; Allan G. Ellis (2019). Cryptic petal colouration decreases floral apparency and herbivory in nocturnally closing daisies. Functional Ecology.https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13423
“When one thinks about vultures, one envisions a bald-headed, blood-thirsty scavenger waiting for something or someone to perish. We have been brought up to believe that evil surrounds vultures, and this has led to cinematography portraying the species in a negative and unloved light. This has most certainly contributed to the species being disliked and misunderstood by so many of us.
Twenty years ago, I had no appreciation for vultures. I did not care for them much, let alone understand them, and I most certainly had no inkling that I would be dedicating my life to saving such an underappreciated and misjudged species. Theyare our natural garbage collectors, and we owe them our gratitude for keeping our environment balanced.” ~ Kerri Wolter (Founder/CEO of VulPro)
Vultures are classified into two groups – the Old World and the New World. New World vultures are found in North and South America and are represented by seven species belonging to five genera. Old World vultures are found throughout the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe and are represented by 16 species belonging to nine genera. However, the two groups are not genetically closely related, but instead, their similarities are due to convergent evolution (when species have different ancestral origins but have developed similar features).
Old World vultures belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, buzzards, kites and hawks. New World vultures belong to the family Cathartidae, that includes condors.
A significant difference between the two groups is that Old World vultures do not have a good sense of smell and thus locate their meals by sight, whereas New World vultures have a keen sense of smell and sharp eyesight.
For this story, we will be looking at various species of Old World vultures.
MORE ABOUT VULTURES
Both Old World and New World vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals. However, some have broad food habits, and in addition to carrion will also consume garbage and even excrement. Vultures seldom attack a healthy living animal but may kill the wounded or sick.
A particular characteristic of many vulture species is a bald head, devoid of feathers. Most researchers suggest that this is because it would be difficult to maintain a feathered head and keep it clean from all the blood and other fluids picked up while feeding on carcasses. However, recent research theorises that a bald head can also help with thermoregulation.
Vultures are opportunistic feeders and when prey is abundant will gorge themselves until their crop is full, after which they will sit in a half torpid state to digest their food. Most species have powerful hooked beaks that are used to tear hide, muscle and bone from carcasses.
When vultures of different species descend on a carcass, it may look like a ‘first come first served’ frenzied mess, but there is a strict hierarchical feeding structure based on body size and strength of beak. Vultures with powerful beaks, such as the dominant lappet-faced vultures, are the first to the carcass, tearing it open to allow other vultures to feed, such as white-backed vultures and white-headed vultures who will gorge on the soft tissue of the carcass. Smaller vultures will usually wait for the scraps left behind by the larger, more dominant species.
All vultures have very long, broad wings that allow them to soar gracefully at great heights, catching the thermals and remaining aloft for hours with minimal effort. With their keen eyesight, they can scan for carrion or spot other vultures descending to prey from miles away.
When it comes to nesting, Old World vultures build large platform nests made out of sticks – in trees or on cliffs. They may use the same nest for several years, taking turns sitting while their partner finds food. The majority of Old World vultures incubate a single egg at a time. Vultures generally do not have strong feet or legs, so they are unable to carry food back to their young. Instead, they gorge themselves on food, filling up their crop, and upon returning to the nest regurgitate the food for the young to eat.
All vultures play an essential ecological role in the ecosystem by disposing of dead carcasses and decreasing the spread of diseases from animal remains that would otherwise rot. Unfortunately, the majority of species are facing a continual and rapid decline in numbers due to a variety of threats, which is not good news for the future state of the ecosystem.
Today, vultures face an unprecedented onslaught from human activities, and the IUCN Red List currently lists many of the Old World vultures as ‘Vulnerable’, ‘Endangered’ or ‘Critically Endangered’. Threats range from electrocutions and collisions with electrical structures to poisonings and exposure to toxicity through veterinary drugs. In Africa, the majority of deaths are attributed to poisonings and the harvesting of body parts for the bushmeat trade and use in traditional medicine – it is believed that the heads, or brains, of vultures, provide powers of premonition or foresight.
Because vultures tend to circle over potential prey, ivory or rhino horn poachers lace the carcasses with poison intending to kill the vultures so that they won’t alert the authorities to future kills. Vultures are also unintentionally killed by pest control poisons when consuming the carcasses of predators that have been poisoned by farmers who want to protect their livestock.
Africa is home to 11 Old World vulture species, of which six are confined to the continent while the rest also occur elsewhere in Eurasia. Seven of the African vultures are on the verge of extinction, and we cover these species below, based on information provided by the IUCN Red List and VulPro.
WHITE-BACKED VULTURE – CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
The white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus) is endemic to Africa, being the most widespread and common vulture on the continent. It is ‘Critically Endangered’ owing to the very rapid decline in habitat loss, degradation, and prey, and also due to hunting for trade, persecution, collisions and poisoning. The IUCN Red List states that its global population is estimated at 270,000 individuals, while South Africa has an estimated 40,000 individuals left.
They feed in large numbers at a carcass, resulting in lots of hissing and grunting to protect their share of the food. They clean and preen themselves thoroughly after feeding and are often seen bathing and sunbathing together with other vulture species.
HABITAT AND REPRODUCTION
It is a lowland species which prefers wooded savannah, particularly acacia trees. They require tall trees for nesting and have been recorded nesting on electricity pylons in South Africa. They nest in loose colonies of 2-13 birds. Nests are made out of sticks and lined with grass and leaves. They breed at the start of the dry season, and the female lays a single egg, sharing the incubation with her mate for around 56 days. Both parents feed the pale grey chick until fledging at 120-130 days of age.
DISTRIBUTION
The white-backed vulture occurs from Senegal, Gambia and Mali in the west, throughout the Sahel region to Ethiopia and Somalia in the east, through East Africa into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa in the south. They are now extinct as a breeding species in Nigeria, with only one stronghold in Ghana. APPEARANCE
White-backed vultures have bald heads and long necks. The adults are brown to cream-coloured with dark tail and flight feathers. They have a white rump patch and ruff. Juveniles are generally darker in colour.
• Body length: 89-98 cm
• Wingspan: 210-220 cm
• Weight: 4.2-7.2 kg
The hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is endemic to southern Africa. It is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’, and populations are declining rapidly due to indiscriminate poisoning, trade for traditional medicine, hunting, persecution and electrocution, as well as habitat loss and degradation. The IUCN Red List states that its global population is estimated at a maximum of 197,000 individuals.
Hooded vultures feed on insects and carrion and are known to follow ploughs to eat exposed larvae and insects, as well as making use of rubbish dumps for carrion. The adults are very quiet and seldom vocalise.
HABITAT AND REPRODUCTION
Hooded vultures are often associated with human settlements, but are also found in open grassland, forest edge, wooded savannah, desert and along coasts. Very little is known about their breeding habits, although it has been noted that baobabs are usually their go-to roosting and nesting trees. In West Africa and Kenya, it breeds throughout the year, but especially from November to July. Breeding in northeast Africa occurs mainly in October-June, with birds in southern Africa tending to breed in May-December. A clutch of one egg is laid with an incubation that lasts 46-54 days, followed by a fledging period of 80-130 days.
DISTRIBUTION
This species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa; from Senegal and southern Mauritania east through southern Niger and Chad to southern Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and western Somalia, southwards to northern Namibia and Botswana, and through Zimbabwe to southern Mozambique and northeastern South Africa. APPEARANCE
Hooded vultures are smaller and shyer than other vultures, with the female being larger than the male. It is a small, scruffy-looking vulture with mostly brown wings with a pinkish bald head and beige hood. Juveniles usually have a pale blue face and a hood of short, dark brown down feathers rather than beige.
• Body length: 67-70 cm
• Wingspan: 160 cm
• Weight: 2 kg
Rüppell’s vulture – CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
The Rüppell’s vulture (Gyps ruppellii) was uplisted in 2014 from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Critically Endangered’ due to severe declines in parts of its range. As with all threatened vultures, the population is undergoing a very rapid decline due to habitat loss, degradation, declines in prey (wild ungulates), hunting for trade, collision and poisoning. The IUCN Red List states that its current population is estimated at 22,000 mature individuals.
This vulture is regarded as the highest flying bird in the world and is known to fly as high as 37,100 feet (11,278 metres) above sea level.
HABITAT AND REPRODUCTION
Found in open areas of acacia woodland, grasslands and montane regions, these vultures breed in colonies of up to 2,200 birds, building large nests on cliff faces. They lay only one egg per year, and both parents incubate the egg for a period of up to 55 days, with young becoming independent during the following breeding season.
DISTRIBUTION
Rüppell’s vultures occur throughout the Sahel region of Africa – Senegal, Gambia and Mali in the west to Sudan and Ethiopia in the east– as well as savannah regions in the east of Africa to Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Since the 1990s there has been a series of records involving small numbers of individuals in Spain and Portugal. APPEARANCE
Rüppell’s vultures are a medium-sized vulture. The adults have mottled dark-brown/black plumage with pale creamy edging to the body feathers. The flight feathers are dark, and they have a white ruff, dark neck and pale head. Juveniles have a dark beak and paler body plumage.
• Body length: 84-97 cm
• Wingspan: 260 cm
• Weight: 7-9 kg
The white-headed vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) is endemic throughout sub-Saharan Africa and is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ due to poisoning, persecution and ecosystem alterations. The IUCN Red List estimates a population of 5,500 individuals, with severe declines throughout its West African range. Poisoning seems to be the major factor in the decline of this species.
This shy species tends to avoid human habitation. They fly lower than other vultures are often the first vulture species to arrive at carcasses, where they keep their distance from vulture gatherings, waiting for larger species such as lappet-faced vultures to move off. They are quite agile on the ground and fight by leaping into the air and lashing out with their strong talons.
HABITAT AND REPRODUCTION
White-headed vultures prefer mixed, dry woodland at low altitudes, avoiding semi-arid thorn belt areas. The top of tall trees is where they will roost and nest, with nests being built mostly in acacia tree species and baobabs. Usually, one egg is laid during the dry season. Incubation lasts about 43-54 days and is shared by both parents. The young fledge at about 115 days and is fed by parents for up to another six months.
DISTRIBUTION
With an extensive range in sub-Saharan Africa, their distribution is from Senegal, Gambia and Guinea-Bissau east to Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, and south to easternmost South Africa and Swaziland. APPEARANCE
This stocky, medium-sized bird has predominantly black and white plumage. They have a pinkish-orange hooked beak with a white crest and a downy white head. The skin is bare around the eyes, cheeks and front of the neck. They have white legs and belly with a black breast and ruff. Flight feathers and tail are black. Juveniles are dark brown with a white head and brownish top of the head, and white mottling on the mantle. • Body length: 78-85 cm
• Wingspan: 207-230 cm
• Weight: 3.3-5.3 kg
The Cape vulture, or Cape griffon vulture (Gyps coprotheres) is endemic to southern Africa and is found mainly in South Africa, Lesotho and Botswana. The IUCN Red List categorises this species as ‘Endangered’ as its population is declining rapidly. However, recent increases in parts of its South African range mean declines are not thought to be sufficiently strong to warrant listing as ‘Critically Endangered’. The main threats these vultures face are poisoning, electrocution on pylons or collision with cables, loss of foraging habitat and unsustainable harvesting for traditional uses. Global population numbers are at approximately 9,400 mature individuals or 4,700 breeding pairs.
Cape vultures always make quite the scene at large carcasses and descend in large numbers, arguing over food with harsh, grating calls or standing with wings outstretched to appear larger and to claim their share of the food. Being the hygienic birds that they are, they will often be found using a nearby waterhole or pool of water to thoroughly clean and preen themselves after a large meal.
HABITAT AND REPRODUCTION
The Cape vulture roosts and nests in large colonies on cliff faces in or near mountains. Nests are constructed out of sticks lined with dry grass, and breeding usually takes place between April and July. A single egg is laid and both parents, who mate for life, share the responsibility of incubation and feeding the young. Incubation lasts for 54 days, and the chick fledges at about 140 days after hatching.
DISTRIBUTION
The Cape vulture is restricted to southern Africa with main colonies in South Africa and Botswana. They are now extinct as a breeding species in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. APPEARANCE
Cape vultures have a creamy-buff body plumage with black flight and tail feathers. They have a black beak, honey-coloured eyes and a naked, blueish throat. Juveniles are darker brown with pink neck skin and brown eyes.
• Body length: 96-115 cm
• Wingspan: 226-260 cm
• Weight: 7-11 kg
EGYPTIAN VULTURE – ENDANGERED
The Egyptian vulture, also known as ‘pharaoh’s chicken’ (Neophron percnopterus), once lived in abundance along the Nile River and were depicted in hieroglyphics by the Ancient Egyptians. Now they are listed as ‘Endangered’ and, according to the IUCN Red List, the population is estimated at 12,000-38,000 mature individuals. Threats to their population include collisions with power lines, hunting, intentional poisoning, lead poisoning from ingesting ammunition in carcasses, and pesticide accumulation.
They are opportunistic feeders with a varied diet which includes carrion, garbage (such as old vegetable matter), eggs, insects, and occasionally small birds, reptiles, and mammals. These vultures are one of the few bird species known to use tools. To break open eggs, they will drop small stones onto the egg until it cracks. They have also been observed using sticks to gather and roll wool, which they then use as a lining in their nests.
HABITAT AND REPRODUCTION
Egyptian vultures nest on cliff ledges, in caves, or rocky outcrops. The nest is made out of sticks and lined with a variety of material, from wool and animal hair to rags and grass. The female usually lays two eggs per year and incubation is done by both parents for 39-45 days. Once hatched, both chicks are looked after until they fledge at around 70-85 days old.
DISTRIBUTION
Egyptian vultures are found in northern Africa, southwestern Europe, and the Indian sub-continent. APPEARANCE
Egyptian vultures have a yellow, bare-skinned face, white to pale grey plumage and black flight feathers. The beak is yellow with a black tip. Juveniles are largely dark brown with a contrasting area of pale buff.
• Body length: 54-66 cm
• Wingspan: 146-175 cm
• Weight: 1.6-2.4 kg
The lappet-faced vulture, also known as the Nubian vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) is listed as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN Red List and only a small, very rapidly declining population of approximately 5,700 mature individuals remain. Their decline is primarily due to poisoning and persecution, as well as ecosystem alterations.
They are enormous vultures and are considered the most powerful and aggressive of the African vultures. Dominant at carcass sites, they are capable of tearing into tough hides and muscles, thus benefitting less powerful vultures which then have access to the soft tissue of the carcass.
HABITAT AND REPRODUCTION
Lappet-faced vultures inhabit dry savannah, arid plains, deserts with isolated trees and open mountain slopes. They breed at the top of tall thorny trees such as acacia, balanites and terminalia trees. The female lays a single egg in a nest made of twigs (the same one is used year after year) and shares the responsibilities of incubation and feeding with her lifelong partner. The incubation period is 54-56 days, and chicks fledge between 125-135 days.
DISTRIBUTION
The lappet-faced vulture is endemic to the Middle East and Africa, where it is found from the southern Sahara to the Sahel, down through East Africa to central and northern South Africa. APPEARANCE
This vulture has the largest wingspan of any other vulture in Africa. They have a short neck with a powerful, sharp beak. They have a bald, pinkish-skinned head and lappets (the folds of skin on the sides of its head) which can change different shades of colour depending on the mood and temperature. They have dark brown or black feathers, with white legs, as well as a white bar on the underside of the wing. Juveniles are mostly brown with few down feathers on the head.
• Body length: 95-115 cm
• Wingspan: 250-290 cm
• Weight: 4.4-8.5 kg
FINAL THOUGHTS
“All in all, vultures are such gentle, charismatic creatures that are fascinating and mesmerising to watch, research and conserve. They are noble and forgiving creatures that simplywant to be – i.e. live, reproduce and be left alone. One cannot forget that vultures play a significant role in preventing the spread of diseases by efficiently and effectively consuming carcasses that would otherwise be left to decompose in our environment.
“Each species has their unique character traits and their own inner beauty which defines them and their individualities. They are exquisitely beautiful with their piercing intelligent eyes that look deep through your soul with a longing to be understood and loved.” ~ Kerri Wolter (Founder/CEO of VulPro)
Africa is facing a vulture crisis, and we could lose some of our vulture species within our lifetime. For this genuine reason, VulPro was established in 2007 to address the catastrophic declines of vultures across the continent with special emphasis initially being on the Cape vulture as southern Africa’s only endemic vulture species. However, this focus has shifted to include all African vulture species, with a multifaceted and adaptive management approach encompassing both in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies.
VulPro is leading the way, with innovative and adaptive methods, to saving Africa’s vultures. Vulpro recognises that every person counts and every person can affect change and contribute to the survival of the vulture species. Their mission is to advance knowledge, awareness and innovation in the conservation of African vulture populations for the benefit and well-being of society.
VulPro conducts and facilitates educational talks at its rehabilitation and educational centre in Hartbeespoort, as well as at external, formal and informal venues and with groups of varying demographics, ages, interests and expertise.
Their objectives are to save vultures from extinction through the following conservation strategies:
• Vulture rehabilitation
• Monitoring distribution and foraging ranges throughout sub-Saharan Africa
• Monitoring wild vulture populations and breeding success
• Veterinary and ecological research related to vultures
• Conservation breeding and reintroduction programmes
• Public education and awareness programmes
Earlier this month in western Zambia, Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organisation, and the Barotse Royal Establishment of the Lozi People in partnership with Peace Parks Foundation and Cartier launched the Saving Spots project – an innovative and culturally-sensitive conservation initiative that seeks to protect declining wild cat populations using synthetic leopard, serval and lion furs, known as ‘Heritage Furs’.
Held annually on the Zambezi River in the Barotseland Kingdom, the Kuomboka festival (meaning ‘to get out of the water’) involves passage of His Majesty the Lozi King between palaces by barge. Historically, the King’s barge has carried approximately 200 paddlers adorned with ornate, full-length skirts or lipatelo made of nearly a thousand leopard and serval furs. Paddlers have also traditionally worn red berets topped with lion mane headpieces, known as mishukwe.
This year, with the roll-out of our new wild cat conservation initiative at the Royal Palace in Mongu, festival attendees received 200 Panthera-created synthetic leopard and serval fur lipatelo and 200 synthetic lion mishukwe, which have replaced the use of real furs and, we expect, will help to reduce the hunting of hundreds of wild cats across southern Africa where the species are severely threatened.
His Royal Highness the Lozi Senior Chief, Inyambo Yeta, stated, “The Barotse Royal Establishment was concerned that leopard and other cat populations are dwindling in Zambia, and as a conservation-oriented establishment, worked with Panthera to devise a culturally appropriate solution to reduce the impact on wild cats.”
Lozi leadership was instrumental in ensuring adoption of the Heritage Furs, with official endorsement and valuable design input provided by His Majesty the King and the Senior Chief. Working with digital designers, Panthera arranged for the manufacturing of the ceremonial regalia in China and tailoring in South Africa. Along with the garments donated last week, Panthera will provide an additional 400 Heritage Furs to the Barotse Royal Establishment.
Panthera Leopard Program Director and Conservation Science Deputy Director, Dr. Guy Balme, stated, “The rollout of the Heritage Furs to the Lozi people offers a lifeline to leopards in Zambia and beyond. Innovative solutions such as this, that garner local support and can be implemented at scale, are needed to turn the tide for a species in desperate need of increased conservation attention.”
Earlier this year, the United Nations global biodiversity report raised red flags regarding the extinction crisis facing 1,000,000 species, including big cats like leopards. Many communities across Africa believe that those wearing leopard furs are imbued with its enviable qualities, including strength, grace and stealth.
Despite this reverence for the species, the illegal killing of leopards for use in ceremonial attire is devastating the big cat’s populations across Africa, alongside bushmeat poaching, conflict with people, habitat loss and unsustainable trophy hunting. Panthera scientists estimated that nearly 200 paddlers were dressed in furs from approximately 150 leopards and 800 servals at the 2018 Kuomboka festival.
Speaking on behalf of His Majesty the Litunga Lubosi Imwiko II in front of his council, and over 400 Lozi community members at last week’s event, the Prime Minister of Barotseland stated, “We are grateful for Panthera’s partnership in saving Zambia’s wildlife with the donation of these regalia. Only an expert could tell the difference between the garments and original furs. We greatly look forward to all the paddlers using these at the next Kuomboka festival.”
In order to track leopard population trends and tailor conservation efforts accordingly, the project has additionally established a robust monitoring network that extends across the Namibian, Zambian, Zimbabwean components of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. Thus far, survey results have painted a bleak picture for leopards in areas historically considered strongholds for the species, underscoring the dire need for increased conservation efforts and funding on their behalf.
The Saving Spots project is operated through and modelled after Panthera’s Furs For Life program. With leopard populations in southern Africa declining at alarming rates, Furs For Life was formed in 2013 after Panthera scientists discovered that as many as 15,000 illegal leopard fur capes were being used by followers of the Nazareth Baptist Shembe Church during religious gatherings.
In six years, Furs For Life has donated more than 18,500 synthetic leopard fur capes to the Shembe community, decreasing the use of real leopard furs at religious gatherings by half and preventing hundreds of leopard deaths each year. Now successfully replicated in Zambia, the Furs For Life model holds great potential for adoption within additional willing communities across southern Africa that currently utilise cat and other animal furs during traditional ceremonies.
Watch the video about the project, Saving Spots, below – provided by Panthera
Left: Lions killed 25 goats belonging to farmer Euphrasius Dawids in Torra Conservancy on Saturday morning; Right: Farmer Desmond Tsuseb lost 19 goats to lions on Monday in the same region. Images sourced from The Namibian
NEWS DESK POST by AG Editorial, with information sourced from The Namibian and DeLHRA
Over 40 goats have been killed by a pride of lions in Namibia in the past couple of days, in two separate incidents. The first incident occurred early on Saturday morning where a communal farmer in the Torra Conservancy in Kunene Region, Euphrasius Dawids, lost 25 goats to lions. The lions apparently broke through the kraal and killed the rams, ewes and kids. Dawids estimates the loss at about N$40,000.
Two days after that, on Monday, more goats were killed in the same area where communal farmer Desmond Tsuseb lost 19 of his livestock to lions. The animals were found dead in the bush near the farmhouse after they were left out on Sunday (and would usually make their way back to the kraal on their own). As this latest incident took place a few kilometres from the previous incident, it is suspected that the killings were by the same lion pride.
Saturday’s kill was the biggest in more than a year, according to The Namibian, with livestock losses having been limited by measures put in place to deter lions from entering livestock kraals – such as the use of shade cloth kraals (enclosures). Before these measures were in place, major lion attacks on livestock were more frequent.
The drought that is affecting the region has decreased the wild game count by 40% in the last year, say the farmers, with the result of less wildlife for the lions to hunt. This is most likely the reason why the lions have turned to vulnerable prey such as livestock.
Izak Smit from DeLHRA (Desert Lions Human Relations Aid) said in response to the attacks: “The kraal near Bergsig where 25 goats had been killed by lions 3 days ago was only closed with shade cloth on one of the four sides – hence the attack. Farmers should contact us for shade cloth to prevent such losses. The farmer is a friend and collaborator, and we regret his loss. It was a temporary kraal in an area used for emergency drought relief grazing.”
The latest census (August 2019) of Namibia’s leopards estimates a population of 11,733 leopards. This is a reduction from the 14,154 estimate from a 2011 census (Stein et al). The report states that the leopard population is not declining country-wide and that changes in methodology caused the drop in reported populations between 2011 and 2019.
Information and data for the census was collected from across Namibia, including sightings, photographs, distribution data and population trends. Two camera trap surveys and an intensive questionnaire survey were also conducted. Some areas showed leopard density increases over the 2011 census, and others showed reductions.
Evidence collected reveals that the core of Namibia’s leopard population occurs on freehold farmland and communal conservancies in the Kunene region, where they are under pressure due to human-leopard conflict and illegal poaching using wire snares. Populations in these areas are higher than they are in national parks because of less competition from other predators and a higher prey base.
Results show a clear link between the tolerance of leopards on the one hand, and income-generating activities (photographic tourism and trophy hunting) on the other hand. The report suggests that the biggest threat to leopard populations in Namibia is ‘problem leopard’ removal due to human-leopard conflict.
The research was led by carnivore specialist Dr Louisa Richmond-Coggan of LRC Wildlife Conservation. Her website description of this project: “In cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, NAPHA has employed my services to undertake a Leopard: National Censusing & Sustainable Hunting Practices study which will run from June 2017 to December 2018.”
The following organisations collaborated to carry out this census:
• The Namibian Ministry of Environment & Tourism (MET);
• The Large Carnivore Management Association of Namibia (LCMAN);
• The Namibian Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA);
• The Namibian Chamber of Commerce (NCE).
OPINION POST by “Concerned Protected Area Managers”
Following up on the previous article which highlighted the serious environmental concerns of a proposed citrus development to border South Africa’s largest intact Protected Area, LEDET (Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism) has ignored all concerns and given the farm development the go-ahead. By doing this, LEDET has failed not only the Hoedspruit community, they have also put the Protected Areas Network at risk by destroying the continuity of the landscape and habitat, while also failing to secure a future for fauna and flora supported within the surrounding ecosystems.
This seemingly inconsequential act of approving the development severely undermines national and provincial conservation efforts to maintain ecosystem resilience for future climate change implications. The greater consequence of this development will derail the plan of expanding the area under conservation of the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) to Hoedspruit, and reduce the opportunity for the region to become a cornerstone for conservation (see Figure 1 below).
Figure 1. Layout of the authorised commercial citrus development in relation to the surrounding Private Nature Reserves and Hoedspruit
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is incorrect in claiming that the 120 ha piece of land that is about to be irreversibly destroyed by planting citrus trees is not unique. Although similar land types are relatively widespread throughout the Lowveld, this approval highlights the lack of understanding of the urgency to protect these areas and keep them intact. This was the very reason that track of land was classified as a Protected Areas Buffer Zone and Critical Biodiversity Area (CBA2). For an ecosystem to function properly it must not be fragmented as this reduces its resilience and leads to environmental collapse. LEDET’s approval shows a general short-sightedness by the relevant authorities, and a lack of understanding of the environmental impacts of one development at a time. This cumulative effect of negative impacts is equivalent to the “death by a thousand cuts” for our environment.
If similar developments are to be authorised, there will be no viable areas left to create crucial ecological networks.
This approval of a commercial farm within a critical biodiversity area begs the question why the bigger picture for the region is being blatantly disregarded in favour of an inappropriate agricultural development. How would a citrus farm, which not only borders a Protected Area, falls on classified land but also occurs on an important river, benefit the surrounding landscape? How justifiable is it to allow for the deliberate degradation of a Protected Area through the cumulative impacts of excessive water extraction and the addition of pesticides, chemicals and other pollutants? Not only would the development decrease the area’s ecological integrity, but it would have immense impacts on wildlife movements within the Protected Area. An attractant such as citrus will lure all kinds of animals from the APNR, diminishing its purpose to act as a safe haven.
Unfortunately, as previously reported by others, there appears to be an apparent trend for inappropriate development applications being granted without due consideration of the real and severe impacts on the environment. We can only hope that by standing together as a community, we will be able to turn the tide and protect what is left of our natural environment. There has to come a time when the importance of safeguarding our natural environment takes preference over the economic benefit of a selected few.
“AFRICA” – now tell me that you don’t hear Sir David Attenborough’s voice when you read that word. Home to an abundance of incredible wildlife and considered the birthplace of humankind, this continent beckoned wildlife enthusiast Olli Teirilä in a way that he could never have expected. With a passion for adventure and wildlife, Olli found himself visiting Africa countless times, and through each epic safari, his love for photography grew.
He discovered the endless excitement and anticipation that comes with observing and understanding how animals behave in the wild – what movements to anticipate and what sounds to listen out for – and with that the challenge of capturing this all on camera. After almost ten years of travelling to Africa, Olli has identified his favourite destinations: the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park for the self-drive adventures, the photographic heavens of Maasai Mara in Kenya, and the sweeping grasslands of Ndutu in Tanzania.
In this gallery, Olli shares with us some of his best photos, or what he fondly refers to as ‘stories’, from his safaris in Africa.
SCROLL DOWN to enjoy this stunning gallery, plus a fantastic video clip filmed by Olli during his travels in the Kgalagadi.
Enjoy an adventurous video clip of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – one of Olli’s favourite destinations – filmed during his self-drive camping safari to the park. This clip features lions, leopards, cheetahs, an array of bird species and other incredible sightings.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Olli Teirilä
Olli Teirilä is a frequent traveller with a passion for wildlife that has turned into a serious hobby of wildlife filming and photography. His love for Africa started from an innocent first-time visit back in 2008 and has grown ever since. Olli’s favourite destinations on the continent are the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the Maasai Mara and Ndutu. The big cats, especially the cheetah, are his favourites, but he enjoys photographing all wildlife. He lives in his native Finland. You can see more of his wildlife photos and videos on his Black Grouse Photography page.
The CITES 18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP18) in Geneva, Switzerland has now come to an end, and a number of controversial proposals for trade have been settled. Some of the decisions have not been well-received by African range state governments, as they restrict or prevent these countries’ ability to generate much-needed revenue that could be used for conservation purposes.
These meetings occur roughly every three years, and amendments to the international trade rules can have profound conservation implications for affected species.
The listing of a species in Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction that are or may be affected by trade, and effectively prevents commercial international trade, except under exceptional circumstances. Species listed in Appendix II are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation. They can be traded under special permit conditions. Appendix III is for species which any Party identifies as being subject to regulation within its jurisdiction for the purpose of preventing or restricting exploitation, and as needing the co-operation of other Parties in the control of trade.
Below is the list of the results of the proposals that affect species occurring in Africa and the continent’s coastal waters.
MAMMALS
The African elephant came under the spotlight in a number of trade proposals
African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Three proposals out of the 56 submitted by governments to change the levels of protection of species of wild animals pertained to the African elephant and ivory poaching. Below are the three proposals:
PROPOSAL 10: Transfer the population of Loxodonta africana of Zambia from Appendix I to Appendix II PROPONENT: Zambia SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Transfer the population of Loxodonta africana of Zambia from Appendix I to Appendix II subject to:
• Trade in registered raw ivory (tusks and pieces) for commercial purposes only to CITES approved trading partners who will not re-export;
• Trade in hunting trophies for noncommercial purposes;
• Trade in hides and leather goods;
• All other specimens shall be deemed to be specimens of species in Appendix I and the trade in them shall be regulated accordingly. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: REJECTED
PROPOSAL 11: Amendment to Annotation 2 of Appendix II pertaining to the elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe to enable resumption of trade in registered raw ivory PROPONENTS: Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Amendment to Annotation 2 of Appendix II pertaining to the elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe to enable resumption of trade in registered raw ivory:
• From government owned stocks (excluding seized and of unknown origin);
• Only to trading partners verified by the Secretariat;
• Proceeds only to be used to fund elephant conservation and community conservation and development programmes. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: REJECTED
PROPOSAL 12: Include all populations of Loxodonta africana in Appendix I through transferring populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe from Appendix II to Appendix I PROPONENTS: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: REJECTED
In addition, three documents relating to elephants were considered: 1) trade in live African elephants; 2) closure of domestic ivory markets; and 3) management of ivory stockpiles.
THE OUTCOMES OF THE THREE DOCUMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
• There is now a total ban on the trade in live, wild-caught African elephants to destinations outside of the African elephant range, with limited exceptions. This means that zoos will no longer be able to import wild-caught African elephants from Africa to their facilities in the United States, China, and many other countries outside the natural habitat of the species. Only in “exceptional circumstances” may elephants be exported beyond their natural range.
• Countries that have not closed the domestic trade in raw and worked ivory must provide details of measures they are taking to ensure that the domestic trade is not contributing to poaching or illegal trade.
• Countries are required to maintain and report annually on their ivory stockpiles, or face sanctions.
Namibia proposed to transfer its population of white rhino from Appendix I to II, and Eswatini proposed a measure that would allow international trade in rhino horns for commercial purposes. Both proposals were rejected
Southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum)
The proposals by Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and Namibia to loosen restrictions on the trade in live rhinos and rhino parts was voted against by the members of the CITES committee.
PROPOSAL 8: Remove the existing annotation for the population of Eswatini PROPONENTS: Eswatini SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Remove the existing annotation on the Appendix II listing of Eswatini’s white rhino population, which would allow:
• International trade in rhinos and their products – including horn and derivatives.
• Rhino horn to be sold from existing stock to licensed retailers in the Far East, plus up to 20 kg per annum, including harvested horn, to those retailers. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: REJECTED
PROPOSAL 9: Transfer the population of Namibia from Appendix I to Appendix II PROPONENTS: Namibia SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Change the CITES status of Namibia’s white rhino population from Appendix I to Appendix II , which would allow international trade in:
• Live animals to appropriate and acceptable destinations; and
• Hunting trophies. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: REJECTED
Wild populations of giraffe have declined by up to 40% in the last 30 years due to habitat loss and poaching
Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis)
Giraffes have been given their first ever international protection through a new Appendix II designation. This means that international trade in giraffe parts, such as hides, bones and meat, will be regulated to ensure that it is not detrimental to the survival of the species.
PROPOSAL 5: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: Central African Republic, Chad, Kenya, Mali, Niger, and Senegal SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Place all seven species and subspecies of giraffes under the protection of Appendix II. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
PROPOSAL 19: Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I PROPONENTS: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Transfer the black-crowned crane from Appendix II to I, to prohibit international trade in the species. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
PROPOSAL 30: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: European Union and Madagascar SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: List the gecko under Appendix II in order to have more control over its trade. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
Pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri)
PROPOSAL 37: Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I PROPONENTS: Kenya and United States of America SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I due to the high demand in the international pet trade and its status as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN Red List . DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
PROPOSAL 42: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Egypt, European Union, Gabon, Gambia, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Palau, Samoa, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Togo SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Place mako sharks under Appendix II in order to regulate trade. This will ensure that the harvest of specimens from the wild is not reducing the wild population to a level at which its survival might be threatened by continued harvesting. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
Guitarfish (Glaucostegus spp.)
PROPOSAL 43: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, European Union, Gabon, Gambia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Monaco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Palau, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, and Ukraine SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Place guitarfish species under Appendix II in order to regulate trade. This will ensure that the harvest of specimens from the wild is not reducing the wild population to a level at which its survival might be threatened by continued harvesting. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
Wedgefish (Rhinidae spp.)
PROPOSAL 44: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, European Union, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Monaco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Palau, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, and Ukraine SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Place wedgefish species under Appendix II in order to regulate trade. This will ensure that the harvest of specimens from the wild is not reducing the wild population to a level at which its survival might be threatened by continued harvesting. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
PROPOSAL 45: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: European Union, Kenya, Senegal, Seychelles and United States of America SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: To regulate the trade in sea cucumbers to ensure that harvest from the wild is not reducing population to a level where survival might be threatened by continued harvest or other influences. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED AS AMENDED
PROPOSAL 50: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: Malawi SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: This species faces numerous threats, the most serious of which are changing fire regimes, fuelwood collection, illegal logging, invasive tree species and conifer aphids. Placing under Appendix II will provide additional protection. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
Afromosia (Pericopsis elata)
PROPOSAL 53: Amend annotation #5 for Pericopsis elata PROPONENTS: Côte d’Ivoire and European Union SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Afromosia is a highly valued timber native to Central and West Africa. It is currently listed under Appendix II with the annotation #5 which restricts the listing to “logs, sawn wood and veneer sheets”. However, loop holes have been discovered where traders from range States have been exporting sawn wood with minor, superficial transformations in order to circumvent CITES controls. The proposal now wants the annotation to be changed so that it includes transformed wood (and plywood), as follows: “Logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets, plywood, and transformed wood.” DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED
African padauk (Pterocarpus tinctorius)
PROPOSAL 54: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: Malawi SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Place the species under Appendix II to help in the trade and harvest regulations. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED AS AMENDED
Bitter aloe (Aloe ferox)
PROPOSAL 55: Include in Appendix II PROPONENTS: South Africa SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: amend part f) of annotation #4, so that it includes Aloe ferox as part of the finished product. DECISION BY CITES COMMITTEE: ACCEPTED AS AMENDED
OPINION POST by Simon Espley – CEO Africa Geographic
OPEN LETTER TO MINISTER BARBARA CREECY, Department of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa
Madam Minister,
I read with interest your call for ‘scientific’ feedback on your recommendation that South Africa permit international trade in white rhino horn, and allow increased numbers of black rhino to be shot by trophy hunters. And, your recommendation goes even further – you suggest downlisting white rhinos from CITES Appendix I to Appendix II, because, “it is clear that C. simum simum does not meet the biological criteria for inclusion in Appendix I of CITES”. You have given us a mere 30 days to respond.
Surely, Minister, if those with the relevant resources and nous are to provide ‘scientific’ input, they should, at the very least, know how many rhinos we have left in our National Parks? I would imagine that you know how many wild rhinos remain and that you used this information when you came up with these recommendations. And yet your department has refused all approaches to reveal the numbers.
In the body of your recommendations, you make a few claims that took me by surprise. For example, you say that “legal and illegal harvests combined are currently still within sustainable levels”. Feedback from my networks is that white rhino populations in Kruger National Park have been particularly hammered by a horrible cocktail of drought and poaching and that the lower poaching statistics for 2019 to date that your department claim as a “success” (190 for the first six months of 2019, compared to 222 for the same period in 2018) is because there are fewer rhinos left to poach. Your claim that the situation is “sustainable” seems out of sync with what people on the ground are saying.
Feedback from several well-placed, respected individuals in my network is that the current population of white rhinos in the Kruger National Park is now significantly lower than the official 2017 estimate of 4,759 – 5,532 – this being the most recent official update. But, in the light of no official current numbers, everyone is speculating.
Subsequent editorial note: 17 months after we published this request the minister had still not revealed the rhino populations, but we did, from other official sources – the 2019 Kruger population was an estimated 3,549white rhinos – a reduction of 67% in nine years.
I would imagine that a dramatic population reduction would be a bad foundation on which to be making applications to CITES to reduce rhino conservation protection, or to remove increased numbers via trophy hunting. Again, speculation.
The keyword here is ‘speculation’, and I have heard much of it lately. Without formal notification from you about how many rhinos are left in our National Parks, those of us who are concerned about rhinos, and particularly those that you now task to provide ‘scientific’ feedback, are left to speculate.
Speculation is what fills the void when facts are withheld, and becomes a powerful tool for those whose priorities are not aligned with yours. By not following the example of your predecessor, by not being transparent about how many wild rhinos we have left in our National Parks, you are feeding the very monster that is ripping the conservation world apart – those purveyors of emotive speculation, ideological rants and misinformation. These enemies of conservation are a fact of life these days, and they feast on this lack of transparency.
Please don’t tell us that releasing these figures is a security threat. As if poaching syndicates crunch their numbers and plan their attacks based on annual population updates. Or, is that your understanding of where poaching syndicates and ground crew get their intelligence?
Please Madam Minister, end the speculation, arm our scientists with the necessary facts, and disarm the enemies of conservation. Let’s focus on fact and the resultant considered strategies to keep our wildlife safe. Tell us how many wild rhinos remain in our national parks.
The South African Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy, has requested public comment of a scientific nature on her proposal to:
1. Enable the international trade in white rhino horn by down-listing the white rhino on CITES.
2. Increase the annual quota of black rhinos for trophy hunting in South Africa, from the current five males to an unspecified number.
WHITE RHINOS
Currently, the South African population of white rhinos (Ceratotherium simum simum) have a split listing on CITES. They are listed on Appendix II of CITES, as regards permitting the international sale of live white rhinos that are bred in captivity for commercial purposes, and the export of trophy hunting trophies for non-commercial purposes. In all other forms (such as rhino horn), white rhinos are included in CITES Appendix I, and no international commercial trade is permitted.
After providing extensive background information, the minister concludes that “The export, for primarily non-commercial purposes, of rhinoceros horn that has been legally sourced, either through natural mortalities and/or horn harvest from wild populations, or from captive breeding facilities, will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild provided that (1) the income derived from these exports contributes directly to the conservation of wild rhinoceros populations and (2) the captive breeding facilities meet the Scientific Authority’s approved criteria for the captive breeding of white rhinoceros” and “it is clear that C. simum simum does not meet the biological criteria for inclusion in Appendix I of CITES and a proposal to effect a straight Appendix II listing (i.e. without an annotation) can be considered.”
Put another way, the minister has recommended downgrading the protection afforded to the South African white rhino population under CITES from Appendix I to Appendix II, which will permit the export of rhino horn, in addition to the current permission to export live rhinos and hunting trophies.
BLACK RHINOS
Currently, the South African population of black rhinos (Diceros bicornis)is listed under CITES I, but with an annotation that permits the trophy hunting of five black rhino males per annum. No other international commercial trade is permitted.
After providing extensive background information, the minister concludes that “current exports of live animals and hunting trophies pose a low risk to the survival of this species in South Africa and should be allowed to continue” and “Legal hunting of black rhinoceros is beneficial to the conservation and protection of the species in South Africa, though the current low levels of trophy offtakes do not sufficiently incentivise the conservation of the species or its habitat. As there are surplus males that could be hunted, over and above the 3-4 trophy bulls hunted per year, the CITES export quota of five hunting trophies from adult males could be increased” and “Due to the Endangered status of the species in South Africa and the difficulties of regularly dehorning black rhinoceros, the export of black rhinoceros horn for primarily non-commercial purposes is not recommended at this stage.”
In other words, the minister has recommended that the number of black rhinos available for hunting annually should be increased, although she does not specify a number. She does not support the international trade of black rhino horn.
The two PDF documents below provide detailed reasoning by the minister for her two recommendations, including an extensive history of the conservation successes and failures of each species. We highly recommend that you read both documents before responding to the Minister, as only informed and scientific feedback stands a chance of being taken seriously.
You have until 22 September 2019 to send your feedback to the minister at:
Chair: Scientific Authority
South African National Biodiversity Institute
Attention: Ms M Pfab, Private Bag X101, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
• Or by hand: 2 Cussonia Avenue, Brumeria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
• Or via email: m.pfab@sanbi.org.za
• Or by fax: (+27) 086-555-9863
The Wodaabe tribe are nomadic pastoralists of the Sahel region in Africa. Their migratory journeys cover the expanse of northern Africa, where they travel with their cattle and families across the arid areas of Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic. They are a small, isolated branch of the Fulani ethnic group and are considered by neighbouring tribes as wild, uncivilised people, labelled as Mbororo, or ‘cattle Fulani’ – those who dwell in cattle camps.
They speak Fula, but do not read or write the language. In Fula, Woodabe means “people of the taboo”. The code of ethics (pulaaku) of the Wodaabe emphasises reserve and semteende (modesty), munyal (patience and fortitude), hakkilo (care and forethought), and amana (loyalty).
The Wodaabe place great emphasis on beauty and charm as this plays a vital role in their culture. When it comes to establishing relationships, the responsibility falls to the man who is required to attract the attention of a woman. Because of this, men will invest large amounts of time, money, and effort into beautifying themselves.
Once a year these nomads come together in a festival known as the Gerewol. It is the most important ceremony among the Wodaabe where men compete to be selected by young marriageable women as the most beautiful. I went to Chad for a week to watch the Gerewol festival, the location of which is not decided upon until the last minute. Still, it is always held at the end of the rainy season in the Sahelian zone which has seasonal rainfall and grass that provides grazing for the cattle.
In this beauty pageant for the men, the women are usually younger (in some cases they may be as young as 12 or 13), and the men are seen as fair game in a society which is polygamous and polygynous. The male beauty ideal of the Wodaabe stresses tallness, white eyes and teeth; the men will often roll their eyes and show their teeth to emphasise these characteristics.
The men adorn themselves using an array of colourful face paints. Their outfits are also vibrantly decorated, embellished with beads, feathers, buttons and baubles in the brightest of colours. Mirrored tunics and hats add to the exuberance and adornment. The overall appearance with the paint, makeup and outfits can only be described as feminine from our cultural perspective. They dance like male peacocks or birds of paradise, which exhibit their plumage to attract females. They are animists at heart, and this may be why they emulate the animal kingdom.
At this festival, there were two groups of Wodaabe: the Sudosukai and Japta. They both use scarification on their faces and bodies, using razor blades and ash, which is then rubbed into the open wound. The result is a black tattoo which is slightly keloidal (raised).
This scarification starts when they are young children, and tattoos are added with time. The Japto are more heavily scarred than the Sudosukai. There are perhaps some physiological differences too, with the Sudosukai being finer – many have model-like features, and all are very slim.
They dance endlessly at this festival, keeping to their ancient rhythms which are repeated over and over. When it gets too hot, they take breaks, but on the last night, they will dance continuously until dawn. The dancers often drink a fermented bark concoction which provides them with the energy they need to dance for long periods. This ‘energy’ drink reputedly has a hallucinogenic effect.
The dances are the focal point of the festival, with the main dance spectacle being the Yaake. Here the men line up and put on their best show, while three women – who are specially chosen as judges by the male tribal elders based on their fortitude and patience – pick the most attractive male.
To participate in the Gerewol, the women must have menstruated before the festival. Effectively when choices are made, the women know they are going to have sex with the chosen Wodaabe male, if the male accepts them. This may be a one-night affair or may last for longer, sometimes culminating in marriage.
Men may have a few wives, with the second or third wife regarded in good stead by the first wife. If a husband is infertile, he may ask a fellow tribesman to impregnate his wife, and in some cases, men will allow their wives to have sex with more handsome men so they can have more handsome children. Children are seen as a sign of machismo, wealth and labour, and having many children helps to offset the high infant and child mortality rate.
Cattle also indicate wealth; they very rarely eat them. Instead, they are predominantly vegetarian and consume millet, milk and occasionally cassava or manioc. They do, however, trade the cattle for other goods. Their animal husbandry is superb, and I witnessed boys as young as seven in charge of tending to the herd. The children grow up quickly in such a society. They have no formal education, and their culture is still resilient to an encroaching outside world.
As a tribe, they perform the Gerewol for themselves and not for any visitors. From what I know, not many tourists have witnessed the festival in Chad, whereas more have seen it in Niger, although instability has curbed potential tourism opportunities. There were only a few photographers and travellers when I was there, but the friendliness of the tribe was universal – although quite a few were shy, which is part of their cultural code. I hope that tourism to this region and these cultural festivals remains sustainable.
Born in the City of Derry (Ireland), Trevor Cole has lived most of his life outside the bounds of Ireland; in England, Singapore, Togo, Italy, Ethiopia and Brazil. He returned to Ireland (Donegal) in 2012. His photography, and travel, have become two of Trevor’s life’s passions. His photography focuses predominantly on culture and landscapes; images which reflect a spatial and temporal journey through life and which try to convey a need to live in a more sustainable world. He seeks the moment and the light in whatever context he finds himself and endeavours to use his photographic acumen to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
He leads small photo tours in his ‘own Donegal’ and Ireland but also to other destinations. He lived in Ethiopia from 2006-2010 and since then has returned to take photographers to the Western and Eastern Omo, Harar, the Danakil desert and the highlands of Ethiopia. Additionally, he takes photo tours to Iceland, Namibia and India and travels on his own to discover and capture new locations – often with a focus on indigenous people.
He has been published by National Geographic (online), several British and European digital photography magazines and newspapers and the Survival International calendar in 2016.
In the midst of the complex debate about whether or not to trade in rhino horn, I would like to address one important subplot: If the international sale of rhino horn WAS legalised could it be more successful than the previous sales of elephant tusks (1999 to Japan and 2008 to Japan and China)?
In this article, I do not address the tussle between those espousing that legal international trade in rhino horn is African rhinos’ best chance of dodging the bullet of extinction in the wild and those who see legal trade as the kiss of death for rhino as a viable species in the wild.
As I write this, the debates rage at the CITES (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species) being held in Geneva. Powerful voices argue that those ivory auctions did not reduce poaching, and nor did conservation in the selling countries benefit as it should have – due to collusion by the buyers. So, is it possible to design a sales platform that achieves the desired outcomes?
DESIRED OUTCOMES (in the rough order of importance, according to me):
• Efficacy in reducing poaching of rhino, with three sub-goals:
○ Maximising the income for conservation in the hands of rhino custodians so they have the funds to combat poaching and reap the reward for the dangers that caring for rhinos represent. This will also best benefit the South African economy and fiscus;
○ Optimising the substitution of poached horn by legal horn (crowding out the illegal product) and;
○ Reducing the opportunity for laundering poached horns through legal channels and increasing the ‘costs’ of cheating;
• Learning as much as possible about the price and demand for different rhino horn products for different end uses; and whether price will act to equilibrate legal, sustainable supply and demand;
• This should be done as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible, while being accepted as broadly fair by the major players – so they are more likely to utilise the platform and stick to the rules; and
• Reduce opportunities for collusion.
There is a substantial body of research on the effects and efficacy of various trading models and the combinations and variations that are used in practice, and I have combined my practical experience in four very different types of auctions with a critical analysis of the most common auction mechanisms to produce a draft mechanism for discussion and refinement.
COMMON TYPES OF AUCTIONS
1. Ascending Bids
Bidders compete until ‘the last man standing’ or highest remaining bid gets the parcel. This has the advantages of being fairly transparent and tends to provide sellers with the best price if there is no collusion. The disadvantage is that all buyers need to be present physically or electronically at the sale time, which is disadvantageous for global trade that stretches across all time zones.
2. Descending Bids– also known as Dutch Clock, as used on the Dutch flower markets.
Each lot starts at a price determined by a rule or the auctioneer. The price ticks down until a bidder ‘stops the clock’. This tends to produce lower returns for sellers than 1.and is more susceptible to intimidation as the bidder has to ‘break ranks’ in order to bid. Again, the disadvantage is that all buyers need to be present physically or electronically at the sale time.
3. Sealed Bid Offers or Tenders
Bidders submit sealed bids (this can be electronically sealed) which are all opened at the appointed time. The opening process can be done in the presence of all bidders or only in front of an audit and tender team. The seller can specify the rules such as highest qualifying bid wins or can have sole discretion to accept any or no bids. This has advantages for global bidding and provides the seller with a large amount of information about demand and price points if there is no collusion and most bids are genuine. As the seller has time to evaluate the bids and assess who the bidders are, he has more time to figure out if there is collusion.
All three of the auction systems above allow sellers the following:
• Inserting a reserve price if desired.
• Deciding how much to sell, if any (although 1. and 2. would make this difficult as potential bidders who have registered and set aside the auction time would be annoyed if lots were to be withdrawn or withheld frequently); and
• As the lots could be closely specified – e.g. confiscated, poached, whole horn with X length and Y greatest circumference, Z weight and A1 quality grade – sellers would quickly get a sense of the price drivers and demand for various categories of horn and establish the key variables:
○ Some research has found that wild, i.e. poached horn, is more valued while other research has found that relative preference changes when price or lethality is taken into account;
○ Several researchers report differing willingness to pay points for whole horn, parts of horn, shavings and dust; and
○ Whether price fulfils its role as an equilibrating mechanism or not.
• As the selling platform would be acting as an exchange with any buyers and sellers who meet the criteria being able to sell or bid, these platforms should be classified as exchanges and therefore not fall foul of anti-trust legislation.
MY PREFERRED SALES MECHANISM
I will focus on option 3. above – Sealed Bid Offers, or Tenders – because of the disadvantages of the other two options, as described.
Key to this process would be the following:
• Only horn and horn pieces/shavings/dust from accredited legal sources would be accepted for sale. This accreditation would include:
○ A permit showing provenance and proving legality;
○ A DNA ‘fingerprint’; and
○ A quality specification that certifies state of preservation etc, verifies the weight and dimensions and photographs the item from at least two axes from an accredited rating agency (an independent facility under the aegis of Onderspoort Veterinary School?)
○ A listing fee. This would limit sellers from registering frivolous bids with unrealistic reserve prices.
• Only accredited buyers would be allocated an anonymous bidding number. This accreditation would include:
○ A sizeable non-refundable deposit that could be offset against a purchase if desired. This would dissuade buyers who were not serious;
○ The specification of the warehouse/s where product will be stored;
○ Tax clearance and police clearance from their home countries;
○ Their acceptance of random, unannounced checks of these specified premises to dissuade the laundering of illegal horn;
○ Their acceptance of the sanction of being permanently blacklisted from legal auctions if any illegal horn is found or can be proved to have been traded;
○ Bidders should only be natural persons and they should sign personal undertakings with permanent barring from auctions and mandatory prison terms;
○ A short amnesty period for traders wishing to become legal could be considered on payment of a fine and submitting the formerly illegal horn to the accreditation process could be considered as it could encourage traders to become legal. Former ‘bootleggers’ could prove to be a formidable bulwark against new or existing, illegal traders. In addition, by providing a route to legality, illegal traders might not be as motivated to disrupt the legal system; and
○ The accreditation should be open to as many buyers as possible in order to maximise revenue, make collusion more difficult and tip the balance of power in the trading platform’s favour as relative concentration confers benefits.
• As the attraction of the legal platform will be reliability, convenience, quality assurance and therefore a lower stockholding and hassle factor against the risks and uncertainties of illegal horn, the auction cycles should be short – say, weekly. This would also allow the managers of the platform to adjust the type and quantity of horn offered to maintain the revenue realisation reasonable while not ‘starving’ the market and so opening the door, once again to illegal horns.
• It will be key to the early success of the platform to have as many as possible of the larger holders and producers of horn committed to a regular supply. It is likely there will be an oversupply so a quota system will need to be instituted to not oversupply the market which would drive down price and also possibly attract new buyers.
• Professional, experienced, accountable management and a tough, rotating auditing oversight body together with a board that includes producers, conservationists and businessmen experienced in (particularly biological asset) auctions would be essential. The platform might be a body instituted by statute, such as the South African Sugar Association, but it must not be a state-owned enterprise vulnerable to political cadre deployment, unethical behaviour and mismanagement.
From the available, accredited horn that the platform has ‘on its books’ management will decide on the type and quantity of product to be offered for sale, establish whether the sellers still want to sell and if they wish to impose any reserve price. Sellers will then be responsible for procuring all the necessary documentation and delivering papers and product to the secure facility. The platform management will then compile that week’s catalogue and dispatch it electronically to registered bidders in a secure format that prevents anything except an individual computer displaying the data.
Bidders will be given a few days to register a ‘sealed offer’ electronically for those lots in which they are interested. Management will unseal the bids at the appointed hour, analyse the bids and inform the successful bidders, who will have 24 hours to deposit the funds and register a valid import permit. Should they fail to do this, the management reserves the right to offer to another bidder.
The successful bidders will be sent a secure electronic key which they can present at the secure storage facility and, together with the platform’s secure electronic key for that week, open the locker and remove the parcel. They will have the right to examine the parcel in the secure facility in the presence of a manager and an auditor to satisfy themselves that they are receiving the goods they bid on. Possession and risk will then pass from the seller to the buyer. Sellers will be paid within the week less a small broking fee. It is likely that a small charge for inspections and enforcement will also be levied.
Management will analyse the results of the previous week’s sales (and, as time goes by, trends and anomalies) and compile the next week’s catalogue and the cycle will begin again.
Some researchers worry that there would be differential demand for the various types of rhino horn, leaving the platform with surplus unsaleable types of horn. The following model has been proposed to deal with this problem.
SMART TRADE – based on the diamond or CSO model where buyers (termed sightholders) are each presented with a few parcels of mixed types and qualities of product at a given a price in a separate room at the same time. The sightholder then can either buy one or more of the parcels he has been presented with on a ‘take it or leave it’ basis. There is no negotiation.
This system has worked very well for De Beers for over a century but has run into problems with US anti-trust law and being associated with ‘blood diamonds’. It also requires the physical presence of buyers and the storage of considerable stock securely.
It has some added disadvantages for rhino horn:
• The parcels are likely to very highly-priced if each sightholder is to be presented with a parcel containing a whole horn which is likely to limit the buyers and so make collusion easier;
• The value of the various types and qualities of rhino horn is not known so assembling the parcels will be problematic;
• As there seem to be so many different uses for rhino horn and it must be expected that there will be differing specialities among the sightholders, parcels are likely to contain types of horn that he does not want and will have to dispose of at a discount. This is likely to lead to a bias towards lower prices overall;
• It will be difficult to determine from the results of each sale the demand for each type of horn, its price points and whether the preferences researchers have posited actually exist.
• Additionally, it will be difficult to prove or disprove whether price is likely to equilibrate legal supply with demand.
AVAILABLE TOOLS INCREASE THE CHANCE OF SUCCESS
• The internet has opened up more avenues for selling at greater convenience and lower costs (e.g. buyers do not have to be present physically or at a certain time);
• Rhino horn can be profiled and presented on open or closed web platforms that identify the product being sold uniquely via photographs, dimensions, DNA ‘fingerprinting’, and certification as to quality and provenance;
• Viewers and/or buyers can be restricted to those pre-qualified by any number of criteria – including non-refundable deposits;
• Successful bidders can be required to produce whatever authentication is required before paying and then being given one part of an electronic, mathematical key;
• The selling organisation does not have to store or deliver the product – South Africa has some of the most sophisticated storage facilities for high-value items at O.R Tambo Airport – developed for gold, diamonds, platinum, etc. The buyer or his agent can arrive with the electronic key, meet the seller’s representative where they can both input their keys, inspect the contents to ensure they are as was represented, sign a receipt and leave with the product.
OPINION POST with information supplied by Donald Lehr – The Nolan/Lehr Group
The 17th August marks the start of the CITES 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP18) in Geneva, Switzerland and will run through to 28th August. The CITES Secretariat reports that the 183 Parties to the Convention will consider 56 proposals submitted by governments to change the levels of protection of species of wild animals and plants that are in international trade.
Three of those proposals pertain to the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) and ivory poaching. Three other documents will consider 1) trade in live African elephants; 2) management of ivory stockpiles; and 3) closure of domestic ivory markets.
SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Transfer the population of Loxodonta africana of Zambia from Appendix I to Appendix II subject to:
• Trade in registered raw ivory (tusks and pieces) for commercial purposes only to CITES approved trading partners who will not re-export;
• Trade in hunting trophies for noncommercial purposes;
• Trade in hides and leather goods;
• All other specimens shall be deemed to be specimens of species in Appendix I and the trade in them shall be regulated accordingly.
POSITION: OPPOSE
RATIONALE:
1. Would allow Zambia to export ivory. Any down-listing sends a message that ivory trade could reopen, fuelling trafficking and threatening elephants across Africa and Asia.
2. Population in Zambia experienced a marked decline from 200,000 in 1972 to 17-26,000 in 2015 and has not recovered. It still meets the biological and precautionary criteria for listing in App I. Proposal fails to mention extensive poaching in several areas. The CoP18 MIKE report notes a high poaching level in South Luangwa in 2018.
3. Governance is a serious problem. The ETIS (Elephant Trade Information System) identifies Zambia as a concern due to large-scale ivory movements.
PROPOSAL 11: Amendment to Annotation 2 of Appendix II pertaining to the elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe to enable resumption of trade in registered raw ivory
SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL: Amendment to Annotation 2 of Appendix II pertaining to the elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe to enable resumption of trade in registered raw ivory:
• From government owned stocks (excluding seized and of unknown origin);
• Only to trading partners verified by the Secretariat;
• Proceeds only to be used to fund elephant conservation and community conservation and development programmes.
POSITION: OPPOSE
RATIONALE:
1. Would allow Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe to export ivory.
2. Will fuel demand, poaching and trafficking, and impact elephants in all range States. Ivory sales in 2008 led to a devastating escalation of poaching for ivory. Ongoing efforts to combat poaching and trafficking will be undermined.
3. Poaching is increasing in Southern Africa, including in Botswana (up 600% from 2014-2018) and South Africa. ETIS identifies problems with illegal ivory trade in all four countries, especially in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
PROPOSAL 12: Include all populations of Loxodonta africana in Appendix I through transferring populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe from Appendix II to Appendix I.
1. The continental population declined by 68% from 1980-2015. Poaching remains high across Africa and is increasing in Southern Africa. Hot spots have moved from East Africa into Southern Africa (notably Botswana) where over half of Africa’s elephants live.
2. As a highly migratory, transboundary species, CITES listing criteria should be applied to African elephants as a whole. CITES discourages split-listing due to enforcement problems.
3. Trading in ivory by some range States runs counter to agreed demand reduction efforts and endangers elephants in ALL range States.
4. The criteria for up-listing are met, in light of the “marked decline” (over 50% since 1980) and ongoing poaching for ivory on a continental scale.
DOCUMENTS
DOCUMENT 44.2: International trade in live African elephants: Proposed revision of Resolution Conf. 11.20 (Rev. CoP17) on Definition of the term ‘appropriate and acceptable destinations’
PROPONENTS: Burkina Faso, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, the Niger, Nigeria, the Sudan and Syrian Arab Republic
• The position of the African Elephant Coalition is that the only “appropriate and acceptable” destinations for live wild elephants are in situ conservation programmes within their wild natural range. The submission proposes to include the guidance developed by the Animals Committee regarding the trade in live elephant specimens in an Annex to Resolution Conf. 11.20 (Rev. CoP 17), and supports the adoption of the Decisions proposed by Standing Committee 70.
• Amendments are proposed to Resolution Conf. 11.20 (Rev. CoP17) seeking to restrict the definition of “appropriate and acceptable destinations” to “in situ conservation programmes or secure areas in the wild within the species’ natural range, except in the case of temporary transfers in emergency situations”.
• The amendments also recommend that Parties put measures in place to minimise the risk of negative impacts on wild populations and promote their social well-being, as elephants are highly social with complex interactions that are indispensable to their well-being.
• Presents an overview of major ivory seizures and update on destructions.
• Highlights lack of data on global ivory stockpiles, management challenges including theft and leakage into trade, and lack of progress with CITES guidance on stockpile management.
• Recommends finalising and disseminating guidance for management of ivory stockpiles, including disposal, and draft Decisions that aim to ensure:
a) Parties comply with annual reporting on stockpiles in their territory, including on stolen/missing ivory;
b) The data are analysed and summaries published (at regional not country level); and
c) This important issue remains on the CITES agenda.
• Highlights the momentum for closing domestic ivory markets, notably in China, and role played by remaining legal markets, particularly in Japan and the EU, in perpetuating ivory trafficking.
• Underlines the loophole in Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP17) specifying that only markets “contributing to poaching or illegal trade” should be closed, and provides evidence that Japan’s market contributes to illegal trade.
• Recommends strengthening Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP17) through revisions that aim to ensure:
a) All Parties and non-Parties close domestic markets for commercial ivory;
b) Any trade under narrow exemptions is controlled;
c) Parties report annually on the status of the legality of their domestic markets and efforts to close them, and those that fail to close them are identified; and
d) The Standing Committee recommends action to secure compliance with provisions on market closure.
With their large saucepan eyes, big ears and bushy tails, galagos, also known as bushbabies, are one of Africa’s most endearing creatures of the night. Often referred to in South Africa as nagapies, meaning “little night monkeys” in Afrikaans, they are regarded as one of the smallest of the prosimian primate species. Although reasonably common throughout parts of Africa, they are not easily seen due to their predominately nocturnal movements and shy demeanour.
Editorial note: NOT SUITABLE AS PETS. Galagos are social animals that live in complex family groups in the wild, and they do not survive well as solitary pets. They also have specific environmental and nutritional requirements. For these and other reasons galagos (and other primates) should not be kept as pets. The images in this story are of wild southern lesser galagos that moved into an outside patio of a house that was left empty for two years. While the house (located in a small private game reserve) is now occupied, the owners leave the galagos to their own devices.
Classification
Galagos are members of the taxon Strepsirrhini, which is one of the two suborders of primates, and one that also includes the prosimians known commonly as lemurs, lorises, pottos, and aye-ayes.
Galagos are only found on the African continent and are currently grouped into three genera, with the two former members of the now-defunct genus Galagoides returned to their original genus Galago. According to the IUCN, there are currently 18 recognised species.
• Genus Otolemur: thick-tailed, or greater galagos (2 species)
• Genus Euoticus: needle-clawed galagos (2 species)
• Genus Galago: lesser galagos (14 species)
Galagos are a diverse group, and the taxonomy of the genus is frequently disputed and revised in literature due to the increasing use of genetics, as well as new behavioural techniques for studying nocturnal primates.
The three most frequently encountered species are the southern lesser galago (Galago moholi), northern lesser galago (Galago senegalensis), and the thick-tailed greater galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus).
In this feature, we will be looking only at the southern lesser galago.
CONSERVATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION
The southern lesser galago is listed as ‘Least Concerned’. This is a common and widespread species, and the IUCN Red List indicates they have a stable population without significant threats.
This galago is widely distributed within the southern African region, ranging from northern Namibia and Angola, eastwards through the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe and north Botswana to western Tanzania, Malawi, eastern Mozambique and the northern and northeastern parts of South Africa. The northern limits of the distribution range of this species are not well defined, although the range (shown on the map below) includes Rwanda and Burundi, where their presence requires confirmation.
The southern lesser galago is recognised as one species with two subspecies: Galago m. moholi in the eastern part of the range, and G. m. bradfieldi in the northern reaches.
MORE ABOUT…
Southern lesser galagos inhabit semi-arid woodlands, savanna woodlands, gallery forests, and the edges of wooded areas. They often make their homes in the hollows of trees – mainly in acacia and mopanes trees – that provide a safe den for resting and breeding. Occasionally they will construct nests in the forks of branches, but they much prefer to use natural holes. Steering on the side of caution when it comes to wildfires, galagos like to choose trees with very little grass around them. Man-made beehives are another favourite nesting site.
Southern lesser galagos live in small social groups. They can be found sleeping in groups of 2-7 during the day. These groups are typically comprised of a female and several of her young. The males sleep separately from the females. At night the groups separate to forage independently, or in very loose associations, with each spending approximately 70% of their waking time alone. By dawn, they regroup and return to their nesting site. However, when temperatures are extremely cold galagos shorten their foraging activities by several hours and return to sleeping sites early. In such circumstances, they can be active during the day.
Galagos are territorial, with the size of the range dependent on food availability. Aggressive territorial behaviour from dominant males may be seen at range borders. Female offspring may remain with the mother until maturity, sharing her home range and raising offspring together with her, while male offspring disperse out of the maternal range at the age of about nine months. After moving, young males are non-territorial and range widely over the territories of older males and females.
Being one of the smallest primates, the southern lesser galago is about the size of a squirrel, with a head and body length of 14-17 cm and the tail an average of 11-28 cm. Males are larger and weigh between 160-255 g, while the females are approximately 142-229 g.
The coat of galagos varies between brownish-grey and a light brown hue, with their limbs often a creamy yellow colour. And fitting for a nocturnal animal, galagos also sport a dark ring around each eye.
Their adorable features of large eyes and ears do serve essential functions. Their huge, amber-coloured eyes enable them to see well in the dark while their fragile, bat-like ears allow them to track their prey at night. Their ears can be moved independently and are thought to be among the largest ears, proportionate to body size, of all primates. When they jump through any rough terrain, like thorn bushes, they fold their ears flat against their heads to protect them – thanks to four transverse ridges that allow the tips to be bent down almost to the base.
Unique nails on their hands and feet are shaped similar to our own, except for their second toe which is modified specially to be a grooming claw. This claw is used by the galago to groom the head area, clean the ears and spruce up the neck fur.
Galagos have a diet that varies from season to season. They are primarily insectivorous and gummivorous, though fruit and other vegetation make up a small percentage of their diet. They are ferocious little hunters that adore arthropods – including butterflies, moths and beetles – and can snatch them from the air with remarkable accuracy.
Acacia gums play a significant role in the diet and are a particular favourite for galagos, especially during the winter months or in times when there is reduced insect availability. The southern lesser galago has physical adaptations for eating plant gums, including a rough, narrow tongue capable of harvesting gums from insect holes and tree crevices, well-developed tooth-combs (the incisors on the lower front jaw), and special bacteria in their stomachs that can break down and digest gum. They appear to have co-evolved with gum-producing trees, and they help to control insect numbers.
Southern lesser galagos communicate chiefly using odour and sound, although they have excellent night vision and appear to recognise one another from a distance.
They have an extensive vocal repertoire comprising up to 25 different calls. This includes, but not limited to, barks, hoots, clucks, yaps, whistles, chattering, wails, croaks and squealing sounds. Reversing a shrill whistle acts as an alert for danger.
BEHAVIOUR
A galago’s tail is longer than the length of its head and body and serves to propel it through the air. Also, they have long, well-developed hind legs. This means that in just a few leaps it can easily clear 9 metres, in seconds. Being an expert leaper is what helps the galago catch its prey and escape predators. When it’s not leaping the galago travels by kangaroo-style hops or by simply running or walking on four legs.
Galagos engage in ‘urine washing’. This is where they coat the hands and feet with urine which is transferred to the fur of social group members during bouts of reciprocal grooming. Urine washing also dampens the hands and feet and may improve grip while moving about. While traversing through vegetation, they will often leave a trail of urine-scented footprints which allows them to know which branches are safe to jump on when they move to and from their nest. Male galagos also use urine-marking as a way to mark their territories, and will sometimes become hostile toward any other males who invade their space.
Females give birth during two birth seasons, between January and February and between October and November. When the female is in heat, she plays hard to get and will rebuff the males’ first couple of attempts at courtship. When she finally does give in, she will mate with up to six different males.
After a 121 to 124-day gestation period, females give birth to 1-3 offspring weighing approximately 10 grams. They are born with their eyes open and are furred. They stay in the nest for the first 10 to 11 days. After that, the mother will carry the babies around by the scruff of their necks for the first 50 days, but she will leave them clinging to tree forks or tangles of vegetation (known as ‘parking’) while she moves about foraging. Offspring are weaned at about ten weeks of age. It is common for the young males to move off when reaching sexual maturity at the age of about nine months, while the females tend to stay in their natal group. The males do not directly participate in caring for the offspring.
In the wild galagos tend to live no longer than three to four years, but in captivity, they can live up to 14 years.
Predators of the southern lesser galago include eagles, owls, genets, mongoose, civets, African wildcats and large snakes. They protect themselves from predation by nesting in tree holes and being active at night, and avoid predation via warning calls among group members and agile leaping. Some animals enter into periods of seasonal torpor (heterothermy) – long periods of inactivity, with reduced body temperature and metabolism as a survival mechanism during times of low food availability –. Still, research reveals that galagos do not do so. This is probably to maximise reproductive success in a high predator environment. Humans also consume galagos as bushmeat, used for traditional medicine purposes and captured for the illegal pet market.
The biggest threat to the galago population is human-induced habitat loss and degradation. As urban development encroaches more and more into the bush, the habitat of the galagos is destroyed. While galagos, in general, are quite widespread, some have more restricted ranges and are more susceptible to the effects of habitat loss and degradation.
One such example is in the suburb of Fourways in Johannesburg, South Africa, where land developers wish to flatten a small greenbelt corridor for further housing development. This habitat is home to what some consider the most southerly population of southern lesser galagos, and residents have been fighting to keep the developers at bay through their campaign Save the Fourways Bushbabies and calling for the public to sign their online petition.
FINAL WORD
Southern lesser galagos are a charismatic species, important in ways that most humans do not understand or value. Ecologically, as insectivores, they help to control populations of insects and, as frugivores, they help in the dispersal of seeds. They are also a valuable source of protein for creatures higher up the food chain – mammals, birds and reptiles. One thing that most humans would appreciate about galagos is the cuteness factor, which these tiny primates have in spades.
Growing up watching Beverly and Derek Joubert’s documentaries and idolising Jane Goodall, Noelle has always dreamed of living in the bush. For now, she writes about her bush adventures from her home in Cape Town, South Africa. She has a particular soft spot for chacma baboons, and she advocates for these charming primates every chance she gets. By far her favourite adventure has been being a foster mom to an orphan baby baboon.
Seduli the lion. Image source: Lions of Hwange National Park/Facebook
NEWS DESK POST by teamAG
A well-known male lion called Seduli, who was popular with photographers, has been shot by trophy hunters on the outskirts of Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe this past weekend on World Lion Day (10th August). The news was broken by Captured in Africa Foundation on the organisation’s Facebook page.
According to the post, Seduli was a lion who frequented photographic lodges in and around the national park and was popular amongst visitors. Seduli was part of a coalition with another male lion called Mopane.
“Despite our previous attempts to prevent these two males from being hunted, Seduli has unnecessarily lost his life at the hands of hunters and Mopani now roams the wilds without his companion,” the post read.
A photograph of Seduli was included in the announcement, along with a collage of other lions that have been killed by trophy hunters in the region over the course of the last 10 years.
“Does this number of male lions shot over 10 years in one region appear sustainable to you given that lion populations have declined across Africa by 43% in the last 25 years?” asks the post.
According to the post, healthy lions – who traverse the park and viable protected photographic areas – are being taken out of the gene pool by trophy hunters, as well as lions who are still breeding and are actively part of a healthy pride with possibly vulnerable cubs. It says their loss contradicts the hunters’ philosophies of sustainability and asks when the last independent scientific survey was done on the sustainability of lion numbers in the region and the impact these losses have on pride dynamics.
The organisation asks for readers to share the post “far and wide to raise awareness of the continued unsustainable hunting taking place on the outskirts of Hwange, and to raise a call for the photographic operators and stakeholders in dialogue with Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to address the issue of continued losses of lions known to and photographed by visitors who pay to visit Zimbabwe annually”.
The following letter (see below) has been sent to Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, President of Botswana, with regard to elephant management in Botswana.
The letter offers evidence of options for managing elephants and reducing conflict between them and the people who share their range, and that conflict is not unavoidable and unresolvable.
“Botswana has a unique opportunity to extend existing efforts for coexistence with elephants,” state the authors, “while simultaneously promoting ecosystem conservation and sustainable rural livelihoods…for the benefit of all.”
The letter is signed by a number of scientists and campaigners.
Read the letter below:
Your Excellency, President Dr. Masisi
We are writing in response to ongoing debate over elephant management in Botswana. In particular, we wish to discuss the diverging opinions over options for managing elephants and reducing conflict between them and the people who share their range. We are in full agreement with your Government that equitable solutions must be found so that rural livelihoods are maintained and improved while elephant populations and their ecosystems are conserved.
However, we are concerned that much of the rhetoric is giving the impression that conflict is both unavoidable and unresolvable. Viewing conflict as the only inevitable outcome when elephants and people share land encourages a confrontational approach that is likely to exacerbate problems for both. We recognise how difficult it must be to cope with political pressure surrounding human-elephant conflict. At the same time, we believe that science offers important insights that can help managers improve human livelihoods through the coexistence with elephants.
Botswana’s long experience of drought or flood years, and the great changes in the water levels in the Okavango Delta, Lake Ngami and the Boteti River, makes clear the degree to which semi-arid savanna ecosystems vary over time, defying the concept of a stable balance. Ecological changes occur both on a broad geographic scale covering whole landscapes, and over time scales that span decades.
Moving forward, we believe that allowing elephants to naturally and safely disperse within northern Botswana and across the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area provides the best management solution to the current situation. Wildlife corridors that facilitate elephant movements, through areas that are being settled by people, already exist. Elephants know where these corridors are and will readily use them as long as they remain open and protected. Encouraging elephant movements would reduce pressure on any one area rather than concentrating their activities, and would protect human interests from elephant impacts. It also allows ecosystems to benefit from the ecological and economic good that elephants provide.
Effective maintenance of corridors is already underway in Ngamiland, through zoning by the Tawana Land Board, combined deterrence (with chillies, beehives and electric fences) to protect crops, and improvements in rural livelihoods in partnerships with farmers.
Botswana has a unique opportunity to extend existing efforts for coexistence with elephants, while simultaneously promoting ecosystem conservation and sustainable rural livelihoods across KAZA for the benefit of all. We hope your country will seize this opportunity to build on the evidence-based approach and demonstrate the benefits of sharing landscapes between people and wildlife across Africa.
Sincerely,
(in alphabetical order)
Victoria Boult, Research Scientist, University of Reading
Vicki Fishlock, Resident Scientist, Amboseli Trust for Elephants
Phyllis Lee, Emeritus Professor, University of Stirling
WK Lindsay, Collaborating Researcher, Amboseli Trust for Elephants (corresponding author)
Cynthia Moss, Director, Amboseli Trust for Elephants
Joyce Poole, Director, Elephant Voices
Ian Redmond, Elephant biologist and Ambassador to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
Rudi van Aarde, Emeritus Professor of Zoology and Chair: Conservation Ecology Research Unit, University of Pretoria
Neglected and inadequate fencing has cost nine elephants their lives at the embattled Songimvelo Nature Reserve (SNR) in Mpumalanga, South Africa after authorities shot two groups of the animals in March and April this year because they had left the reserve and were feeding in communal lands nearby.
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) says that their staff regularly try to repair the fences but admit the fences are still “inadequate” to control elephants. Local residents and visitors to the area say the boundary fence has been in state of disrepair for years and remains so.
“That fence is down, down, down, it is rotten, and in some places even a human can walk through it,” Douglas Nkosi, the chairman of the Songimvelo Community Property Association said. “The elephants go where they want to and it is easy to understand that farmers get angry when they lose their entire crop in one night.”
MTPA said that the last elephant census at SNR was done in 2014 (estimated 105 elephants in the 49,000 hectare reserve, the largest provincial park in Mpumalanga), but they estimate that the population has now grown to 138.
MTPA said that the decision to shoot the elephants was taken after efforts to encourage them to return to the park had failed. The authorities kept the tusks, and the meat was donated to local residents.
“The MTPA is constantly faced with challenges of elephants breaking fences at night and crossing the main road from Badplaas to Msauli village. This has posed a serious risk to pedestrians, infrastructure and road traffic in the area and also affected the crops on the farms opposite the road from the reserve,” the MTPA said. “When elephants breach the fences, MTPA staff are dispatched to fix the fences. They are, however, not in an adequate condition to contain the elephants”.
Wildlife enthusiasts Marie Jean Butler and Dirk Venter said they have visited the Songimvelo area six times since 2017, and that large sections of the perimeter fence had been in a state of disrepair on every occasion.
“We are very disappointed that such consistent neglect could have cost these elephants their lives,” Butler said. “There is so much that could be done in the area and this reserve should be a tourism gem.”
The MTPA said that local residents had become so irritated with losing crops to the elephants that “over time, the community actions and blockading of roads to the reserve became a risk to tourists”.
Nkosi said that while residents had staged protests demanding that something be done about the poor state of the fences, they were also protesting due to frustrations related to land claims, the failure by authorities to deliver on tourism development plans and service delivery issues.
“People are very unhappy, but it is all part of the problem that the authorities have not kept their promises about running Songimvelo properly, developing tourism opportunities or creating jobs,” Nkosi said. “When the officials present their integrated management plan everyone loves it but then nothing happens. Our pleas for development falls on deaf ears.”
Various unsettled land claims have been made against parts of the reserve, large numbers of cattle graze within the reserve (in some areas by agreement with local communities), and subsistence poaching is common. In 2010 it was reported that most of the rhinos in SNR had been killed by poachers.
Will Pieters, a tourism specialist in Songimvelo and in various other parts of South Africa said that while the SNR had experienced serious difficulties there was still much that can be achieved.
“There is enormous goodwill amongst many of the role-players here,” Pieters, a director of the Rakanda Goodwill Foundation, which works in the area, said. “With sufficient funding and skills-development many of the tourism development goals can be achieved.”
“The fencing issue is one of many, and the shooting of the elephants is something that was avoidable but we believe that things can be changed for the better.”
Mike Cadman has worked as a print journalist and television news producer for various international media organisations for more than 37 years. He has also compiled reports for a wide range of environmental and wildlife NGOs. He is the author of five books on a variety of subjects including wildlife rehabilitation, the modern history of South Africa’s Mapungubwe National Park (co-authored with Dr Mark Berry) and travel. He has also written a compendium of education books aimed at 11-12-year-old children who do not have easy access to the internet.
Absolutely sensational! That is the only way I can describe my week at the Oltepesi Tented Safari Camp in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, with professional wildlife photographer Arnfinn Johansen, his partner John Siololo and the team at the Oltepesi camp. The Africa Geographic team arranged this fantastic safari.
I had very high expectations for this trip. So high in fact that I was worried that I was setting myself up for a huge disappointment. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried at all. This trip far exceeded my wildest expectations.
From the logistical organisation of the trip by Africa Geographic to the professional photographic guidance provided by Arnfinn, to John’s fantastic knowledge of wildlife behaviour – not to mention his excellent off-road driving skills – to the quality of the food supplied by camp “Masterchef” Evelyn, to the comfort of the tented accommodation, the friendliness of the staff at the Oltepesi camp, the quality of sightings we had… this trip was second to none!
For anyone planning a trip to the Maasai Mara, you should not underestimate the value of the off-road permit that Oltepesi has. When there is action, you want to be where the action is, and you can only do that if you can go off-road.
And then there is the customised vehicle, with the rear doors removed to provide photographers with the unique opportunity to get amazing eye-level images of wildlife from a prone position.
My fellow adventurers, Don and Martha from the USA and Jose from Spain, were fantastic company and were the icing on the cake to what was most definitely one of the best weeks of my life. I learnt so much during my time with Arnfinn, and I can’t wait until I return in March 2020 with him on another Africa Geographic safari, to try and get myself to the next level!
~ Ivan Glaser (Sydney, Australia)
SCROLL DOWN to enjoy this gallery – most of the photos taken during this trip were with a Nikon D850 and Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 lens (although Arnfinn let me use his 600mm f/4 on occasion which I greatly appreciated).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, IVAN GLASER
I was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. I come from a family of wildlife lovers, and so almost every family holiday we went on as kids was a trip to a game park, most often the Kruger National Park, but also other parks in Africa. Over 30 years ago, I emigrated to Sydney, Australia, where I still live today with my wife and two daughters.
My love of wildlife has not waned over the years and has thankfully been passed onto my kids who are as passionate about wildlife as I am. This has meant frequent returns to South Africa over the years to visit game parks as a family, which we all love doing.
I have always been interested in photography to some extent but have only started taking it more seriously in recent years as I approach retirement. This trip to Maasai Mara with Africa Geographic and professional wildlife photographer extraordinaire, Arnfinn Johansen, was the best thing I could have done for my wildlife photography. To see more of my photos, take a look at my Instagram page, idg.photography.
Namibia is undoubtedly one of the best travel destinations in the world for nature lovers and photographers alike. Whilst Namibia’s south delights with its beautiful desert landscapes, the north offers both fantastic scenery and magnificent wildlife encounters.
Here is a shortlist of the best photographic hotspots, to help you plan your visit to northern Namibia.
Spitzkoppe, often described as the “Matterhorn” of Namibia, was a paradise for the early Bushmen of Namibia, because there was plenty of game to hunt, abundant spring water and shelter in caves. Today, Spitzkoppe still captivates photographers and people fascinated with wild places by the uniqueness and stark beauty of its towering granite boulders.
The Cape Cross Seal Reserve is one the largest colonies of Cape fur seals in the world. Here you have the unique chance to get fairly close to these mammals of the sea and capture intimate portraits of them resting, sunbathing and socialising with each other.
Palmwag and its surroundings in Damaraland is worth a visit if you take enough time to explore its secrets. The dramatic table-top mountains of red basaltic rock are most spectacular in the early and late hours of the day.
As a few perennial springs provide life-giving water in this desert, there is a good chance that you may encounter and photograph desert-adapted elephants, endangered black rhinos, desert-adapted giraffes or even stumble across some desert-adapted lions.
Etosha is the number one destination in Namibia for wildlife photographers. The animals are used to vehicles and therefore let you often come very close. Here you’ll be able to capture a range of different photographs of the wildlife, from full-frame portraits to wider shots of large herds on the grass plains.
High concentrations of animals at the waterholes in the dry season offer great opportunities for capturing wildlife interactions.
Besides zebra, springbok, wildebeest, kudu, gemsbok, impala and giraffe you’ll also see elephants, rhinos, lions, hyena, cheetah and perhaps even a leopard. And let’s not forget the more than 400 bird species that have been sighted in Etosha.
The Hoanib River is a mostly dry river course winding through the barren desert mountains of Kaokoland, from east to west. It is home to desert-adapted elephants, lions, giraffe, gemsbok and other hardy wildlife species.
The river only flows for a few days during the rainy season when good rains further east carry the flood waters down the river. Some years the river does not flood at all.
The river’s moods vary from seemingly hostile in the boiling heat of mid-summer to enchanted during some periods of the winter months, when large white acacia trees stand like ghosts in the thick fog that has moved in far inland from the coast.
Imagine a winding blue band of the Kunene River flowing past calmly. Then suddenly the river drops into a series of waterfalls, throwing white columns of spray into the air.
Add picturesque baobab trees balancing precariously on rock outcrops amidst the cascades and riverine palm forests along the river’s banks and you’ve got a magical oasis amidst Kaokoland’s semi-desert landscape.
Another wildlife photographer’s and birder’s paradise can be found at the Mahango Game Reserve along the Okavango River and areas further east into Caprivi.
Lush riverine forest, flooded tall grass plains and marshes, idyllic river scenes and dry woodland areas are home to over 450 bird species and numerous big game, including huge elephant and buffalo herds, hippos, rare antelopes such as the sable, roan, sitatunga and many more.
For accommodation options at the best prices visit our collection of camps and lodges: private travel & conservation club. If you are not yet a member, see how to JOIN below this story.
Steeped in myths and legends regarding magical powers, hermaphroditism and black magic, and more recently cast as villains by Disney, the hyena family undoubtedly suffers from a bad reputation.
With their gentle, social interactions and strong kin bonds rarely witnessed, and their reputation amongst farmers as a livestock predator, the misunderstood and secretive brown hyena currently faces a battle for survival.
The modern-day Hyaenidae family consists of just four members, although nine species have been recorded from fossils dating to the early Pleistocene period. Currently, each member of the hyena family has its own genus: • Crocuta (spotted hyena) • Hyaena (striped hyena) • Proteles (aardwolf) • Parahyaena (brown hyena)
Until 1974 the brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) was also classed as Hyaena, and there is still dispute regarding its classification.
Phylogenetically, hyenas are most closely related to the Viverridae, a family of small to medium-sized carnivores including civets and genets. Hyaenidae are unique in their ability to crush bone with their specialised anatomy, except for the aardwolf, which is a strict insectivore.
Conservation status and distribution
The most recent figures from the IUCN Red List estimate a population of fewer than 10,000 individuals worldwide, making it the rarest member of the hyena family. The species is currently classed as ‘Near Threatened‘ (a status which means the species may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future), with the population of mature animals experiencing a continuing decline.
Brown hyenas are endemic to southern Africa and occur in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Angola. Their presence in both Mozambique and Eswatini is currently unconfirmed. It is believed that the largest population exists in Botswana at an estimation of around 4,600 individuals.
More about…
Although most often seen foraging alone, brown hyenas are highly social animals. They live in social groups called clans, the members of which maintain highly intricate relationships. Clan size can range from a single adult female and her offspring to up to 14 individuals. Research from the Kalahari has shown group size to be positively influenced by the quality of food in an area. In contrast, territory size is controlled by the distribution of food resources. Home range sizes have been found to vary considerably across the brown hyena’s range; from 40 km2 in enclosed reserves to over 2,000 km2 in coastal ecosystems.
Brown hyenas are also known as “strandwolves”– an Afrikaans word which directly translates to “beach wolves” in English. This is in reference to the hyena’s habit of taking strolls along the beach in search of food.
Unlike spotted hyenas, there is no significant size difference between male and female brown hyenas; males weigh between 40-44 kg, whereas females weigh around 38-40 kg. The brown hyena is the second-largest member of the family Hyaenidae, surpassed in size only by spotted hyenas.
It is believed that brown hyena clans have both an alpha male and alpha female, who share equal status. Females may remain in their natal clan for their entire lives and become breeding adults, whereas most, if not all, males will disperse from their natal clans. It is estimated that 33% of the adult brown hyena population is nomadic, of which the majority are males. These are individuals who do not have a fixed home range or lasting relationships with other brown hyenas.
Dens
Dens are the focal point in brown hyena society. The communal den represents a meeting point for clan members to come together to socialise, and also the place where the clan jointly raises the cubs. Old burrows, previously dug by species such as aardvark or warthog, are often used as dens. In more mountainous areas, caves are used.
All clan members will carry food, often over long distances, back to the den for the cubs. As a result, the den burrow is often surrounded by bones, skin and carrion and may attract the attention of other scavengers such as black-backed jackals.
Brown hyenas are primarily a scavenging species and can walk up to 40 km per night in search of food. They are inefficient predators and food obtained by hunting is rare. In inland areas, their hunting success has been estimated at just 6% of hunting attempts resulting in a kill. Brown hyenas can drive cheetah and even leopard from their kills. They have a highly variable diet, with mammal remains being the most important dietary item.
Insects, reptiles, wild fruits and birds’ eggs are also taken and may help brown hyenas survive in times of low resource abundance. Despite being generalist feeders, they appear to lean towards specific prey items – depending on their habitat. For example, along the Namib Desert coast, brown hyenas hunt Cape fur seal pups during the pupping season and scavenge carrion washed up on the shore.
Brown hyenas have a gestation period of three months, after which they give birth to one to four cubs, with an average litter size of three. Cubs are born away from the communal den, in a small natal den. Unlike spotted hyenas, brown hyena cubs are born with their eyes closed and open them after eight days. At around three months of age, they are brought back to the main den and introduced to the rest of the clan. All adult members of the clan will carry food back to the cubs. Usually, only the alpha female breeds, but if two litters are born in the same clan, the mothers will nurse each other’s cubs.
Brown hyenas have one of the most prolonged suckling periods of any mammal, with cubs taking milk for up to 18 months. They begin eating solid food at around three months of age. By just four months of age, cubs may be left alone for up to 24 hours at a time. Cubs spend the first 12-15 months of their life at the den, after which they start exploring further afield. At 30 months of age, a brown hyena is considered an adult and may disperse from its natal clan to either become nomadic or integrate into a new clan.
Unlike spotted hyenas, brown hyenas are not vocal and instead use scent as their primary form of communication. They are unique within the hyena family for producing two distinct types of paste marks – a black and a white paste – from a large anal gland. The paste marks are placed mainly on grass stalks, or woody vegetation or rocks in areas without grass.
The paste marks serve two purposes: to mark a clan’s territory and to communicate with other clan members that an area has recently been foraged in. Brown hyenas also use latrines (communal toilets) which are distinctive collections of white faeces, often placed on crossroads, by gates or large trees. Latrines also serve to mark a clan’s territory.
Without doubt, the most significant threat faced by brown hyenas residing outside of protected areas is human-wildlife conflict – persecution from humans. Although there is little evidence to show that brown hyenas can kill large livestock, farmers often consider them as pests. Their status as a livestock predator most likely stems from when they are seen scavenging from livestock carcasses. As a result, they are frequently trapped, shot, poisoned and even hunted with dogs as part of routine predator eradication activities.
Roads and traffic collisions also represent a cause of death for brown hyenas, however, the impact of this on the population is currently unknown. Brown hyena body parts are used in traditional medicines and are collected opportunistically from road kills. Although trophy hunting is allowed with a permit, brown hyenas are not currently a popular target for such activities.
A recent study found brown hyenas to have a natural low genetic diversity – even lower than cheetahs. Across southern Africa, fragmented populations of brown hyena exist in enclosed reserves, and without proper meta-population management, these isolated populations face the risk of inbreeding and at an extreme level, local extinction.
Although often undervalued and maligned, brown hyenas play an essential role as the ‘cleaners’ of the ecosystem; removing carcasses and carrion which might become sources for the spread of disease. Their populations continue to decline as a result of intense persecution, and this shy and elusive species will only continue to persist where their presence is tolerated, and their ecology understood.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, Sarah Edwards
Originally from the UK, Sarah completed her PhD on the human-wildlife conflict on commercial farmlands bordering two national parks in southern Namibia with the Brown Hyena Research Project in Luderitz, southern Namibia. Following this she completed a post-doc with the University of Pretoria in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research’s Cheetah Research Project in east Namibia, looking at various aspects of large carnivore ecology. Since January 2018 Sarah has been based at AfriCat on the Okonjima Nature Reserve where she is the lead researcher on AfriCat’s brown hyena research project, as well as supervising various other projects. Follow Sarah and her updates on brown hyena research on Twitter at @brownhyenas.
We just love the wild baby animals of Africa. Those soft saucer-like eyes, oversized ears and paws and playful antics make it impossible not to go all gooey at the sight of these adorable little ones. This epic gallery celebrating Africa’s wild babies follows our popular first and second galleries from years gone by, with all photos coming from our Photographer of the Year competitions.
We are standing outside the Old Fort when Ahmed, with suspicious enthusiasm, launches into a colourful story about an Arab princess called Salome. Suspicious, because how someone can be so chipper in this heat is beyond me. As he drones on, pausing ever so slightly to adjust his kofia (hat), I momentarily pause my frantic self-fanning antics as I am gently transported to a Stone Town of 1866, when this fort upon whose walls I now lean would have been used as a garrison and prison.
Merchants, I imagine, would have been haggling about the price of a kilo of cloves, a young girl energetically grating the coconut to be used for supper on a mbuzi (a wooden coconut grater with a seat), an adventurer from across the seas setting foot on ‘zinj-bar’ soil for the first time, and for Princess Salme, utterly scared of the whispers in the palace and her brother the Sultan’s reaction to finding out that she was pregnant by their German neighbour.
Find out about Zanzibar for your next African safari. We have ready-made safaris to choose from, or ask us to build one just for you.
I am yanked out of my reverie by a cat – these lanky felines that slink proudly along the barazas (public meeting place) – and when you come face-to-face along the narrow streets, it is you that has to move out of the way.
This being my second visit to Stone Town, hiring Ahmed to take me on a walking tour was a smart idea. My first visit, I’m afraid, was wasted because I mostly wandered around aimlessly, overwhelmed by the beauty with no real insight into the rich history.
Much like streets in similar places like Lamu Old Town in Kenya, the pathways are narrow and maze-like, lined with curio shops and art dealers, and after a couple of turns, start to blend into one another in their similarity. Brightly coloured scooters whizz past and jumping out of the way in time is sometimes an extreme sport.
Women swathed in colourful kangas and beautiful buibuis gracefully sashay along with handwoven baskets in hand, on their way to or from Darajani Market, which is the main bazaar in town. Gentlemen play a complex board game of bao, the winner clapping animatedly and talking smack to his opponent, and I am so intrigued that I buy a set.
After a few pointers from Ahmed, I enjoy trying to distinguish between the beautiful intricately carved Arab and Indian doors with their shiny golden brass studs. If a place ever so deserved to be called charming, it would be this town.
I fall in love with its very essence, African, Arab, Indian, Persian and European influences distinct in everything from the people to the mosques, churches, bazaars, architecture and food. Stone Town is picture-perfect, and I’m altogether too happy to get lost in it.
We intended to walk past this street where four of the town’s winding alleys intersect, but we stayed for the people watching. It is hard to miss, distinguished by a large painting on the wall of the poster of Steven Spielberg’s classic 1975 movie after which it is named. Here, a mzee (old man) brews strong, black, Arabic-style coffee in steel kettles balanced precariously over a small charcoal jiko. The beverage is cheap and if you are an extrovert, there is a high chance you will be roped into a debate about anything from politics and history to clothing.
Should you wish to call a lover living somewhere overseas, there is a long wooden pole with an out-of-order rotary-dial telephone and a cheeky sign announcing “free international calls”.
This is a glorious seafront night market bustling with tourists and locals alike, with numerous vendors selling local dishes all being cooked on the spot. Entertainment of the evening is by way of local teenage boys jumping off a perimeter wall in turns, posing and making faces mid-air, before splashing into the water below.
If you can get a place to sit, stick around for some people watching, a great way to gain insight into the way of life here. An array of local dishes such as urojo (also called Zanzibar mix) are available, but be sure to try the Zanzibar pizza whose origins trace back to Oman, of which the island was once a colony.
For accommodation options at the best prices visit our collection of camps and lodges: private travel & conservation club. If you are not yet a member, see how to JOIN below this story.
We bounced across the water on the lookout for our quarry. We had been searching for a while now and were starting to lose hope of any success when suddenly there came a shout: “There’s one!”
Just below us, swimming effortlessly in the pristine water, was a gentle giant – a whale shark. In no time at all, we were in the water, swimming a safe distance away from this incredible creature. Remora fish clung to her sides, hitching a ride, while pilot fish swam alongside, almost guiding her through the ocean. At one point I found myself facing her head-on… a whale shark’s teeth are so small that all you see is gums. Their gullet is only the size of a fist, but still, it is quite disconcerting that this metre-wide mouth is steadily heading your way. No underwater experience I’ve ever had can compare to swimming with my first whale shark.
This whale shark is just one of the many who congregate in the waters surrounding one of the world’s most isolated island – St. Helena. Every year, between December and March, they can be found here in aggregations of thirty or more. The island may well be the key to whale shark reproduction in the Atlantic as, unlike elsewhere, whale sharks here are known to congregate in an equal split of adult males and females. This 50/50 mix of adults is incredibly important, as the mating behaviour of these animals has never been recorded.
In addition to whale sharks, several migratory species are found in the waters around the island, including humpback whales, turtles and devil rays, as well as permanent resident populations of dolphins (pantropical spotted, bottlenose and rough-toothed).
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
A small chain of underwater volcanoes lies 1,800 km due west of Angola in the South Atlantic Ocean. One of these volcanoes, St. Helena, broke the surface 12 – 14 million years ago. Regularly hidden in cloud and mist brought by south-easterly trade winds, the island lay uninhabited and undiscovered until the Portuguese stumbled upon it in 1502. Remarkably, they managed to keep this extraordinary place a secret for almost 90 years.
In 1659, the British East India Company took possession of the island and began a fortification process that has left the island quite literally covered in old cannons and crumbling stone battlements. In the years that followed, a parade of famous and infamous people found their way here – including astronomer Edmond Halley (of comet fame), captains Cook and Bligh, and novelists EM Forster and Evelyn Waugh.
In 1836 the HMS Beagle arrived, with amateur geologist and scientist Charles Darwin aboard. Staying about a week, he devoted 15 pages of notes to the geology of the island and his personal hypothesis on volcano formation. In his book, The Voyage of the Beagle (1839), one can clearly see the impression that the island had on him:
“This island, the forbidding aspect of which has been so often described, rises abruptly like a huge black castle from the ocean. Near the town, as if to complete nature’s defence, small forts and guns fill up every gap in the rugged rocks … When approaching the anchorage, there was one striking view: an irregular castle perched on the summit of a lofty hill, and surrounded by a few scattered fir-trees, boldly projected against the sky.”
He also found time to have a bit of a rant about what he felt was poor laundry service on board the boat! In conclusion of his visit he wrote, “I so much enjoyed my rambles among the rocks and mountains of St. Helena, that I felt almost sorry on the morning of the 14th to descend to the town”.
Also, numerous exiles have, at one time or another, resided on St Helena, including Zulu Chief Dinizulu, 6,000 Boer prisoners-of-war and, of course, the island’s most well-known exile, Napoleon.
In 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to St. Helena, after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. The former French emperor, who had once ruled an empire that stretched across Europe, died six years into his exile on the island at the age of 51, most likely from stomach cancer. He was buried on the island, and in 1840 his remains were returned to France and entombed in a crypt at Les Invalides in Paris.
His empty tomb, and his two residences – Briars Pavilion and Longwood House – were on our itinerary and made for a fascinating glimpse into his time on the island.
Also on our ‘must-do’ list was afternoon tea at Plantation House. Built in 1792, Plantation House is home to both the island’s governor and to Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, who at 187, is simultaneously the island’s oldest resident and regarded as the oldest-known living land animal on Earth. Jonathan has been on the island since 1882, having been brought there when he was 50 years old as a gift to the then-governor, William Grey-Wilson. He, along with a couple of younger and smaller companions, can be visited as they graze the lawns of Plantation House.
We had spent our first day on St. Helena getting orientated, driving the length and breadth of this tiny, 124 km², island. Deadwood, Longwood, Levelwood, Blue Hill, Man and Horse, Sugar Loaf, Half Tree Hollow, The Gates of Chaos… all places with names straight out of fairy tales, and perfectly suited to this enchanted island.
From black sand beaches to cloud forests and historic fortifications perched high over churning seas, we saw it all. We lunched near one of the breeding grounds of the St. Helena plover – locally known as the wirebird due to its thin legs – the island’s only surviving endemic bird and one of the rarest birds in the world.
We visited the site of the Boer prisoner-of-war camp, passed the donkey sanctuary and the golf course, and visited a curious boulder called the Bellstone. It looks just like an ordinary boulder, but when struck with a rock, it emits a melodious sound that (as its name suggests) reminds you of a ringing church bell.
Ending the day with sundowners at South West Point, we looked down the dramatic coastline and out over the water that glistened like liquid silver as the sun sank low in the sky. Driving back to the capital, Jamestown, we watched as sea mist slid over the landscape, enveloping the island in mystery.
Hiking through the surreal and barren, almost Martian-like, landscape, we made our way to Lot’s Wife’s Ponds, one of St. Helena’s best-known walks. A strenuous but rewarding hike, with breathtakingly beautiful scenery. We encountered breeding colonies of masked boobies, some with vocal, demanding offspring who were somewhat unsteady on their feet and uncertain about how to use their wings.
We looked down over the brilliant blue waters waiting, enticingly, below. Reaching the last stretch of the hike, we clambered down a length of rope that hung, rather casually, over the side of the cliff. Reaching the water we stripped off and took the plunge. Waves crashed against a natural stone breakwater, leaving the rock pools calm and undisturbed. Rock formations towered above us, and fish nibbled on our toes, while sea urchins and starfish nestled amongst the rocks below us.
The severe coastal cliffs give way to dramatic ridges and valleys, clothed in lush green vegetation, where further inland, reaching up to the highest point, is Diana’s Peak (820m). Located within the 81-hectare Diana’s Peak National Park, this peak is the highest of three peaks and is surrounded by one of the rarest and unique landscapes on the planet.
Climbing through the cloud forest, through tree-fern thickets and past endemic whitewoods, dogwoods and black cabbage trees we made our way to the peak – a haven for 393 endemic invertebrate species – of which 217 are endemic and are only found on the island.
Diana’s Peak is home to 33 species of spider, 22 of which are endemic. On our hike, we saw the golden sail spider, with its irregular, three-dimensional web.
These spiders are known for their not very well-mannered habit of stealing prey from and cannibalising the young of other spiders. We also saw the thumbnail-sized, amber-coloured, blushing snail, another of the island’s endemics. From the summit we enjoyed stunning views across the island, from its green heart, over fertile farmlands, to its barren edges and the endless ocean beyond.
For a change of pace, we called in at one of the island’s coffee plantations. Coffee, or more specifically, the Green Tipped Bourbon Arabica variety, was first introduced in 1733 from Yemen by the East India Company, and is still being cultivated today – 286 years later. We had a guided tour of the plantation and were talked through the process from picking and pulping to hulling and roasting, and ultimately got to drink some for ourselves.
Napoleon, after years of isolation and exile apparently said “the only thing good about St. Helena is the coffee”, and while my husband, a bit of a coffee aficionado, definitely concurred that the coffee was “good”, we would have to disagree about the ‘only’ part of that statement. St. Helena is, without doubt, a destination that keeps on giving.
SPECTACULAR DIVING
Balancing on the edge of the dive boat, my husband and I exchanged glances. Neither of us had dived for more than a year and yet here we were on a boat with a bunch of regular divers who clearly knew what they were doing. I was feeling a little ‘out of my depth’ as we headed out to sea.
I needn’t have worried, though. The minute I entered the water, I was surrounded by clouds of endemic St. Helena butterflyfish, a snowstorm of white in the crystal-clear water. Instantly mesmerised I forgot all about my nervousness. It’s easy to love diving at St. Helena, the clear water was a balmy 23°C, the visibility was somewhere around 20 metres, and there were brilliantly coloured fish everywhere. Endemic strigate parrotfish, turquoise green St. Helena wrasse, trumpet fish, and exquisite nudibranchs looking like underwater caterpillars wriggling through colourful sea ferns. Before I knew it, my tank was almost empty, and it was time to clamber back on board the boat. As we made our way back to dry land around the rugged coastline, a flying fish, with its forked-tail fin, kept pace with the boat, gliding above the water for surprisingly long distances.
After our excellent diving experience we were keen to squeeze just one more water-based activity into our trip before we departed, so decided on a quick snorkel in Jamestown harbour first thing in the morning. Strolling down to the water’s edge before the town had properly woken up, we clambered down slippery stone steps into the water. Swimming through schools of butterflyfish, like scattered confetti, just metres from the harbour wall, I found myself above a shipwreck. In 1911, the SS Papanui exploded and sank, in only 12 metres of water, right there in Jamestown harbour. The ship now lay stretched out on the harbour floor below me. A migratory green turtle swam past, burrfish and groups of goatfish appeared, and there were glimpses of anemones and an octopus amongst the tangled wreckage. An incredible sight and all the more impressive for being just a stone’s throw from our hotel. Why on Earth hadn’t we done this every morning before breakfast?!
THE STAIRCASE…
Always keen for a challenge wherever I travel, I had set my sights on Jacob’s Ladder – an iconic landmark of 699 steps ascending rather steeply up Ladder Hill. In 1829, a funicular railway was built to connect Jamestown at the bottom, to Ladder Hill Fort and Half Tree Hollow at the top of the hill. Just a few steps from our hotel, past the oldest Anglican Church in the Southern Hemisphere, were the steps that were all that remained of this railway.
The angle of ascent is a taxing 40 degrees, and before breakfast each morning, I challenged myself to the climb. I gave it my best shot, but never managed to get near the record ascent time, which currently stands at an impressive 5 minutes and 16 seconds! Having only managed to convince my husband to join me a couple of mornings, most days I reached the top of the ladder and looked down over what is probably the best-preserved Georgian town in the world, knowing that he was still tucked up in bed, awaiting bacon and eggs!
St. Helena is a tiny, beautiful island – a volcanic peak jutting out of the South Atlantic, quite literally in the middle of nowhere. A welcoming island, where people wave, say hello and have time for a chat. A place with something for everyone, from history to hiking, birding to boat trips, diving, snorkelling, whale sharks and more.
St. Helena Island is a volcanic tropical island situated in the South Atlantic Ocean 1,950 km (1,200 miles) from the southwest coast of Africa; part of the British overseas territory of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The island has a maximum length (southwest-northeast) of 17 km (10.5 miles) and a maximum breadth of 10 km (6.5 miles). The capital and port is Jamestown. The nearest land is Ascension Island, which is 1,125 km (703 miles) to the northwest.
The climate of St. Helena is tropical, marine and mild, tempered by the Benguela Current and trade winds that blow almost continuously. The weather is one of the island’s more unusual features as it can be sunny and calm in one place, and wet and windy only a few kilometres away. Summer is roughly from November through to May.
Where to stay
Sarah was graciously hosted at the Mantis St Helena.
The Mantis St Helena Hotel is located in the heart of Jamestown. With thirty luxurious, en-suite bedrooms, guests are just a few minutes’ walk from the ocean, the swimming pool, the island’s museum, and the famous Jacob’s Ladder which offers a spectacular view of the town.
Among the facilities of this property are a restaurant, a 24-hour front desk and room service, along with free WiFi.
All guest rooms come with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a fridge, an electric teapot with tea and coffee making facilities, a shower, a hairdryer and a desk. The hotel provides some units that feature a patio and garden view, and all rooms have a private bathroom and a closet.
GETTING THERE, STUFF TO DO
For more than 500 years, the only way to reach St. Helena was by sea. In its heyday, more than one thousand ships a year called in. However, with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the island became an isolated and forgotten outpost. Over the last fifty years, only the most intrepid travellers have ventured to her shores. This most isolated of British territories and its people, were, for years, only connected to the outside world by a five-day boat trip from Cape Town. That was until the island’s airport opened, connecting St. Helena with the outside world with flights from South Africa.
Airlink offers a weekly flight from Johannesburg to Jamestown on Saturdays. In addition, a new midweek flight from Cape Town will run during the peak summer season – the Tuesday departures will operate from 3rd December 2019 to 11th February 2020. From 18th February to 31st March 2020 this midweek flight will revert to Johannesburg. Bookings are open until late February 2020.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, SARAH KINGDOM
Travel writer, mountain guide and mother, Sarah Kingdom was born and brought up in Sydney, Australia. Coming to Africa at 21, she fell in love with the continent and stayed. Sarah guides on Kilimanjaro several times a year, and has lost count of how many times she has stood on the roof of Africa. She has climbed and guided throughout the Himalayas and now spends most of her time visiting remote places in Africa. When she is not travelling, she runs a cattle ranch in Zambia with her husband.
The United States is looking to take wild-caught elephants from Zimbabwe for their zoos.
As if wild-caught Zimbabwean elephants in Chinese zoos wasn’t bad enough, now United States zoos are also in line to receive wild-caught elephants from Hwange National Park.
CITES officials in Zimbabwe have allegedly confirmed receipt of an application to trade in wild-caught elephants from Hwange, for zoos in USA.
A recent article published in the New York Times Magazine confirms this, saying that “a deal is in the works between a number of United States zoos and Zimbabwe”. This statement is backed up by Dan Ashe, president and chief executive of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and former head of the Fish and Wildlife Service, who also confirms that “an import of wild elephants from Africa to the United States is being planned”.
In February this year 35 baby elephants, some as young as two years old were captured in Hwange National Park and were awaiting export to foreign zoos.
Based on the trade data of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), since 2012 Zimbabwe has exported 108 young elephants to zoos in China, despite opposition from elephant experts and non-governmental organisations.
A petition has been created that calls on the CITES Secretary-General to investigate China’s dark trade in elephants, with the intention of delivering it to the COP18 in Geneva in August.
Recent research has revealed that a large proportion of the elephant tusks trafficked internationally can be traced to ONLY THREE MAJOR CARTELS. With 40,000 elephants slaughtered annually to supply this illegal industry, this finding has enormous potential implications for the fight against wildlife poaching and trafficking.
The report, published in the journal Scientific Advances, was based on DNA extracted from 38 large ivory seizures that occurred between 2011 and 2014 – a peak period for the illegal ivory trade. Other samples were obtained from dung, hair and tissue samples.
One significant finding from the report was that the two tusks from the same elephant were usually split up for transport, allowing the scientists to connect two separate shipments to the same cartel.
The rapid growth in world trade volumes in all goods has enabled transnational criminal networks to conceal their contraband, including wildlife parts such as ivory, amongst more than 1 billion containers shipped worldwide per annum. Seventy percent (70%) of all ivory seized is in large shipped containers.
If the ivory seizures are reported timeously, careful DNA analysis and geographical pinpointing of known poaching hotspots can create a chain of interconnectedness that points at specific traffickers.
When individual poachers are caught with one or two pieces of ivory, the likely consequences for the traffickers higher up the food chain are limited. Individual poachers are seldom prosecuted, and even when they are, there are many more to take their place.
Most ivory coming from individual poachers makes its way up a pyramid-shaped network, and ivory is consolidated as it makes its way up the crime chain before it ends up with the major export cartels.
Successful cartels tend to use the same smuggling routes and transport hubs, because of the difficulty in setting up and maintaining the necessary illegal networks. These same cartels are in all likelihood also directly or indirectly funding the trade in weapons and ammunition required to kill elephants and other wildlife. And so, when major cartels are successfully prosecuted, the impact on trafficking volume can be significant.
Most ivory traffickers facing prosecution are charged for a single seizure, and they usually receive light sentences. If each seizure was linked to many others, the potential exists to elevate the charges and severity to that of major transnational crimes. One trafficker implicated by results of the research in three seizures was given a two-year sentence for only one seizure and is already out of prison. Had the results of this research been known at the time of his prosecution, his sentence would have been far higher.
Another major trafficker was similarly convicted for one seizure (Kenya Jun 2014 2.2t), but this report potentially connects him to many others. His case is now under appeal. There is currently one suspect in custody, awaiting prosecution for a seizure in Entebbe, Uganda, and findings in this report connect that network to at least two other seizures, one of which is linked to a significant international incident involving poaching from a military helicopter belonging to a neighbouring country.
Full report: Samuel K. Wasser, Amy Torkelson, Misa Winters, Yves Horeaux, Sean Tucker, Moses Y. Otiende, Frankie A.T. Sitam, John Buckleton and Bruce S. Weir (2018). Combating transnational organised crime by linking multiple significant ivory seizures to the same dealer. Scientific Advances.https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/9/eaat0625
Opinion post from Gail Potgieter – Human-wildlife conflict specialist
The debate surrounding Botswana’s recent decision to lift the hunting ban is highly polarised, and both sides have marshalled various facts and figures to argue their case. These figures, especially the numbers of living and poached elephants, are hotly debated and contested, with some even questioning the motives behind the research.
As a conservation scientist, I am wary of questioning the results of conservation research, especially when it is clear that the researchers are ultimately interested in conserving wildlife. I have therefore sought to cut through the politics of the debate, focus on the actual research results and draw some conclusions, which I want to share with you.
I used published scientific articles by various authors, and reports from aerial surveys done by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) in 2010 (before the ban), 2014 (soon after the ban was enacted) and 2018 (after four years of no trophy hunting). Using this information and other studies, I will answer three important questions:
a) Was the ban on trophy hunting elephants necessary in the first place?
b) What impacts did the ban have on people and elephants?
c) Where to from here for Botswana’s people and elephants?
WAS THE BAN ON TROPHY HUNTING ELEPHANTS NECESSARY IN THE FIRST PLACE?
The ban on hunting in Botswana was total – it outlawed all forms of hunting any species on state land (the only exception was privately owned game farms). This covered everything from ordinary citizens hunting for the pot to trophy hunters paying exorbitant amounts of money to hunt the Big 5 – including elephant.
Considering that the hunting industry earned P33 million (about US$ 3 million using current exchange rates) for local community organisations between 2006-2009 while photographic tourism earned only P4.4 million (US$ 405,000) in the same period for the same communities, one would imagine that the government must have had very good reasons to ban hunting. Elephants and the other members of the Big 5 are the biggest earners for this industry, so a partial ban that excluded these high-value species would have had less economic impact. Since the current international furore centres on elephants, I will focus on the rationale for banning elephant hunting specifically.
The decision to ban hunting was hailed in many quarters as a “win” for conservation. But was it really? When deciding on a major policy change like this one the biggest questions from a conservation viewpoint are: 1) Are the population numbers of the animal in question increasing or decreasing? And 2) Are the threats to this animal (e.g. poaching) increasing or decreasing? The EWB aerial survey reports answer these questions quite well. For easy reference, I have graphed the elephant population estimates from the three EWB reports covering northern Botswana below (the reports can be obtained from EWB’s website).
Graph showing the elephant population estimates produced by Elephants Without Borders following aerial surveys done before the ban (2010), just after the ban was enacted (2014), and most recently (2018). The error bars show the minimum and maximum population estimates for each year. Data from Elephant Without Borders reports.
If the elephant population was in trouble, then one could understand a hunting ban for this species. The aerial survey data actually reveal that the elephants were doing fine in the period 2010-2014 when hunting was still allowed.Additionally, the survey reports for 2010 and 2014 suggest that elephant poaching was not a major concern. Indeed, in 2014 record low numbers of fresh elephant carcasses were seen from the air, and when researchers visited the accessible carcasses on the ground they assigned all of them to natural causes.
The 2010 survey reported interesting results for a number of other species. Wildebeest populations appeared to be declining across northern Botswana. Five other antelope species, plus zebra and warthog all increased over a 10-year period in the Chobe District in the east, while four antelope species plus giraffe, ostrich and warthog declined in the Okavango Delta area in the west. Finding out whether these population trends were due to human threats or ecological changes (the Delta is a highly dynamic ecosystem) would be impossible from an aerial survey alone. Some of the more concerning trends thus required further research to inform management decisions.
Despite claims that the decision to ban hunting in 2013 (enacted in 2014) was based on conservation concerns, there is no evidence that elephants needed extra protection, although the aerial survey trends for other species required further investigation. I worked in Botswana from the end of 2014 to 2018, and all of the conservation scientists I met while there agreed that the hunting ban was not based on good evidence.
WHAT IMPACTS DID THE BAN HAVE ON PEOPLE AND ELEPHANTS?
Even though science-based reasons for the ban were in short supply at the time, there remained a possibility that it could improve the lot of local people and/or the elephants. In hindsight, the opposite is true. Local community organisations lost millions of Pula in annual income (see graph below) from the year prior to the ban to the year after its effect, along with 200 local jobs. While those supporting the hunting ban point to economic gains made by the country from growth in photographic tourism, the people who live with the elephants did not see this economic windfall.
Income reported in millions of Botswana Pula by five community Trusts situated around the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Data from Mbaiwa (2018).
Instead, poverty and hardship only increased – besides income and jobs, a valuable source of protein (in the form of meat from trophy hunts) was also lost. While many people in developed countries have converted to vegetarian and vegan diets, they have access to a variety of vegetables, meat replacement meals and protein supplements. Fresh vegetables and soy-based products are unobtainable luxuries for people living in these far-flung rural areas.
As for the elephants, the EWB aerial survey in 2018 revealed that while the overall population remains relatively stable (refer to the graph above), there are worrying signs that poaching is on the rise. In 2010, EWB reported 66 fresh elephant carcasses in the Chobe Region; only 20% of these (i.e. 13 of them) were considered poached. In 2014 all the elephant deaths appeared to be natural. In 2018, EWB recorded 87 poached elephants during their aerial survey. In a more recent scientific article by the EWB team, they report that poaching appears to have peaked in 2017-2018 with an estimated 385 elephants poached in northern Botswana during this period. If this threat continues to increase, the elephant population could be in trouble in future.
Interestingly, an independent study that examined poaching rates throughout Africa between 2014-2017 reported an overall decline in elephant poaching. It seems that Botswana, despite its emphasis on anti-poaching and the draconian “shoot-to-kill” policy, has become an attractive target for poachers.
During their aerial surveys, the EWB team counts every elephant carcass they see (maps below, reproduced from EWB data). Although their carcass counts include both natural and poached deaths, poaching was only flagged as a serious problem in 2018. There is also a much broader distribution of carcasses in 2018 when compared with the previous years. This deserves a closer look.
Due to their concern over the poached carcasses spotted during their survey, EWB highlighted areas in northern Botswana where they found the most poached animals. These poaching hotspots are mapped below with the nearby villages and names for each management block (designated by government) provided for context.
The most westerly hotspot is north of the Okavango River (known as the panhandle by locals), and is close to a number of villages that experience some of the highest levels of human-elephant conflict in the country. The hotspot to the east of this one lies directly north of Khwai and Mababe villages. These villagers do not keep livestock or plant crops because they live in a high-density wildlife area; they used to rely on meat produced by the hunting industry to fulfil their protein requirements. In 2013, before the ban, the Mababe community Trust earned P3.5 million and employed 54 local people. In 2018, this Trust earned P1 million (from photographic tourism only) and employs only 8 people; it had to lay off the rest due to mounting tax debts. In the five years since the hunting ban, income from photographic tourism has not replaced income from hunting.
The third hotspot, near Maun (a major town) and Shorobe village has the highest human population density. Elephant sightings were increasing around Maun when I lived there (2014-2018); it appears they were moving further south than usual – to their peril. Finally, the hotspot in NG/42 is a former hunting concession that was abandoned after the hunting ban; no photographic tourism operators have taken over this area to date.
WHERE TO FROM HERE FOR BOTSWANA’S PEOPLE AND ELEPHANTS?
The hunting ban has clearly failed Botswana’s people and its elephants. Research from Namibia indicates that hunting and photographic tourism make joint, but not equivalent, contributions to local communities. They argue that banning hunting in that country would have dire consequences for Namibian communal conservancies that either rely entirely on hunting or a combination of hunting and tourism (only 12% rely on tourism only). The communities in neighbouring Botswana can confirm that prediction from their own real-life experiences.
Furthermore, it is clear that the former President’s combined policies to strip local communities of their rights to use their wildlife while increasing anti-poaching efforts have not helped elephants. This outcome also confirms predictions by scientists that increasing “top-down” law enforcement coupled with reducing local benefits from wildlife conservation is a recipe for increasing illegal wildlife trade. The recent Africa-wide study focusing on elephant poaching adds further strength to this prediction using hard data. They found that reducing poverty and corruption, coupled with reducing ivory prices, would be more effective in reducing poaching than increased law enforcement on its own. Given that Botswana had the lowest level of corruption of all countries in that study, we can conclude that increased rural poverty has most likely played a critical role in allowing poaching to increase.
The “shoot to kill” policy only created tensions with Namibia and Zimbabwe, as the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) gunned down 52 of their citizens suspected of poaching. President Masisi has since reversed this policy and removed military-grade weapons from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks – it is illegal in Botswana for any non-military personnel to use such weapons anyway. This does not mean that the government is no longer doing all it can to prevent poaching. The BDF is still an active part of anti-poaching efforts in Botswana. These soldiers are still armed with military-grade weapons; they are now just expected to show some restraint before pulling the trigger.
Local people are not always directly involved in poaching, but they often know about it. In my work with rural communities in Namibia, it never ceased to amaze me just how quickly word spread of a newcomer or foreigner arriving in the area. The government and its partners in Namibia have taken advantage of that ability by enlisting their citizens in the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking. Tip-offs from locals have stopped poachers before they even killed rhinos in the northwest, caused numerous seizures of ivory in the northeast, and led to the rescue of 62 live pangolins from 177 people who captured them illegally (they were arrested). Where people are not disenfranchised by draconian policies that prevent them from using their wildlife, they can be the best allies anyone can have in the fight against poaching.
With a new President that is committed to listening to his people, the future for conservation in Botswana appears bright. President Masisi is also engaging with his neighbouring countries to improve the management strategies for elephants in the critical Kavango-Zambezi landscape. The government is currently revising their legislation regarding community-based conservation with the aim of reducing local governance issues and ultimately ensuring that people truly benefit from wildlife. All stakeholders, including photographic tourists, should support these new efforts to include the people of Botswana in conserving their wildlife.
I would like to thank the Director of the Ngamiland Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (NCONGO), Siyoka Simasiku, for his input into this document, particularly for the up to date statistics on income for Mababe Zokotsama Community Trust. Rob Thomson pored over all the EWB reports in great detail to produce the maps presented here.
was on the 14th July 1960 that Dr Jane Goodall first stepped foot in what is now Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, to study wild chimpanzees. She called attention to the remarkable chimpanzee, and to this day, six decades later, she advocates on their behalf.
Some people only celebrate chimps on World Chimpanzee Day (14th July every year), but we do so every day. The stunning images below, submitted over the years for our Photographer of the Year, empower us all to celebrate our fellow great apes.
Chimpanzees live in western and central African primary and secondary woodlands and forests, farmland and fallow oil palm plantations. They are the smallest of the great apes and our closest living relative. They are the most abundant and widespread of the great apes other than humankind (population estimate 345,000 to 470,000) and yet are classified as ‘Endangered’ on IUCN’s Red List because of high levels of poaching, infectious diseases, loss of habitat and deterioration of habitat quality. There has been a significant population reduction in the last 20-30 years, and it is suspected that this reduction will continue for the next 30-40 years.
Chimpanzees are protected by national and international laws in all countries of their range, and it is, therefore, illegal to kill, capture or trade in live chimpanzees or their body parts. This legal standing, however, does not prevent the killing of chimpanzees throughout their range. The estimated population reduction over three generations (75 years) from 1975 to 2050 is expected to exceed 50%. Major risk factors include the ongoing rapid growth of human populations, poaching for bushmeat and the commercial bushmeat trade, diseases that are transferable from humans to animals (such as Ebola), the extraction industries (mining and logging), industrial agriculture, corruption and lack of law enforcement, lack of capacity and resources, and political instability in some range states.
These stats do not bode well for the future of chimpanzees, and their need for protection is now greater than ever before. However, as much as it sounds like doom and gloom for this species, there is a silver lining. Several conservation groups and organisations are fighting for their survival; shining the spotlight on these fascinating and complex creatures. They deserve all the protection they can get, and we can only hope that their future will be a bright one.
“The more I came to learn about chimpanzees, the more I came to realise how like us they are… Finally, we realise we are a part of the animal kingdom not separate from it.” – Dr Jane Goodall DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace
THE CHIMPANZEE – OUR FOREST KIN
Chimpanzees are under severe pressure and facing an uncertain future, mainly because of the antics of that other great ape, Homo sapiens. But there is hope because chimpanzees are a resilient species living in vast swathes of equatorial forest in the heart of Africa. Read more in our story The Chimpanzee – Our Forest Kin.
Males of many species slow down in their pursuit of females as they age – but not when it comes to elephants. A new study has found that elderly bull elephants invest more energy into tracking down and mating with females than their younger counterparts.
The study, published recently in the Journal of Animal Ecology, compared the movements of male African savannah elephants while they were in musth – a periodic state of intensive testosterone-fueled sexual activity – and when they were not. The results reveal that, as they age, bull elephants move more in musth and move less out of musth. The combination of these two diverging factors meant that, despite having similar speeds and range sizes between states at age 20, by age 50 males were travelling twice as fast in 3.5 times larger area in musth compared to non-musth.
Researchers from the University of Oxford, Save the Elephants and Colorado State University, made use of visual observations and GPS tracking data from 25 bull elephants aged between 20-52 years old for their study. The data was collected in the Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserve, northern Kenya, as part of Save the Elephants’ long-term monitoring project between 2000 and 2018.
African bull elephants continue to increase in body mass throughout their lives, which means that older bull elephants often reach twice the size of both females and young males.
“Older bulls are not only larger and more energetic in mating than younger bulls, but female elephants tend to prefer them, perhaps because their size demonstrates their survival skills over many years and seasons,” said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants.
Given that older bull elephants tend to be both the target of trophy hunting and poaching, man-made interference could disrupt the age structure, which could bring on musth prematurely and lead to changes in the reproductive dynamics of elephants.
Dr Lucy Taylor, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford who led the study, says “Investigating how elephant reproductive tactics vary with age is crucial to our understanding of the behavioural ecology of the African savannah elephant and, ultimately, the driving forces shaping the evolution of their life history. The fact that mature male elephants make such dramatic changes in their movement patterns when they are in musth also means that we can now use GPS tracking data alone to detect musth”.
The ability to detect musth remotely can be used to study male reproductive behaviour under challenging conditions across Africa and to identify and protect essential corridors for genetic transmission between different elephant populations in human-dominated landscapes.
Key findings from the study include:
• Unlike other species, African bull elephants increase the energy they put into reproduction as they get older.
• Male elephants move faster and further in musth as they age.
• 50-year-old males moved 50% more swiftly and twice as far when in musth compared to those of 35-years-old. Compared to 20-year-olds, who have yet to come into full musth, the 50-year-olds move twice as fast and over three times as far.
• Simultaneously, the elephants move less when in non-musth as they get older.
• The change of behaviour as older elephants go into musth is so clear that it can be detected remotely just by using their movement patterns, rather than having to observe the elephants directly.
Full report: Lucy A. Taylor, Fritz Vollrath, Ben Lambert, Daniel Lunn, Iain Douglas‐Hamilton, George Wittemyer (2019). Movement reveals reproductive tactics in male elephants. Journal of Animal Ecology.https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13035
Acclaimed South African documentary film, STROOP – Journey into the Rhino Horn War, continues to win awards, this time standing side-by-side with Steven Spielberg, Natalie Portman and Ellen DeGeneres at the Genesis Awards in the USA. This brings their total to 20 awards since the film’s world premiere in September 2018.
In Los Angeles, the film received yet another international award – the Genesis Award in the Outstanding Brigitte Bardot International Documentary Feature Film category. The Genesis Awards have been given since 1988 in the United States and recognise excellent work in media with a special focus on outstanding reporting of animal protection issues.
The winners in only 15 categories included Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic World (for tackling wildlife trafficking), Natalie Portman’s vegan film Eating Animals, Ellen DeGeneres for her television show that always highlights gorilla protection issues, well as iconic American institutions like The New York Times, 60-Minutes and Sesame Street.
The Humane Society of The United States, who present the Genesis Awards, stated that STROOP won the Brigitte Bardot Documentary Feature for its sweeping examination of the complex web of corruption and cultural traditions fuelling rhino slaughter.
Just recently the film won the Backsberg Encounters Audience Award for Best South African Film at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival. The award is the festival’s top nod at Africa’s most prestigious documentary film festival.
STROOP’s director, Susan Scott, was visibly moved by the 20th award for the acclaimed independent film: “It’s incredible to get this recognition at home, especially when we keep getting told by mainstream media that South Africans have what’s called ‘rhino fatigue’. It’s just not possible when we have full houses like we had when we did our cinema release a few months back and now a sellout success for all our screenings at Encounters in both Cape Town and Joburg.”
STROOP – Journey into the Rhino Horn War tells the shocking and touching story of the ongoing poaching of rhino and the trade in its coveted horn
Fellow filmmaker and presenter on the film, Bonné de Bod, added: “Not only were the screenings at Cinema Nouveau and the Labia sold out, the audience engagement here at Encounters was intense with much discussion about possible solutions and the way forward for our rhinos. Many Capetonians and Joburgers came up to us afterwards to say how massive an impact the film actually had on them, as they got to see the poaching crisis through the eyes of our South African heroes fighting this war.”
According to the filmmakers, this most recent award is quite special for them. “I’ve been coming to Encounters since the early 2000s and I’ve seen jaw-dropping and deeply inspiring films here that the festival team have done a wonderful job in curating to bring home for us to see and the audience award is the biggest award one can get for a documentary filmmaker,” says Scott.
“This is really special,” adds de Bod, “because it’s the audience who vote for the best film of the festival and you can’t get a better critique of your film than that.”
RE-RELEASE SCREENING IN SOUTH AFRICA
In other news, due to the popular demand and the recent Encounters win, the film will be returning to the big screen for a limited re-release in South Africa.
Joburg’s independent theatre, The Bioscope, will be holding special screenings of the film every evening during the last week of July, starting on Friday 26th. The premier will include a Q&A session with the filmmakers. This will be the first time STROOP will screen at Joburg’s iconic cinema. The film was first released at Nu Metro cinemas around the country, and has gone on to screen at Ster Kinekor’s Cinema Nouveau as well as landmark independent cinemas like White River’s Casterbridge and Cape Town’s Labia.
Since its world premiere at the San Francisco Green Film Festival in September last year, STROOP has been officially selected for 28 film festivals, winning 20 awards. The film has received wide recognition for its achievements in South African national newspapers, television, radio and magazines, and has released across South Africa in cinemas. STROOP has been picked up by the London-based Journeyman Pictures for international distribution and filmmakers are in talks with local broadcasters and hope to have an announcement soon.
The previous day I met up with my UK-based Africa Geographic colleague and long-time friend Christian Boix, two safari first-timers and our trail guides Hanri and AD and spent our first night in the mobile camp deep in the Greater Kruger. The husband and wife first-timers had landed in Africa that same day, from Denmark, and this was their first night in Africa! Lions and hyenas calling from the darkness during your first night in Africa…
Find out about Greater Kruger for your next African safari. We have ready-made safaris to choose from, or ask us to build one just for you.
So, next morning we got up with the dawn chorus and enjoyed smoky coffee from the glowing coals and a basic breakfast, learned from Hanri and AD what to expect and how to behave, and headed out. We had not cleared the perimeter of the camp when Hanri ushered us to the base of a large tree, because not far ahead a large bull elephant was sauntering down the track towards us.
The reason for his presence was that a family herd was converging on the area, with several bulls in tow, keen to check out the ladies. We hastily moved onto a low ridge, with our camp for the night behind us and the large gathering of elephants in front and below us, in a drainage line. There was tension in the air because the cows were not happy with being goosed by the big bulls, and they bellowed and ran around with their tails in the air, with the little ones all confused and running in circles. The Danes had enjoyed their first walking safari encounter, and it was a corker!
Eventually, we decided to leave the elephants to their socialising and skirted around the herd. The late summer bushveld was thick, and on a few occasions, we encountered bull elephants, inbound for some action. One large bull got our hearts racing when he got all big on us – standing tall, fanning his ears out wide, kicking the ground and glaring down his tusks at us – before veering away and crashing through the dense scrub. Our guides were wide awake, and yet totally relaxed, as they interpreted the elephant’s body language and kept us away from his personal space.
Later that morning we picked up on the tracks of a lioness with tiny cubs. They were following the same dry sandy drainage line as us, and after a while, our guides decided to seek another route – to avoid meeting up with a protective mom. Soon after, we were radioed by a ranger on game drive that they had seen male lions a few kilometres from us, and so we headed that way. We arrived in the area an hour later, and after a bit of searching, AD spotted the telltale signs of a young male lion behind a raisin bush about 50m away.
Just his eyes, flattened ears and mohawk were visible as he checked us out. When he disappeared, we headed after him, at a gentle but accelerated amble – quiet, focused, raised heartbeats. Young male lions are usually safe to follow because they are not confident, and often keep a low profile if there are pride males around. This shy guy kept a safe distance from us, only showing himself now and then as he strolled through the dense bushveld, his progress betrayed by alarm calls from tree squirrels, zebras and impalas.
As we traced his journey, we walked through places where we disturbed hordes of multi-coloured butterflies of many species, erupting from beneath our feet and fluttering away. After an hour of tracking, we veered away and walked up a rock kopje to find a delicious late breakfast laid out for us under a huge weeping boer-bean tree. To make breakfast even more enjoyable, it was accompanied by a few drops of rain – not enough to break out the Drizabone, but enough to awaken Earth’s pheromones – that intoxicating bushveld aroma that arrives after rain and stimulates one’s senses to celebrate.
My favourite moment on this walking safari was when we experienced the feathered equivalent of the annual sardine run – that oceanic frenzy of massed sardines and attendant sharks, seabirds and superpods of dolphins gorging themselves. In this instance, there was a massive nesting colony of red-billed queleas, with countless numbers of nests in a sprawling stand of young knobthorn trees. The hubbub and commotion, and the suffocating stink (think dirty petshop), overwhelmed the senses, as countless young quelea hung about in the trees screaming for attention. They were already feathered and out of the flimsy nests, some were flying weakly amongst the trees, and most were whirling clouds above the colony, reminiscent of sardine bait balls.
This was like a candy store for raptors, and we counted many species working the flock overhead, soaring and swooping, but never overcommitting into the dense mass of feathered confusion.
Steppe, martial and lesser spotted eagles, steppe buzzards, Eurasian hobbys and African hawk-eagles were amongst the avian predators taking advantage of nature’s spectacular largesse. We even saw a tawny eagle on the ground – picking up fallen chicks and scoffing them with obvious relish. Jackals, honey badgers, snakes, mongooses and genets would also be at the buffet table, although we did not see them during our time at the colony.
The fierce barbs on the knobthorn trees make for a safe nesting site, but once out of their nests, many young quelea got caught in the vicious hooked thorns as they stumbled around amongst the branches, and perished – again serving as a vital protein source for various creatures.
Later that day we came back to the quelea nesting colony in our game drive vehicle, and chilled next to a lioness who was dozing at a nearby waterhole, young quelea swarming around her in their frenzy to drink, some bumping clumsily onto the ground within swatting distance of her. She, however, was a flat-cat, and no 15-gram queleas were going to disturb her slumber. She was later joined by three young males, one of whom was the shy mohawk male we had tracked earlier in the day.
On our last morning, we were enjoying a mug of coffee around the fire, when squadrons of fast-flying quelea jetted overhead, and the reverberating swooshing noise, like waves breaking on a shore, buffeted our eardrums. The passing parade went on for many minutes as they made their way from a roosting site to the seeding grasses that were at last ripe for consumption. A fitting end to a fantastic walking safari in the Greater Kruger.
Who should do a Kruger wilderness walking safari
My advice here is similar to that after my Serengeti Ultimate Walking Safari: These walking safaris are not the brief mid-morning stroll after your game drive, offered by many traditional safari lodges. Instead, the goal is to cover a good amount of ground and to explore the vastness beyond the usual tourist haunts. And so, you should be prepared to spend most of each morning walking, and possibly part of each afternoon. The pace is slow, and the terrain easy, but you should be walking fit.
This is not a route march, so every excuse to stop is taken – from bird-watching to counting how many butterflies species are gathered on that elephant dung ball. You will carry your own water and personal items, but of course, your kit bag and heavier items are left in camp, to be transported to the next camp location. Blisters, ticks and mopane flies are the norm, and you will get hot and uncomfortable at times.
There is a game-drive vehicle based at the camp, and so game drives are possible during walking safaris – but the true essence of walking safaris is to, well, walk. Indeed, Kruger wilderness walking safaris are for those who want more than the traditional lodge and game drive arrangement. That said, a combo of the two is just perfect. Which do I prefer? That is like asking me whether I prefer whisky or chocolate. The answer lies within you…
My walking safari took place in the 8,000 ha Maseke Game Reserve portion of the 55,000ha Balule Private Nature Reserve, which in turn is part of the 344,000 ha Greater Kruger, one of Africa’s great conservation success stories. Greater Kruger is a collection of private and indigenous community-owned reserves (each made up of multiple properties, some as small as 20ha) that have removed internal fences and share unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park, thus forming a vital buffer between the national park and the commercial farms and human settlements to the west. The Maseke Game Reserve is owned by the indigenous people of the area – the Maseke tribe – who agreed to incorporate this portion of their land into the Greater Kruger.
Simon Espley is an African of the digital tribe, a chartered accountant and CEO of Africa Geographic. His travels in Africa are in search of wilderness, real people with interesting stories and elusive birds. He lives in Hoedspruit with his wife Lizz and two Jack Russells, and when not travelling or working, he will be on his mountain bike somewhere out there. His motto is ‘Live for now, have fun, be good, tread lightly and respect others. And embrace change.’
This vast area is a collection of private and indigenous community-owned reserves (each made up of multiple properties, some as small as 20ha) that have removed internal fences and share unfenced borders with the Kruger National Park, thus forming a vital buffer between the national park and the commercial farms and human settlements to the west.
Some landowners within the Greater Kruger utilise trophy hunting to generate funding for their escalating anti-poaching and other costs. Other landowners utilise tourism for this purpose, and some have no commercialisation at all (they personally fund the costs). The use of trophy hunting in Greater Kruger to generate much-needed funds is a controversial issue, and my view on the topic is no secret. I am no fan of the trophy hunting industry – largely because of how its members behave and the impact they have on the diminishing numbers of big-gene animals remaining in unfenced areas.
The Greater Kruger (light green) and the Kruger National Park (dark green)
But the call to boycott tourism lodges because of trophy hunting on neighbouring properties makes no sense. Please let me explain why I hold this view:
The trophy hunting and tourism operators compete with each other to utilise land in the Greater Kruger. I do not know of one tourism operator that also offers trophy hunting – and I would certainly boycott them specifically if that was the case. By boycotting the tourism operators, you are by implication, threatening their commercial viability. Put simply, if enough people follow your lead, those tourism operators will go out of business. Remember that the need to pay conservation and anti-poaching costs remains, so if tourism is removed from the table, the landowners will either look to trophy hunting to fund those costs, or they will put fences back up and farm livestock or crops (in which case the land available for Kruger wildlife will shrink).
Looking at this from a different angle, by boycotting tourism in this area you are effectively supporting the trophy hunting operators, who will step into the gap created by the demise of the tourism operators, thus expanding their footprint.
Surely the best way to remove trophy hunting as a conservation funding option (if that is your mission) is to make photographic tourism operations so successful that trophy hunting pales by comparison and is therefore ignored by landowners? Let market forces prevail!
Scorpions may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but they deserve our respect. They have been around for millions of years; the oldest known fossil dates back to about 430 million years ago during the Silurian Period. During this Period, continental landmasses were low, and sea levels were rising. A warm, stable climate provided for one of the most significant developments to take place during the Silurian Period: the arrival of the first plants on land.
Lichens were followed by Bryophytes (moss, hornworts and liverworts) and Cooksonia, the first vascular plant with an upright stalk. This paved the way for terrestrial animals and the first known air-breathing animals: the Arthropods (animals with jointed legs). Millipedes, centipedes and the earliest arachnids first appear in the Silurian, and since arachnids (ticks, spiders, harvestmen, tailless whip-scorpions, short-tailed whip-scorpions, whip-scorpions, pseudo-scorpions, wind-scorpions and scorpions) are exclusively predatory, this represents the first terrestrial food web on Earth!
Today, scorpions are found on all major landmasses except Antarctica. Scorpions have always held our fascination, and interestingly, one of earliest occurrences of the scorpion in culture is its inclusion as Scorpio, in the zodiac – the 12 signs of the series of constellations by Babylonian astronomers during the Chaldean period.
Although venomous and fearsome in appearance, if treated with respect, scorpions are highly unlikely to pose any threat since they always attempt to escape when encountered. We have much to learn from them; already, there are biochemical secrets held in their venom from which mankind can benefit.
I find scorpions extremely fascinating; during self-defence, they stridulate by rubbing their chelicerae (mouthparts) together to produce a hissing sound. In some cases, they may drag the telson (sting) over the body segments (tergites) to produce a sudden scraping sound in an attempt to frighten off a predator.
It is something to see when they are running away to safety, the way all eight legs work together, the tail in the air (and sometimes the tail is completely stretched out). The best part is to see how they manage to fit under tight rocks and skilfully disappear, leaving you in awe. You will find yourself wondering how such a weird looking animal can be so well adapted to its environment.
One of the most mesmerising things to observe is when they eat and how the chelicerae work together as a pair of appendages by prising the prey apart to consume it. Their beauty and uniqueness set them apart from any other animal I have encountered.
I recall my first encounter with a scorpion. The first thing which drew my attention was the movement of the pectines – the primary chemosensory organs of scorpions, which are paired, ventromedial appendages that brush the substrate as the scorpion walks. The soft feeling of its legs and claws as it moved over my hand, how it grabbed in self-defence with its pincers, and the power behind them, all made me realise that studying scorpions would become my passion and that I would champion their conservation by educating the public.
Next time you encounter a scorpion, take a closer look at this magnificent animal; you might just fall in love with it too!
All the thick-tail venoms require urgent medical treatment. Stings from this genus are particularly severe in children, the elderly and the immune-compromised, but only two species are responsible for fatalities: the granulated thick-tailed scorpion (Parabuthus granulatus) and Transvaal thick-tailed scorpion (P. transvaalicus). The other species should also be considered as medically important, although fatalities from their stings are very rare.
The stings from the lesser thick-tails, pygmy thick-tails and burrowing scorpions are excruciating, and the affected area will be very sensitive to touch, but these stings are not serious. The creeping- and rock scorpions rarely sting; their stings rarely result in more than just an itch lasting for a few seconds or minutes.
Thankfully, the majority of stings in Southern Africa are from lesser thick-tails and burrowing scorpions, which often wander into homes. As a general rule of thumb for our scorpions, weak pincers with a large tail indicate a potentially painful to serious sting, while strong pincers and thin tail indicate a “weak”, less serious sting.
All scorpions are venomous, but their venom differs between genera. Their venom consists of neurotoxic peptides, muco-polysaccharides, serotonin, histamine, hyaluronidase, phospholipase and enzyme inhibitors.
Scorpion venom has the potential to be used in analgesics, illumination of cancer cells, and brain-cancer treatment.
If stung by a thick-tail scorpion, it is essential to get to the hospital as soon as possible, while keeping the patient calm, and the affected area immobilised and still. Do not give alcohol or any medication such as morphine, or codeine which could suppress the symptoms. If pain relief is required, any medication containing paracetamol or aspirin will be adequate. Antivenom is available for granulated thick-tail and Transvaal thick-tail stings, but it should only be administered by a medical professional.
There are several myths and tales about treating scorpion stings, which are ineffective, if not harmful or outright dangerous: applying diesel or petrol to draw out the venom or killing the scorpion by rubbing it on the stung area to prevent symptoms.
Some species have been known to wander into homes where they are often attracted by water or humidity, or else they are wandering males looking for females. Commonly seen in Gauteng is the plain pygmy thick-tail (Pseudolychas ochraceus), which is often found in bathrooms and sinks where it is seeking out moist environments. Scorpions will not infest a home, as they are solitary animals and will only be seen together during mating, or when a male guards a female after mating to deter other males from mating with her before he disperses.
It is the hyaline layer in the scorpion’s exoskeleton that reflects particular wavelengths of in the ultraviolet light spectrum. While we still don’t fully understand the reason behind this phenomenon, it is thought that perhaps this ability helps scorpions to better “see” their surroundings, or maybe attract their insect prey.
ARE SCORPIONS IMPORTANT IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT?
As scorpions are very sensitive to environmental changes and will remain in the environment to which they have adapted, their presence in a particular environment is a good indicator the health of a specific ecosystem; an excellent reason to protect them and their environment.
Special care needs to be given to this group of animals and not only the larger and more well-known animals. If we protect scorpions, we will protect the world around us.
Riaan Fourie has been awarded the coveted and prestigious title ‘Safari Guide of the Year 2019’ after a tough week of scrutiny from mentors and intense but convivial competition amongst the five chosen finalists.
Huge congratulations to Riaan Fourie who is the winner of Safari Guide of the Year 2019. Well done to all the finalists for their professionalism and courage. It was an exceptional competition! This competition is powered by FGASA, NJ MORE Field Guide College and Africa Direct. #SGOTY2019 #SAFARIGUIDEOFTHEYEAR#NJMOREFIELDGUIDECOLLEGE#FGASA #NJMORE #AFRICADIRECT #WILDEARTHTV #BUSHTECH#SAPMOK #KHAKIFEVER #GETAWAYMAG #PARKTOWNSTORES#AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC #TRAVELANDTHINGS
This prestigious title is awarded every year by the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA), and represents a serious feather in the cap and career highlight for the winner.
The judges include some of the region’s most experienced and respected guides: James Steyn, Juan Pinto, Brian Serrao, Quinton Coetzee and Mike Karantonis.
The week of judging was held at the NJ MORE Field Guide College, in the Marataba section of the greater Marakele National Park, and the contestants were put through their paces by the judges during guided walks and game drives where they were tested on track and sign identification, bird identification, rifle handling and shooting and their storytelling skills.
The event was broadcast live by WildEarth TV, and here are some of their short video clips:
1. Bird identification
The first challenge of #SGOTY2019 is all about the birds! The finalists identify birds of Southern Africa by Sight and Sound. NJ MORE Field Guide CollegeRoyal MalewaneSingitaSamara Private Game ReserveKapama Private Game ReserveTanda Tula#SGOTY2019#SAFARIGUIDEOFTHEYEAR#NJMOREFIELDGUIDECOLLEGE#FGASA #NJMORE #AFRICADIRECT #WILDEARTHTV #BUSHTECH #SAPMOK #KHAKIFEVER #GETAWAYMAG #KRUGER2CANYON #PARKTOWNSTORES #AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC #TRAVELANDTHINGS #FITCHANDLEEDS #JORDANWINES #PAINTEDWOLFWINES #EMPOWERAFRICA
The finalists shot the lights out with their shooting assesements! #SGOTY2019 #SAFARIGUIDEOFTHEYEAR#NJMOREFIELDGUIDECOLLEGE#FGASA #NJMORE #AFRICADIRECT #WILDEARTHTV #BUSHTECH #SAPMOK #KHAKIFEVER #GETAWAYMAG #PARKTOWNSTORES #AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC #TRAVELANDTHINGS
The bush newspaper puts the finalists to the test!This competition is powered by FGASA, NJ MORE Field Guide College and Africa Direct. #SGOTY2019 #SAFARIGUIDEOFTHEYEAR#NJMOREFIELDGUIDECOLLEGE#FGASA #NJMORE #AFRICADIRECT #WILDEARTHTV #BUSHTECH#SAPMOK #KHAKIFEVER #GETAWAYMAG #PARKTOWNSTORES#AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC #TRAVELANDTHINGS
Rassie Jacobs and Antony Collett take us on an exciting morning adventure in the bush for #SGOTY2019 This competition is powered by FGASA, NJ MORE Field Guide College and Africa Direct. #SGOTY2019 #SAFARIGUIDEOFTHEYEAR#NJMOREFIELDGUIDECOLLEGE#FGASA #NJMORE #AFRICADIRECT #WILDEARTHTV #BUSHTECH#SAPMOK #KHAKIFEVER #GETAWAYMAG #PARKTOWNSTORES#AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC #TRAVELANDTHINGS
Storytelling was an important part of the finalists journey at safari guide of the year. #SGOTY2019 #SAFARIGUIDEOFTHEYEAR#NJMOREFIELDGUIDECOLLEGE#FGASA #NJMORE #AFRICADIRECT #WILDEARTHTV #BUSHTECH #SAPMOK #KHAKIFEVER #GETAWAYMAG #PARKTOWNSTORES #AFRICAGEOGRAPHIC #TRAVELANDTHINGS
In a move that has delighted conservationists, the Zambian Ministry of Energy has announced that the plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on the Luangwa River has been halted due to the cancellation of the feasibility study rights for the project.
In a press release by WWF Zambia, the plan has been put on hold after the interested developer for the proposed Ndevu Gorge hydroelectric power plant had not undertaken any feasibility study and, therefore, the feasibility study rights were withdrawn.
The Luangwa River is one of the longest remaining free-flowing rivers in Zambia and one of the biggest unaltered rivers in Southern Africa, as identified by the research of WWF and partners. Constructing a hydroelectric dam on the Luangwa River would have threatened the ecosystem services the river provides and would have led to a loss of natural capital on which livelihoods, wildlife-based economies, and heritage values are founded.
A year ago WWF Zambia launched a public campaign to advocate for the protection of the river from threats such as the Ndevu Gorge Dam, deforestation and unsustainable agriculture. Over 197,000 people added their voice to the campaign.
The construction of the dam would have also affected the local communities spread across 25 chiefdoms. The river currently provides extremely valuable and crucial ecosystem services to these people, including safe drinking water, floodplain agriculture, fishing, goods and trade, wild fruit, honey, local construction materials and local crafts. The Luangwa River also has a significant cultural and spiritual heritage for the country.
Quoting Senior Chief Luembe of the Nsenga people, “I wish to thank the government, for listening to our plea. Luembe has the potential to become another area of wildlife tourism in a few years to come. The dam would have disturbed the free movement of wildlife along and across the Luangwa Valley. There are other means that can supply an equivalent amount of electricity like solar power and windmill generators that can be installed along the Muchinga escarpment, with less ecosystem damage”.
The Luangwa River Valley currently provides a mosaic of diverse habitats, including riparian forest, grassed dambos, floodplain grassland and deciduous woodlands. The natural hydrology of the Luangwa River allows for flooding in the rainy season – December to April – creating seasonal wetlands, oxbow lakes, sandbars and other features that create a rich habitat for plants and wildlife.
WWF Zambia says that they have now begun a formal process to urge the relevant authorities to declare the Luangwa River a Water Resource Protection Area, in line with the Water Resource Management Act No. 21 of 2011.
In yet another blow to big elephant genes, the iconic desert-adapted elephant bull known by millions of fans worldwide as ‘Voortrekker’ was killed by a trophy hunter after being declared a ‘problem animal by Namibian authorities. The surgical removal of Africa’s big-gene animals by trophy hunters continues, and Namibia’s desert-adapted elephants now rely on a small population of mature bulls after two were killed in 2016.
In their announcement on Facebook, Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) said “the elephant bull concerned was put down after it was declared a problem. The animal alongside others have been destroying properties and infrastructure in the area of Omatjete.” On the issue of whether this bull was the legendary Voortrekker, MET responded to Facebook questions by refusing to name the hunted elephant. Several conservation charities have confirmed that the bull in question is indeed Voortrekker. ‘Voortrekker’ is Afrikaans for ‘pioneer’.
MET spokesperson Romeo Muyunda Lee advised that the price paid was N$120,000 (+/- US$ 8,500), but it is unclear at this stage whether this was the total price paid or the portion paid to communities.
A study published in Ecology and Evolution in 2016 found not only that the Namibian desert-adapted elephants were different from their savannah cousins, but that their adaptations are also not genetically transferred to the next generation, rather through the passing on of knowledge by mature individuals. Morphological differences, like the adapted elephants’ thinner bodies and wider feet, also distinguish them from typical savannah elephants.
Terblanché reports that an urgent letter addressed to MET official Christoph Munwela by the management of conservancies neighbouring the Ohungo Conservancy in the area of Omatjete to prevent the killing of Voortrekker, suggests that a flagrant error was made when the hunting license was issued. The letter points out that Voortrekker is in fact not part of the herd that has been bothering the community of the Ohungu Conservancy in the area of Omatjete.
MET responded publically that “The communities who objected to the hunt were not affected by the elephants as the elephants were mainly causing problems in the Omatjete area.”
Prior to the hunt, the management committees of the Otjimboyo, Sorris Sorris and Tsiseb conservancies asked Munwela for a meeting to discuss ways to avoid the killing of Voortrekker, one of the oldest living bull elephants in Namibia. Their letter said: “Our people are in general accepting of the elephants’ presence and want them to remain in the area … it is our belief that the shooting of elephants does not solve the problem. In fact, this only makes it worse. We want to keep our communities safe and to do this we need to ensure that our elephants are calm and relaxed when entering villages. It is our belief that the shooting of elephants or scaring them off with gunshots, screaming or chasing them off results in aggressive animals and this cannot be tolerated.”
ELEPHANT DAMAGE
MET published photographs that illustrate the damage caused to property and infrastructure by Voortrekker, to justify the issue of the hunting license. Some of the images appear to show poorly neglected fences and other infrastructure, but some easily-replaced water pipes and tanks do appear to reflect damage.
VOORTREKKER WAS PREVIOUSLY SAVED FROM TROPHY HUNTERS
In 2008 Voortrekker fans donated US$12 000 to MET in an effort to save him from professional hunters who had their eyes on his trophy tusks. At the time, six hunting permits were issued and only Voortrekker was saved from trophy hunter guns – the remaining five elephants were killed.
According to Johannes Haasbroek of Elephant Human Relations Aid, in the period since then, “the hunting outfitters and their sick clients conspired to get this gentle giant declared a problem to justify a hunt”. He went on to say: “We remember Voortrekker as an incredibly gentle, peaceful and magnificent elephant. His presence has often calmed other inexperienced elephants around him. He was known locally as the ‘Old Man’, which was always welcome because he never caused any problems or induced fear.”
According to respected safari guide Alan McSmith, Voortrekker was a pioneer elephant for the desert-adapted elephant population in the Ugab and Huab rivers region. This giant elephant was one of the first to venture back to the region after populations were decimated during the turbulent warfare years in southern Africa. A small group of these uniquely desert-adapted elephants took refuge during the war in the remote and desolate gorges of Kaokaland in the north.
Says McSmith: “Voortrekker, one of the bulls to trek north during the conflict years, returned home in the early 2000s, commencing a relay of south-bound expeditions, penetrating deeper and deeper into the dry and uncertain landscape before commencing with an epic traverse through to the relative bounty of the Ugab River. It was a marathon across arid plains and ancient craters that would ultimately redefine what we know of elephant endurance, intuition and behaviour. Just how he navigated or knew where to find water, is anyone’s guess. For over two successive summer seasons he returned north to Kaokaland, returning each time to the Ugab with a small family unit in tow. An elephant patriarch. These elephants are still resident in the region and have formed the nucleus of three distinct breeding herds, making the Ugab/Huab Rivers perhaps the most viable desert elephant habitats in the world. Voortrekker continues as the Godfather, a true legend of the Ugab. His ancestral knowledge has been passed down to a new generation of desert dwellers. What a legacy! For me, all of this addresses one of the most crucial fallacies of elephant conservation, trophy hunting, and the notion of sustainable consumption: that older bulls have no value to an elephant community and can be hunted under the banner of ecological benefit.”
There have been many viewpoints written about the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), from both sides of the story. They have been painted with broad brushstrokes as the evil, thieving scavengers of the African bush on the one hand and the other, highly intelligent, cohesive and beautiful animals. Yet, in a world of pure survival, where the weak falls and the strong flourish, there are none better suited than that of the hyena.
They’re animals with such unique traits, and it would be easy to wax lyrical about all they are capable of due to their morphological characteristics, unified social structure and charismatic behaviours. Yet, they often get pushed aside in favour of nearly every other predator despite being iconic of African wildlife.
As humans, we like to categorise things, put them into boxes. So, when the spotted hyena was inducted into the hall of fame as one of the ‘Ugly 5’, this may have been a time to pause and question whether or not this has been beneficial to the hyena, or detrimental?
Not everybody who visits Africa would think to question this statement, and so the legend pervades far and wide. As conservationists, we understand more than we ever have, yet how do we get this information out to the general masses and change those perceptions? Often we are told that science and emotion do not belong together, surely this has to be wrong? If we have no connection to what we are trying to conserve how do we maintain interest, not only for ourselves but to share it with others?
If we have that emotional connection, moments such as we were fortunate to witness recently in the Kruger National Park will speak louder and further for the animals that don’t always have a positive voice.
Working in Africa together for the volunteering and conservation organisation, African Impact, we’ve spent years teaching and guiding students the finer and wondrous details of wildlife and photography. However, there is nothing like “switching off”, and for us, this often means packing the car and heading into the Kruger National Park for a few days. No pressure, just endless roads full of the unexpected, yet with no expectations from our side.
Everything was going grand with sightings of lions, leopards and elephants, but one of the recurring highlights was the sheer abundance of hyena cubs.
Now, we’ve had our fair share of exceptional hyena sightings over the years, but we were beside ourselves when we located multiple den sites, each with a litter of cubs no more than four months old.
These youngsters were highly inquisitive and often found playing outside, napping and sniffing the cars that pulled up alongside. They’re fascinating creatures to photograph and even just to watch from a behavioural standpoint as they’re equally brave as they are cute.
However, these sightings would pale in comparison to what awaited us on our last morning…
We were casually heading towards a rest camp when we came across the familiar sight of cars parked up alongside something just off the road. We guessed it would be another hyena and we weren’t wrong as we slowed down to see a huge female sitting next to a small den. A couple of tiny heads poked out with a curious glance and we sat there in amazement. We couldn’t believe our luck as we were losing count of how many cubs we had seen in such a short time frame!
The female appeared agitated and uncomfortable, continually changing positions – what we didn’t initially realise was that she was having contractions and had started to give birth! There was no time to comprehend the situation as it happened so fast, so we sat, photographed and watched the whole ordeal in a near state of shock. After just a few minutes of our arrival, she proceeded to push out her newborn on the sandy roadside about two metres from us.
Animals usually try to give birth in privacy, often hiding away in thickets or burrows; people never see these kinds of events, let alone photograph them. An unusual feature of the hyena is that the females have a pseudo-penis. It is used for copulation, urination and, shockingly, giving birth – meaning it has to stretch out to allow the foetus to pass through.
This wasn’t a pleasant or magical affair, instead, it was quite stressful and grim to watch. The baby fell to the ground, and within moments mum was lapping up the placenta and then chewing through the umbilical cord while a tiny, rather pathetic, gory bundle of matted black fur and dirt lay on the sand.
Its tiny paws flailed in the air as mum attempted to clean it, before hiding it away in the den out of sight. She then flopped down near the den entrance, proud and exhausted, now and then dipping her head inside and cleaning her newborn.
The juveniles joyfully pranced all over the place – often clambering over the newborn baby and mother.
It was over within ten minutes, and anyone who wasn’t there for that brief period had no idea what had just occurred. It was interesting to see other cars slow down, but then drive away when they saw a single hyena. Had they shown more interest, they would have been treated to such an unusual sighting.
We eventually left the sighting, wanting to give the newly extended family a bit more privacy, and were brimming with happiness and excitement over what we had just witnessed. We never go into Kruger hoping for epic sightings, but one had just fallen into our laps, and in one of the most unexpected ways we could never have imagined.
This sighting reinforces and redefines our love and dedication to commit our lives to work with such fascinating species. Hyenas may be under-appreciated, but they’ve never failed to deliver exceptional experiences and photographic opportunities, and we’ll never stop appreciating them and singing their praises to anybody who will listen.
Katie Adams
Katie Adams gained a BSc (Hons) in Wildlife Conservation and Ecology in the UK before obtaining her FGASA qualifications in the Lowveld. Having travelled to southern Africa extensively, she has dedicated her life to the study and conservation of wildlife. Working with a wide variety of people from scientists, artists, volunteers and photographers she is committed to bridging the gaps between these different ways of thinking, believing in the power of education, passion, emotional connection and the sharing of knowledge.
Samuel Cox
Having been travelling to Africa since 1999, Sam’s passion for wildlife quickly drew him to focus on photographing the diverse wildlife the continent has to offer. He’s now based in the Greater Kruger of South Africa, working as Photography Manager for African Impact where he’s working with international photographers and introducing to them the beauty that had him fall in love with the country twenty years ago.
His overall aim is to teach photographers the importance and impact their images can have in aiding and assisting important conservation initiatives worldwide. His photographs and writing have been published online with Africa Geographic, National Geographic, Wild Card Magazine and Tracks 4 Africa, with printed publications in BBC Wildlife magazine, Travel Africa magazine and the Klaserie Chronicle.
Written by Cathryn Gill, conservation educator and crew member JWP01 May 2019, with Blue Sky Society Trust
“I’m searching for the spirit of the great heart to stand and keep me by, I’m searching for the spirit of the great heart under African skies”. Johnny Clegg’s emotive anthem belts out from my Spotify playlist as I’m packing for an expedition. To say I was excited to be heading back to Africa after five years would be an understatement.
In 2016 I’d read about the Elephant Ignite Expedition, the first of Carla Geyser’s epic African journeys – an all female crew travelling 10,000 km through 10 African countries raising money for conservation NGOs, raising awareness for the plight of African wildlife and raising the profile of women working with wildlife. At the time I wrote in the margin of my journal “blue sky society trust”. Then life happened. Fast forward to November 2018 and Carla opens applications for Journeys with Purpose (JWP01) May 2019 – fundraising for Elephants Alive and the expedition being to collar elephants in Gilé National Reserve, Mozambique. Without hesitation I applied.
On 15 March 2019 Cyclone Idai hit the Mozambique coast making landfall at Beira and causing devastation up and the down the coast as well as inland. JWP01 going ahead in May seemed doomed. But Carla got straight onto Plan B and JWP01 South eventuated.
Day 1 of the expedition is a bright, clear May day in Johannesburg, but not as crisp as I had expected for this time of the year. I make my way to Midrand to meet Carla and Bella at the vehicle hire place where we are picking up our second vehicle for our small crew of five. Poor Eddie my taxi driver is trying his best to get me where I need to be but the navigation app is having us going round in circles.
We eventually find it and the next thing I am hugging Carla and Bella like we have known each other forever.
The amazing Cat arrives as well, toting intriguing bags of camera equipment and a sunny smile. We are on the road to OR Tambo to collect our last crew member and I am already thinking this is too good to be true – these beautiful souls I am instantly drawn to I get to take the road less travelled with?! My growing suspicion I have found my tribe is confirmed when we meet Remke, this willowy blonde in the arrivals hall. More hugs exchanged and its time to get out of the city.
Our convoy is made up of ‘Dora’, the 22-year-old TDi Defender short wheelbase landy, well kitted out and beautifully branded with her pink accessories. She has oodles of character just like proud ‘mom’, Carla. Bella quickly dubs our hire vehicle ‘Charles’ and we are good to go.
That drive from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit via Dullstroom, the Abel Erasmus Pass and through the JG Strydom tunnel was a special wander down memory lane for me. That moment when you shoot through the tunnel and the whole Lowveld stretches before you – magical.
We were now in African bush proper. There is so much life everywhere – even hurtling along those main tarred roads you catch a glimpse of a giraffe or a troop of vervet monkey playing in the trees on the verge.
And then when the driving stops and you step out into this incredible energy its like being plugged into a fast charge source after being on very low battery. But it is not a frenetic energy, it is a quiet, calm reconnection with life.
The next 13 days held so many delightful wildlife moments and new landscapes to explore.
The mixed bushwillow plains around the Hoedspruit area with its stunning escarpment backdrop providing dramatic vistas at every turn. The autumn colours of the mopane bush around the Letaba area in Kruger National Park. The top of the world rocky outcrops of the Lebombo Mountains in Eswatini.
The coastal plains, undulating grassy dunes and tangled forest of the Maputo Special Reserve in Mozambique. The clear, blue waters of Maputo Bay edged in mangroves. We saw so many species – insects, reptiles, birds, and of course all the iconic mammals.
Special moments with elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard, spotted hyena, giraffe, zebra, impala, nyala, kudu, hippo, a pod of endangered humpback dolphins and so much more.
I think our leopard count was five! The one lion sighting was of a lioness up a tree!
For me the rhino sightings were extra special as they are my spirit animal. I think Cat was okay with our cat count as they are her favourites. Remke loved the ellies and the monkeys. And I think Carla and Bella got a kick out everything wild we saw.
All of us aware of the privilege to encounter this wildlife at all.
But the highlight of it all was spending time with all these people from various conservation organisations. Hearing their stories and sometimes joining them in aspects of their work.
A huge thank you to Dr Michelle Henley, founder of Elephants Alive for her time. Also, for access to her charming team who were so welcoming and informative in sharing with us the incredibly valuable work they are doing. I have learned so much more about elephants than I ever knew before.
It was also so inspiring to see the absolute dedication of everyone at Elephants Alive as they focus on creative solutions to tackle human-elephant conflict.
Meeting Craig Spencer and some of the Black Mambas was a privilege. The Black Mambas are a mostly female anti-poaching unit set up by Craig. This is not just about reducing poaching but a focus on community upliftment.
We also spent a stunning morning at a local primary school with Lewyn of the Bush Babies Environmental Education programme connected with the Black Mambas.
This is such an inspiring model of empowering communities to take ownership of conservation issues in their own backyard as well as role modelling for the next generation to ensure long-term effectiveness.
We also got to spend time at the Southern African Wildlife College with the astute, eloquent Sboniso Phakathi who gave us a thought-provoking presentation of the programmes there. Meeting Precious and the dogs at the K9 unit was such a highlight.
In Eswatini we met with Mr Maduze Dlamini and Nomsa Mabila of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area. We experienced wonderful hospitality from them and the staff at the community camps we visited – Shewula Mountain Camp and Mhlumeni Rest Camp.
Thea Litschka, the famous snake lady of Snakes of Eswatini, gave us a fascinating insight into snake handling and what is happening with managing snake bites in rural areas.
In Mozambique, we had time and conversation with Miguel Gonçalves, the warden of Maputo Elephant Reserve, and Alessandro Fusari, the head of Wildlife, Conservation and Tourism at Gilé National Reserve. Their indomitable spirit and passion for conserving the natural heritage of Southern Africa is absolutely awe-inspiring.
On our last night in Maputo, Trang Nguyen joined us for dinner. What a dynamo! Everyone needs to check out her TED talk.
What an absolute honour to have spent time in the company of these beautiful humans and to have them share their stories with us. I am so grateful to have had this experience. Thank you so much Carla, Bella, Remmie and Cat for being the best crew ever to share the road with. My cup runneth over.
So what now? My purpose is to champion these stories in my corner of the world. To lean into the hope that this conservation collective can keep the darkness of the worst-case scenarios at bay.
Africa could increase tourism earnings from protected areas by between four and 11 times in the coming decade. This is according to a working paper published this week by Space for Giants and Conservation Capital.
According to the working paper, bringing private sector capital to under-funded protected areas will allow these areas to capitalise on the surging interest in nature-based non-consumptive tourism. The resultant increase in revenue and driving of sustainable local and national development would occur without draining state finances.
The working paper goes on to explain that 80% of tourists to sub-Saharan Africa visit to view wildlife, and the number of those visitors is set to double to 134 million by 2030, generating $260 billion. Tourism already drives 8.5% of Africa’s GDP and provides 24 million jobs. Also:
• Africa’s 8,400 protected areas annually earn $48 billion from 69 million visits
• Every $1 spent by a nature-based tourist in Africa is worth $1.79 to local economies
• Tourism generates 40% more jobs than the same investment in agriculture
And yet these unique natural assets that give Africa its global competitive advantage are under acute threat and urgently need to prove their economic as well as ecological value. Some protected areas receive only 10% of what they need for survival, as governments allocate more resources to competing priorities such as health, education, and infrastructure development.
The working paper details several country case studies of tourism success stories, and describes seven simple steps for protected area authorities to attract this new international investment.
Dr Lauren Evans, Space for Giants’ Director of Conservation Science, said: “Africa’s unique diversity of wildlife and habitat has the potential to transform the continent’s economy radically. At present, few State Protected Areas are meeting their potential as engines for growth. This presents a major opportunity for governments. Cared for and sustainably developed, these are national assets that can provide significant financial and social returns now and long into the future.”
I wanted to find out for myself. The debate has been heated since the Botswana government decided to resume trophy hunting and other elephant control measures. Competing vested interest groups all claim the moral and factual high ground, and the elephants have become political collateral in the process. I found myself confused, frustrated and conflicted by the dominance of binary ideologies in these debates. During this trip to Botswana, I wanted to go beyond the angry rhetoric, and focus exclusively on the most important humans in this ongoing drama – those that live amongst elephants.
My travels saw me based in two communities suffering under significant ongoing human-elephant conflict – one being the eastern Panhandle area immediately north of the Okavango Delta, and the other being on the banks of the Boteti River, bordering Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. I chose not to visit that other area of major human-elephant conflict, Chobe’s Kasane area, because of the focus of mainstream media on that area, and my perception that the area is highly politicised.
First though, here are five critical pointers that came through clearly from the approximately 40 people that I spoke with during this mission. This was not a scientific survey, and I emphasise the local and anecdotal nature of my encounters. My hosts arranged some of the discussions, and others occurred during ad-hoc encounters. My approach to each discussion was to prompt a debate about elephants and listen.
1. None of the citizens I spoke to appeared to harbour hatred or resentment towards elephants – although there was an underlying sense of frustration and in some a fear of elephants. This does not imply that there is no anger out there, but it does provide an alternative lens to some of the talking heads unearthed by news media and vested interest groups;
2. All of the citizens I spoke to felt that there are currently too many elephants in their community and surrounds. None wanted elephants to be obliterated, but most wanted elephants reduced in number;
3. Without exception, citizens that I spoke to recall that elephants were rarely, if ever, encountered in their neighbourhood in the comparatively recent past, and that there were few human/elephant conflict issues back then. Elephant numbers started increasing in the mid-1990s in the Panhandle area, and after 2010 in the Boteti River area – keep reading to find out why. They stressed that they are learning how to live with these new arrivals to their neighbourhoods;
4. Trophy hunting was not viewed by those that I spoke to as a solution for their elephant-related problems. Many had no recollection of ever having benefited in any way from historical trophy hunting operations, but some expressed hope that the reintroduction of trophy hunting would provide some benefit to them in the future;
5. Attacks by elephants on people happen regularly, and below I will tell you about my meeting with a survivor of one such attack. There have been numerous recent reported incidents of rural Batswana being killed by elephants, and shortly before my visit to the Panhandle area, a 4-year-old boy from a village called Beetsha was killed by an elephant while out with his father, who was herding his livestock. I cannot even imagine the anguish his family must feel, and the resultant emotional scarring for the entire community. The boy’s name was Kefeletswe Barelelwang.
It was my first evening in the Eastern Panhandle area, and Graham McCulloch from The Ecoexist Project and I were staking out an elephant corridor on the well-used dirt road between Seronga and several small villages towards the east. Before long, a breeding herd of about 200 elephants scurried across the road in the dying light – a tightly-bunched herd of all ages moving fast in the dust cloud, with curled tails and rolling eyes. “Imagine being caught in that frightening avalanche” I muttered, as the elephants eventually disappeared into the treeline south of us. “Indeed,” agreed Graham, “and this is the norm for the many people that use this road to get to school, the shops, or work. Elephants are continuously moving across this road from March to when the rains arrive in October or November, between the dry deciduous woodlands to the north and the Okavango Delta to the south. As they follow timeworn migratory routes, they have to negotiate paths between fields and settlements, and cross this busy road”.
Along the way, these elephants snack on crops, with devastating consequences for these subsistence farmers with no other means of earning a living. Data from Ecoexist director Anna Songhurst’s PhD research reveals that ploughing fields less than 1km from an elephant pathway are twice as likely to be raided by elephants. This and other data extracted from 40 collared elephants are used to develop strategies to minimise elephant-human conflict, and new farming techniques are taught, to help farmers increase their yields.
Graham continues: “The incidents of elephant conflict with humans in these areas are high, and they are scared, nervous and sometimes irritable when they pass through – these are ‘fear zones’ for elephants. But, unlike the situation in poaching and trophy hunting fear zones which elephants stay away from, here they keep on crop-raiding – possibly because the risk-return equation is comparatively lower, but also because of the need to access critical resources. Elephants can be legally killed if caught in the act of crop-raiding, and of course, if they attack humans. Currently, about 20 elephants per annum are killed in this area, as problem animals.”
Just minutes before the herd scurried across the road, we had given a lift at this specific location to two young girls that were walking to school after a weekend at home. What if they were there when the elephants crossed, I wondered?
Makhata’ Max’ Baitseng, a senior team member of Ecoexist, later explained that this block of about 8,500 km2 in northern Botswana is ideal elephant habitat, in that it includes nutritious woodland to the north of the road and water, fruits and grass to the south. Elephants are not alone here though, humans also inhabit this land, and the humans are concentrated in a narrow band of villages to the south of the block – bordering the watery Okavango Delta. The estimated 16,000 human inhabitants share this space with an estimated 18,000 elephants (the estimated elephant population in 2008 was 8,905). To provide context to this density of elephants, the 20,000 km2 Kruger National Park is home to about 21,000 elephants, and there are no indigenous communities in the park.
This influx of elephants after the mid-1990s is likely due to poaching pressure in Angola, Namibia and Zambia, although Graham surmises that the elephants are also breeding well here, thanks to favourable conditions. He mentioned that the upward elephant population curve would probably flatten out when the current drought sets in, with young elephants dying first. This is a natural process that must be allowed to occur in a healthy population such as this. But, he cautioned that incidents of human/elephant conflict would surely increase even further as competition for water and food intensifies during the drought.
Graham also explained that elephant carrying capacity in a shared landscape is all about social AND ecosystem thresholds. He continued: “We all need to recalibrate our perspectives and understand that these people are successfully living with elephants, which compete with them for water, food and space, but that this existence is a hard one. We need to develop ways to keep people and elephants safe, mitigate incidents when they do happen, and provide an incentive for people to continue tolerating the threat to lives and livelihoods and to benefit in some way from the presence of elephants. If we do not do these things, then these areas will go the way that much of the ‘developed’ world has gone – where animals perceived by people as being dangerous are extirpated and where ecosystems are tamed and utilised for farming and recreation.”
Meet subsistence farmer Kunyima Ramosimane, who has been farming since 1988. Her tshimo (ploughing field) is 6 km from her hometown of Gunotsoga, and she walks between the two – along a path that leads through mopane woodland with elephant tracks everywhere. Every year in about November (when the rains start) she plants her crop – including millet, sorghum, beans, groundnuts and watermelons. Before the influx of elephants in the mid-1990s, she used to visit and tend the crop every week or so, but these days she has to sleep at the field throughout January till the harvest in April and May, to try to keep the elephants away. When the elephants arrive, often at night, she shouts and bangs a pot to try to scare them away. She is now scared of elephants because they often react aggressively when she tries to scare them away from her fields, and when she encounters them while walking in the area to forage for wood and bush fruit. This year the elephants arrived early (possibly due to the drought) and ate her entire annual crop. In a good year, she harvests enough food for her family and sells any surplus to buy clothes and pay for school fees for her son Steven. This year, she does not know how she will get by until the next harvest. She has applied to the government for compensation but has received nothing for the past three years. I was subsequently advised that government coffers have run dry, due to the escalation of compensation claims. As if life was not tough enough, Mma Kunyima’s chickens are dying from an unknown ailment.
Subsistence farmer John Mbango also lost his entire crop this year – to the drought. This long-time Gunotsoga resident told me that trophy hunting in this area was stopped in 2008 (the country-wide suspension was imposed in 2014), due to repeated bad behaviour by the professional hunters that operated the concession. He said that the tourism lodges now operating in those community areas bordering the Okavango Delta provide more permanent jobs compared to the seasonal hunting jobs, but that as a farmer he does not benefit directly from tourism. He also did not receive any direct benefits from trophy hunting at the time – pointing out that the carcasses were left far away, in remote areas, and so the meat was not accessible to people from the village. When I asked him how trophy hunting could help him and other local farmers, he said that the money needs to be enough, and go directly towards securing all ploughing fields in the area against elephants, using solar-powered electric fences.
I also met with a group of subsistence farmers in the area, and their message was similar to others – the elephants are the new arrivals, and they wanted there to be fewer of them. They had all lost their crops this year – to a blend of drought and elephants. When asked about whether elephants are damaging large trees in the area, they confirmed that elephants were now targeting previously untouched neighbourhood trees like jackalberries and baobabs. They mentioned that elephants kill cattle once or twice a year when they compete for water and when the cattle sleep at night under camelthorn trees which elephants target for the nutritious pods. There seemed to be no grasp amongst this group of how trophy hunting could help them, or why it was seen as a solution for their problems with elephants. One wizened gentleman said that there is no system in place for trophy hunting benefits to flow down to them.
Later that day, Graham and I were staking out an area of ploughing fields often visited by elephants. In the dying light, he explained that Ecoexist has been assisting the government to reduce conflict by consolidating ploughing fields together, called ‘cluster fields’, and taking advantage of economies of scale to erect solar-powered electric fencing and boreholes. He explained how the corridors are critical in forming part of a holistic, landscape approach that includes space to allow elephants to move through field areas and these ‘cluster fences’ that more effectively protect field areas. The method has been working so far, but this route will require significant funding and management, and changing of generations of traditional farming practices to more sustainable ones.
During my last morning in the Panhandle area, I attended a wonderful community-run village tour called “Life With Elephants”, facilitated by Ecoexist director Amanda Stronza, which focuses on educating tourists about living with elephants. A few lodges already send clients for this valuable exposure to real village life, including an ultra-luxury lodge whose guests arrive by helicopter! Guests get to visit a ploughing field, the local iron monger and operate the manual village water pump which was installed to reduce the need to compete with elephants at the river. They also pass by a large fallen baobab tree around which the ancestors gather at night to discuss village matters in whispered conversations. The baobab fell in 2000 (without any assistance from elephants) and still lives.
My favourite part of the tour was story-telling and music in the shade of an enormous rosewood (false mopane) tree. Born in Eretsha in 1942, Daniel Senwametsi tells how he regularly used to walk to Namibia in bare feet and how he used to wear animal skins until a stint of working in the South African mines meant he could afford to buy clothes for himself and his family. He remembers seeing very few elephants before 1996, after which poaching in Angola saw them fleeing to the safety of his neighbourhood. He also worked at a luxury lodge for many years before becoming a subsistence farmer in 2004. Daniel gave a demonstration of how to behave when attacked by an elephant, a replay of when he was attacked while walking to his fields. His enthusiastic and animated demo had us all in stitches :-). This finale of a wonderful tour takes place on the shore of what would normally at this time of year be a floodwater plain, but this year it is bone-dry because of low rains in the Angolan highlands headwaters. Daniel told me that this is the first year in his entire life of no floodwater at this time of year. The ‘Life with Elephants’ tour is an example of the kinds of elephant-related enterprises that Ecoexist is facilitating that need to be promoted more to provide support and benefits to people who live with elephants.
During my stay in the Panhandle area, I spent my sleeping hours at a rustic community-owned guesthouse called Sausage Tree Lodge (no known website or Facebook page) in the village of Eretsha, with meals at the nearby Ecoexist base camp.
So, what’s it like to be attacked by 5-6 tons of fury, an animal capable of pushing over huge trees and casually flipping cars?
One sobering meeting for me was with a subsistence farmer who is convalescing after recently being attacked by a bull elephant. She was collecting firewood near her home town of Khumaga (Xhumaga) on the bank of the Boteti River, bordering Makgadikgadi Pans National Park. The attack was unprovoked, and the furious elephant only relented after its inert victim was covered in dust and obscured by a bush. I spent time with this dignified lady and her husband in their neat home in Khumaga, and heard her story firsthand. Her broken leg was still in plaster, and she was in obvious discomfort and pain. She did not want to be photographed or named. She is now terrified of elephants and does not see how humans and elephants can co-exist. My lasting memory of her is her brave smile and apparent determination to move on from what must surely have been a terrifying ordeal.
I spent time in this particular elephant conflict zone with community outreach officer Walona Sehularo and research assistant Thatayaone Motsentwa (TT) of Elephants for Africa, and was based at their research camp on community land on the banks of the Boteti River.
Walona explained that the problem-causing elephants in this area are usually bulls, which comprise 98% of their research sightings. Again, based on current memory, elephants only arrived in the village area comparatively recently – after 2010 when the Boteti River flowed again after a 20-year hiatus of no floodwater from Angola. Before then, male elephants were seen in the national park, but seldom in the neighbourhood community land. Again, local people now have to learn how to live with elephants. Walona went on to explain that many local people tend to view wild animals as belonging to the government and that they expect the government to control them, as farmers have to control their livestock.
This region has its own unique dynamic. Because of the regular human/elephant conflict, the government undertook to erect a new fence between the national park and the community. The fence would cut the community off from the water of the Boteti River, except for access via small pedestrian gates, and so the plan was to provide piped water. Community members with farming plots on the river bank have been advised that they will have to move their subsistence farming operations into the sandy hinterland. River plots are highly sought-after because they offer two plantings per annum – one before the rainy season of November to March and the other before the annual floodwaters from the Angolan highlands arrive from June to August. These government plans have stalled for a few years, and the locals are restless. There is in fact already a double fence line that crisscrosses the river – one being the veterinary fence that separates cattle from wildlife to abide by European beef export rules.
But both fences are mostly broken or partially removed by the authorities, with wildlife and livestock passing freely between the national park and community land. I sat at the research camp and watched livestock come and go from the national park, and elephants cross in the twilight hours to forage on community land. During one extended drive into the national park, I saw many goats and cattle a few kilometres inside the park.
Walona and I managed to secure a meeting with the chief of Khumaga, Kgosi Keeditse Orapeleng during a kgotla (village meeting). This respected gentleman explained via Walona as an interpreter that he and his people feel a strong connection with elephants. But, he added, life with elephants is tough, now that there are so many of them. He recalls that before the elephants arrived, life was better, and he hoped that the new fence would solve the problems caused by elephants. He also mentioned that lions also used to be a problem historically when they came from the national park to kill livestock until trophy hunters exterminated them many years ago.
Meet Clifford Tekanyetso – the son of Gakeitseope, a former tourism lodge guide and now farmer, who is being helped with elephant issues by Elephants for Africa. He and his father live in Khumaga, but sleep in a tiny hut on the family field whenever there are crops to look after and protect. Clifford proudly showed me his family field, which is secured by a solar-powered electric fence – a local success story. Clifford explained that they do not lose crops to elephants anymore, although vigilance is still required – just last week Clifford had to chase away an elephant that broke through the fence. In addition to an annual crop of beans, watermelons, maize, millet and sorghum, they grow a summer legume known as ‘lablab’ that is dried for supplementary livestock fodder during the dry winter months.
One meeting that left a strong impression on me was with 60-year-old farmer Gofentsemang Johane, who has two ploughing fields – one in the dry sandy woodland and one on the bank of the Boteti River (she will lose this field in terms of the new fence plan). This determined lady has seen many growing seasons and faced many challenges in addition to the recent increase in elephant presence, and her stoic approach impressed me. She also collaborates with Elephants for Africa and has a solar-powered electrified fence that keeps her crops safe from elephants. She burns ‘chilli bricks’ to keep elephants away. Chilli is mixed into balls with dry elephant dung, which smoulders when heated coals are placed on top – elephants do not like the pungent smoke.
Despite these measures, Gofentsemang is too afraid to sleep at her fields because of the elephants that come at night. At one stage during our chat, she fixed me with a quizzical eye and asked: “So, how will your story benefit me? Maybe it will change people’s perceptions, but here and now I really need a water pump, to increase my production from one to two harvests per year. That will make a real difference for my family and me. Will your story help me?”
That, dear readers, is up to you. How you react to my personal experiences with these real people depends on your ability to see the wood for the trees.
This is a story of hope, of people who are sharing their home with elephants and other wildlife.
How does this perspective differ from your home context? Do your children face life-threatening animals on the way to school, or could wild animals eat your entire annual food supply in one raid? Perhaps those threats to lives and livelihoods were removed from your society long before your time, and you cannot recalibrate your perspectives to appreciate the reality for these people in Botswana. Whatever your situation, these rural villagers ARE living with elephants to the best of their ability, and for that, they deserve our respect. They certainly need our willingness to try to understand their daily struggles, and to change the debate from acrimonious finger-pointing and threats of tourism boycotts, to finding real solutions for real problems. So that they can continue living with the largest concentrations of elephants in the world.
Ecoexist operates in the Eastern Panhandle area of northern Botswana to reduce conflict and foster coexistence between elephants and people. The team finds and facilitates solutions that work for both species, by combining science with practice. Its mission is to support the lives and livelihoods of people who share space with elephants while considering the needs of elephants and their habitats. Ecoexist works in close partnership with the Botswana Governments’ Department of Wildlife and National Parks and Department of Crop Production, as well as the communities of the Eastern Panhandle. Its supporters include The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, The GoodPlanet Foundation, USAID/WWF Namibia, USAID SAREP, and The Amarula Trust.
Elephants for Africa works towards human-wildlife coexistence in community land bordering the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park of Botswana. They take a holistic approach to human-elephant competition by understanding the social and ecological requirements of both humans and male elephants. Partnering with the communities bordering the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and working closely with the Botswana government’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks to ensure their work addresses the needs and concerns of local and national stakeholders. Their education programs focus on developing the conservation leaders of the future and empowering local communities. Its funders include GoodPlanet Foundation, the International Elephant Foundation, The Columbus Zoo Fund for Conservation, The Memphis Zoo and Jacksonville Zoo.
Simon Espley is an African of the digital tribe, a chartered accountant and CEO of Africa Geographic. His travels in Africa are in search of wilderness, real people with interesting stories and elusive birds. He lives in Hoedspruit with his wife Lizz and two Jack Russells, and when not travelling or working, he will be on his mountain bike somewhere out there. His motto is ‘Live for now, have fun, be good, tread lightly and respect others. And embrace change.’
Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) has announced today that they have recently identified a poisoning site with 537 dead vultures (comprising five species) and two tawny eagles.
The site of the mass poisoning was identified as Wildlife Management Area CT 1 in the Central District. This former trophy hunting area is close to the Botswana and Zimbabwe border, near Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. Three poached elephant carcasses were laced with poison, which led to the vulture deaths.
The 537 dead vultures comprised 468 white-backed vultures, 28 hooded vultures, 17 white-headed vultures, 14 lappet-faced vultures and 10 Cape vultures. The DWNP law enforcement team attending the scene is working around the clock to decontaminate the area, and sampling of carcasses and the environment was done for further laboratory analysis. Members of the public in the vicinity of CT1 have been requested to report any further wildlife mortalities in their area, and to report any suspicious activities which may suggest environmental poisoning to the nearest wildlife office or the police.
Populations of white-backed, white-headed and hooded vultures are ‘Critically Endangered’ according to the IUCN Red List, which means that they have an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Lappet-faced and Cape vultures are classified as ‘Endangered’, which means that they are in danger of extinction through all or a significant portion of their ranges. Vultures face many threats to their ongoing survival, including mass poisoning incidents such as this, habitat and nesting site loss, collisions with power lines and pylons and poaching for the traditional medicine trade.
Compounding the loss to already threatened vulture populations is that this is the breeding season, and so many of the adult victims in this mass poisoning incident would have eggs or chicks, which will in all likelihood die.
Vultures provide an invaluable ‘clean-up’ service to the ecosystem, due to their unique digestive ability, and without them, the spread of disease from rotting carcasses would be rife.
The site of this mass vulture poisoning was at CT1, seen in the centre of this map.
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“Once Africa has touched you, life will never be the same”. I was born and raised in England, but somehow fate decided my destiny was Africa. I am fortunate to have developed a lifestyle from my two greatest passions – wildlife and photography – which make for the happiest of marriages! I gave up a lucrative career in high-tech to follow my calling and have never looked back. I have great faith in the power of visual media and its ability to educate, inspire, create awareness and shape change. My raison d’etre is to be an ambassador for all things wild. I hope that my enthusiasm and photography will act like ripples in a pond that encourage others to protect, conserve and sustain this beauty for future generations. I am still unsure where this path will lead, but I enjoy the journey of following the roads less travelled. See more of Charlie’s work on 
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