What do China’s giant pandas and Madagascan bamboo lemurs have in common, aside from their precarious conservation status?
Both eat exclusively bamboos.
In fact, the greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus)is almost entirely reliant on one species of Madagascan bamboo. And this specialised diet is the cause of this cat-sized mammal’s problems. A report by Current Biology has revealed some interesting but alarming results from an 18-month research project in Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park.
The lemur benefits most from the nutritious tender green bamboo shoots, but during a few dry months of the year (usually August to November) when shoots are not available, they have to make do with the hard, wooden trunk of the bamboo – known as the culm. They have specialised and complex teeth that enable them to gnaw on culm, however, they cannot go for too long on this specialised diet due to the lack of sufficient nutritional value that would weaken them and eventually kill them.
And yet, as climate change lengthens the dry spells when bamboos are not able to grow shoots, the bamboo lemurs are being forced to go for extended periods on a culm diet, and go without the nutritionally rich green shoots. They are, quite literally, starving to death.
Historical fossil records reveal that the bamboo lemur’s range has always been on parts of the island where the dry season is short. As climate change advances and dry seasons extend, the bamboo lemur’s suitable range is contracting.
“For extreme feeding specialists like the greater bamboo lemur, climate change can be a stealthy killer,” says Patricia Wright at Stony Brook University, one of the authors. “Making the lemurs rely on a suboptimal part of their food for just a bit longer may be enough to tip the balance from existence to extinction.”
The team of scientists are hopeful that their studies can add to an understanding of how climate change effects specialist feeders, and that conservation work will include the building of bamboo corridors for Madagascar’s greater bamboo lemurs, in order to connect isolated populations and increase access to suitable habitat.
The simple act of tipping can be an anxious moment for many people while on safari, and the subject of much discussion and seeking advice.
We like to reward excellent service, but hate being worked over for a tip. Your tip can be empowering for all concerned and adds to the value that we all provide as safari-goers in Africa’s rural areas. Your tip does make a real difference, where it counts. On the other hand, there is nothing worse than lodge staff hovering expectantly nearby while you check out.
So, here then are a few ‘tips’ from some of our team and from safari clients about this prickly issue:
• “I tip only when I receive excellent service, and when I feel that the person has worked hard, going beyond the call of their job. And a happy smile also works for me. This firm line helps me avoid the stress of being undecided”;
• “I tip lodge/hotel staff at the end of my stay, to a communal tip box which many lodges have, or in an envelope handed to the manager. I do not tip porters and waiters for ongoing chores like carrying bags – unless there is no communal tip box, in which case I tip US$1 each time. I always ask lodge management beforehand about tipping, so that I follow the correct procedure for that lodge”;
• “For group safaris, it’s often a good idea to pool tips. I have seen some groups arranging a fun presentation at the end of their stay – which is a great idea. Some people in groups prefer to tip directly, and that’s also fine”;
• “I usually tip about US$15 – $20 per day of my stay to lodge staff (to be shared by them, usually via a communal tip box system), and an additional US$15 – $20 per day to my guide and tracker (handed directly to them and shared by them). Sometimes I also give my bird book to my guide – if he is interested in birds, and if he does not have the latest version”;
• “One golden rule: Never tell your guide/tracker that the tip is dependent on them finding specific species. This is unfair and may encourage bad behaviour and damage to the environment and wildlife”;
• “I give my tips in new, unblemished notes – many banks do not accept damaged notes and many do not accept US$ notes that are older than 2013. Also be aware that some banks reject less commonly encountered currencies such as Yuan, Rubles and Rupees”
Lastly, remember that tipping is entirely at your discretion. There are no rules, only guidelines.
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. Also, go here to see some of our popular ready-made safari options.
Having been declared a protected area in 1972, only to then be ravaged by sixteen years of civil war from 1977-1992, the sun now rises over a different Zinave National Park in Mozambique. The implementation of strategies to unlock the potential of the Park through the augmentation of the park management capacity, reintroduction of wildlife, improvement of infrastructure, and development of ecotourism, are starting to take shape.
These initiatives form part of a co-management agreement between Mozambique’s National Agency for Conservation Areas and Peace Parks Foundation to develop Zinave as an integral component of Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area. The aim is to rehabilitate the area, reinstating the ecological status that had occurred before and conserving nature for the benefit of people and animals alike.
With everyone focused on a single goal, Zinave has come alive with activity since the commencement of the joint management in early 2016.
Improved infrastructure
Various infrastructure projects are providing the Park with improved headquarters, accommodation, services, and entrance gate facilities. As their work requires them to live in very remote locations, it is vital to provide Park staff with a comfortable and productive work and living environment. Accordingly, attention was given to enhancing the head office complex with upgraded office space; construction of suitable accommodation units for the approximately 30 administrative employees; new kitchen and ablution facilities; as well as the establishment of much needed recreational spaces.
In addition, the solar power and water provision systems were upgraded, and a workshop with stores erected so as to assist the park in being more self-sufficient in the absence of service providers nearby. Field ranger facilities are being improved through the renovation of existing amenities, the construction of one new dormitory for eight rangers at head office, and the construction of two new 6-bed dormitories at two of the main entrance gates. The main gates are furthermore in the process of being enhanced with tourism welcome centres, ablution facilities and solar power systems. In excess of 500,000 bricks were made on-site as part of these construction projects, with large numbers of local community members – more than 150 in peak phases – employed as part of these construction projects.
Reintroduction of wildlife
With the purpose of focusing conservation and protection efforts within the more than 400,000 ha Park, a 6,000 ha sanctuary was erected as initial habitat for translocated wildlife, with the plan to only release animals into the larger expanse of the park once sufficient security measures have been implemented. In 2017 alone, more than 780 animals, that included impala, reedbuck, waterbuck, buffalo and elephant, were translocated into this sanctuary from conservation areas in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Wildlife translocations will increase and continue as soon as the cooler months set in again in 2018. The medium-term rewilding strategy aims to relocate over 7,000 animals to the Park over a five-year period.
Augmented park capacity
To accommodate this ambitious wildlife relocation programme, the Park is scheduled to complete the expansion of the sanctuary to 18,000 ha by November this year. In preparing to manage this expanded sanctuary and increased wildlife population, the Park has identified the need to enlarge its ranger force. In September 2017, 34 candidates from the local communities were put on an intensive six-week ranger training course presented by the Southern African Wildlife College. All of the trainees successfully completed the course which equipped them with a qualification for future employment within the Park and surrounding conservation areas. Following their pass out parade in October, 24 of the newly qualified rangers were appointed as part of the Zinave ranger force – in so doing increasing the staff component to 79 and doubling the size of the Park’s patrol capacity.
The new rangers will also be deployed in the areas around the expanded sanctuary, to secure this space as game numbers grow to approach the carrying capacity, whereafter animals will be released into the wider Zinave National Park.
A new digital radio system has been installed in the park to enable communication across the expanse of the park and to link into the new Anti-Poaching Operations Control room. The rangers have also been trained in strategic patrol planning and equipped with Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) tracking systems. To further assist the staff in their duties, access roads continue to be upgraded, and additional park equipment such as vehicles, trucks, motorbikes, and an aeroplane have been purchased.
Anti-poaching strategies
The combined impact of these interventions has already resulted in great strides being made with improved anti-poaching capabilities in the park. There has been a rapid escalation in the confiscation of snares and more than 76 rifles, mostly shotguns, have been seized over the past year. An entire network of poacher trails and camps leading deep into the Park have been uncovered, allowing for focussed monitoring of critical hotspots.
In addition, through multiple suspect apprehensions and confiscation of logging vehicles, the Park has successfully clamped down on illegal logging inside the Park boundaries – a practice that had been devastating the natural resources in the Park.
Community development
The development of the Park is also giving focus to intensified engagement with the local communities living adjacent to and inside the Park area. In addition to increased employment opportunities already offered through the Park, baselines studies have been concluded to determine the needs and development potential of all relevant local communities and to support the resurrection of the community committees. This has led to the kick-off of first phase projects aimed at improving water provision systems and establishing conservation agriculture projects in selected settlements.
Continuation of each of these efforts will create the foundation for Zinave National Park to venture into a tourism development phase – enabling the Park to support conservation and community alike and to regain its former glory.
Late September is a stunning time in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, with very little standing water beyond the boundaries of the drying river. This concentrates game along the remaining waterways, often causing interactions and social compression between animals that we do not see at other times of the year. It’s the perfect recipe for the ideal photographic safari!
The remote and wild Nsefu Sector of the park generates a stream of returning visitors, back for another wild and excellent safari, as well as curious first-timers – lured in by the fantastic sighting reports and stunning photography that emanates from the area. Africa Geographic offers personal and private guided safaris to this photographic Eden, with professional photographer and guide Edward Selfe. A one-on-one photographic skills ‘boot camp’, if you will.
In September this year, Edward guided a return client, Peter, and had this to say: “I had the pleasure of sharing some extended time with Peter – and what a grand time it turned out to be!
“We enjoyed one of the best carmine bee-eater colonies that I’ve seen in ten years – stretching along 250 metres of the riverbank and with multiple access points for viewing – comprising of approximately 5,000 birds. It also just so happened when we were there, that a scavenging kite flew over, and the sound and explosion of startling red wings taking to flight was so magnificent that words can hardly describe the scene.
“Leaving camp early one morning, we spotted a honey badger in the distance. Cutting a corner to catch up with him, we could see why he was moving away from us: he had just caught a catfish and was trying to get to the safety of a large bush before someone else took his prize!
“After a couple of excellent mornings out in the bush – with good game sightings in a mix of diverse and interesting situations – we decided to explore the central area of the Nsefu Sector, where there’s a beautiful hot spring that draws game from all around the park. Any trip to this gem is bound to be beautiful, and occasionally it provides visitors with some surprises.
“The journey to the hot springs takes about 45 minutes across the beautiful Mtanda Plains. Here, we were lucky to see zebras, wildebeest, approximately 600 buffalo, and lots of crowned cranes on the way to the hot springs. We also spotted an elephant herd who were moving in the distance between dead trees, and we waited for just the right photo opportunity to come our way.”
Edward Selfe continues: “Early the following morning, we enjoyed one of the best game viewing periods of the week. Soon after leaving camp, we found a pair of leopards finishing off an impala carcass that they’d killed the day before. True to their leopard nature, they were quite shy, so they moved off quickly, giving us a good sighting, but we had to be quick if we wanted to capture any photos of this magnificent pair.
“Shortly after, we heard some hyenas giggling nearby and decided to follow their call. Unexpectedly, as is so often the case in Africa, we came across a coalition of three male lions who were feeding on a hippo! Whether they had killed it is up for discussion, but it was stinking quite badly by the time we got to the scene, so we suspected it had died of natural causes some days previously.
“There were a lot of hyenas nearby the kill, but they dared not approach too close while the large male lions were still there. We sat and watched knowing that, at some stage, the well-fed lions would move off, and the scavengers would get their chance.
“Taking turns to guard the carcass, the lions were reluctant to relinquish the stinking hippo to the hyenas, despite its decomposed state! Initially, the lions were feeding, taking turns to protect the carcass. Two of the lions moved off, and eventually the third followed, giving the hyenas a chance to move in. But not for long!
Watch a video of the lion and hyena interaction in South Luangwa below:
“Wondering how the morning could get any better than that, we decided to follow some baboon calls that we’d been ignoring for some time. The baboons were shouting their leopard alarm call, but I contained my expectations since the calls had been going on for some time, and the leopard had likely moved on. Fortunately, we found him crossing the open grassland, and in the best morning light I had seen! It was a privilege to spend time in the presence of an enormous and magnificent male leopard such as this one.
“After the drama of the morning, we decided to stay close to the lion sighting in the afternoon, in case the three large males came to drink at the river. On leaving camp, we found that they’d already moved to the water’s edge and were sitting on the wet sand, being silently observed by about 30 giraffes on the other side!
“The lions had spread their smell all over the elephants’ usual crossing point, so the elephants moved upstream to a spot where we could get down to their level and watch as they splashed through the water towards us.
“Returning to where the lions were waiting on the riverbank, we found a large herd of buffalo heading to drink at the same spot. Hoping that a hunt might take place, we hung back, waiting to get into a position where we could see clearly without spooking the herd.
“Primarily, our presence in the bush must be non-invasive, and we have to take care not to influence the outcome of any wild and natural situation.
“That said, scenting the air to decide if we were a threat, these buffaloes decided to drink elsewhere, avoiding a possible meeting with the lions!
“We then decided that it would be a good idea to continue following the lions and the herd the next morning. At 04:15 am, I awoke to the sound of male lions calling loudly. Being sub-adults, these lions had not been calling much, so I suspected that their call was one of victory, having just made a kill. Indeed, on leaving camp in the morning, we came across the three of them starting to break into the large bulk of a female buffalo that they had killed just 500 metres from the camp!
“The youngest of the three continued re-enacting the killing of the buffalo even though she was long dead, while the largest male got down to the serious business of eating!
“With hundreds of photos taken of the feeding frenzy that morning, we headed back to camp to prepare for our departure for the airport. It was a fantastic final morning – and a reminder that, no matter how well the week is going, you can never be sure what tomorrow will bring!
Suffice to say, Peter and I had a great week in the Nsefu Sector.”
Let’s go on safari again!
Soon after the tour with Peter had concluded, Selfe accompanied another of our clients – photographer and wildlife enthusiast, Phillip.
Selfe remembers: “On our first morning drive, we returned to the lion kill which we had been observing at the end of my previous safari with Peter. We found that the lions were still guarding the buffalo carcass, even though they had full stomachs and could barely force another morsel down their throats.
“Such is their instinct to protect the resources which they rely on for their survival. However, eventually, the lions moved away, and the hyenas wasted not a moment before rushing in to claim the leftovers.
“At one stage, several hyenas ran off into the distance, making me wonder if they had gotten wind of another kill nearby, perhaps by wild dogs. We moved off to follow them but found only a stunned looking puku in the interlocking bends of the Kauluzi stream.
“A great advantage of the dry conditions at this time of year is that it brings together lots of game in the zone along the river, often requiring minimal travelling to get a wide variety of sightings.
“Sausage trees are a mecca for lots of game at this time of year – the fresh buds, soft flowers and tender fruits attract giraffes, buffaloes, pukus, bushbucks, impalas, elephants, baboons, monkeys, squirrels and birds.
“We had heard that some very young lion cubs had been seen with one of the prides recently. Following their tracks, we located four youngsters in a remote back-country gully along the Kauluzi stream. It was amazing to see how innocent and vulnerable they were. They showed no concern about our (cautious) approach and barely flinched when we shone the edge of the spotlight on them to take some quick photos.
“There was a herd of buffalo nearby, and I could hear hyenas in the distance – with no sign of the cubs’ mother.
I was concerned about drawing attention to the area, so we moved on after a short time.
“We returned to the scene in the morning, but there wasn’t any sign of the cubs – only tracks to show that the buffalo herd had been through the area. I was worried that they might have driven the cubs into the dry channel, but another guide found the cubs elsewhere later in the week, so thankfully their mother must have come to the rescue!
“Arriving at my planned safari area for the day, we quickly found that something was up. The antelope looked very spooked, and we soon located a leopard who was feeding on an impala in a bush. She was deep in the bush, and we wondered if we’d get a good view when suddenly a lioness arrived and stole the carcass from her!
“After all this drama we decided to visit the beautiful salt pans in the centre of the park. On arrival, we got fleeting views of a serval cat and a honey badger carrying a cub in her mouth, but after that the area was uncharacteristically quiet. However, we waited around and were rewarded with a group of 11 buffalo coming to drink in the clear water at the source of the spring.
“The following morning we decided to go in search of leopard once again. Leaving early and stopping regularly, we picked up the call of a puku and headed to the area to check. An amazing sight greeted us. A hyena was feeding on a puku carcass on the ground, and a leopard was watching from a nearby tree!
“After a few moments, the leopard came down from the tree, hoping to clear up some of the scraps that the hyena had left during its messy feeding session. Inexplicably, the hyena suddenly moved off, and the leopard wasted no time in grabbing the carcass and heading to the tree where she made short work of dragging it to the lowest branch, and safely away from the scavengers!
Watch a video of this female leopard enjoying her well deserved puku meal below:
“Here, we also got my favourite photo of the entire trip: a white-fronted bee-eater offset by the purple flowers of a vernonia shrub. I love the soft colours!
“Just when we thought it was all over, Luangwa offered us one more gem. A newborn, minutes-old puku calf which was still covered in afterbirth. We took great care not to get too close but were still able to get some precious photos – and enjoy the remarkable start of a new life in the bush.
“Philip’s approach to the bush was admirable to me. His genuine belief that no sighting, no matter how big, small or seemingly insignificant, should be taken for granted, served him well in Luangwa. Very often, we found the best sightings when we stopped to watch the smaller events, and hear a tiny squeak of a sound that leads us elsewhere, to some of the best bush sightings I’ve ever had.”
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South Luangwa National Park is known as the birthplace of walking safaris, and for its authentic remote seasonal bush camps, which are only open once the rainy season floods have subsided.
SIZE
South Luangwa National Park is a 9,050 km² paradise located around the banks and oxbow lakes of the Luangwa River in eastern Zambia, providing great sightings of high concentrations of wildlife. The park is one of three in the Luangwa Valley, the others being the North Luangwa and Luambe national parks.
HISTORY
The creation of the park was primarily influenced by renowned conservationist Norman Carr, who convinced Senior Chief Nsefu – Paramount Chief of the Kunda people in the Luangwa Valley – to set aside a portion of tribal land as a game reserve. This visionary move ensured that the local population would benefit through conservation of the wildlife and habitat of the Luangwa Valley. Then, in 1950, he built the first game viewing camp open to the public in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), and the revenue from the camp was paid directly to the Kunda Native Authority.
ECOLOGY
The park is defined by the Luangwa River that flows through it, and the numerous oxbow lakes that have formed at the river bends. Vegetation ranges from lush riverine forests to open grassy plains, mopane woodland in the low-lying areas and miombo woodland on the higher plateau areas.
FAUNA AND FLORA
South Luangwa National Park has a very high concentration of leopards, hippos and crocodiles, as well as good populations of elephants and buffaloes. Lions and wild dogs are often seen, as are Thornicroft giraffe and many species of antelope. The area plays host to about 400 bird species.
Edward Selfe is a professional guide and photographer who has been living and working in the South Luangwa for nearly ten years.
His safaris combine an authentic wildlife safari with excellent photographic guidance, tuition and opportunities. Edward holds both of South Luangwa’s coveted guiding qualifications, reflecting his love for the bush, its inhabitants and the pleasure of being immersed in wild places.
He enjoys discovering the unusual and taking time to allow behavioural situations to unfold. His safaris are ideal for true safari-lovers who seek a personal experience with nature. He lives near the national park with his wife and daughter.
Sourced from third-party site: Times Live, written by Tony Carnie
The poisoned bodies of nearly 50 vultures have been found by rangers in Mozambique‚ just a short distance from the boundary of the flagship Kruger National Park.
The discovery was made two weeks ago by a joint patrol of SA National Parks and Mozambique wildlife rangers in the Limpopo National Park‚ which directly abuts the Kruger Park.
The Peace Parks Foundation‚ which is helping to fund anti-poaching operations in the Limpopo sector of the transfrontier conservation area‚ said the carcasses of 49 vultures and two jackals had been found in two nearby poaching camps. Rangers suspect that the poachers had laced a number of antelope carcasses with chemical poisons with the intention of poaching lions‚ whose body parts are in increasing demand for local and Eastern traditional medicine.
In the first incident‚ 37 dead vultures and two jackals were found next to poisoned carcasses of a waterbuck‚ wildebeest and impala.
“At a second site the poisoned carcass of a zebra was surrounded by the remains of 12 more vultures‚” a Peace Parks spokesman said in a statement this week. “Considering that most vulture species are even more threatened as a species than rhino‚ this is a great tragedy.
“Fortunately‚ the poachers had not been successful in killing any lions at either of these sites. Lions are also threatened‚ with current worldwide estimates indicating that there are only 20,000 wild lion remaining‚ as opposed to an estimated population of 29,000 rhino.”
According to the Endangered Wildlife Trust‚ vultures are under immense pressure from a range of human activities. These threats have resulted in a rapid decline in Africa and Asia particularly‚ where most of these birds are now listed as critically endangered
Vultures are particularly vulnerable to mass die-offs from poison baits laid out to kill other high-value wildlife species. Last year‚ nearly 150 vultures were killed in two poison incidents in northern Botswana. In Zambia‚ another 105 vultures were poisoned in South Luangwa National Park and another 56 vultures on the boundaries of Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park.
The Peace Parks Foundation‚ concerned about the negative impact of continued poaching in Limpopo National Park‚ said it had mobilised more than R7 million recently to help bolster anti-poaching efforts in the park. The French Development Agency would provide another R13 million to the project.
The foundation said the money would be used to establish an expanded Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) in Limpopo National Park. “With more than one million hectares to patrol‚ implementing effective anti-poaching strategies throughout the Park remains a significant challenge.”
A new central command centre has been equipped with the latest technology systems‚ which also enables cross-border communications between the Limpopo and Kruger national parks.
We have just returned from a two week trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Generally the game sightings were fewer than we have experienced in the past at this time of year, but as usual the Kgalagadi always delivers unusual opportunities to photograph animal and bird behaviour.
We were at the Leeuwdrill waterhole on the Nossob River road when we spotted the arrival of a black-headed heron, just as the morning traffic of Cape sparrows started to build up.
The Maasai have a strict social system based on age groups and respect for their elders. Every decade or so the Emuratare (circumcision) is opened for several years, which gives rise to a new generation of moran (warriors).
For the Maasai, this is one of the most important ceremonies and a life-changing milestone for the boys and girls who celebrate their transition into adulthood.
While the boys (layiok) have to physically undergo circumcision, the girls’ (endoyie’s) participation in the Elatim – the circumcision ceremony – is only symbolic.
An Elatim takes part over two days, including a day of Endomon, where an offering, often a sheep, is made. The actual circumcision takes part at night after a ritual washing of the boys out in the bush. The moran sing and dance into the night.
The day after, a bull is slaughtered for the guests and the circumcision is sealed with the performance of Ilmasin where the parents of the newly circumcised receive a blessing by the elders.
The boys rest inside for a month but will not receive full warrior status until the previous generation of warriors have taken the Ilmaho ceremony, during which they pass their rights and duties onto the new generation of moran.
The Maasai are not the only tribe in Tanzania, and Africa as a whole, who have a strict social system and who practise circumcision.
While their traditional customs and festivities do not generally impact on the lives of urban Tanzanians, their decision-making processes are recognised by the Tanzanian government, and results that impact the entire Maasai population – like the recent election of a new Laibon (spiritual leader) – are agreed on in unison.
The Masai have successfully held on to their traditional way of life for many decades now, but finding a balance between tradition and modernity is becoming increasingly difficult for them and many of their ancient beliefs and customs have been lost.
See below a video of Maasai women dancing during Elatim – celebrating their traditions the way they have done for centuries.
An international team of researchers from South Africa, the UK, and Brazil have discovered massive footprints belonging to a carnivorous dinosaur that roamed Southern Africa 200 million years ago.
In a paper published last week on PLOS One, the dinosaur has been classified informally as a ‘megatheropod’, and is called Kayentapus ambrokholohali – thought to be a relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex.
Led by scientists from the University of Cape Town (UCT), the team discovered the footprints in western Lesotho. The footprints measure 57cm long and 50cm wide.
With these measurements, the team believes the dinosaur was at least nine metres long and had a hip height of almost three metres, making this the largest therapod tracks during this time period ever found in Africa .
According to the statement released by UCT, around the time that this dinosaur roamed the earth (early Jurassic period), the other carnivores (therapods) were “usually small” and were only around three to five metres in body length.
This means that this megatheropod “would have roamed a landscape otherwise dominated by much smaller carnivorous dinosaurs and a variety of herbivorous and omnivorous dinosaurs”. The statement adds that because large forms of theropods only started to appear about 120 million years later – during the Late Jurassic period – that this new discovery of this megatheropod is more “scientifically impactful”.
Wildlife censuses carried out in four Central African countries have revealed that forest elephant populations have declined by approximately 66% over eight years in an area covering almost 6 million hectares. These declines are attributed to the illegal killing of elephants for their ivory. However, there are indications that lower levels of poaching have occurred within protected areas, underscoring the role of protected areas as a safe refuge for wildlife.
WWF, in collaboration with the respective country ministries in charge of wildlife and various partners, conducted the censuses between 2014 and 2016. The inventories were carried out in key protected areas (representing 20% of the survey area) and surrounding zones (logging concessions, hunting areas and other land-use types) in Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and Gabon. The censuses focused on forest elephants, great apes (chimpanzees and gorillas) and additional data were collected on levels of human activities.
Published in a WWF Central Africa Biomonitoring report, the results indicate an estimated 9,500 forest elephants and 59,000 great apes (weaned, independent individuals) across the survey area. The studies revealed a 66% decline in elephant population between 2008 and 2016 across the landscapes but indicate stable populations of great apes. The figures for elephants are particularly alarming in the Cameroon segment of Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkebe (TRIDOM) transboundary conservation landscape where their numbers have declined by more than 70% in less than a decade.
“Despite these shocking data, we believe that the trends can be reversed if decision-makers and wildlife managers make maximum use of these data to guide policies, surveillance plans and strategies to combat wildlife crime,” says Dr K. Paul N’GORAN, WWF Biomonitoring Coordinator for Central Africa. “There is a crucial need for the international community to support such actions taken by governments and conservation NGOs in collaboration with local communities,” he adds.
“This is the first time wildlife censuses have been carried out on such a large scale, over a short period of time in Central Africa,” states N’GORAN. “The censuses were conducted using standardised line transect technique and analysed using DISTANCE software, an approach widely applied and recognised for wildlife inventories,” N’GORAN adds.
Protected areas as a wildlife refuge
The report showed that industrial-scale poaching for ivory is the biggest driver of the decline of elephant populations in the region. This has pushed elephants to seek refuge inside protected areas. “The inventory results revealed that poaching and other human pressures are higher outside national parks; this pressure is 50% less in national parks than outside,” N’GORAN says.
“While we commend the leaders of the four Congo Basin countries for the progress made in reducing the impact of human activities within protected areas, by working together with communities and organisations present on the ground, continued poaching and failure to secure the migration corridors of elephants in and around these protected areas could lead to the decimation of the remaining populations,” N’GORAN says. “This would extend the threat to other species of the rich biodiversity of these countries,” he adds.
WWF is urging leaders of these four countries to strengthen legislation aimed at curbing poaching. Authorities in these four countries are also encouraged to come together and step up joint cross border monitoring and law enforcement in and around protected areas. We stress the need to work in collaboration with local communities to tackle the complex operations of wildlife crime networks in the Congo Basin.
“Perinet, Madagascar – It was early morning, and the forests below were covered in a blanket of dense mist. The magnificent indris had woken up, and their whale-like sirens were drifting up towards us as we savoured our coffee and biscuits. Total safari tranquillity. Bliss…
‘WHAT? WHY DID YOU NOT MAKE THAT TRADE?… I SAID, WHY NOT?… HELLO?? NOT GOOD ENOUGH! JUST MAKE ANOTHER PLAN… WHAT?!?‘
The gentleman in the cabin next door had other ideas for the morning. Satellite phone in hand, he strutted to and fro on his deck and barked out his orders and frustration like he was back in his office in Europe.”
Communication with the outside world is possible in some form from most tourism areas in Africa, and we all need to set boundaries, resist the FOMO, and respect that others do not share your need to be always-on. Some people need to check in now and then while on safari, but for most a safari is time to detox, unplug, and switch off.
Here then, are a few tips for communication while on safari:
• Wi-Fi
Most lodges will have some form of internet access, which is mostly used for their own business purposes. Many lodges will provide Wi-Fi to guests, and others provide a computer with internet access. Expect treacle-slow speed in many remote regions, and plenty of downtime. Some lodges expressly refuse to provide guests access to the internet. If you do need to be online while on safari, check beforehand what is available. If there is Wi-Fi in the communal areas, please go to airplane mode during meals and other social times. Better still, leave your device in your room during those times.
• Cell phone coverage
Cell/mobile phone coverage can now be found in many previously off-the-grid areas in Africa. For example, many parts of the Greater Kruger in South Africa have good coverage, and even Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda has pockets of coverage – lookout for locals huddled in specific places. Please switch your mobile phones to airplane mode while you are on game drives, bush walks, and in communal areas of the lodge – to avoid disturbing other guests.
• Satellite phones
Satellite phones can be used almost anywhere (except indoors), but connections are often weak – depending on tree and cloud cover. You may need to speak loudly to be heard. If you do need to use a satellite phone during your safari, please find a place far from other people, where barking at that device does not affect anybody else.
This is all about common sense and respect, really.
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.
Written, and photographs, by Professor Michael Gervers – Professor of History at the University of Toronto and project team leader
The highly endangered, historically significant, and virtually undocumented craft of constructing rock-cut churches in Ethiopia is now being recorded, thanks to a project funded by Arcadia, a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin.
These churches are hewn from the rock-face into free-standing buildings and are some of the most iconic images of African Christianity. Carved by hand, using traditional tools, construction can last over several years, usually by teams of up to eight men.
However, the craft is fast disappearing – very few of the post-19th century churches are documented and the actual craft of church excavation has never been documented before.
This project will document the more recent churches, as well as recording interviews with the craftsmen who create them. The materials created from this project will then be made available online for free in an open-access database.
The database that will be created will be of great scholarly value, and will significantly advance historical research on Ethiopia and on rock-hewn churches and spaces wherever they are found.
The database that will be created with the results will include:
• Plans, drawings, photographs and academic analysis outlining continuity of the medieval tradition
• Interviews with itinerant craftsman and workshops currently active in Ethiopia, recording a comprehensive account of their craft including religious traditions
• Liturgical tradition relevant to the process of hewing churches out of the rock
• Thesaurus of related vocabulary
• Documentation of tools used in the process of church-excavation
• Audio and video documentation of excavation of a rock-cut church
The traditional techniques used to build the churches will soon be changing and developing into a more modernised system, for example with the use of power tools.
This means that time is fast running out for the opportunity to witness the traditional methods being used in action. It also makes our job of preserving this craft ever more important, as it forms a vital part of Ethiopian, and indeed religious, history.
The construction of the churches is fascinating to observe. For example, they are carved from the top-down, meaning the ceilings are created first, and the main body of the hewn out spaces follow as the workers carve deeper into the rock – the opposite of brick built construction.
Celebrated hunter Ron Thomson believes that 88% of Kruger National Park’s elephants should be culled. Our summary below is a brief one – for more information pleaseread his full article here.
Who is Ron Thomson?
Ron Thomson is a celebrated man in hunting circles, having killed “5,000 elephants, 800 buffalo, 50/60 lions (including six man-eaters), 30/40 leopards, 50 hippos and many more”.
Thomson’s strategy for Kruger’s elephants mirrors his activities in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, during his tenure as a provincial game warden in the 1970’s. On his website Thomson claims to have commanded a culling team that killed 2,500 elephants and 300 hippos with military-grade automatic weapons, decimating entire herds within 60 seconds.
Brief summary of Thomson’s article:
Thomson starts off by covering in broad strokes respected elephant expert Professor Rudi van Aarde’s ‘Landscape Elephant Management Plan’, which Thomson claims has been the management strategy of choice in Kruger National Park since 2006. Thomson rejects the underlying assumption of the plan that, left unchecked, elephant populations will fluctuate in response to food availability, with natural die-offs during dry periods. In his article, Thomson does provide a fair amount of detail explaining the assumptions behind van Aarde’s plan, and we advise you to read his article in full.
Thomson then goes on to heavily criticise the plan, using a blend of cynicism and emotionally-charged leading statements. Staying clear of these argumentative aspects of his article, we have extracted the following reasoning by Thomson to back up his strategy to cull 88% of Kruger’s elephants:
• Young elephants will die during natural dry cycles, due to lack of sufficient food generated firstly by the ecosystem and secondly by lactating mothers. He suggests that this is no better and no less cruel than the culling of entire elephant herds;
• Many other species, including rhinos, will also suffer population crashes when elephants are left to naturally impact on landscapes. Thomson: “It would seem, for whatever reason, the scientists who have applied the Landscape plan have deliberately turned Kruger National Park into a pure elephant sanctuary.”;
• Once the elephant population has been trimmed to the right number, the population’s annual increment can be easily culled every year in order to create dynamically stable numbers that will always remain within the habitat’s carrying capacity;
• During a culling programme, selected breeding herds are eliminated in their entirety whilst other breeding herds are left totally alone. This enables the untouched herds to carry on with their lives, as before, after every annual culling operation comes to a close;
• Bulls are selectively shot separately. Thomson: “In my opinion, the number of bulls killed should at least equal the number of adult cows that are killed. Bulls live apart from cows so they have to be handled differently and separately. Cognisance must also be taken of the fact that bulls cause infinitely more damage to top canopy trees than do the cows! So they may have to be culled more heavily than cows!”
• An experienced culling team – with three expert marksmen using self-loading rifles and operating in unison – is capable of eliminating elephant breeding herds numbering 30 to 50 animals in less than sixty seconds;
• Thomson: “I have no doubt in my mind that the correct management option for the elephants of Kruger is to reduce their numbers to 2 500 … So PLEASE – everybody– let’s make this happen!”
Editorial comment: Based on Thomson’s estimate of 20,000 elephants currently in Kruger, a population of 2,500 elephants implies the removal by culling of 88% of Kruger’s elephants.
Written by Francesco Nardelli – IUCN/SSC Asian Rhino Specialist Group / Save the Rhino International
*The views expressed are those of the author
In the middle of the sixth mass extinction, when 50% of the living species are at risk of extinction due to the ever-growing, destructive human hands, six rhinoceros species are at the tip of the pyramid, and are among the most endangered species on Earth. Africa, in particular, is troubled by rampaging poaching. Countries with rhinos, NGOs, rhino owners, conservationists, ‘celebrities’ and corporate business owners are trying several schemes to save the rhinos: Dehorning, horn poisoning, synthetic horns, horns embedded with micro-cameras or chips, educational campaigns and intergovernmental agreements. These have yet to bear significant results to eliminate the poaching-trading plague which is killing rhinos by the thousands.
The time has come to change some of the solutions, proven to be ineffective, with new strategies to save the last pachyderms.
The Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is nearly extinct; just three Nile rhinos (Cerathoterium cottoni) Groves et al. 2010, exist; the last sixty Javan rhinos (Rhinoceros sondaicus) are critically endangered; the black (Diceros bicornis) and the Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis) rhinos are surviving in a few thousands. The white rhino (Cerathoterium simum), the second largest mammal on Earth, seems to hold on at reasonable numbers despite rampant poaching.
The killing fields, trading routes, smuggling tricks, countries involved in trafficking, location of the exit-entry points, and identity of the people involved areallrecognised. Conservation action plans arecompleted and a number of options are on the table, but few are totally implemented. Lack of political will, of funds, of ‘education’, overwhelming corruption, are exposed as undeniable causes of the disaster. Nevertheless, the scenario emerges without one collective, cooperative and factual global action to save the rhinos.
The majority of African rhinos suffer from the plight of poaching, and at first sight it would appear that by simply removing the horn the problem is solved: rhinos should be worthless to poachers. However, there are numerous cases where dehorning has proved insufficient to prevent rhinos from falling victim to poachers. After any dehorning exercise, a stub of horn will remain, and although poaching is made less profitable, the sad reality is that poachers will still kill for a horn stub due to its high value – or merely to end their chase ‘successfully’.
What is there to say about poisoning, tagging or inserting micro cameras into the horns of live animals: good intentions, but ineffective? On a large scale, those procedures consume too much time and funds and pose too great a risk for the animal’s health.
Are those initiatives deterrents for daredevil poachers? South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa revealed that “from January to June 2017, 529 rhino have been poached, compared to 542 over the same period last year”(Brandt 2017). Such a similar figure has become nearly constant since 2013 (Table 1), to confirm that poachers need other kind of deterrents.
What it is of further concern is that legal trade in rhino horn has resumed in South Africa, ostensibly to raise funds for protection and to bring poaching to end (DEA 2017a).
Two fundamental questions rise spontaneously: why and how is legal trade in rhino horn going to stop poachers and traders?
Rhino horn should not be trafficked, just like pangolin scales, shark fins, giant clams, ivory, whale meat, etc. Wildlife trading only favours present and potential dealers who exploit animals for their livelihoods and lifestyles – in fact they refuse to look at any alternative which may work for the rhinos.
To complicate the efforts, there is the ever-increasing presence of ubiquitous corruption.
A primary predicament is the obsolete and unethical theory that “wildlife has to pay for itself”, hence to be considered as a commodity like corn, wheat, rubber, oil, etc. That approach has evolved in all sorts of destructive activities to become the principal reason behind habitat destruction and wildlife extinction. Too many people still have this primitive consideration for living beings, and that it is a fatal correlation for the rhinos and other species, unless their alive or dead status are clearly divided (e.g. a touristic safari is not a trophy hunting safari).
Several scientific studies prove and provide irrefutable evidence that non-human animals are sentient and conscious, thus they have rights to be respected, their life in primis (Allen & Bekoff 2007, Mountain 2012, Bekoff 2013, Grasso 2014, Jones 2015, de Waal 2016).
On April 30, 2017, The New Yorker reported: “More than six thousand tigers live on Chinese farms that often raise them in concrete pens solely for their parts”. While such harvesting may seem to take pressure off wild populations, tiger experts indicate the opposite: “Tiger farms actually legitimise the business”. The article’s author, John Goodrich went on, “users always think wild is better than farmed, so they will just pay more for wild”.
Zhou Fei, the head of China’s office for TRAFFIC, the foremost organisation monitoring the global wildlife trade, states: “China’s domestic ivory ban is a milestone for the conservation of wild elephants in Africa. Nevertheless, if even a fraction of Chinese consumers want to collect ivory tchotchkes, or grind up rhino horn for clueless medicinal properties, global animal populations will continue to suffer” (Beech 2017).
Expert Bryan Christy has comprehensively exposed the rhino horn trade situation and reported a convicted criminal’s (would-be-legal-trader) blunt confirmation of his dishonest intentions (Christy & Stenton 2016).
A significant example of the aphorism, “they have a few ideas but… confused”, is the recent attempt to legalise the rhino horn trade by some countries.
To legalise the domestic trade and eventually the export of rhino horn is likely to bring down national and international efforts to protect rhinos, not only the African species. In reality, there is no domestic consumption of rhino horns in Africa – are trade is smuggled offshore.
Because of CITES Appendix II listing of the South African and Swaziland’s white rhino populations, some legal trade has been possible, though only for limited numbers of hunting trophies and live rhinos. In addition, the end of the 2009’s trade moratorium is surely not good news for the rhinos, especially when there is already a well-documented link between the sale of wildlife ‘born’ in breeding farms and illegal trading (Nuwer 2017).
On June 24, 2017, John Hume, the major private rhino owner in South Africa, announced that in the middle of August 2017 two online global auctions were going to sell 500kgs of rhino horns, taken out from his stockpile (Carnie 2017).
Less than a week later, on 30 June CY, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) clarified that rhino horn may not be traded internationally (DEA 2017c). At the time of writing, a last minute auction was held, with poor results. Easy to predict: what trader would buy the same item at a higher price than the amount he/she is used to paying? The DEA explained that only domestic trade will be allowed, listing a series of conditions clearly dictated by haste rather than logic, only to forget that a domestic market for rhino horn does not exist.
Hume’s victory is a slap to those countries that voted against the traffic of rhino horn at the CITES CoP17 in Gauteng (2016), to conservationists, to rangers’ family members, people killed to protect rhinos – 100 a year (Gill 2017) – with serious repercussions on the active Rangers (Moreto et al. 2017), but a great victory for the small number of rhinos farmers, the latent traders.
Meanwhile, the DEA has yet to answer a series of sensible questions by Save the Rhino International (SRI 2017):
• Who will the buyers be?
• Is it being considered for financial or conservation reasons?
• Why – given that judges had so far agreed with the challenge to the moratorium on domestic trade but based on a technicality (that the government did not follow due process) – hadn’t the South African government used this time to draw up a new moratorium that would be announced through all the correct channels and with an adequate notice period?
• Does South Africa have the funding, capacity or expertise to regulate a legal domestic trade and continue to police an illegal one?
• How would a domestic trade affect court cases against those accused of rhino horn trafficking?
Author’s thought: maybe decision-takers wish to create a brand new market or a huge loophole for smugglers to sell horns to real consumers? The two biggest markets for illicit wildlife products are in Asia; in particular China and Vietnam are the main culprits, but the problem is ultimately global.
If the new regulations will become law, it is not just South Africa that will become a de facto market, open to internal and external rhino horn trade. In West and Central Africa, the vast area where insurgents and terror groups are most active, the western black rhino, the Nile rhino, and elephants are extinct or very close to disappearing – all killed by poachers.
In the last three years alone, over 3,500 rhinos (SRI 2017), circa 20% of the total population, were hunted down for their horns. The conservation of the two African rhinos species is now in a muddle – in a state of affairs resulting already in the loss of three rhinos a day (WWF 2017).
The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA b) on 27 February 2017 stated that “During September 2016, a rhino survey using the scientifically accepted block count method* recorded that a total of 6,649 – 7,830 white rhinos lived in Kruger National Park. A total of 1,054 rhinos were poached in 2016, compared with 1,175 in the same period of 2015, a decline of 10.3%. Specifically for the Kruger National Park (KNP), a total of 662 rhino carcasses were found in 2016 compared to 826 in 2015. This represents a reduction of 19.85% in 2016. This despite a continuous increase in the number of illegal incursions (2,883) in the Kruger National Park. A total of 6,649-7,830 (medium 7,239) White Rhinos (survive) in the Kruger National Park, a significant lower data given the 8,365-9,337 (medium 8851) of 2015.”
*Initially the total area is divided into blocks or transects. A block is known as a sampling unit. Therefore it is unlikely all the animals of the sample area are to be seen and counted. The total population estimate is considering that animals are distributed evenly, by multiplying the average number of animals on the sample for the whole territory. For example, we know that animals congregate in areas of good habitat (and where there is water), so an accurate census has to consider this distribution as uneven to obtain accurate and precise results.
This means, as per media numbers, that the KNP rhino population decreased at a minimum 26,5% in one year. This high percentage could very well be ascribed to more rhinos lost than those recorded. Worse, the moment in time when losses exceed the births means the species’ steep descent to extinction.
Even assuming that in the population of the KNP, 30% are breeding females (about 2400), that every three years a calf is born from each female; that all newborns reach adulthood; that 2,400 females produce 800 rhinos over a twelve-month period. In this (over-optimistic) case, the birth rate oscillates at around 11%, compared to a mortality rate of 26,5%, this is unsustainable for the survival of a species.
From these calculations, based on media numbers, it results from a loss of around 1,600 rhinos just in KNP in 2016, against an official figure of 1,054 rhinos throughout South Africa.
According to Keith Somerville (2017), “There are at most 5,458 black rhino and 21,085 white rhino, of the latter between 19,000 and 20,000 in South Africa”. Too many, according to the author’s calculation.
In any case, figures are not supported by a much-needed scientific comprehensive survey.
Furthermore, all subspecies of the black rhino (Diceros bicornis) are in the CITES Appendix I, therefore they should be excluded from DEA’s new regulations. Nevertheless, the South African population of the eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli) is included, because the animals were introduced and listed as invasive species. To reinforce that deviant concept, six black rhinos are going to be captured in South Africa, transported and released in Chad, a country that lost its last rhino in 1972 (AFP 2017).
Illegal wildlife trafficking
Since security agencies are strengthening counter-terrorism measures – for instance, better control of offshore bank accounts – terror-armed groups are increasingly turning to new sources of income such as wildlife trafficking. The rise of the price and trade in ivory and horn – fuelled by growing demand and enabled by weak law enforcement and porous borders – has led to an increased militarisation of poaching that also fuels conflicts, to become a cause of forced migrations from fragile African countries.While the international community battles terrorism and tackles mass migrations, the time has come to also consider courageous action for the conservation of endangered species. Those major tragedies are linked, and by tolerating poachers who traffic in rhino horn and ivory, we are neglecting a relevant aspect concerning our world’s security.
Together with drug trafficking, illegal wildlife trading is among the main sources of revenue for terror groups, such as the Lord’s Resistance Army in the Central African Republic, the Sudanese Janjaweed or Al-Shabaab.
A comprehensive, planned and coordinated global strategy is of the essence. The time is now to capitalise on this unique opportunity in history in which several countries are looking for consistent, dynamic and timely control in going after the omnipresent criminal organisations that traffic in narcotics, human migration and terrorism.
Secret services play major roles in the implementation of the anti-terrorism strategy and their activity should be further expanded into wildlife illegal trading, to stop a major source of money for all the factions involved.
Responses so far to the alarming pace of wildlife crime have been inadequate for the scale of the problem, and mostly are based on defensive rather than offensive strategies. As a matter of urgency, stringent controls and rigorous protection on the ground should be fulfilled, along with methodical conservation procedures.
Evolution of poaching
Meanwhile, poaching is evolving. Very recently, an investigation has determined that criminal networks smuggling rhino horns out of Africa are turning them into jewellery to evade detection in airports. A comprehensive report by TRAFFIC, released in September 2017, documents that seizures have typically comprised whole horns, or ones simply cut into pieces. Chinese e-commerce sites are selling rhino horn beads, bracelets and other similar jewellery – all status-symbol products rather than traditional paraphernalia (EIA 2017, Ong 2017).
Substantial army deployment is quite desirable, though the magnitude of the territory makes this action, unless substantial, more a palliative than a long-term solution, not to mention unpredictable consequences (Walton 2017). However, by promoting local communities’ involvement and participation, by exercising the ranger forces engaging special army units to train and assist them, the international community could disrupt traffic networks, the illegal trade in endangered wildlife and its consequences.
In the absence of reliable data, a comprehensive African rhinos census should be implemented, not only in South Africa, as it was recently completed for the savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana), (Chase et al. 2016).
The claimed 20,000 white rhinos are the progeny of a tiny and critically endangered population of just two dozen individuals, hence in a genetic condition susceptible to fall into an extinction vortex. Once samples are collected, a Population Viability Analysis (PVA) should also be performed by local and foreign specialists.
A resolution to extend full legal protection to all elephants and rhino species, subspecies and local populations, upgrading them to CITES Appendix I, may well close all the loopholes which are still accessible for trading in Appendix II species.
Nearly all the available information comes from South Africa, thus a good sign of concern by that country, so that they should lead the way out of the present, awful situation.
It is time for all the involved governments to concur on new regulations in order to obtain concrete results for the benefit of rhinos and local human communities. Fresh negotiations should begin right now, founded on realistic chances of success.
Christy B. & Stenton B. 2016. Special Investigation: Inside the Deadly Rhino Horn Trade. National Geographic Magazine. Online: October 2016.
Department of Environmental Affairs Republic of South Africa (DEA) 2017 a. Draft regulations for the domestic trade in Rhinoceros horn, or a part, product or derivative of Rhinoceros horn. Department of Environmental Affairs, Republic of South Africa. Gazette Vol. 620, 8 February 2017 No. 40601
Department of Environmental Affairs Republic of South Africa (DEA) 2017 b. Minister Molewa highlights progress on Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros. DEA statement 27 February 2017.
Department of Environmental Affairs Republic of South Africa (DEA) 2017 c. Department of Environmental Affairs clarifies that rhino horn may not be traded internationally. Media release 30 June 2017.
de Waal F. 2016. Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? W.W. Norton & Co. United States. 352 pages.
Environmental Investigation Agency EIA 2017. Illegal Trade Seizures Mapping the Crimes. eia-international.org; Online 18 September 2017.
Gill V. 2017. Rhino horn smuggled as jewellery. BBC News. Online 18 September 2017.
Grasso M. 2014. Cognitive Neuroscience and Animal Consciousness. In Bonicalzi S., Caffo L. & Sorgon M. (eds.); Naturalism and Constructivism in Metaethics. Cambridge Scholars Press. 182-203
Groves C. P., Fernando P., Robovsky´ J. 2010. The Sixth Rhino: A Taxonomic Re-Assessment of the Critically Endangered Northern White Rhinoceros. PLoS ONE 5(4)
Jones R. C. 2015. Animal rights is a social justice issue. Contemporary Justice Review 18(4): 467-482.
Moreto W., Gau J. M., Paoline E. A., Singh R., Belecky M., Long B. 2017. Occupational motivation and intergenerational linkages of rangers in Asia. Oryx. Cambridge University Press. U.K.
Mountain M. 2012. Scientists Declare: Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious. Earth in Transition. Online July 30, 2012.
Nuwer R. 2017. Asia’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Makes Tigers a Farm-to-Table Meal. The New York Times. Online 05 June 2017.
Ong S. 2017. The Rich Men Who Drink Rhino Horns. The Atlantic. Online 7 June 2017.
Rademeyer J. 2017. The Shifting Dynamics of Rhino Horn Trafficking. Inter Press Service News Agency Online 21 September 2017.
Save the Rhino International (SRI) 2017. Domestic trade in rhino horn. Save the Rhino International, London. Online 8 October 2017
Save the Rhino International (SRI) 2017. Poaching statistics. Save the Rhino International, London. Online 05 September 2017
Walton G. 2017. Africa poaching now a war, task force warns. Physorg. Online 23 September 2017.
WWF 2017. South Africa is still losing three rhinos a day. WWF South Africa. Online 27 February 2017
My toothbrush clattered to the wooden deck and evicted its foam cargo as I processed what had just happened.
It all started out as a typical safari day at a tented lodge – early morning coffee on the wooden deck of my Meru-style luxury tent, dreamily gazing across the Khwai River channel into Botswana’s Moremi Game Reserve and listening to the dawn chorus.
Then, as I was brushing my teeth in preparation for the first game drive of the day, all hell breaks loose. A panicky impala splashes across the shallow channel in front of my tent and disappears in a clatter of hooves into the kitchen area some 100 metres away and behind our tent.
Then a wild dog (painted wolf) hoves into view, short cuts across my deck, within touching distance, and disappears into the kitchen area. I kid you not. The wild dog did not even notice me, so zoned, was he.
I can still remember the castanet-like clicking of his claws battling for traction on the polished wooden deck. Three more dogs lope past, all tunnel-vision, and also disappear into the kitchen.
Amidst a cacophony of human screams and pots and pans clattering to the ground, the impala exits the kitchen and heads back to the river, the four dogs in hot pursuit.
The wild dogs killed the impala right there in the water, 30 metres in front of my tent, and commence dining in their usual efficient but gory manner.
I had just woken my slumbering wife Lizz and invited her to the spectacle when another wide-eyed impala emerges from the treeline across the river, hotly pursued by another group of wild dogs, and is taken down about 100 metres to our left, also in the shallow river.
That was a few years ago. And so, during my visit to Khwai this year, I was doubtful whether the relevant gods would bless me with another wild dog encounter.
I was wrong. We saw wild dogs most days, including hanging out with them at their den. Weirdly, during this safari, we heard the news that a pack of wild dogs had killed an impala at a lodge a short distance away – by chasing it into the kitchen! Method perhaps?
Khwai sightings
On this Khwai safari, we again had excellent sightings of leopards and lions and a wonderful but brief encounter with a serval. And, of course, elephants are a dime a dozen in northern Botswana, and we spent many hours in their company.
But then this is what I have come to expect of Khwai.
I arrived in Khwai by way of a mobile safari from Maun and spent a wonderful week visiting a few lodges in the area – my time in this special place was jam-packed with excellent sightings, and superb guiding by local people.
There is another reason why Khwai is kwaai (Afrikaans slang for ‘cool’ or ‘excellent’). The local villagers own the Khwai Community Concession, and your safari here benefits them directly. When you next visit Khwai, take a stroll around the small village and chat with the locals – get a feel for their culture, their way of life.
The village is just a few huts, with no fences protecting the locals from wild animals. How special are the people of this area to decide to dedicate their land to wildlife and tourism?
When there is enough water in the Khwai River you can also go on a wonderful mokoro safari – ask your lodge to arrange an expedition, guided by one of the village inhabitants – a few hours gliding soundlessly and peacefully at water level, checking out frogs, birds and of course hippos, crocs and elephants. A mokoro outing is undoubtedly one of the iconic experiences in Africa, and is usually only available in the deeper waters of the Okavango Delta.
The Khwai Community Concession is a wildlife-rich 180,000-hectare gem (part of the greater Khwai ecosystem) on the fringes of the Okavango Delta – sandwiched between Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park.
This is one of the best places in Botswana to see wild dogs and other predators and, with no fences separating Khwai from its larger and better-known neighbours, you are likely to see just about everything that northern Botswana has to offer.
The Khwai River flows through the concession, and in places spreads out to form marshy areas whereas in others is a mere narrow channel that wildlife step across as they migrate between Moremi and the Linyanti section of Chobe National Park, via Khwai.
The water channels have good populations of hippos, crocodiles, waterbuck and lechwe, and the dry woodlands away from the river host good populations of sable and roan antelopes, zebras, impalas, giraffes, buffaloes and many other species.
As is the case with most of northern Botswana, elephants can be found everywhere, and lions, leopards and hyenas are commonly seen. Wild dogs often den in the area during the winter months and can then be seen with pups.
Most of the easily accessible concession area is open to the public and mobile safari operators, and so wildlife sightings can be crowded during the prime safari season of July to September.
There are private concessions, with restricted access (and higher prices). Because Khwai is outside of the national parks, off-road driving, bush walks and nighttime game drives are permitted.
Khwai offers accommodation options to suit every budget.
For camps & lodges at the best prices and our famous ready-made safari packages, log into our app. If you do not yet have our app see the instructions below this story.
During this trip Simon stayed at these camps:
Machaba Camp is a luxurious camp on the banks of the Khwai River. The camp is built in the classic 1950’s style, with luxury safari tents, en-suite bathrooms and living areas, not forgetting the romantic outdoor showers.
Sango Safari Camp is situated on the outskirts of the village of Khwai and overlooks the stunning Khwai River. Accommodating 12 guests in six en-suite Meru tents, with open-air showers and handcrafted furnishings, the camp is designed in the style of the classic tented safari camp of days gone by.
Khwai Guest House is located in the picturesque village of Khwai, on the dirt road running through the village, within a short drive of all major game-viewing areas. It offers affordable and comfortable accommodation. Guests are accommodated in one of the six newly refurbished thatched bungalows, inspired by traditional housing prevalent in Botswana rural communities, each featuring attached bathrooms with open-air showers.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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.’
It took me almost three days to get from Italy to Lugonesi village in western Tanzania – and you know you are heading to a really remote area of the country when you are the only mzungu (white person) waiting for the local flight from Dar es Salaam to Tabora!
My arrival in Mpanda made the day of some bewildered immigration officers who saw a white lady come out of the Tuungane Project Office. I was here to visit the Carbon Tanzania forest conservation project in Tanganyika District, and Carbon Tanzania’s local partner, Tuungane – a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy and Pathfinder International.
I had just used the toilet but it was enough for them to take me straight to immigration as they were convinced I was looking for a job. They pointed out that on a tourist visa I wasn’t allowed inside a business place, which meant not even restaurants, bars, nor the post office! They were totally puzzled: why should a white person prefer remote south-western Tanzania rather than visiting the Serengeti? So that’s how I ended up in a small room for interrogation. In typical Tanzanian style, I was the one who suggested the questions and helped with the English spelling of my replies. A little glaring, some Law & order-type confessions, my fingerprints all over the documents and after three hours I wasn’t just released, but we had become best friends too: “We forgive you Ms Soresina”.
I have to admit that their doubts made total sense: why should anyone even consider walking in a forest for days, in the heat, carrying all their food and equipment to reach a sample plot for a carbon baseline survey?
Up until now, I have never been involved in projects that mitigate climate change, however, during my last expedition, I had the opportunity to spend some time exploring the greater Mahale ecosystem and Carbon Tanzania’s newest project site.
Carbon Tanzania is a social enterprise with an innovative approach to habitat conservation based on selling carbon offsets that result from keeping carbon locked up in forest ecosystems. These forests are owned by indigenous communities who earn an income from the sale of these offsets, funds that are then used for community development needs. Global climate change is real and has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is an important heat-trapping (greenhouse) gas, which is released through human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels, as well as natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions. The forests retain large carbon stocks, and when they are cut down for charcoal production, agriculture or wood extraction, carbon dioxide is released, thereby contributing to global climate change.
By preventing deforestation, which globally contributes to almost a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, communities can earn carbon ‘credits’ which can be sold on the global voluntary carbon market, thereby providing revenue which is used to directly in forest conservation as well as pay for sustainable projects and basic services provided within the villages.
To determine how much carbon is stored in these forests you have to physically walk to randomly assigned sample plots and carry out measurements based on internationally recognised survey methodologies. This can only be done once the area to protect has been identified and the official village land-use plans are in place.
I was part of the team which surveyed the Ntakata Forest, a mosaic of deep forested valleys between steep-sided ridges, the higher slopes of which are covered by short grass and miombo woodland, an important habitat for many animals like chimpanzees, elephants, roan antelope and others.
Although we had discussed strategy and possible routes before starting, on the ground everything changes. Being 5km away in a straight line from a plot meant a 10-12 km walk up and down the sides of a hill. Once on the spot we marked out a survey plot, a 10-metre radius circle, within which all trees, with diameters exceeding 16cm, are measured using a tailors tape measure.
Other information including tree heights, tree species, habitat, gradient of the slope is collected. In the same area other three 10m radius plots are surveyed at a 50m distance from the central plot and at different angles. Once completed, we attempted to reach other sample plots, several kilometres through the bush, but never succeeded more than a plot per day.
Walking in the forest for many hours and camping in the bush can be tough and surely is not for everyone. It is tiring and in some areas, the sweat bees do not give you a break. Furthermore, you have to consider the unpredictable risk of being in a place where nobody can come if anything happens. The only recommendation I received from my teammate and friend Marc Baker was “don’t hurt yourself”.
Our GPS (Global Positioning System) and satellite images weren’t enough, and we had to trust Mzee Mlay’s knowledge of the forest to find water. He is an old, experienced man, who arrived in Lugonesi village in 1969, and was the only one who could guide us to rivers and streams on which we totally relied for drinking, cooking and washing. Two village game scouts came along as part of their training as they will be responsible for patrolling the area as the project progresses.
This kind of project demands that you work closely with local communities; listening to their needs is as crucial as providing them with modern tools and training because it will affect their approach to forest conservation and consequently the success of the project. The contrast between the simple efficiency of the Tanzanian guys in these remote habitats and myself was so obvious. As they walked in plastic wellington boots, wearing no socks, I was struggling to keep up with the group despite my modern walking shoes with proper skid-proof vibram soles.
No matter what, I always think everyone should live such enriching experiences. I slept in the wild, I learnt and implemented new survey methodologies, I tasted fruits from the forest, ate honey collected in the bush, explored remote areas but most of all I got proof of the value of forest conservation and the impact it has both globally and locally.
With increasing pressure on land and habitat depletion throughout Africa and across the world it is so important to support good land-use planning and helping communities understand that well-planned habitat conservation can improve their livelihoods. It ensures that food production is not threatened and enables economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
About the author: Sean de la Harpe-Parker is an avid safari fan who is passionate about Africa
We are instantly and globally able to share everything we see in Kruger and just about every other destination on earth. Animal sightings and locations are given in real-time, with immediate upload to a host of social media platforms. Sightings are tracked and animal movements predicted, based on a constant flow of real-time information on this cyber highway – allowing us to plan our own personal safari to maximise the chances of seeing popular species. Certain animals are even given names, to further streamline the process for us.
Kruger game drives are even live-streamed across the globe and viewers are able to go on a sofa safari from their homes.
This current scenario is radically different from not that long ago when photos took days to develop and print and magazines were our only means of seeing what was going in the bush, and publishing cycles meant waiting months for bush news.
This is my forecast for the future – based on my experience with vehicle tracking here in Dubai, and of course on my time spent in Kruger. Technology allows us to track every move of our vehicles – including monitoring speed limits, geographical areas traversed, driving style of our drivers – all based on information submitted by a tiny (matchbox-sized) box to our mobile phones and computers. As these powerful devices get smaller, and battery lives increase, the potential for application to wild animals increases.
And think about this – what happens once we do away with batteries and power these devices off bio-electricity generated by bodies?
Is this not an extremely scary future for our beloved Kruger?
What if we decide to implant this technology in the animals we wish to see in Kruger? Just think about it – the animal will only need to be sedated once in its life, for a lifetime of real-time information and entertainment.
Perhaps we will initially justify doing this because we could use the technology to protect endangered species from poaching. Tracked animals would be under constant surveillance and alerts sent to a smartphone if there is any unusual behaviour, or indeed if the animal’s heart stops beating. Powerful anti-poaching tools indeed!
But then we would undoubtedly start making certain exceptions to the model – for example to raise much-needed funds or improve on wildlife population statistics. And why should private game reserves included with the Greater Kruger area not be permitted to monetise animals currently on their properties, by tagging and tracking them and obtaining sponsorship from well-meaning donors? We all know that this faceless commonage called the Internet is impossible to restrain, and so before long big numbers of animals in the Kruger will be tagged and accessible by everyone with a mobile phone. At the push of a button, every lion, leopard, elephant, pangolin and rhino would be instantly visible and the quickest route to their location generated.
We would be able to accurately predict the timing of a herd of elephants crossing a road, or how best to position a vehicle for a hunting leopard. Our smartphones, using clever algorithms, could even pilot our vehicles or a drone to the sightings and give the best possible views.
Smartphones will have 3D/holographic-projected imaging and one could live-stream your safari event to your family and friends back home as if they were in the car with you. The youth of tomorrow may even choose this kind of safari over a real one because they would be able to switch it off and do something else at the swipe of a finger.
We may even get to a point where people wouldn’t even bother going to Kruger, instead hiring a drone to live-stream the images into their living rooms. I can imagine the technology being so advanced that it would be hard to tell the difference between being in Kruger or having it projected into your living room. With the newer generations wanting more and wanting it yesterday, I imagine this would be their first choice. So perhaps 50 vehicles jockeying for position around an iconic elephant bull would be replaced by thousands of drones hovering overhead like a swarm of bees.
The generation of today will be up in arms telling the children of tomorrow that in their day, they had to go and look for the animals in order to share the sightings in real-time. They would recall having to look at their smartphones to see what had been seen and then go and check if it was still there. The children will of course make derogatory comments about them resisting change and being old-timers stuck in the good old days.
Yes, this technology exists right now – it would simply need a bit of improvement to make the above scenario a reality.
Is this really the future we want for our beloved Kruger? Food for thought indeed.
*This is my perception and may differ vastly from yours. I recognise that each of our realities will be different.
Sourced from third-party site: The National, written by Nick Webster
Cheetah cubs continue to be sold on the UAE black market via social media accounts operated by five key dealers, helping fuel a thriving trade in illegal exotic pets.
Although the number of illegal cats seized at UAE borders is decreasing, experts working on the boundaries of the underground trade claim little has changed since a federal law regulating the possession, sale and breeding of dangerous animals came into force in January.
Cheetahs are regularly spotted for sale via popular online forums, with Instagram and Facebook key points of sale for illegal breeders.
Conservationists have been monitoring the activity of animals for sale in the UAE and wider Gulf region, and say trade continues to thrive.
“In the UAE, we have recorded about 50 social media accounts trading animals, but five seem to be major dealers in the UAE,” said Patricia Tricorache, of the International Cheetah Conservation Fund.
“Our data includes an average of 250 cheetahs per year offered for sale on the internet.
“Many Instagram accounts show people owning or selling exotic pets like chimps, gibbons, orangutans and even bears and leopards, an astounding amount of animals.”
A Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) document reported 31 cheetahs of unknown origin confiscated in the UAE between 2010 and 2014, while Saudi Arabia reported eight confiscated cheetahs during the same period.
Although the biodiversity department of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment did not have the numbers of confiscated animals for 2016 and 2017, it did say numbers had decreased.
In 2013, 78 illegal animals destined for the UAE were seized, with 64 confiscated in 2014 and just 27 taken at the border in 2015.
Ms Tricorache said the illegal nature of the prohibited wildlife trade makes it difficult to collect data. CCF figures are estimates based on data collected via every possible source, such as official or direct reports, as well as online advertising of animals for sale in the UAE and other Gulf states.
“The information I have is related to confiscations, as well as owners and dealers of exotic pets, including several in the UAE,” she said. “We have compiled this information to try to come up with an estimate of illegally traded cheetahs but since this is not something most people openly talk about, the actual numbers could be much higher.
“We estimate about 300 cheetahs are smuggled out of northern Somalia every year. We have spoken to villagers involved in the trade in our investigations and they have told us at the height of the market they were smuggling about 100 a month, most destined for the Middle East.
“It is a conservative estimate about what is happening, and alarming considering the wild cheetah population in that region is already facing very low numbers.”
In 2014, Sharjah issued a ban on owning dangerous predators in residential areas, allowing only public and private zoos, scientific research centres and universities to keep them, and only after obtaining the required licence. Penalties range from Dh10,000 to Dh700,000.
Mona Omran Majed Al Shamsi, acting director of the biodiversity department at the ministry, said her team was working to help stop trafficking into the UAE.
“The frequency of confiscations depends on the detection of the smuggled shipments,” she said. “It’s important to note the UAE has the highest detection records in the region, which is reflected in the number of confiscations made at borders.
“The geographical location of the UAE makes it a critical hub, as many shipments pass through via air, sea and land ports, thus the UAE has recognised the issue and has enacted a number of legislations.”
Ms Omran said the UAE is working hand-in-hand with the private sector to implement CITES regulation and conserve endangered species through different initiatives focusing on building awareness and developing different innovative tools to combat illegal wildlife trade.
Partnerships have been developed with Emirates airline, Etihad Airways, Dubai Ports World and Customs World, among others.
The ministry said it had drastically reduced the electronic illegal trade of endangered animal and plant species listed in the convention of illegal trade, in coordination with local authorities such as the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
Joint efforts include tracking advertisements for the sale of endangered animals online.
“Most of these ads were posted by fake communication channels outside the state, and as a result, 60% of such sites were removed, that’s about 800,” said Ms Omran.
“The external audit department in the ministry in coordination with the local environmental authorities conduct many inspection programmes on pet shops and the related businesses, and take appropriate action against the violator of CITES legalisations.”
For live CITES species confiscated, there are three options after confiscation as agreed on by the international community. Authorities can return the animal to the country of export, with communications with the exporting country to ensure the species will be saved upon return to its natural habitat.
Option two is to take the live animal to a rescue centre or public or private zoo within or outside the country. The last resort is to euthanise, as per international standards.
Sourced from third-party site: Panthera, written by Grégory Breton, MSc (Managing Director, Panthera France)
It was 2 a.m. in the Moroccan Sahara, and I was heading back to camp after seven hours of driving through sand, dust, and prickly vegetation on my fifth and final expedition to document sand cats. I was chatting with our local driver, Elhaj, to keep him awake, while my colleague Alexander Sliwa spent a few more minutes squatting on the roof of our Toyota Land Cruiser shining spot lamps into the bushes, close to giving up.
Then, it happened. Three pairs of eyes gleamed back at Alexander through the darkness about four kilometres from our campsite. They belonged to young sand cats, yellowish, small wild cats with broader faces and larger ears than domestic cats.
Finding sand cats (Felis margarita) in their natural range (northern Africa, across the Middle East, and southwest and central Asia) is difficult. They barely leave any visible pugmarks, they don’t leave behind remains of their prey, and their vocalisations are quiet. They move stealthily at dusk, night, and dawn, they’re good at hiding, and their fur provides perfect camouflage when they want to vanish from observers and threats. But they don’t run away.
Finding these kittens was astonishing. We spent an hour taking pictures and videos and setting up camera traps in the hopes of recording some natural behaviour once we left. Based on our experience with sand cat litters in captivity, we estimate they were six to eight weeks old – too small for collaring. We believe this was the first time researchers ever documented wild sand cat kittens in their African range.
As we were carefully leaving the kittens, making sure we didn’t startle them, the team spotted and radio-collared an adult female that was nervously roaming around during our interaction. She could be the kittens’ mother. If we collect footage of her and follow her for a long period, we can gather data on the natural reproduction cycles and offspring dispersal of this species in the wild – all topics never before documented.
It was a unique and exciting expedition, and what we find next can be groundbreaking.
Tracking sand cats is fun, but demanding because of the harsh landscape and high temperatures. A typical day in the field involves waking up at 8 a.m., recording the daytime resting locations of the collared cats when we can find them, napping in the afternoon after a meal cooked and eaten in the shade of rare acacia trees or in one of our tents, and setting out again between sunset and sunrise.
This is when sand cats are active and the best period to collect their movement data and observe their behaviours.
Sixty-six giraffes arrived in central China’s Henan Province in the early hours of Sunday, on a chartered flight from Johannesburg, South Africa, according to local sources.
The giraffes, 22 males and 44 females, are all around two years old. Adult giraffes of this species can grow to 5.2 metres tall.
The animals will go through a health check and be quarantined for 45 days in the city of Jiaozuo, before being sent to zoos across China to meet visitors.
In August last year, Xinzheng International Airport in Zhengzhou, Henan’s capital, received 63 giraffes from South Africa.
According to the Henan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, Zhengzhou has received close to 10,000 imported animals since 2015, including giraffes and zebras from South Africa, polar bears from Russia, alpacas from Chile and dolphins from Japan.
There is a crisis of elephantine proportions playing out in the dry sandy Kalahari woodlands of eastern Botswana, and a determined family of caring people is caught in the middle of the drama. A friend and I spent a few days with them in September this year and came away determined to help. I hope that my story inspires you to do the same.
Thousands of thirsty elephants utilise the tiny waterhole at Elephant Sands bush lodge and campsite because it is one of a few reliable sources of water in this vast arid landscape – especially during the height of the dry season. The result is often chaos as elephants arrive in their hundreds, exhausted, dehydrated and anxious – with ensuing destruction of infrastructure and property and even injury to younger elephants that get bullied by the massive bulls.
Something must be done. Something is being done. First, though, here is the back story:
The ‘elephant problem.’
We so often hear people espousing that there are “too many elephants” in places such as Chobe, Hwange and Kruger. And the terms ‘elephant damage’ (pushed over trees and damaged property) and the ‘elephant problem’ slip so easily off the tongue and define elephant discussion.
But what does that all mean – how can there be “too many” elephants when elephant populations are collapsing due to industrial-scale poaching and human-wildlife conflict? Do we even understand what we are saying? If we substitute the word ‘elephant’ with ‘human’, would we be closer to the truth? The ‘human problem’. Examples of damage to property caused by elephants searching for water:
The ‘human problem’
During the rainy seasons elephants (and other migratory species such as zebras and wildebeests) spread out across vast areas, utilising the temporary surface water and seasonal nutritious grasses, buds and leaves. Vast areas of the Kalahari, including Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, Chobe National Park in Botswana, and the vast salt pans of central Botswana, are utilised in this way.
As surface water dries up, the animals migrate towards permanent water sources such as the Chobe River, which banks used to be covered in thick teak forests. But humans cut down many of the large teak trees during commercial logging operations in the area and turned them into furniture and railway sleepers – compromising the ecosystem. And so, the ‘human problem’ began.
Then we cut through migration routes with tar roads that carry large volumes of massive trucks day and night, and we erected veterinary fences across core ecosystems so vital to migrating species. This is to satisfy European Union beef import rules – is that beefsteak worth the actual cost? And we fenced off the prime areas for farming and other development – which we guard jealously and with brute force – most often with fatal consequences for wildlife.
And international crime syndicates swooped in to set up efficient poaching networks that ruthlessly exterminate wildlife in shocking quantities – forcing elephants to escape the persecution and head for the relative safety of Botswana. Did you know that Botswana now hosts more than one-third of Africa’s surviving elephants?
To protect elephants and other species from these pressures, we created national parks, and we try to keep the animals inside these arbitrarily declared boundaries. Hwange National Park, for example, is primarily made up of deciduous woodland low in nutritional value on Kalahari sand and has very little year-round water. So the park is littered with man-made boreholes, in an attempt to keep the animals in and provide year-round viewing for tourism camps. The boreholes are so ubiquitous to Hwange that they are known as the ‘heartbeat of Hwange’ – due to the diesel put-putting noise. In Hwange’s case, the authorities are so bad at maintaining these boreholes that charities and tourism lodges do so instead.
Trophy hunters add to the pressure on migratory species by picking off prime male elephants, lions and other species as they migrate out of protected areas in search of seasonal water and food or on a mission to secure breeding opportunities so vital for genetic integrity. Africa is littered with protected areas that were formed without thought to seasonal cycles and periods of drought. And these protected cores are surrounded by danger for migrating wildlife.
More and more elephants are crowding onto the already compromised banks of the Chobe River and other areas, where they feel relatively safe, and staying there for longer than the ecosystem can currently sustain.
And so, because the remaining elephants are crammed into smaller and smaller spaces, these special creatures become the ‘elephant problem’.
Hunting on Botswana state land was banned in 2014, a brave move by a visionary government that has a clear vision of the future. However, the enormous arid concessions in THIS part of Botswana are not entirely suitable for photographic tourism lodges, which require year-round wildlife sightings to be commercially viable – which in turn requires year-round water availability. When these concessions were closed to hunting they were offered to tourism operators, but the primary focus at the time was on the lucrative concessions in the Okavango Delta and Chobe River areas, and so these vast dry ecosystems remain largely unutilised by the tourism industry.
And, paradoxically perhaps, the boreholes drilled by these trophy hunting operators did provide much-needed water to wildlife in this arid area of Botswana. The boreholes were drilled to attract wildlife to hunter guns, so let’s not pretend that this was a compassionate gesture by the hunters. BUT by many accounts, the legal hunting offtake was not significant, when compared to poaching and human-wildlife conflict pressure elsewhere. When the hunters left the concessions, they took their equipment with them, and so elephants and other species in the area were safe from the guns of hunters, but at risk because of the lack of water…
At about the time of the hunting ban, Ben and Marie built Elephant Sands lodge and campsite just south of these former hunting concessions – as a retirement hobby. They roped in family members including daughter Saskia and son-in-law Mike Toth, who manages the entire operation. And they dug a borehole to feed a waterhole to attract wildlife to the area. That water source has now become a vital lifeline for elephants from the area, particularly during the dry months, when they gather and jostle in their hundreds.
The problem with having only this one water source for miles around is that during the very dry months when there is no surface water for hundreds of miles, elephants at the waterhole are quite literally fighting for their lives. Many arrive battling to stay upright, after travelling for days in the blistering heat. Tempers become frayed and young elephants and cows are sometimes bullied out of the way and even injured by the massive bulls. And so, the cows go to desperate lengths to access water – including breaking down lodge ablution facilities and borehole equipment. This is not a sustainable situation.
Does Ben take the high road and not meddle with nature by providing water for elephants and other species? We often hear some purists say “don’t play God with nature”. But what does that mean, really, when humans have created the problem in the first place? For Ben and his family, there is no such moral dilemma. Elephants are dying of thirst, and they need help.
Water for Elephants Trust
And so, Water for Elephants Trust was born. In a nutshell, Water for Elephants Trust is working with the authorities to install and maintain as many boreholes over as large an area as possible in this part of eastern Botswana. This will hopefully remove the pressure from current bottleneck areas, and allow the elephants and other wildlife to range over greater areas, putting less strain on food resources. Each borehole will provide water for 800 elephants and countless other species during the dry season. A string of well-maintained boreholes in this area could conceivably help to stitch together the vast Chobe, Okavango Delta, Pans and Hwange ecosystems and help wildlife migrate seasonally, as they should be doing. Visit their Facebook page for regular updates on their progress to ensure elephants remain safe.
And, if you are as moved as I am by the plight of these elephants and wish to make a difference, email Water for Elephants Trust at waterforelephantstrust@gmail.com and offer your support, financial or otherwise.
Life at Elephant Sands is pretty hectic. The team have become used to baby elephants being injured by the jostling adults or arriving dehydrated and unable even to stand. These babies often die – heartbreaking for all concerned. The recent tragic accidental death by electrocution of nine elephants that pushed a power pylon into a pool of water they were drinking from, happened not far south of Elephant Sands – yet another symptom of water-stressed elephants. And then there is Benny, a bull elephant who arrived in camp in August 2015 with a festering foot injury that required treatment.
Benny was successfully treated and now visits camp sporadically to seek out Mike Toth, who sometimes obliges with a trunk rub and squirt of clean water from a hosepipe. Bennie even popped in for a visit on 12 August 2017 – World Elephant Day! Read Benny’s full story here.
View this video about Benny and Mike below:
To read more about this crisis, continue reading below the advert
This is about more than just elephants
One consequence of large numbers of elephants congregating at scarce water resources is that other wildlife species are forced out during the melee. Many species are secretive and wary when drinking water, and the pressure of jostling elephants day and night is just too much for them. And so, general wildlife populations have plummeted in many areas since the boreholes were removed – leading to knock-on effects for other species.
During our brief stay in the area, we embarked on a few forays into the former hunting concessions north of Elephant Sands – to inspect boreholes, get a feel for the condition of the veld and to look for wildlife. We saw plenty of elephants and some buffaloes, kudus, impalas and other species. But overall my observation, based on an admittedly short stay, was that there does seem to be a lack of significant numbers of general wildlife species in the area.
On one occasion we disturbed four lions, including two large and magnificent males, one of whom was spitting with anger and malevolence and left us in no doubt that we were not welcome. His loud Harley Davidson-like grumbling continued long after we backed off from his charge and got in the vehicle to withdraw and leave them to their privacy. On another occasion, a flock of tiny black-faced waxbills working the pollen puff balls of an acacia tree reminded me of the detail and interconnectedness of ecosystems such as this.
We also found a lioness that had been flattened by a speeding truck on the main tar road between Kasane and Nata. Africa is a rough and tough place for all that eke out an existence in her wild areas. But we humans have negatively impacted on these vast primal ecosystems, making life even more difficult for many species. We can make things easier for elephants and other species if we support Water for Elephants in their mission to provide much-needed water.
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.
The following photos represent the diversity of this area, sometimes written off as barren and uninteresting, and the many stories to be told.
To read more about the author, continue reading below the advert
About the author
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.’
When it comes to going on a safari in Africa, you will soon discover that the selection of accommodation options is vast. From straw huts and mobile tented camps to ultra-luxury hotels and lodges, your choice of where you’ll unload your bags will be influenced mainly by your needs and budget.
Safari accommodation types:
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.
• CITY HOTELS & GUESTHOUSES
These are situated in or near main cities or airports and are often used for overnight stays before heading on to your lodge/camp, or as a base for day excursions. Usually, we select these establishments based on ease of access to airports because of grid-lock rush-hour traffic. Here are two examples of city establishments that we use: The Victoria & Alfred Hotel (Cape Town, South Africa) and Wild Dogs Safari Lodge (Lusaka, Zambia).
Victoria & Alfred Hotel, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa
• GAME LODGES
Lodges are usually permanently situated in or near game reserves or remote wild areas. You will find all levels of comfort on offer depending on your needs and budget, from no-frills to 5-star deluxe. The building style and materials range from bricks & mortar to canvass and from thatch to tin roofs. For example, in Botswana canvass tents are the norm, whereas, in South Africa’s Greater Kruger, bricks, mortar and thatch are favoured. Examples include Tintswalo Safari Lodge (Greater Kruger, South Africa) and Machaba Camp (Khwai, Botswana).
These small all-season camps are often located in remote areas, and the emphasis tends towards the rustic, wholesome experience rather than on the ‘luxury’ of expensive finishings. That said, bush camps that we select focus as much on excellent service as do any other lodges. Pungwe Safari Camp (Greater Kruger, South Africa) is one such example.
These camps are only in operation for a portion of each year. Seasonal camps are inaccessible during the rainy season, resulting in the camp being partially or even totally broken down and rebuilt each year. Example: Nkonzi Camp (South Luangwa, Zambia). Temporary camps are set up to take advantage of a specific natural event such as an animal migration. Example: Ewanjan Tented Camp (Serengeti, Tanzania).
Nkonzi Camp, South Luangwa, Zambia – a seasonal campEwanjan Tented Camp, Serengeti, Tanzania. This camp is open when the Great Migration herds are in the vicinity
• MOBILE TENTED CAMPS
Mobile camps are used for vehicle-based mobile safaris (video) which usually visit several locations during an extended overland tour. Most mobile camps operate only during the prime safari seasons of May to November each year and are broken down after the safari season. Others are erected and taken down for every tour group. They are generally established in game reserves and national parks.
Inside a typical mobile tented camp
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.
Editorial comment: Please do not try to approach elephants during your travels in Africa, or to forge bonds with elephants. The situation described below is unique, and based on a specific set of circumstances and characters.
When the dry season sets in and water is scarce, barriers blur and relationships are forged out of necessity. One such relationship is that of Benny the elephant and Mike the human.
Summer 2015 was an especially harsh dry season in Botswana, and elephants would arrive each day in their hundreds at the small waterhole at Elephant Sands lodge and campsite in northeast Botswana. Such were the queues of thirsty elephants that some would wait for up to 18 hours for their turn for life-saving water. Some elephants would even be so frantic for water that they would break down lodge walls, pull up pipes and push over water tanks meant for tourists.
And then came Benny.
Benny arrived with fanfare, trumpeting loudly and venturing a bit too close to campers. Elephant Sands manager Mike Toth repeatedly chased Benny away, but he kept returning. Realising it was water he was after, Mike filled up the water trough near one of the campsite bathrooms. The newly named Benny came to drink, and let Mike spray him with water, from a safe distance.
This became the routine over the next few days, with Mike filling up the trough and Benny coming to drink. But then Benny did something strange and extraordinary – he pointed to Mike with his trunk then rubbed his injured foot three times.
A few days later the festering wound had split open and Benny was visibly feverish, and so Mike decided to phone the vet. Benny was tranquillised and an emergency operation was performed to remove a piece of wood lodged in his foot.
For days later, Benny was back. Recognising his old friend, Mike walked right up to him and gave him some water. Over the coming months, Benny would arrive at camp, seek Mike out (often waiting patiently while Mike attended to his daily duties) and the two would go through the routine of greetings and provision of water, with Mike doing an assessment of the injury and of Benny’s recovery. The greetings and personal contact increased as the two came to trust each other. Mike always made sure that Benny initiated the first contact.
Over time Benny became more protective of Mike. On one occasion, while Mike was giving Benny water, a large bull elephant came in-between the two. Benny seemed to recognise the danger of another wild elephant so close to his human companion – he grabbed Mike’s hand with his trunk, pulled him away, and backed up into the large intruder.
This friendship has endured since then, with Benny returning every dry season to wait by the lodge for fresh water and his old friend.
Mike Toth and his family have established Water for Elephants Trust, to provide much-needed borehole water for elephants and other species in the arid Kalahari of northeast Botswana. For more information and exceptional photos, read this feature Water for Elephants.
“A tragedy occurred in Amboseli yesterday morning. One of the last big elephant bulls in Africa was shot and killed by the authorities because it was suspected he had killed a farmer. That bull was 49-year-old Little Male, the brother of Eudora and the son of Emily, who was the sister of Echo of the EB family. We have known him since he was five years old, so we have followed his life for 44 years. We watched him grow, become independent from his family, learn the ways of the world of the males, eventually coming into musth and competing for females. He was in his prime, fathering calves, passing on his good genes for robustness, good health and longevity.
“That important role he was playing in the Amboseli elephant population ended yesterday. It is times like these that we are tempted to give up but we don’t. It hurts so much, but we have to fight for the other elephants here including Little Male’s sons and daughters. But we must not forget the death of the farmer. It is a massive tragedy for his family. It is not a question of guilt and innocence here. We must strive for peaceful co-existence between humans and wildlife.”
Comment from the editors: For the Maasai people, cattle are considered extremely valuable and form an intrinsic part of their daily lives. Their cattle are at the centre of everything, providing them with food and materials, as well as playing an important role in their rituals and representing their wealth and status. For those of us living in urban areas, it is important to understand the Maasai culture, where the need to protect and care for their cattle is paramount.
Stephanie, who is married to a Maasai warrior, shared with us her video of the Maasai warriors watering their cattle. Some interesting comments were raised from our audience about the video, one such comment suggesting that cattle destroy the African savannah. Stephanie now provides her own unique insight and thoughts about the Maasai, their cattle, and the effects of overgrazing and overpopulation:
Stephanie Fuchs: “I used to be a conservationist and in some ways I still am, even though many of you will tell me that that is a lie, seeing as I live with the Maasai tribe whose cattle cause overgrazing and desertification of Tanzania’s woodlands and savannahs.
The surprising truth is though, that I have learned so much about the issues surrounding conservation by living in rural Tanzania with a tribe that tries to hold on to their traditional way of life.
From what I have learnt, the Maasai used to be very few – probably due to the harsh environment they lived in without access to clean water, food and shelter, but mainly because they used to be a warring tribe.
Warriors, or Moran in Maa, used to roam the plains of modern-day Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya looking for cattle to steal from their neighbouring tribesmen. They used to wage wars for pasture lands, cattle and water. They could be out for months at a time and many of those who left would never return home, having died in battle or of hunger.
The Moran’s life expectancy was short and they were not allowed to marry until they were old enough to become ‘old men’. Many of them died without ever having fathered children. Women died due to circumcision or in childbirth. Birth rates were low and infant mortality high.
These days, due to the changing times, Maasai populations have grown considerably. You could say that the factors that brought this about are in the form of laws and regulations, police control and the institution of ‘order’, of peace talks between warring tribes, and the development of infrastructure in the form of schools and health care facilities.
Warriors have stopped warring, are marrying earlier, living longer lives and having children. Circumcision is no longer legal, and maternity care is offered to women. Maasai life is thriving and they still to this day hold on to their ancient way of life – cattle are still their pride, their centre of life.
Many Maasai, therefore, mean many cattle, which leads to potential overpopulation and overgrazing, causing a decline of local wildlife.
The Maasai love and respect nature (and never hunt wildlife), and I have come to understand that in the past they used to live in harmony with nature, cherishing Enkai, a higher spirit which would make the heavens open and bring life back to the savannah and make grass sprout again for their cattle to feed on after the dry season. They used to understand the balance of life, used to read the stars and navigate by the sun. Wildlife around them used to thrive as they would neither hunt nor disturb it in any sort of way.
Nowadays, so much of their traditions, their stories and their wisdom have been lost, covered by the desire to fit in, to adapt to modern life.
Unfortunately, due to overpopulation, land is becoming sparse and hunger is more frequent. People fight over farms and grazing land, and cattle don’t have enough grass to feed on.
In my opinion, too little has been done to help the Maasai deal with keeping the balance between a traditional lifestyle and the pressure caused by an ever-increasing human population. I believe that they have not been taught how to effectively manage their land and resources. Health care facilities are numerous and maternity care is making a difference for women’s lives, but should there not be a stronger focus on education about birth control and family planning in the name of sustainability?
Even today, despite the education they receive, the Maasai take pride in having large families. It is common for women to have eight children. I think it is right here where efforts to preserve the Maasai’s culture, along with the environment they live in, have to be focused.
So, is it fair to blame the Maasai and their cattle alone for the destruction of the wilderness they live in? I, for my part, think not.
Living with them has taught me that conservation is not only about animals, but is just as much about us humans. To preserve any one place we have to be mindful of the local communities that live within it and try to understand the way they view the world and mother nature.
I have come to believe that our world’s beauty consists of the diversity of its flora and fauna and that we, as humans, are as much part of this fauna as are lions and elephants.
I came to Africa as a conservationist and her people turned me into an anthropologist. For me, there is no choosing one over the other.”
Our first taste of Botswana began with us enjoying the relaxing views of the Boro River channel in Maun, as we overnighted in town the night before our exciting safari adventure. Written by Carolien du Plessis, who enjoyed our Delta Detox safari‘.
Early the next morning we walked the few metres to the jetty and our guide, Philemon picked us up in his speed boat, for the three-and-a-half-hour cruise up the channel to our campsite in Moremi Game Reserve – the heart of the Okavango Delta. Everything was so exciting and like nothing we’d ever seen or experienced before!
When we arrived we were joyously surprised to see how everything was set up; even welcoming cold drinks were awaiting our arrival.
After a short debrief we set out for a walk on our own private island where our camp was situated. This island becomes separated from Chief’s Island when the annual flood arrives and waters in the delta rise. This was our safari home for the next three nights.
During our stay on the island, we had two guides, Philemon and BK, who looked after us and all our needs, pointing out the game on our walking safaris. A personal highlight was seeing a Pel’s fishing owl peering at us through the leaves!
BK was extremely knowledgeable and left no rock unturned in his mission to show us the area. He peppered our walks with interesting facts, sights and thoughts on things that we would otherwise have been oblivious to. We discovered that there really was so much more to the Delta than just the Big 5 and waterlilies.
One day Philemon took my son fishing (as a special request) and, incredibly, he caught a big sharptooth catfish – a moment he will never forget! Of course, he released the fish afterwards as we did not need the extra protein.
The visit to Philemon’s birthplace, Xaxaba Village, was most interesting and even allowed for some impromptu local craft shopping. Philemon is a kind and reserved person, and his face lit up every time he had the opportunity to share his huge knowledge and talk about his childhood in this paradise.
He is a Bayei Bushman and his knowledge of local animals is extensive, and his embellishment with fascinating folkloric tales added so much to our appreciation of the Okavango Delta.
The biggest surprise of the whole safari was the food! Joe, our chef, ensured that our tummies were always full and we looked forward to every meal. His culinary skills were exceptional – we got freshly baked bread, and even dessert, every day!
Our tents were comfortable and the bedding was clean and kept us quite warm – even though I was originally quite worried about leaving my thick duvet behind for cold Botswana winter nights!
Being unfamiliar with the bucket shower, I thought I would have only minutes to wash in lukewarm water – if I was lucky. But I was mistaken because I had enough time to get clean with nice warm water prepared by Lee, our camp hand. Even the ‘bush toilet’ with a sand flushing system made it feel as “wild and genuine” as it gets!
Besides walking, we got around via mokoros (dugout canoes). I cannot fully describe how peaceful and special it was to watch the sunset while gliding along the tranquil waters of the Okavango in a mokoro. Absolute bliss.
We were based at Mogotho campsite, about 100 metres from the Khwai River. The abundance of wildlife was clearly evident the minute we arrived and it was lovely to think that the animals could all move freely between Okavango/Moremi, Khwai, Chobe, Linyanti and Savute.
From the word go we encountered countless numbers of elephant, hippo, crocodile, impala, lechwe, zebra, steenbok, black-backed jackal, mongoose, waterbuck, giraffe, kudu, and then, of course, the famous wild dogs that call this area home – including their pups! And to top it off we also spotted lions with their cubs, and the coveted prince of darkness, leopard.
We had the privilege of joining lions on a hunt, as they stalked prey under the cover of darkness. We feasted our eyes on a leopard consuming its kill over two days, and then witnessed a wild dog hunt as they chased an impala through our campsite – while we were brushing our teeth! We crossed rivers where they were shallow enough and went on numerous night drives and walks – all of this made the whole experience brilliant and unique.
This combined walking and mobile game viewing safari is certainly very affordable – and great value for money! The overall experience was made even better by Philemon and his hardworking and friendly team – nothing we asked for was ever too much trouble.
One of the biggest positives of this trip was the privacy and exclusivity – which usually come at a much higher price tag! Everything was tailor-made just for our small group of three. It was wonderful to work with Africa Geographic and in so doing empower local people, such as Philemon, to uplift themselves and turn their good values, efforts and standards into a thriving business.
For anyone interested in an affordable, tailor-made tour to experience the Okavango and some of Botswana’s most iconic game reserves, please contact Africa Geographic – we cannot recommend them highly enough.
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.
Sourced from third-party site: The Guardian, written by Adam Cruise and Christina Russo
Rare footage of the capture of wild young elephants in Zimbabwe shows the rough treatment of the calves as they are sedated and taken away.
The Guardian has been given exclusive footage which shows the capture of young, wild elephants in Zimbabwe in preparation, it is believed, for their legal sale to Chinese zoos.
These captures are usually kept as secret as possible. The Guardian understands that in this case the usual procedure was followed. First, a viable herd is identified. Then operatives in a helicopter pick off the younger elephants with a sedative fired from a rifle. As the elephant collapses, the pilot dive-bombs the immediate vicinity so the rest of the herd, attempting to come to the aid of the fallen animal, are kept at bay. When things quieten down, a ground-team approaches the sedated elephants on foot, bundles them up, and drags them on to trailers.
The footage, a series of isolated clips and photographs provided to the Guardian by an anonymous source associated with the operation, documents the moment that operatives are running into the bush, then shows them tying up one young elephant. The elephants are then seen herded together in a holding pen near the main tourist camp in Hwange.
Finally, in the most disturbing part of the footage, a small female elephant, likely around five years old, is seen standing in the trailer. Her body is tightly tied to the vehicle by two ropes. Only minutes after being taken from the wild, the animal, still groggy from the sedative, is unable to understand that the officials want her to back into the truck, so they smack her on her body, twist her trunk, pull her by her tail and repeatedly kick her in the head with their boots.
Altogether, 14 elephants were captured during this time period, according to the source, who asked to remain to anonymous for fear of reprisal. The intention was to take more elephants, but the helicopter crashed during one of the operations. It is estimated that 30-40 elephants were to be captured in total.
The elephants that were taken are now in holding pens at an off-limits facility within Hwange called Umtshibi, according to the source. One expert who reviewed the photographs, Joyce Poole, an expert on elephant behaviour and co-director of the Kenya-based organisation ElephantVoices, said the elephants were “bunching” – huddling together because they are frightened.
Audrey Delsink, an elephant behavioural ecologist and executive director for Humane Society International Africa, also reviewed the photos and footage. She believed that most of the elephants were aged between two and four. “Basically, these calves have just been weaned or are a year or two into the weaning process.” In the wild, elephants are completely dependent on their mother’s milk until they are two, and are not fully weaned until the age of five.
A number of the calves, she said, were displaying temporal streaming – a stress-induced activity. “Many of the gestures indicate apprehensive and displacement behaviour – trunk twisting, trunk curled under, face touching, foot swinging, head-shaking, ear-cocking, displacement feeding, amongst others.” Zimparks were approached but did not make a comment.
The buyer for the young elephants is a Chinese national, according to inside sources who asked not to be named. Last year he was associated with a case involving 11 wild hyenas, who were discovered in a truck at Harare international airport that had been on the road for 24 hours without food or water and were reportedly in an extremely stressed condition, dehydrated and emaciated and, in some cases, badly injured.
About the author: Sean de la Harpe-Parker is an avid safari fan who is passionate about Africa. Technology and social media have shaped the Kruger experience into something radically different from what it was ten years ago. From my perspective, there has been a radical change and yet, not all of it is necessarily disastrous. The north of the park has weathered this change far better than the south. So for all intents and purposes of this story, I’m referring to Kruger, south of Olifants.
Winding the clock back 20 or 30 years, there were far fewer people in the park and to most of us, she was a mysterious and vast wilderness that unlocked her secrets only to the deserving few. I remember in the 80s and 90s going to the park and not seeing a lion or leopard. If a leopard was spotted, it hightailed away without allowing for a decent view. We would drive all day and sometimes only come across a handful of cars. Stopping off during the day at rest camps to have a toasted sandwich was a very similar experience to many of the drives (long and dry).
And yet there was electricity in the air, all-consuming anticipation of what may be lurking just around the corner. The open road in the morning was a covetable spot and getting to the gate first usually resulted in something wonderful moving on the road. Nowadays staff vehicle movement has changed this on most roads. Most of us didn’t have cameras and so my memories are just that, images and nostalgia seen and felt in our imaginations and hearts. We recognised each other and the ‘Kruger Salute’ was almost a rite of passage and showed you truly deserved to be driving the roads and seeing the animals.
The Kruger of yesteryear was a place where we all belonged, shared stories, greeted each other, chatted in the shops or waiting for a toasty and above all, respected this magnificent place we all loved. Patience was the order of the day and after a week in Kruger of only seeing impala, one felt fulfilled, recharged and ready for the great big and scary world outside. We had escaped from the frenzy of the modern world into this untouched wilderness.
Fast forward to present time and things have done a complete 360. The old Kruger still exists, but she remains hidden and it is more of an effort to find her. Most of us have some kind of smartphone. It photographs, records and is connected to the world. Within seconds of taking a photo of a leopard sleeping in a tree, it is now possible to share this with an audience both within Kruger’s boundaries and the rest of the world. Technology has also made digital cameras more affordable and accessible to the masses.
Gone are the days of film, where one had no idea what your photos looked like, had to find the time during your busy schedule to have them developed (weeping painful tears when the entire spool was compromised) and like me, perhaps some of you have undeveloped rolls of film lying in a drawer somewhere. We shared the photos with our families in an album that lived in a cupboard or on a shelf. The reality is that these pics hardly got seen again.
Now we are bombarded with fantastic imagery of the most wonderful sightings Kruger has to offer. Pangolin, leopard, lion, cheetah, wild dog… kills and more. This has opened Kruger to the world and the world has arrived. Unprecedented numbers of guests are arriving in Kruger and this too has shaped the overall experience. What this constant barrage of sharing does, is create unrealistic expectations of what you should see during your Kruger break.
Everyone simply expects to see EVERYTHING and with the tour operators pretty much guaranteeing everything, we now have the instant gratification brigade swarming into Kruger en masse, using the most advanced kinds of technology to guarantee sightings and breaking rules in the process.
WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages and radio contact means that no animal is sacred. Technology has now arrived and is making it easy for visitors to access all the information they need to tick off the Big 5 in a morning drive. There is massive conflict in Kruger right now. Those who remember days gone by and where there were perhaps only a handful of cars at a sighting. One could stay as long as you liked and so long as everyone had a glimpse of the animal, everyone was happy. Nowadays, every animal found is lined up by a barrage of lenses. Each lens determined to get the best shot to share on social media. The expectation of a 1000 likes on one of the groups or making a quick buck on YouTube.
If you have ‘tak your pic will be kak’ (branches will ruin photos) and this means that everyone wants that prime position. Hooting, swearing, shouting and a sense of entitlement has taken hold. Private cars and open safari vehicles are going into battle as to who is more or less badly behaved. Kruger has entered the world stage and people from all over are coming to Kruger to see the Big 5. Their friends will be so impressed by all the megafauna, that they will in turn come to Kruger to rinse and repeat the spectacular. Many of the newer generations are simply not going to be satisfied by seeing an elephant or impala and as such the tour operator industry is backed into the corner of instant gratification, whilst making the most of the technology available to guarantee those sightings.
Kruger has turned into a shark feeding frenzy. It is motivated by whose photo will be most popular and shared. Kruger fame is desired. Everyone wants to be known as the “best” or “luckiest” or “skilled”. The competition is on!
Travelling to Kruger in years gone past, you were an unknown. These days we have Kruger celebrities! Let’s be honest, being recognised and being given compliments is extremely rewarding. Most humans thrive on recognition and so with the advent of social media and all supporting devices, this recognition is a mere click away. Yes, people have always behaved poorly and yes there were fewer people in years gone by. Unfortunately, the world we live in today is far more motivating for bad behaviour.
The pressure of getting a better trip than your mates, the best photos, getting the viral post and all the bragging rights associated has seen an exponential increase in selfish and bad behaviour. There is more crowding at sightings (previously restricted to the main roads and now nothing there is sacred), more speeding, more people getting out of their cars to get a better photo… more, more, more, bigger, better, sharper and no damn takke (branches)!
Please don’t get me wrong. I love Kruger and love sharing my photos and experiences. When I leave camp in the morning I head away from the gates and take the lesser travelled dirt roads. This way I am able to connect with the Kruger I grew up in, at least for a few hours. I have come to accept the presence of open safari vehicles and the increased numbers of people visiting the park. I understand we are all different and if instant gratification is what works for some, then great. After all, everyone on Earth deserves to experience Kruger. I have learnt we all love Kruger in our own way and experience Kruger differently.
What I don’t accept is the bad behaviour, reporting of sightings in any way, shape or form – with the increased number of people on the roads I even think the sightings boards and word of mouth is a bad idea. Let us all allow the mystery of Kruger to reveal herself once again – speeding, overcrowding and putting pressure on the animals. All our wildlife is sacred and should be respected. We shouldn’t treat each and every sighting like we have seen a celebrity and then mob the animal like the paparazzi.
Sure, the Kruger of yesteryear did not remain unscathed from occasional bad behaviour or crowding at sightings, but these incidents have grown exponentially in the modern Kruger. I would love to find harmony with this digital age we live in. Bumble around not knowing what we will see, use my modern gadgets to record what I see and then when I return home, share it with the world and get all the likes and affirmations we all so enjoy. The magic is still there to enjoy and the Kruger as some of us know it still exists. We simply have to work around this technological age and head further off the beaten track. Some people even use this technology to see which areas to avoid congestion.
It is important to note that Kruger belongs to us all. She has become a global sensation and as such needs to appeal to a much wider audience. Change is inevitable and progress waits for no man or beast.
*This is my perception and may differ vastly from yours. I recognise that each of our realities will be different.
With China in the process of phasing out its legal ivory trade market, one would think that the fight against combating the illegal market in Asia would be gaining ground. However, a new study has revealed that China’s neighbouring country, Laos, has now become the fastest-growing ivory market in the world, as traders and everyone else in the chain move their businesses across the border.
At a news conference held in Nairobi recently, Save the Elephants – a Kenya-based conservation group – released their extensive report that reveals how the illegal African ivory sales in Laos is growing at an incredible rate.
Between 2013 and 2016, there was a significant increase in the number of Chinese-owned retail outlets that sell ivory, with the main consumers being Chinese nationals – who buy up to 80% of the ivory items in Laos.
Some of the ivory is processed in Vietnam and smuggled into Laos, while in other cases it is processed in Laos by Chinese traders.
Ivory items, such as pendants, necklaces, bangles and beads are sold openly in the shops around the country as there is no proper law enforcement in place, despite Laos being a member of CITES where there are regulations that prohibit the import and export of ivory.
There is a growing concern that with China shutting down its legal ivory market, that more and more consumers will turn to countries such as Laos and the illegal ivory trade will continue to flourish.
Lions from Etosha National Park have reportedly escaped into the Sesfontein Constituency in the Kunene Region killed 19 goats in one night, according to online Namibian newspaper, Informanté.
The incident was confirmed by a spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Romeo Munyunda. “A total of 19 goats were killed and on different nights, a number of sheep and cattle were also killed by two lions at farms near Opuwo in the Kunene Region”, said Muyunda. He added that the ministry is currently monitoring the movement of the lions via satellite.
The number of lions is unknown, but farmers in the area are now financially affected by the attacks. Muyunda said that their loss could well be over N$50,000.
The human-wildlife conflict in Namibia is a serious problem and efforts have been made by MET to handle this and have recently updated their National Policy on Human-Wildlife Conflict.
AfriCat Foundation director, Tammy Hoth, said that they were aware of the escaped lions prior to the recent attacks and had advised the farmers to ensure their kraals were secure against lions. She went on to say that in some cases lions do not kill to consume, but rather kill livestock in instances when mother lions are teaching their cubs how to hunt. In the case of the 19 goats, none of them were consumed.
Hoth said that the Kaokoland is currently being patrolled and it is believed that there are seven cubs with their mothers roaming the area. The local livestock farmers have been made aware of the escaped lions.
Madikwe Game Reserve is an extraordinary place. It was established in 1991 on a tract of mismanaged farmland, where the land had been depleted of nearly all of its natural resources. Approximately 10,000 animals were relocated to the area in a project known as Operation Phoenix, over seven years.
At the time, Operation Phoenix was the largest wildlife relocation project of its kind in the world – it was aimed at generating a wildlife-tourism economy of significant benefit to local communities in this remote region of South Africa. It is still a world-renowned conservation project today and is bearing fruit in a way the visionaries could hardly have thought possible.
My wife and I were fortunate enough to spend two nights in Madikwe recently. I have visited Madikwe several times over the past 16 years, and was keen to share some of that quintessential Madikwe magic with my wife – it was her first time in the reserve, and I wanted it to be as special for her as it has been for me over the years. Little did I know that I would rediscover the magic of Madikwe for myself, entirely!
Usually, man-made structures interfere with my sense of the wilderness around me. They’re a distraction to what I feel should be pure wilderness. But, after a lengthy discussion on the topic with our knowledgeable guide Armand, I started to think that Madikwe is one of the rare wild places where I can accept a few old structures as part of the wilderness landscape.
It’s a part of Madikwe’s history and serves not only as a reminder of how things were before, but also that Africa’s wilderness can be brought back from the damage caused by the destructive impact of humanity. For me, Madikwe is a pilot reserve in ‘bringing back wild Africa’ – as the success of Operation Phoenix attests to. It was one of the first reserves in Southern Africa to take the mammoth task of rewilding seriously, and it’s a privilege to be able to enjoy the rewards of those real African conservation efforts today.
Stars and special sightings
After our arrival and delicious lunch at Jaci’s Safari Lodge, we settled into our magnificent Starbed Suite. It’s a huge room with a panoramic view over a tributary of the Marico River, with wildlife constantly moving along the riverine bush down below. After a quick shower (with a choice of three showers!), we got ready for our first afternoon drive.
Before departing, Armand asked us if we would like to see anything specific. I’m sure he was used to some of the more typical answers – Big 5 animals like elephant, lion and rhino, for example. To his bewilderment, I asked him if he could try and get us a rare photo opportunity of a yellow-throated sandgrouse.
And, can you believe it, he delivered on our first game drive! As an avid birder, this was a thrilling sighting – what a way to start our safari in Madikwe!
We spotted a few yellow-throated sandgrouses that morning, got some great photos of this notoriously tricky bird and moved on, with smiles on our faces. The next sighting was one of the rarest and unique you could wish to have on any safari anywhere in Africa – African wild dogs! And, as if that was not enough, we managed to add two male lions and white rhino to our list for the first afternoon. Game viewing in Madikwe is truly spectacular; it is known as one of the best places in Southern Africa for lion sightings!
After dinner and a sensational day of game viewing on safari in Madikwe, we settled onto the roof of our Starbed Suite. We listened to the sounds of the African bush under the stars, full of anticipation for our morning drive.
Madikwe mornings
Our first morning drive was one for the safari books as Madikwe was delivering in hugely unexpected ways! We started with three old buffalo bulls, followed by a Verreaux’s eagle-owl on a nest close to camp, and then continued to tick off all the members of the Big 5 within our four-hour drive!
I had my first leopard sighting in Madikwe a few years back, and this time around, I got one of my best leopard photos to date (see cover image)! It was a very relaxed male leopard, and he was lazing a few metres from our vehicle. With the excitement overflowing from our fantastic game drive, we returned to camp to enjoy a lovely brunch on the lodge’s deck.
After our delicious brunch, we couldn’t wait to go and check out the Terrapin hide – a famous, eye-level hide situated in the middle of the waterhole, accessed only via an underwater tunnel. We spent some time here observing the passing wildlife, with my favourite moment being when a grey heron caught a fish a few metres away from me. He was so close – I got one of my favourite photographs of this graceful bird.
On our afternoon drive, we decided to explore the quieter southern parts of the reserve, because we’d already had quality sightings of most species on offer here. We got onto some fresh leopard tracks, but after more than an hour spent tracking, it had managed to evade us, staying true to its secretive nature.
We did see more elephants, white rhinos and two male lions, and it was a relaxed drive for our final afternoon. Upon returning to the lodge, we came across the resident male brown hyena drinking at the waterhole – brown hyena are far rarer and skittish than their more popular laughing cousins, the spotted hyena.
A rhino to remember
I was hoping for a good sighting of black rhino, but, as I know from experience, it’s not an easy task. Their favourite habitat is in dense acacia thickets, which makes sightings very difficult, and photo opportunities close to impossible.
It was our last morning drive, and we were on a mission. Armand said that there was a thicket where he sometimes bumps into black rhino early in the morning, so we decided to go for it! Maybe, just maybe, we would get lucky. And lo and behold, we got lucky! We found a black rhino mother and her calf!
After spending some time with them (without any real photo opportunities) they became more relaxed and moved through a clearing where we were able to get some fantastic and memorable photos.
Why Madikwe?
A Madikwe safari is one of the best travel choices you can make when deciding to come on safari in South Africa. You’ll get to explore the full 75,000 hectares of the reserve and not just a small concession area like in other reserves. The habitat is diverse, with mountains, waterholes, and the Marico River to the east.
Game viewing is exceptional, and the area is malaria-free, which makes Madikwe an excellent choice for a family safari.
For my wife and I, Jaci’s Safari Lodge delivered on all aspects, and more. The game viewing was incredible, the food was out of this world, the accommodation better than perfect and the staff made us feel like family! It has since surged to the top our list of African safari destinations – maybe you’d like to add it to your list too?
At 750 km² or 75,000 ha, Madikwe is the fifth largest game reserve in South Africa.
The reserve was formally established in 1991 by the government of Bophuthatswana, a former homeland area of South Africa. It was flagged for the potential of a thriving wildlife tourism economy that would benefit the local communities – shortly after, Operation Phoenix began. This mammoth ecosystem rewilding operation involved many world firsts, including translocating entire family herds of elephant.
Madikwe lies in a unique location on the fringes of the Kalahari Desert between Botswana and South Africa. Because of the great variety in ecosystems between the Lowveld of South Africa and the Kalahari thornveld of Botswana, the region is host to a staggering array of species – to be precise, 66 mammal species and more than 300 bird species.
The famous Mafikeng Road – a historical road used by traders, hunters, missionaries and explorers – runs through the reserve. King Mzilikazi of the Matabele tribe ventured through the Madikwe area on this road over a century ago on his way to expanding the Matabele Kingdom.
Madikwe is home to the Big 5 and is also a haven for successful and thriving populations of African wild dog and cheetah.
There is currently a corridor conservation project underway, known as the ‘Heritage Park’ conservation corridor, set to join Madikwe Game Reserve and Pilanesberg National Park. The project is estimated to be finished in two years.
Madikwe is easily reached from Johannesburg or Pretoria, on a short three-and-a-half-hour drive, or a 45-minute charter flight. The best time to visit Madikwe is between March and November when the temperatures are not soaring hot, and the game is more active.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anton lives in Pretoria, South Africa, and works in his family’s property development and investment business. He and his wife, Renate, both have a passion for wildlife, with a particular interest in birds.
A large bull elephant was shot and killed in Zambia this past weekend by a trophy hunter. The term ‘iconic Tusker’ was used to describe the elephant and celebrate the hunt, but it is not clear if this was indeed a true ‘Tusker’ (with tusks weighing 100 pounds on each side). It is estimated that there are fewer than 50 true Tuskers left in Africa, and probably only 25-30.
The hunt was reportedly legally organised through Stone Hunting Safaris, where hunting in Zambia takes place in “the Luangwa Valley, Kafue Flats, and Bangweulu Swamps in governmental conservation areas or large privately owned ranches, depending on the required species”.
“Biggest elephant shot in Zambia in decades, iconic Tusker. Well done great trophy ? ??and yes all meat was utilized donated to local villages and schools. Lot of money was payed [sic] for the license to shoot the bull and that money goes towards conservation of not only next elephant generations but the whole ecosystem there benefits from legal controlled hunting.”
Game Animals of the Past and Present explained, in reply to numerous comments, that all parts of the elephant were used. The hunter receives the skin and tusks, and the meat is donated to local villages and schools. In addition, the money paid by the hunter goes towards conservation practices in the region.
A transboundary elephant connectivity study has been launched in western Zambia with the fitting of satellite tracking collars to wild elephants to investigate their cross-border movements.
The Elephant Connection Research Project in Zambia has initiated a study of elephant movements in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) to investigate the connectivity between Zambian elephant populations and their cross-border cousins.
Of critical conservation concern throughout Africa is the isolation of elephant populations due to shrinking habitat, a problem that this study is designed to address. Headed by Dr Kerryn Carter, the project founder and head researcher, this first phase of the study will track movements of eight elephants from Zambia’s Sioma Ngwezi National Park to determine elephant utilisation of the transboundary landscape and identify impediments to their movements and threats to their survival that restrict connectivity with cross-border populations.
Together with Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife and partners WWF, the research seeks to identify transboundary wildlife movement corridors which, once adequately protected, can help to protect all wildlife species that use them. To this end, there are plans to track a greater number of elephants and also giraffe throughout the Zambian component of KAZA TFCA in the coming years.
The KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area is one of the largest of its kind in the world, encompassing 520,000 km² of protected areas and communal lands in Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. KAZA TFCA, established in 2011, links some of the iconic National Parks (NP) of southern Africa such as Zambia’s Kafue NP, Botswana’s Chobe NP and Okavango Delta, and Zimbabwe’s Hwange NP, along with more than 30 adjacent reserves, conservancies and wildlife management areas.
Transfrontier Conservation Areas can assist wildlife movements by bringing together separately managed national parks that are adjacent to political boundaries, so that wildlife can be managed under one umbrella. This provides the opportunity for suitable and safe habitat to be maintained between protected areas to enable connectivity of otherwise separated wildlife populations, which is one of the main objectives of KAZA TFCA.
However, information about functional connectivity is lacking and secure landscape linkages between many of these areas have yet to be realised. With more frequent droughts as a result of climate change reducing the amount of natural forage and water available, wildlife will need areas of safe passage to move across the landscape in search of scarce resources. Knowledge of wildlife movement pathways generated by this study will assist Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife in planning anti-poaching patrols to ensure identified elephant habitats are secured so that dispersing elephants will not be at increased risk of poaching as they attempt to navigate routes through increasingly disturbed landscapes.
Elephants historically moved throughout much of Africa as part of an interconnected population and this enabled genetic mixing and minimised the degradation of habitats that can occur at high elephant densities. These long-distance movements are now difficult for many elephants that exist in protected areas that have become surrounded by human habitation. The dire consequences that can occur when populations are isolated are overuse of food resources to the extent that the habitat is destroyed and becomes unsuitable for other species, human-elephant conflict and genetic bottlenecks from inbreeding.
If the habitat between protected areas is conserved to enable elephants to undertake long-distance movements, these problems can be avoided. At least half of the estimated number of elephants in Africa occurs within the KAZA TFCA. Consequently, the provision of corridors linking protected areas in this region will unite many of southern Africa’s elephants into a single entity and improve the functionality of the elephant meta-population in the region.
This study has been made possible with generous donations from WWF (Zambia & Namibia) and a donation by Wildlife Crime Prevention (Zambia) of their aircraft to help locate elephant herds for collaring.
Hanko stamps are the Japanese version of a signature and have been in use for many centuries – dating as far back as the 3rd century when they were used by samurai and government officials. The choice of ivory as one of the materials used to create these everyday tools has been a significant contributor to the demand for ivory.
These stamps are used for a variety of purposes, from opening bank accounts and purchasing vehicles, to accepting deliveries and ‘signing’ on important documents. It is said that the average person owns up to five personal hanko stamps during their lifetime.
Cheap, run-of-the-mill stamps can be bought ready-made in shops, and are usually made out of plastic or wood, used for casual purchases and informal documents. The other, more expensive, option is a customised stamp – used to sign important documentation – and those are usually made out of horn, crystal or ivory.
Elephant ivory hanko stamps gained popularity from the mid-1900s, and in 1983 more than one million pounds of ivory (approximately 5000 elephants-worth), for the purpose of being made into hanko stamps, was imported from Kenya – which was legal at the time.
Since then, Japan has become a member of CITES (the Convention of International Trade for Endangered Species), and in 2016 agreed, along with 179 other parties, to call for the closure of legal domestic ivory markets that are linked to illegal trade or poaching.
One of Japan’s largest retail companies, Aeon, recently announced that by March 2020, the sale of ivory-made products will cease in all of their stores nationwide.
Aeon released an official announcement stating that since June 2015, their directly operated stores have refrained from selling elephant ivory products, and now they are looking to their 180 hanko stamp tenants – that use ivory as one of the materials – to comply with their policy and start looking at “replacing the ivory products with products made of environmentally friendly alternative materials in stages by the end of March 2020”.
However, even though retailers such as Aeon, as well as e-commerce retailer Rakuten, are changing their policies and taking a stand to close down their ivory trade, there are still others out there who are still trading in ivory, such as Yahoo! Japan, who continue to sell ivory products (such as hanko stamps) through their online auction and shopping site.
Many wildlife organisations, such as EIA, have made it clear that the Japanese government needs to close its domestic ivory market for good following its agreement with CITES in order to protect elephants and clamp down on the illegal trade of ivory.
Guide, Alon Cassidy, describes watching western lowland gorillas feeding on seasonal fruits in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo:
August was a particularly fruitful month in Odzala in many ways. The western lowland gorilla groups living in the forest close to Ngaga could feast on seasonal landolphia and anonnidium fruits, and we enjoyed some wonderful sightings of these primates enjoying their seasonal treats.
Landolphia is medium-sized fruit which grows from a large vine. It’s quite rich and can be rather sour, but despite this, it is enjoyed by humans just as much as by our near relatives, the gorillas. Like all the best rewards, a little bit of work is required to enjoy it – you need to tear or cut through the fleshy skin and its rubbery latex to expose a cluster of pips in the centre; each of these is covered in a soft, fleshy and nutritious mesocarp.
The gorillas have perfected a technique that gets them to the good stuff in just three deft moves. They pluck the fruit from the vine, bite it open to reveal the juicy flesh, and enjoy. All of which means that during fruiting season, it’s unwise to stand under a landolphia vine as there may be a gorilla above you, contentedly discarding bits of fruit rind.
The typical diet of western lowland gorillas in Odzala contains a lot of fruit (in the right season). The availability of fruits determines their movements, and in fruiting seasons they can cover a lot of ground as they visit and revisit favourite trees and vines.
When one of our expert local trackers says that we need to pick up our pace to be in the right place at the right time, you know he means that there’s going to be a show. Western lowland gorillas are far more arboreal than their mountain cousins, and fruiting season means more opportunities for viewing them above the level of the dense undergrowth.
Taking photographs of gorillas in trees can be challenging, however, as you’ll often be shooting against the bright sunlight piercing the rainforest canopy.
One particularly memorable recent sighting involved the habituated gorilla group led by the large and powerful silverback, Jupiter. They were seen making nests near the landolphia vines, and we set off on a brisk walk with Gaben, one of our experienced trackers. He motioned to us that we should wait as the gorillas were on their way.
His prediction was uncannily accurate – just five minutes later, Jupiter’s group began to climb the vines in search of fruit. Standing spellbound with our two guests, we watched as eight gorillas plucked fruits from the vines that straddled the canopy. Jupiter himself chose not to climb, preferring to wait at the base of the trees and collect any fruit that fell. However, all he seemed to find were rinds, and he had to resort to eating marantaceae leaves instead.
The second key fruit at this time is the large anonnidium (or obei) which grows on a medium-sized tree. The obei slightly resembles a pineapple, and can grow to around 40cm in length. It’s popular with the guides, but it can be a challenge for them to find a ripe one that the gorillas have not gotten to first.
Watching Neptuno’s group eat obei fruits gave us important clues as to the hierarchy within his group, as the gorillas which get the biggest and best pieces tend to be the ones which are higher up in the pecking order.
We observed one youngster climb up into the obei tree as if to assure himself of first choice of the ripe fruits, but he then seemed to deliberately drop several them in the direction of the silverback, Neptuno.
This seemed to satisfy Neptuno, and he soon had morsels of bright yellow fruit stuck to his face as he enjoyed the obei that the youngster had gathered for him.
Elephants killed after being electrocuted when they pushed power lines into a pool of water they were drinking from. The blood is from burst blood vessels, a common symptom of electrocution.
In a tragic accident, 9 elephants have died in a freak accident after being electrocuted by power lines near Sua Pan and a village called Dukwi in Botswana.
The elephants were drinking water from a leaking pipe that supplies water to the village. They knocked down an overhead power line, which fell into the pool of water and electrocuted the elephants. The Ministry of Wildlife, Environment and Tourism has confirmed the accident and said that an investigation has been launched.
This area of Botswana has few natural sources of water once the pools of water resulting from seasonal rain have dried up, and elephants frequently seek water from water pipes and boreholes.
Botswana hosts more than one-third of Africa’s elephant population, partly due to the country’s successful wildlife conservation strategy and tourism policies, and partly due to pressure in other countries from habitat loss, poaching and human-wildlife conflict. This population represents a significant conservation resource in ongoing attempts to repopulate areas of Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. One significant hurdle to overcome is that of the provision of sufficient water, as elephants can no longer range over their historical migratory paths because of direct persecution and the rapid growth in human populations, farming activities and other development. Elephants are increasingly being marginalised into areas with insufficient water and food.
Water for Elephants Trust has an ongoing program of providing borehole water to thirsty elephants in this arid region.
What I miss most about fly-in safaris is the satisfaction of having journeyed. After all, the Swahili word ‘safari’ is derived from ‘safar’, the Arabic word for journey.
Don’t get me wrong. For time-strapped holidaymakers, flying to your lodge saves time and offers a different perspective of the bushveld. But, there’s something immensely satisfying about loading up your kit and navigating bush tracks to reach your destination.
Although most of us don’t have the equipment or experience to do this ourselves, fear not. In Botswana, you can still experience a mobile safari while others do the hard work.
In May this year, I joined a mobile safari through the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana. You can book an entire mobile expedition for your family and friends, but, as a single traveller (my wife was holding the fort at home), I latched onto an existing expedition.
My travel companions were a German fellow (also sans his wife) and a wonderful family of five from the Dominican Republic on their annual holiday. Each year, this spirited family journeys in the real sense. They pick a destination and experience it in as granular a way as possible. They’d already slept under Namibian desert stars on this safari and driven themselves through Namibia to Botswana.
They were now on a mobile safari from Maun to Kasane, travelling through the wildlife gems of Moremi, Khwai, Savute and Chobe. I journeyed with them until Khwai, where I hopped off to spend time at a few lodges before flying back to Cape Town from Maun.
Camps that leave no trace
Let’s talk about accommodation because many people use that filter to help them decide on their next safari.
The hard-working backup crew drove ahead of us to set up camp and prepare meals. It was a fantastic feeling to arrive at a new campsite after a morning of game viewing to find our home all built and snugly ready for us.
Mobile safari camps are set up to have the least impact on the environment. Leave only footprints …
Each campsite we used was exclusively ours for that period, so there was a sense of absolute privacy that added to the appeal. You can choose between large, luxury Meru-style tents, which I enjoyed, or smaller dome-style tents, which my colleague Christian Boix thoroughly enjoyed earlier this year when he booked a mobile safari for his family.
Pictures do a better job of describing the campsite than I can. But, I will say that having stayed at many lodges of all luxury levels in my 25 years in this business, these Meru-styled mobile camps do it for me.
The inside of a typical Meru-styled mobile safari tent
Each tent has an en-suite bathroom with a bucket shower – a large canvas bag filled with water heated over a wood fire. There’s also a bush toilet: a deep hole dug in the ground, covered by a throne to remind you of home.
Once the crew dismantles your campsite, all that remains are footprints. The loo pits are filled in, and your contribution to local biodiversity is soon composted.
Each mobile safari camp has a dining area with a canvas roof
A potent digital detox
Perhaps you’re wondering about internet access? Well, once you’re clear of Maun and Kasane, there is none. This is an opportunity to detox from that incessant social media chatter. Instead, you’ll have time to tune into bush chatter: tree squirrel alarm calls, distant leopard grunts, and the perpetual burbling backing track of insects and birds.
There’s a rhythm to this mobile safari that encourages you to truly, seriously unwind. On a ten-day safari, you’ll typically be based in three or four areas for a few days each, with travel days in-between.
And, aside from the first day’s drive from Maun to Moremi, even travel days are just an extended game drive, ending at a new campsite in the early or mid-afternoon after a bush lunch along the way.
Time takes on a different meaning on a mobile safari, perhaps because you have more of it. Our guide Sam was extremely relaxed. He knew that with the ten full days at his disposal, and the wide range of habitats we’d journey through, he’d be able to show his guests all the most sought-after species, including lions, leopards and wild dogs.
And, he was right. Compare that to the unfortunate fly-in safari guides who have only a few hours a day and perhaps three days in total to deliver on a long laundry list of expectations.
Leopards are amongst the most sought-after wildlife sightings and regularly seen on mobile safarisThe Okavango is one of Africa’s lion strongholdsWild dogs are frequently seen during mobile safaris in northern Botswana
The slow safari schedule
Each day, you leave camp first thing in the morning after coffee and a light breakfast to catch the early morning ‘newspaper’ – tracks and other signs left by wildlife. After some fantastic wildlife encounters and a stop for coffee and biscuits (ask for Amarula in your coffee – yum!) you meander back to camp by late morning for brunch. This is followed by downtime and a siesta.
Late afternoon brings tea and cake before you head out for another game drive. There’ll be sundowner drinks and snacks somewhere out there. Shortly after dark, you’re back in camp for campfire stories accompanied by your favourite tipple (or two) and a delicious dinner cooked over the fire by talented bush chefs.
With heavy eyes and a full tummy, you stagger to bed. Your lullabies are sung by hyenas, lions, leopards, hippos, nightjars, and several species of owls. Yes, you may just pick up a pound or two because you’ll be pampered, bush-style, from dawn to dusk. But, you’ll also recharge your batteries and reconnect with the real you. Safari njema!
Moremi Game Reserve
Moremi makes up about 26 percent of the renowned Okavango Delta. It’s largely dedicated to self-drive tourists and mobile safari operators. It was the first reserve in Africa to be established by local residents.
The Batawana people of Ngamiland were concerned by the rapid depletion of wildlife due to uncontrolled hunting and cattle encroachment. In 1963, under the leadership of the late Chief Moremi III’s wife, they took the bold initiative to proclaim Moremi a game reserve.
The Okavango Delta comprises more than 15,000 km² of watery paradise. It’s a lush wilderness of papyrus, impenetrable reed beds, grassy floodplains, and tree-covered islands.
The complex water channel network of varying depths is engineered and maintained by hippos and elephants. Some areas are permanently underwater. Others are submerged only when the annual floodwaters arrive from Angola.
This constant ebb and flow of water creates one of the most fascinating and diverse ecosystems on the planet. Unsurprisingly, the Okavango Delta is both a RAMSAR Site and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
No safari to the Okavango Delta is complete without a mokoro outing
The Okavango Delta is not a national park, so there are fewer restrictions on activities. Off-road driving when following wildlife is allowed, as are night drives and walking safaris. Unlike the national parks, the Okavango is largely unavailable to self-drive tourists (except for the Moremi section), so your safari is likely to be private and exclusive.
A bucket list activity unique to this area is gliding down the myriad of waterways on a mokoro (a traditional dugout canoe).
Your poler guide will expertly slide the mokoro along channels surrounded by tall papyrus and reeds, giving you a unique perspective and fantastic photographic opportunities as you silently sneak up on birds, frogs, otters and possibly even larger animals such as hippos, crocodiles and elephants. A lucky few will see the elusive and wary sitatunga antelope.
Wildlife includes the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino), many antelope species, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and crocodiles. There are good populations of cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs, as well as a plethora of smaller species such as serval, aardwolf, pangolin, aardvark and bat-eared fox. You will see more wildlife in areas that are not permanently flooded.
Birdwatching can be spectacular. There are over 400 species including avian jewels such as Pel’s fishing owl, slaty egret, pygmy goose, crowned and wattled cranes, western banded snake-eagle, coppery-tailed coucal and colonies of incandescent carmine bee-eaters.
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.
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 2 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.’
Cape Town is an eclectic and exciting city, and on many bucket lists. With its beautiful beaches, buzzing cosmopolitan centre, world-class wine country, spectacular scenery and dramatic coastlines; there is so much to do and see in South Africa’s ‘Mother City’.
BUT how do you combine Cape Town with a quintessential African bush safari?
Summer is a popular and busy time in Cape Town, and for good reason. Located at the southernmost tip of the African continent, the Cape has a totally different weather pattern from the rest of Africa. It has a typically Mediterranean climate which means the summer days are long, hot and dry – perfect for lazy days on the beach and sundowner drinks with a view, followed by fine dining and world-beating wines.
Find out about Cape Town for your next African safari. We have ready-made safaris to choose from, or ask us to build one just for you.
And of course, no African trip is complete without that other item on the bucket-list – a bushveld safari, in pursuit of the Big 5 and plenty more exciting wildlife encounters.
But here’s the hitch: In bushveld areas, the average summer day is very hot, with thundershowers now and then. The bushveld is buzzing and alive with birds, baby animals and flowers (and mosquitoes), but animals can be difficult to see because of the thickness of the green shrubbery. Most safari enthusiasts prefer the dry cool winter months when the bushveld has thinned out and the lack of water makes wildlife concentrate near water sources and is easier to see.
So, how exactly does one combine Cape Town’s summer splendours with a wild Big 5 bushveld safari?
Here are four suggestions
Serengeti, Tanzania
The Great Wildebeest Migration is in full swing in Tanzania’s Serengeti during the first few months of the year, and you can expect exceptional sightings as the great herds are calving and the predators gorge themselves on easy pickings.
Expect high tourist volumes at predator sightings (unless you are in a private concession) and higher prices during this peak season.
Fly direct from Cape Town to Maun in Botswana in two-and-a-half-hours and step straight into your mokoro or speed boat for a spot of ‘glamping’ on a deserted Okavango Delta island paradise. Or take a short flight from Maun to any one of a number of luxury lodges.
Enjoy beautiful green bushveld and reasonable wildlife encounters (prime wildlife viewing is during the dry winter months). Expect fewer tourists and lower prices than during prime safari season.
The Cape Game Reserves of South Africa are closer to Cape Town than any other bushveld safari, and offer great wildlife opportunities to complete an idyllic beach and bush combo trip.
Hire a car in Cape Town and drive the Garden Route and Little Karoo to end up at your bushveld destination, or fly to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) to meet your lodge transfer. Some of these bushveld lodges offer boat trips down winding rivers for a day at the nearby idyllic beaches.
Expect more tourists and higher prices during the warm summer season than during the winter, when temperatures can be a bit chilly.
Greater Kruger National Park
The Greater Kruger National Park area offers a wide variety of lodges and bush camps. Direct flights from Cape Town to Skukuza and Hoedspruit mean that you could be on safari within hours of leaving Cape Town.
Enjoy beautiful green bushveld and good wildlife encounters in the private reserves bordering the Kruger, even during the summer months (winter months always deliver more wildlife encounters). Expect a variety of prices and fewer crowds in summer if you avoid the local school holiday periods.
I have had the great fortune of having travelled in many parts of the world and have experienced many things. This was my third trip to Africa, and second to South Africa. I can say, without a scintilla of doubt, this was the most memorable, impactful, emotional and life-altering trip of my life.
My wife, Tamara, and son, Max and I recently spent ten days in South Africa. We were fortunate enough to spend five of those days in the bush near the Kruger National Park, at a temporary camp on the beautiful property of Mr James Campbell, with eight other YPO families and a cadre of world-class resources.
The enthusiasm, optimism, construction and progress that we experienced first-hand while spending time with everyday South Africans was contagious. As Max commented, “I think they may be some of the happiest and most content people in the world!”
Our trip was hosted by my friend, Dex Kotze, a fellow YPOer from South Africa. Dex is a businessman, an activist, a philanthropist, educator, thought-leader and an amazing husband and father. He operates his own NGO, Youth 4 African Wildlife, an educational organisation dedicated to teaching young people about the conservation of wild animals in Africa. For this experience, Dex had partnered with Elephants Alive and other NGOs and reserves and, with the help of the incredible Annie Sowden, he put together a program dedicated to education, adventure and camaraderie.
The YPO Experience
In total, we were nine YPO families, joined by the most compelling group of talented people imaginable. These included everyone from world-class park rangers and guides to scientists, researchers, philanthropist land-owners, activists, a world-class eco-journalist, wildlife vets, adventurers and two of the most insane helicopter pilots I’ve ever seen (have you ever seen a Robinson 44 fly in reverse while chasing after a rhino with a vet hanging out the side holding his dart gun!?).
We camped together, drank coffee at dawn around the fire together, drove in search of elephants and rhinos together, walked through the African wild tracking lions together and, most compellingly, participated hands-on in tracking, collaring and tagging wild elephants and rhinos together. And of course, we had ourselves a few ‘proper’ G&Ts at sundown around the campfire together.
All along, we learned about every aspect of the nature around us, from the water to the vegetation, from the trees to the insects and every other type of wild animal around us.
We had the opportunity of having one of the pre-eminent eco-journalists in Africa, Ian Michler, present with us on the trip. Ian, the creator of Blood Lions – a film about canned lion hunts – and I shared several ‘proper’ gin and tonics during the week and explored all aspects of environmentalism – from philosophical to political to economical. It was indeed an honour and a pleasure to spend time with him.
When I say this was a hands-on week, I mean just that. Dex and the scientists created the opportunity for us to do things that we will likely never again be able to do. To see the rangers and helicopter pilots rave about what we were doing and talk about how unique the experiences were, even for them, was an indication of the job that Dex and his team had done.
Just a sampling of some of my own experiences from the trip: I pulled the satellite collar around elephant necks, helped lift and move elephant and rhino limbs to make it possible to take anatomical measurements, milked an elephant for scientific purposes, injected an elephant with the antidote for the anaesthetic dart, removed a DNA sample from the drill bit shavings of a rhino horn, helped to place a tag into a rhino horn, and much, much more. All of this in the wild, on tens of thousands of acres of continuous fence-free land linking to the Kruger Park.
Along the way, we learned and witnessed firsthand the range of humanity’s severe impact on the environment. We learned about the impact of human encroachment on the wilderness. We learned about the economics of poaching. We saw, firsthand, the gut-wrenching result of poaching, where the world’s most magnificent animals are illegally shot and killed and left as food for vultures so that their horn can be ground up and used for mythical medicinal purposes somewhere far away.
We met and spent time with landowners and their team of anti-poaching rangers who are spending significant sums of money out of their own pockets to buy, protect and care for contiguous property that extends Kruger National Park through private land ownership, remove fences in between and pay for them to be patrolled so that future generations can view the planet in its raw form.
What we saw, in my view, was not the triumph of government but the triumph of individuals who have come together voluntarily, spending their time, money and resources, not to suck every last dollar of value out of the land through development, but in fact to protect and preserve it and its inhabitants.
At the same time, all of these individuals show a deep and genuine commitment to the local population. They hire locally, invest locally and are doing their best to add economic value through training and education of the local communities. They understand deeply that these are not political issues. These are issues of right and wrong and basic humanity. These are issues about the present and the future of human-wildlife coexistence.
For example, one James Campbell – a man who grew up as a potato farmer in Ireland, only to end up on the board of directors of De Beers and Anglo American. In the years between picking potatoes and attending De Beers board meetings, he talked his way into Cambridge University, became a scientist and a geologist, got to know people at the highest levels of business and government, got involved with multiple businesses, and finally became a private reserve owner in a large block near Kruger – where he lives out his dream of being a conservationist.
We met and spent time in the bush and around the fire with Craig Spencer – a park ranger and the founder of the Black Mambas, an all-female local anti-poaching crew. Craig and his team oversee an extensive area of land (40,000 hectares if I remember correctly) and are in charge of protecting it from the barrage of poachers who are intent on ridding his land of its most magnificent inhabitants.
To say that he is a larger-than-life, charismatic personality is to diminish what it’s like to spend time with him. I am not sure if I have laughed harder recently than I did listening to Craig’s tales of his adventures and regaling his bush stories. He is a man from a different time and a different place. A man with the mannerism of a classic British private school education, but the look of a park ranger who has no problem spending a few nights out in the bush with nothing but a couple of blankets and a knife (and one who has never met a barber that he liked).
I will never forget when, in the immediate conclusion of tagging a particularly large rhino (after he had finished drilling a hole in the rhino’s horn so that the microchip can be dropped in), he took a couple of steps back, wiped the sweat off his forehead and then reached into his pocket, pulled out a pipe, filled it, lit it and began smoking it as if he was in some after-dinner gentlemen’s club in London 100 years ago. Classically, while taking puffs from his pipe, I watched him as he walked away from us while muttering something under his breath about how these magnificent animals “don’t stand an f&#ing chance against these f&#ing killers who don’t give a f#%& …”.
While Craig’s competence and confidence were mixed with the wit and humour of a comedian, our other rangers displayed theirs with good cheer, humility, a more quiet charisma, and an equal passion for every aspect of their surroundings. Led by Sean Pattrick, a published author, naturalist and anti-poaching expert with the body of a rhino and the calm personality of a Buddhist monk, these men and women never ceased to amaze us with the depth and breadth of their knowledge.
There was not a question, whether brilliant or not (lots of those) that they did not answer with depth, patience and expertise. Sean and his team were a world of knowledge, entertainment and observations.
But what was most striking about all of our rangers was the almost bizarre combination of their obvious physical strength, humility, respect and passion for the wildlife around them, as well as the sheer depth and breadth of their scientific knowledge about everything from termites and ants, to elephants and giraffe (and every living thing in between). These were the kinds of genuine, humble and intellectually curious people whom I would be proud to have the opportunity to call “my friends”.
I will never forget tracking a lion on foot with Max and a few others, led by guides Sean and Quentin. Max and I walked behind Sean and Dex and watched Sean pick up the hundreds of different tracks over soft and hard surfaces while attempting to get into the lion’s head to figure out where it would’ve walked or under which bush it would’ve crossed. To watch him pick out the lion track amongst a plethora of marks in the dirt was pure magic.
Walking with these guys through the rugged African environment looking for a lion is an experience that one can’t easily forget. The level of harmony that they have achieved with their surroundings, including their understanding of the behaviour of these animals means that actual violent interaction between them and the animals is virtually non-existent and unnecessary.
Although one certainly can’t help but feel exposed while walking amongst the dead grass, the bushes and the rocks, not knowing where a lion could be lying perfectly camouflaged, the confidence and competence of our guides was all that we needed to take in everything around us.
The ability of our guides to pick up on the smallest signals, the tiniest indentation in the sand, the wet portion of a small branch or some broken stalks of grass, and use those pieces to put together the puzzle of what animals were in front of us, where they went and what they were doing, was magic in motion.
The realities of Africa
The single most sombre and emotional experience of our trip came the next day when a group of us hiked from the camp to find a rhino that had been killed by poachers the day before. We had to wait a full day because the location of the kill is considered a crime scene that needs to be investigated by the authorities.
We discovered that the poachers had escaped without the horn, probably because they had heard or seen the anti-poaching units coming towards them.
As you can see, by the time we followed the vultures to the carcass, the lions, hyenas and vultures had mostly eaten the whole animal (the white marks are the droppings from the vultures). As we got closer and closer to where the vultures told us the body of the rhino lay, the mood of the group got more grave and sombre. Grave, because we all knew there could still be lions hanging around the carcass, and sombre because we all knew we would soon come face to face with the reality of the purpose of our entire trip.
Walking up to the site of the rhino carcass was, in fact, as emotional and challenging as one can imagine. What made it more difficult was seeing the genuine sadness and anger of our rangers, at their helplessness. As Craig told me: “Look, I am not used to losing. I’m not used to being helpless. It just drives me mad to realise that I can’t stop this.”
This was not the end, however. Less than 24 hours later we learned that two pregnant rhino cows were killed less than two kilometres from our camp, likely by the same poachers who had not been able to get the horns from the first rhino. Tragically, the pregnant cows were killed and their horns removed. Their unborn calves do not get counted in the statistics, nor will any of the rhino calves that will never be conceived or born from those two dead cows.
The dedicated teams
In addition to the landowners, the rangers and the helicopter pilots – all of whom displayed an incredible command of their craft – we spent time with three of the most impressive and charismatic scientists I’ve ever met in my life: Drs. Cobus Raath, Peter Rogers, and Michelle Henley. These guys led a team of students, volunteers and professionals in what can only be described as Africa’s version of Formula 1 pit stop.
Being with these professionals and seeing them lean out of helicopters to fire darts, land the helicopters in an area the size of a couple of parking spots amongst trees and rocks, jump out of Land Rovers and helicopters to stabilise the animals with fascinating techniques (folding the ears of the elephant over their eyes or keeping their trunks open with a couple of small sticks) – and then within a few minutes take DNA samples, physiological and biological measurements, inject the animals with an antidote and run away and watch while, within a couple of minutes these animals awaken, stand up and walk away, is not something that any of us will ever forget.
We were so incredibly fortunate to be allowed to help in such a hands-on manner, literally working side by side with these professionals on the 13 large animals that we collared and tagged. That privilege was given to us by these scientists who, in their role as team leaders, saw the benefits of involving us in such an intimate and practical manner. As someone on the trip said, these scientists were simply poetry in motion. Watching them direct the teams, in an environment of total controlled chaos, while patiently answering every last question was unforgettable. Their passion for protecting these animals is an inspiration for all of us who may at one point or another seek a higher purpose in what we do. That, in and of itself, was a critical takeaway from this past week.
Finally, I must say a word about my old friend Dex Kotze and my new YPO friends with whom I had the pleasure of sharing the experiences of the past week. I want to say thank you for allowing all of us to experience your backyard in a manner that very few ever have or ever will. The pictures speak for themselves, but the memories and the lessons will be unique to each of us individually. We each know what our take-away was from the past week.
I will hang this experience like another ornament on the Christmas tree of life, and will fondly look back at it often. I will do so because I don’t want to forget the emotional connections we made with each other and with the animals, and want to remember them when the mundanity of everyday life inevitably rears its head.
Watch a video of this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime conservation experience below:
Dan Afrasiabi is President and CEO at Geneva Woods Health Care Services and member of the YPO Pacific and the US at large chapters. He has found a special place in his heart for African conservation efforts and is now a lifetime ambassador for Mother Africa.
Written, and photographs, by Edward Selfe (Safari guide and photo safari specialist)
I have just finished a photographic safari in South Luangwa with Clive and Sue Ferreira from South Africa who booked their safari with Africa Geographic Travel.
They were looking forward to great wildlife sightings and the remote seclusion offered by the Nsefu Sector, and I believe that Luangwa delivered on both! It was a pleasure to take them on safari and show them around South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.
Here’s what Clive had to say of the trip:
“I had a good and instructive time and you certainly have a good eye and know the Canon 1DX well. This was a huge unexpected bonus in addition to you knowing your territory so well and sharing with me your intimate knowledge of the Luangwa bush. I learnt a lot more of my camera and clearly need to practise my fingers with all the new sets of skills. That was a huge bonus and I am eternally grateful.”
Here follows a photographic rundown of the safari:
I will be back in the Nsefu Sector in a couple of weeks’ time running several private photographic safaris with new and returning Africa Geographic Travel clients and once more based out of Zikomo.
It is a privilege and a joy to be able to spend so much time in this magical area, and I am elated to be able to offer this unique and affordable photographic safari alternatives to both SADC and international photographers.
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.
Labelled the butterflies of the sea, we often ask ourselves why are marine flatworms so vibrantly coloured? Is it simply that they can be, therefore they are? Or is there a deeper significance?
The answer is made all the more mysterious because they technically do not see in colour as they don’t have ‘eyes’ with retina and cones, though they do have patches of cells that can detect light and may be able to differentiate between some wavelengths of light.
Some flatworms take up pigments from what they eat, while others because of selection pressures for mimicry (such as mimicking a nudibranch mollusc) and camouflage – increasing their chances of survival and reproduction.
This probably plays a large part in the colour combinations that we see, but as yet we still do not know the exact answer and can only be grateful for their presence because the resulting colours are a pure delight!
Flatworms get their name because they are just that – flat worms. They have very primitive bodies, no internal body cavity, very few organs, they breathe by simple diffusion of gases and digest their food through direct contact, having first excreted digestive juices onto their food.
Many of the marine flatworms are beautiful and free-living, in stark contrast to the more numerous species of dowdy flatworms that live as parasites inside the bodies of other animals.
Flatworms are very small, most of them between 10 – 50mm in length, and usually less than 1mm thick – making them extremely delicate. Being so flat they are very mobile and can squeeze into many crevices, making them hard to spot.
Occasionally they can be found swimming, very inefficiently, by undulating the edges of their flat bodies.
Flatworms are hermaphrodites (they have both male and female reproductive organs), and mating flatworms engage in penis wars (better known as ‘penis fencing’). The first to penetrate their mate releases sperm, forcing the other to nurture the fertilised eggs.
Have you ever heard of nudibranchs? The Mafia Island Marine Park in Tanzania is host to a wide diversity of corals, fish, invertebrates and vertebrates. In fact the diversity was one of the reasons that it was first protected as a fisheries reserve in the 1970s.
Now it is a fully gazetted marine park and a fabulous place to dive, with the water temperature around 26 – 29ºC. This area is a great place for warm-water species as it survived the last coral bleaching event remarkably well with rapid recovery to the vibrancy and pre-bleaching colours and diversity.
The marine park is the home of giants and magnificent marine critters. The big fish dives with giant groupers, giant oceanic manta rays, giant moray eels, and great barracuda are exciting, but do they compare with treasure hunting for nudibranchs?
Nudibranchs (the naked gills) are molluscs, the flamboyant snails of the ocean. Their colours and shapes are stunning, and their multiple forms elegant and striking.
Searching for a new one becomes addictive!
Nudibranchs are often found exquisitely stationed on rocky outcrops, sentinel to the life going on around them, camouflaged or vibrant in opposition to the background colour. Finding a nudibranch is a treat – finding one that you have never seen before an even bigger treat!
Mating nudibranchs are not often seen. They are hermaphrodites and to mate they align themselves right sides together to pierce each other with their penis-like structure resulting in exchange of eggs and sperm. They can do this even in raging currents.
Carnivorous nudibranchs are occasionally found eating one of their kind. Hunting nudibranchs can be found perched and poised to pounce.
Nudibranchs are usually found stationary but occasionally they can be found on the move. To join the current and relocate their muscular foot lets go of its attachment to the coral to roll in the current, paragliding to another destination sometimes helped by a stone and slime anchor that moderates their descent
They are mostly solitary, doing their own thing, though sometimes they can be found in tandem.
Some photographers have a knack of capturing the very moment when nature is showing off the most. That moment could be the supreme magnificence of a huge male lion in full flight or that regal stare of a bateleur eagle. It could be that delicate blend of consternation and inquisitiveness as the aardwolf notices you for the first time or the delicacy of a waxbill sipping water from its mirror reflection. John Vosloo, our Photographer of the Year 2017 winner, is one such photographer. He is living proof that a picture is worth a thousand words, that amateur photography has risen to the heights once occupied exclusively by professionals.
Join us in celebrating Africa’s incredible richness through the lens of this passionate story-teller.
Hong Kong has always been regarded as the epicentre of the global wildlife trade. It appears however that this trade is not adequately controlled by authorities and may lead many species to the brink of extinction.
Unfortunately, many news headlines announce illegal elephant ivory and rhino horn trade being processed through Hong Kong’s borders. Many other threatened animals are caught up in this illegal trade as well, from pangolins and turtles, to wrasse and even hippos – hippo teeth contain ivory, and carvings made from the teeth are cheaper than elephant ivory.
The findings from the study reveal that CITES trade records show that there are discrepancies in the volume of hippo teeth declared by exporters and importers in Hong Kong. Since 1975, Hong Kong has processed 90% of the 770,000kg of hippo teeth that have been traded internationally.
Two countries in Africa stand out as jointly providing 75% of hippo ivory into Hong Kong: Tanzania and Uganda.
Tanzania joined CITES in 1980, and it is the duty of a CITES party to report accurate trade numbers in threatened species. However, since 1980, an amount of 3,176kg of hippo teeth over the declared export amount from Tanzania has been received by Hong Kong. In addition, Uganda, which joined CITES in 1991, has completed 19 trade transactions with Hong Kong, but according to the trade records, Hong Kong has received less hippo ivory than declared by Uganda.
These figures amount to discrepancies in the volume of trade of over 14,000kg of hippo ivory – about 2,700 individual hippos.
Hippo teeth are carved into ivory ornaments. Photo credit: Peripitus/HKU
Hippos are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, and they predict that over the next 30 years the population will decrease by 30%. Over-exploitation and the illegal trade of hippo teeth are some of the reasons for the decline in population, along with habitat loss and climate change. The IUCN also says that with the rate at which population decline is going, hippos could be extinct within the next 100 years.
To prevent further mismanagement of threatened species, the study looks to the authorities, urging them to increase their efforts in checking trade numbers on imports and exports, and working together to report any discrepancies and signs of illegal trade.
If nothing is done, and this sort of mismanagement continues, then hippos and many other species are ultimately headed for extinction sooner than we think.
Hippo teeth products for sale in an ivory shop in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. Photo credit: Alexandra Andersson/HKU
Aptly named the ‘King of Beasts’, lions are an iconic African wildlife species and are often high up on many travellers’ list of things to see when visiting Africa.
However, despite their popularity with tourists, they are not as common as one might imagine, and sightings are never guaranteed. A century ago there were as many as 200,000 wild lions in Africa, but the current estimate is of 20,000 lions, over 20% of their former range. Read more about lions here: The African Lion
For the best chance of seeing lions in the wild, it would be advisable to head to one of Africa’s ‘lion hotspots’.
Here are a few of the top places to see wild lions in Africa:
1. Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem
Stretching over 24,000 km² from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is home to one of the highest densities of lions in the world.
Within this area, the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania boasts the oldest lion research project in Africa, The Serengeti Lion Project, which has been operating for nearly 50 years. In addition, expect good lion encounters in the Ngorongoro Crater, on the fringes of the Serengeti ecosystem. Outside of the Serengeti area, another excellent place in Tanzania to see lions is the remote Ruaha National Park. This arid, baobab-infested safari paradise offers remote safaris for the intrepid explorer.
Across the border in Kenya, the wide-open savannah plains of the Maasai Mara National Reserve make for excellent lion viewing of large prides that are accustomed to tourist vehicles. The Mara lions have been made famous by the popular BBC TV series, Big Cat Diaries.
2. Northern Botswana
From dry savannahs to lush wetlands, northern Botswana has it all, and lions abound in this vast wild wilderness. These lions have adapted to their varied environments and have a wide range of prey species, from elephants and hippos to buffaloes and impala. And in the harsh dry winters when water is scarce, lions even compete with crocodiles to scavenge on rotting carcasses. Okavango Delta lions swim between islands and negotiate channels and floodplains during the annual flood season (June to August) in search of prey.
The Okavango Delta (and Moremi Game Reserve) hosts the largest lion population in the world, but also expect to see lions in the adjoining Chobe, Savute, Linyanti and Khwai areas in the unfenced wilderness of northern Botswana. In fact, further south in Botswana, the Kalahari and Tuli also host good lion populations.
The Greater Kruger is South Africa’s premier wildlife destination and is home to the majority of the country’s wild lions. The Kruger National Park is the size of Wales and is made larger because of unfenced western borders with various private game reserves, including Klaserie, Sabi Sand. Thornybush and Timbavati (famous for its naturally occurring population of white lions) – collectively known as the ‘Greater Kruger’.
Lions occur in all areas of the park, but they can be tough to find in the more remote northern areas. The large open plains of the central areas, and prey density further south, mean that more lions are seen in these areas.
4. Northern Namibia
Namibia’s lion population is spread across the northern reaches of this arid country, with Etosha National Park hosting the most easily accessible population. Etosha lions are best viewed in the dry winter months, and the best strategy to view them is to park at one of many waterholes and wait for them to come to you.
Perhaps the most fascinating Namibian lions are the desert-adapted lions, which occur in the remote Kaokoland/Damaraland region of the northwest, an area of sand dunes and sparse vegetation, wedged between Etosha and the barren Skeleton Coast. These formidable lions eke out a living despite the harsh landscape, low prey density and conflicts with farmers.
The best time to view the desert-adapted lions is during the dry winter season (June to October). During this time, they can be found hunting around the sparse water sources or lazing about in the open, soaking up the morning sun.
5. Luangwa Valley, Zambia
Zambia’s Luangwa Valley hosts the majority of that country’s lion population.
The Luangwa Valley is the birthplace of African walking safaris – a very special wildlife experience for any safari enthusiast. Encountering wild lions whilst on foot with an experienced guide is one of Africa’s quintessential safari experiences.
South Luangwa National Park, particularly, offers incredible lion viewing opportunities, with frequent sightings of large prides of up to 30 lions. The smaller, more remote North Luangwa also offers excellent lion sightings, for the more intrepid traveller.
Elsewhere in Zambia, Kafue National Park is a good place to see lions, particularly in the Busanga Plains area – a vast open floodplain system in the north of the park.
6. Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Hwange hosts a large population of lions and prey species – including large herds of buffalo, a favourite item on the menu. Zimbabwe’s largest national park offers excellent lion habitat – including grass plains, deciduous woodlands and thorn savannah, and the network of waterholes provides good positioning for tourists wishing to experience a lion kill. Just a short drive from Victoria Falls, Hwange is a convenient add-on to your southern African safari.
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The first three-day online rhino horn auction came to a close this past Friday and has been met with “disappointing” results, according to South African rhino farmer, John Hume.
Hume, who owns a rhino farm in Johannesburg, blamed the last-minute issuing of the auction sale permit by Environmental Affair Minister Edna Molewa, leaving potential bidders less than two days to sign up and pay the R100,000 registration fee to gain access to the online auction.
The auction website – that was translated into Chinese and Vietnamese – advertised 264 rhino horns up for auction (almost 500kgs) and was catered toward both local and foreign buyers.
His lawyers released a formal statement from Hume stating, “The auction yielded fewer bidders and fewer sales than anticipated‚ but the legal domestic trade has now been re-established and the road has been paved for future sales”.
He continued, saying that “no longer will rhino need to be killed for their horn. No longer shall the supply come exclusively from dead rhino. From this day live rhino shall become more valuable than dead rhino. Despite government bullying tactics and illogical unsustainable animal rights propaganda‚ we will continue our fight to bring this dark trade into the light in order to conserve our rhinos”.
The names of the buyers, along with the prices the horns were sold at, will not be published. However, according to Hume’s lawyers, “all bidders were duly authorised to participate in the auction and were issued with legally required permits to participate”.
Hume owns 1,500 rhinos on his farm in South Africa, and harvests the horns on a regular basis. He says the method of removing the horns are humane and painless, placing the rhino under sedation while carefully sawing the horn off at a point where it allows for natural regrowth. He also says that this method wards off poachers.
The sungazer – a name that would fit that of a mighty dragon! Well, technically it does, as its scientific name is Smaug giganteus – a wonderful reference to Smaug the dragon in Tolkien’s The Hobbit. And the resemblance to Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon children in Game of Thrones is almost uncanny.
But that is where the fantasy world ends for the rare sungazer lizards, and reality begins.
NOTE: Sungazer lizards do not make good pets, and it is illegal to keep them in captivity.
Why sungazers are endangered
It can be summed up in one word: Humans. In South Africa, the only country where this lizard occurs naturally, the constant increase in human population means that more land is being transformed to meet agricultural, residential and transport needs. These are primary contributors to their habitat fragmentation – not to mention worldwide biodiversity loss. The construction of roads, pipelines and electricity infrastructure are the major culprits.
However, it doesn’t end there. Sungazers are used in the Sotho and Zulu practice of traditional medicine to make love potions. And reptile collectors and others LEGALLY keep them as pets and exhibits. Note that the keeping of these reptiles is legal in South Africa only if you have a permit. 1194 live sungazers were legally exported overseas, to 15 countries, between the years of 1985 – 2014.
There is a much darker side; a side that stokes the fire of the urgency of conservation management initiatives. Sungazers have also become victim of the ILLEGAL pet trade. Highly sought after all over the world because of their dragon-like appearance, these stunning creatures have been reduced to nothing more than a commodity traded for financial gain.
The sungazer lizard is endemic to the Highveld grasslands of the Free State and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. Interestingly, these lizards live in burrows underground, as opposed to around rocks like many other members of their family.
It’s clear that conservation management initiatives need to be implemented to avoid eradication of the sungazer. It can’t be denied that this isn’t a simple task, as the continued development of societal infrastructure and money to be made from illegal harvesting are ever-present.
It’s time to use social media to our advantage. Popular platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are habitually used to advertise sales of sungazers. Experts need to ensure that they are familiar with the jargon and overall “language” of social media. This has #GOT to happen!
Efforts need to be intensified to find a successful translocation method from areas under development to safe alternative areas. Yes, this will be difficult, considering that living in artificial burrows is not their nature, but that is where scientifically sound practical solutions have to be found.
If action isn’t taken now, then unlike Game of Thrones, they won’t be able to renew for another season.
The magic of Mana Pools Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a RAMSAR site of international importance. However, besides these titles, there is a special magic that lives here that safari-goers often describe as ‘the magic of Mana’.
Perhaps it’s the setting on the biodiversity-rich floodplains of the mighty Zambezi River. Or perhaps it’s the opportunity for up close and personal walking and canoeing safaris – and the chance for those once-in-a-lifetime game sightings.
Whatever it is, we on the AG team were lucky enough to experience the ‘magic of Mana’ vicariously through some incredible entries into our Photographer of the Year 2017 competition. All of the images in this gallery were taken in Mana Pools, and for us, they convey that special magic that exists only there. The chance to see it and experience it in real life would indeed be magical.
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One of the most pressing and challenging issues currently facing African conservation is ensuring that elephants and other wildlife can coexist peacefully with humans.
In southern Tanzania, as in many other African places, this relates largely to elephants leaving their national park homes to forage among crops in nearby human settlements.
Not only is this a threat to the local villages’ livelihoods, but it is also a potential threat to elephant populations as the culprit elephants are often killed as a result.
While this is a complex issue, as is the case for most issues relating to African conservation, here we will attempt to break it down using references and examples from the following pertinent article and study – and find out just why killing them won’t solve the problem. These examples are specifically relevant to southern Tanzania and, thanks to the work of the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program, we now have a better understanding of the elephant behavioural patterns relating to this activity in the region.
What causes elephants to eat crops?
The first step to understanding the issue as a whole is to consider why these elephants would choose to venture astray from their natural food sources in the first place. Considering that there are plenty of food sources in the region (including Udzungwa and Selous), there is more than simply diet to consider.
Interestingly, it was found, in the study of Smit et al, that all of the elephants captured by camera traps in the crop fields were male. This is quite a significant finding, given the number of elephants in the region. It was also found, going by the age range of the elephants recorded on the camera traps, that the behaviour of leaving natural feeding grounds to forage elsewhere can be linked to certain milestones in the lives of elephant bulls. These milestones are:
♦ The start of reproduction in bulls, at ages 20-30 years
♦ The reproductive peak of bull elephants at around 40 years old
The relationship between the fact that only males were found foraging in the crop fields, and their age ranges, lies in the fact that bull elephants are seeking high-risk, high-reward behaviour at this stage of their lives. Their willingness to take risks to meet their increased energy demands makes the crop fields attractive to the bulls – not only as a source of food but also as a means of engaging in high-risk, high-reward behaviour, which is necessary for the bull’s development at this stage.
An additional bonus for the bulls is that the distances they have to travel to obtain this risky food source are significantly shortened because of the close proximity of the outer-lying crop fields to the national parks. So, the bulls are lucky to have these crop fields as a convenient source of food and adrenaline – but the impact on the livelihood of the human settlements is significant enough to warrant retaliation and further disrupt peaceful coexistence.
These findings from the camera traps are a fantastic example of how using patient and calculated scientific methods has led to a deeper understanding of animal behaviour, which, in this case, can be used to aid the coexistence between elephants and humans. Crop foraging is a primary obstacle to peaceful coexistence, so it’s important to gain a deeper understanding of not only why it happens but also what to do about it.
In their study, Smit et al. found a high degree of variation in crop foraging among individuals, with most bulls venturing sporadically and infrequently into the crop fields. This is an important finding in relation to prevention strategies because it means that the legal or condoned killing of these bulls as ‘Problem Animal Control’ would result in a higher number of individual bulls being killed – a significant loss for a species already under major threat from poaching in the area. It also means that killing individuals as retaliation to incidents is unlikely to affect crop loss, as many individuals are foraging at irregular intervals.
Further, killing these bulls would mean that the herd loses important breeding individuals, affecting its population dynamics and structure. If the bulls were to continue being killed, the young would potentially lose a vital source of social, behavioural, and ecological knowledge.
Thankfully, there are more effective, non-lethal strategies that have been proven to curb crop losses and the subsequent devastating killing of elephant bulls. For example, in an ongoing study in Kenya, the use of beehive fences has been shown to have an 80% success rate in keeping elephants out of the nearby farmlands – and, what’s more, the community was also able to benefit from the sale of ‘elephant friendly’ honey.
The use of beehive fences is a good example of land-use consideration in community conservation efforts. A negative spin-off of land use inconsideration, together with rapidly growing human populations, has been the destruction of natural wildlife corridors. Therefore, it is now appropriate to consider mitigation efforts more carefully and sustainably.
Finally
Ultimately, it’s about ensuring the peaceful coexistence of humans and elephants in close proximity. Science has helped us understand these complex issues so that we can develop science-backed strategies and solutions—in this case, non-lethal strategies that promote peace.
On the surface, the upcoming legal auction of rhino horn set to begin on August 21 might appear to be a harmless propaganda exercise, but it may in fact signal a deepening of the rhino crisis. Written by Peter Knights, co-founder and CEO of WildAid
The domestic market for rhino horn in South Africa is small, and history shows that criminals will exploit all possible loopholes to obtain horn for trafficking to markets abroad. Further, the track record of South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in regulating legal trade in rhino horn does not instill confidence.
The recent rhino poaching crisis was triggered about a decade ago as new uses for horn – and new ways of obtaining horn – emerged in Vietnam. Vietnamese criminals, working with South African hunters, realised that they could import rhino “hunting trophies” into Vietnam with little or no oversight. This was replicated in China and provided a means for traffickers to supply horns to East Asian markets. The practice, now known as “pseudo-hunting,” was allowed to continue for years without action from the DEA. Although the commercial sale of hunting trophies was prohibited, South African authorities had no way to regulate what was done with trophy horns once they left the country. This will also be the case with horns purchased at auction.
Between 20 and 25% of South Africa’s rhinos are in the possession of private rhino owners, many of whom have stockpiled large quantities of horn from natural deaths and de-horning live rhinos. They portray the forthcoming horn auction as strictly for South Africa-based buyers and, therefore, within the law. Yet the auction has been advertised in Chinese and Vietnamese, leading to confusion and arousing suspicion. These mixed messages have caused the DEA to issue a statement reaffirming that international trade in rhino horn remains banned.
A moratorium on domestic horn sales was in effect in South Africa from 2009 until it was overturned earlier this year upon legal challenge from private owners. Before the moratorium, an average of only 100 kilograms of horns were sold domestically each year, according to a 2014 DEA report. While the figure was believed to be a low estimate, it is agreed that the domestic market is small, with limited demand for horn. Therefore, there is little to gain financially from an auction targeted solely at domestic bidders.
Previous sales before the moratorium indicate that horns will likely be trafficked abroad. The same 2014 DEA report includes information from seven unnamed private rhino owners who sold horns before the 2009 moratorium. One stated that the buyers were Chinese and that s/he suspected that the horns were taken to China. Three others indicated suspicions that the horns purchased had been smuggled out of the country to be traded on the black market. The three remaining sellers were “unsure” of what happened to their horns.
By opening a “domestic” trade in rhino horn with this auction, there is a real threat that, without credible enforcement, these horns will fuel the rampant international trade and sustain the poaching crisis. While rhino poaching has started to decline slightly in South Africa, far too many rhinos are being killed for their horns. In recent years, more than 1,000 of the country’s remaining 20,000 rhinos have been lost to poachers annually, and high-level traffickers continue to evade prosecution.
At the opposite end of the trade chain, campaigns to reduce rhino demand in Asia have shown signs of progress. Horns are now being sold at around one-third of previously reported levels. Opening up a new source of horn through “domestic” auctions in South Africa may well re-stimulate consumer demand, just as “pseudo-hunting” did before it.
At this critical moment for Africa’s rhinos, we would do well to remember the hard lesson learned from legal ivory sales. Although intended to satiate Asian demand, legal ivory sales ignited it instead. About 30,000 African elephants are killed each year for their ivory as the international community attempts to correct its mistake.
Conservationists fear that most of the rhino horn sold at the upcoming “domestic” auction will be taken out of the country. Sellers must also be aware of this, and the DEA must be extremely naive to think that the bidders will be buying purely for the domestic market. We should acknowledge the presence of the rhino in the room and recognise the proposed auction for what it is: the first stage of a wider plan to legalise the export of rhino horn, a plan that the DEA has already put in motion.
Private commercial considerations have been elevated over conserving wildlife, which is evident in almost all DEA decisions. The commercial tail continues to wag the policy dog at the expense of Africa’s rhinos.
So often, we hear from the pro-hunting lobby that by killing free-roaming lions, trophy hunters are actually saving lions. Well, if my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle. The term “sustainable offtake” often creeps into the justification. The trophy hunting of free-roaming lions is about as sustainable as putting ice cubes in a mug of steaming coffee. Let’s dig deeper into this issue of sustainability, shall we?
Consider the following six examples of why the trophy hunting of free-roaming lions is NOT sustainable – from the very countries held high by the trophy hunting industry itself as being paragons of sustainable hunting practices:
1. The Namibian government does not know how many breeding-age desert-adapted lions are left, how many territory/pride males there are, or even how many of each sex are killed during human-lion conflict. They told me so – see this article written by me. And yet each year they set trophy hunting quotas for large male desert-adapted lions. The awarding of trophy hunting quotas off the back of no relevant statistics is NOT sustainable.
2. Namibian laws permit rural livestock owners to request for the lethal removal of predators targeting their livestock – so-called ‘problem animals’. Fair enough. BUT trophy hunters are often used to perform the execution, and we know that trophy hunters want to shoot big male lions. And communities benefit financially when ‘problem animals’ are identified and taken down by hunters. Is it a coincidence then that there is a large bias towards male lions amongst those lions reported as being ‘problem animals’, and consequently executed by trophy hunters?
In the last scientific research report on Namibia’s desert-adapted lions, published in 2010, the author states, when referring to six collared male lions killed by trophy hunters as ‘problem animals’: “In all six cases, however, it is arguable whether the adult males that were shot, were in fact the lions responsible for the killing of livestock.”
This gap in legislation – empowering the two beneficiaries of ‘problem animal’ execution to act as witness, jury, judge and executioner – is NOT sustainable.
3. The above report concluded: “The long-term viability of the desert lion population has been compromised by the excessive killing of adult and sub-adult males. There is an urgent need to adapt the management and utilisation strategies relating to lions if the long-term conservation of the species in the Kunene were to be secured.”
Since then the situation has worsened as regards male lion offtake, with some areas now almost devoid of male lions. Even the last known adult male lion in the Sesfontein Conservancy was earmarked to be shot – again conveniently classified as a ‘problem animal’ – until international pressure forced the Minister to change his mind. A rapidly reducing male/female lion ratio is NOT sustainable.
4. Craig Packer, director of the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota, has led a series of studies identifying overhunting as the major reason for the steep decline in lion populations in Tanzania, the lion-hunting mecca. Packer was banned from entering Tanzania for exposing corruption regarding lion trophy hunting.
Being tagged as the cause of crashing lion populations makes trophy hunting of lions in Tanzania NOT sustainable, and the widespread use of fraud and corruption as a business tool suggests a morally bankrupt industry. Read our interview with Craig Packer here.
5. When 13-year-old Cecil the lion was shot in Zimbabwe, the overriding justification was that he was ‘too old’ to breed or to successfully hold a territory (as if those are the only uses of a mature lion). Then, Cecil’s son, Xanda, was also shot by a hunter, at the age of six – and the professional hunter Richard Cooke knew that Xanda was a pride male with cubs, and lied about the situation. In fact, Cooke also led the hunt that killed Xanda’s other son – at the age of four.
So, lions of all ages are being shot, and the trophy hunting industry lies and re-invents the justifications each time to suit their need to keep the business model rolling. That is NOT sustainable.
6. Rural communities living amongst wild lions have to see meaningful and sustainable benefit from having lions in the area. Lions are often a threat to lives and livelihoods and these people have the right to expect to be compensated to behave differently. After all, the rest of the world has mostly sanitised itself of large predators.
Surely for trophy hunting to be truly sustainable, these communities must receive a significant portion of the trophy fee? A 2013 study by Economists at Large, an Australian organisation of conservation-minded economists, found that on average only 3% of money generated by trophy hunting winds up in the hands of local people.
During research for my article referred to in point one above, Namibian government officials told me that the relevant community only receives about 12.5% of the trophy hunting fee for a quota lion (US$10,000 of the ± US$80,000 fee) – and only about 1% in the case of a ‘problem animal’ hunt. The rest goes to the professional hunting operator. This is NOT fair or sustainable.
This is what we do know about lions: Populations have crashed from about 450,000 in the 1940’s to about 20,000 today – mostly due to human-wildlife conflict, habitat loss, prey base loss and trophy hunting (US Fish and Wildlife Services). There are multiple references in this USFWS document to trophy hunting being a threat to lion populations, including: “Unless reforms are made to the current management of trophy hunting, we expect the declines specifically documented from excessive offtakes in Benin, Cameroon, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to continue. Furthermore, we expect excessive harvests to further contribute to declines in the species across its African range.”
The remaining pockets of lions are increasingly isolated from other populations, and no longer able to disperse and so maintain population genetic diversity and stability. When young males flee from dominant pride males, and seek out other lions, they leave protected areas and are picked off by hunters and livestock farmers – thus preventing the vital dispersal of young lions to other areas.
The surgical removal of big male lions by trophy hunters within the context of the above is NOT sustainable in any way, shape or form – regardless of what the other causes of lion population reductions are. The trophy hunting industry claim of sustainable practises is nothing but a lie. It’s a fiercely protected justification to continue the senseless and outdated fetish for killing off Africa’s big male lions for fun and ego. The fantasies of a few rich people are taking precedence over the survival of an African icon, over the proper functioning of Africa’s wild places and over the tourism industry which brings in many times more revenue, jobs, skills enhancement and societal benefits.
The trophy hunting of Africa’s wild, free-roaming lions is NOT sustainable and has to stop.
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Edward Selfe is a professional guide and photographer who has been living and working in the South Luangwa for nearly ten years.
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.’
Anton lives in Pretoria, South Africa, and works in his family’s property development and investment business. He and his wife, Renate, both have a passion for wildlife, with a particular interest in birds.
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Dan Afrasiabi is President and CEO at Geneva Woods Health Care Services and member of the YPO Pacific and the US at large chapters. He has found a special place in his heart for African conservation efforts and is now a lifetime ambassador for Mother Africa.
