Cheetah Conservation Botswana, situated among farmlands in the Ghanzi area, has been studying and working to assure a secure future for the nation’s cheetah. The coexistence between livestock farmers and the cheetahs is really the key to their survival.
Category Archives: Natural history
Stars urge Vietnamese to stop using rhino horn
A number of Vietnamese celebrities have been involved in a Stop Using Rhino Horn campaign to raise awareness of the rhino horn crisis and urge people to stop consuming this product because “when the buying stops, the killing can too”.
The ‘inconvenient’ luxury of endangered wildlife in Asia
We examine the use of rhino horn in Asia in terms of it being a luxury goods product. With a record 1004 rhinos killed in South Africa in 2013, rhino horn sells for as much as US$80 000/kg on the black market, double the price of gold.
Leopard chases bat-eared fox
A leopard chases a bat-eared fox down the burrow in the Kgalagadi.
The Lower Zambezi beneath a copper sky
An Australian company’s scheme to mine copper in one of Zambia’s most pristine national parks.
10 Fascinating facts about elephants
It is up to us to save elephants. To do this we have to start with education and knowledge, so in light of that here are 10 facts everyone should know about elephants.
Albino ververt monkey
In the Timbavati Game Reserve this blogger comes across a group of vervet monkeys playing in the road, with a very special albino family member.
Fight for the fynbos fish
Learn about the redfin minnow, the most widespread group of freshwater fishes in the Cape Floristic Region, and find out why these fish face a serious risk of extinction.
Can Jackie Chan combat rhino poaching?
In an effort to combat the illegal trade in rhino horn a communication campaign aimed at Chinese and Vietnamese audiences was launched today featuring popular Chinese film star and martial artist Jackie Chan. STAR POWER Chan’s influence was demonstrated recently by his association with a campaign to save sharks. It resulted in an 18% drop …
100 rhino to be moved to Botswana for safekeeping
South African safari operators and conservation groups have said they plan to move up to 100 rhino to Botswana for safekeeping, as poaching levels spike to new highs.
Jane Goodall on the link between people and animals
Jane Goodall, animal-lover, scientist, researcher, activist and people-person says that in order to save our animals we have to start with the people.
Beware strong language
Is it a good strategy to insult trophy hunters? We discuss the barrage of comments that accompany pictures of trophy hunters on social media sites.
Rhinos: It’s time for Plan B
We do not get a second chance if we get the economics of rhino trading wrong; all the rhino in the wild will be gone. It is time for a Plan B.
Parrots and people
The lives of parrots and people have been intimately entwined for centuries, if not millennia. Given the familiarity of many of us with some of Africa’s parrots it may come as a surprise that we still know so little about their lives in the wild.
Baboon spiders: hairy monsters or furry friends?
Baboon spiders are placid, enigmatic animals that would rather keep to themselves than risk an encounter with human beings. And believe it or not, there are people who are fascinated by them…
Kenyan ranger’s moving letter to American rhino hunter
A Kenyan grassroots initiative, Walk With Rangers, has spoken out against the controversial rhino auction held by the Dallas Safari Club that saw the highest bidder, Mr. Corey Knowlton, cough up a staggering US$350 000 to hunt an endangered black rhino in Namibia.
Did Melissa Bachman, and her friends, shoot your lion cub?
Kevin Richardson discusses the reality of lion cub petting and how this relates back to canned lion hunts and the likes of Melissa Bachman.
Permit to hunt black rhino auctioned for $350 000
A permit to hunt an endangered African black rhino has sold for US$350 000 at a closely watched auction that’s been criticised by wildlife and animal rights groups.
Scientists call for critically endangered listing for West Africa’s lions
The living dead, scientists call them: populations of animals so small their extinction is all but inevitable. At the top of the list may be lions in West Africa.
New population of critically endangered riverine rabbits found
A population of critically endangered riverine rabbits was discovered in the Anysberg Nature Reserve, bringing new hope for the species.
Wild dogs collared in the name of research
An alpha female has been re-collared and two young wild dogs collared for the first time in the 13 member-strong pack at Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia, in anticipation of a natural split in the group. Read the full story here.
Botswana minister in lion trade scandal
Botswana’s Minister of Agriculture, Christian de Graaff, is under fire after he exported a large shipment of lions to a canned hunting outfit in South Africa last month.
Mourning elephants in the Maasai Mara
A bizarre elephant death ritual plays out in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve as a herd of elephants pay respect to an elephant carcass.
Weird and wonderful Madagascar
Madagascar is a place like no other. It’s like mother nature went into a frenzy during some secret experiments in the basement and then tried to hide away the resulting bizarre assortment of flora and fauna on this magical island.
Up close and personal with wild dogs
This blogger was on a walking safari along the Selinda Spillway in Botswana when she had an up-close and personal encounter with a pack of wild dogs.
Meet your cousin: the bonobo
Bonobos are our closest living relatives along with chimpanzees, find out some interesting facts about their lifestyles and social structures here.
Melissa Bachman’s lion hunt – the latest
Melissa Bachman has sparked international outrage after posting a picture on social media, boasting publicly about killing a magnificent male lion in the Maroi Conservancy in South Africa.
Croc attacks elephant
Ian Salisbury managed to capture a sight that not many people will ever see; a crocodile attack on a big bull elephant! See the photos here.
The legend of the fairy circles
Mysterious fairy circles occur in a thin stretch of land that traverses the vast Namib – hundreds upon hundreds of mysterious fairy circles
Cuckolded – a weaver raises a cuckoo chick
Many species of cuckoo are brood parasites – laying their eggs in the nests of other species. This photographer got to witness this firsthand in her garden…
Snared elephant – report back
A young, snared elephant bull would have been put down were it not for Elephants Without Border’s help. Photos of the bull and news on his recovery here.
Lions and baboon play chicken
A photo series of a baboon playing chicken with a lion. The chacma baboon was stuck in a tree with the lions waiting for him at the bottom when he attempted his escape…
Elephant rescued from poacher’s snare
A young bull elephant is saved from a poacher’s snare in Botswana by the Elephants Without Borders team. See the pictures
Trophy hunting in the context of community conservation
A thought-provoking blog post about how a well-managed trophy hunting operation has a positive effect on both wildlife and communities.
The birth of a pangolin
This is Roxy, the most amazing mama Cape pangolin in the whole world.
South Africa’s trophy hunt industry linked to rhino horn trafficking … AGAIN
The trophy hunting industry has been caught using loopholes to traffic rhino horns into the illegal rhino horn market
It’s a bird-eat-bird world
Bird-on-bird action as a pearl-spotted owlet catches a lovebird and proceeds to butcher and devour it in a Windhoek, Namibia garden
11 Interesting Facts about Sociable Weavers
Sociable weavers build massive colonial nests that hang 4m high in trees and telephone posts throughout the arid regions of Southern Africa
The mighty springbok migration
Gert van der Merwe’s personal account of the great springbok migration is told in Lawrence G. Green’s book Karoo. Towards the end of the 19th century, Gert’s family moved their sheep and cattle between decent grazing lands, helped by their shepherds and a San wagon leader who must have previously experienced the migration. “The trek …
The front line of lion conservation
Eventually a shout from below, and a sad find. A young lion, killed by Maasai spears. Her claws, tail and ears are gone – prizes
Scientists discover new giant mole-rat in Africa
The world’s newest species of mole-rat: Caroline’s mole-rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae) has been identified in Zambia by scientists
Former NBA star Yao Ming stands up to poaching
Former NBA player and Chinese icon, Yao Ming, launches a major public awareness campaign about consumption of rhino horn and ivory in China
Maasai people locked out of Loliondo
Loliondo the Maasai community concession and wildlife destinations is in the spotlight as locals clash with trophy hunmting companies
Searching for the elusive Sousa & the mythical sawfish – Part II.
First things first. No, sawfish are not cetaceans. Whales and dolphins are cetaceans; sawfish are sharks. Learn more here
Searching for the elusive Sousa & the mythical sawfish – Part I.
First things first. No, sawfish are not cetaceans. Whales and dolphins are cetaceans; sawfish are sharks. Learn more here
A Close Encounter With the World’s Smallest Whale
Beneath the soaked rags lay a parched and forlorn-looking pygmy right whale, the world’s smallest baleen whale
Update on Rhino Poaching Statistics
We look at the rhino poaching stats as at January 2013, based on data provided by SANParks. This is the beginning of the surge in poaching
Pygmies of Mount Gorongosa
At the edge of the rainforest near the top of the mountain, Naskrecki spotted a shape that was unexpected – Gorongosa pygmy chameleon!
The world’s cutest frog has gone viral
This video of a desert rain frog taken in Port Nolloth, South Africa has hit over 21 million views on YouTube
Dramatic elephant rescue
Written by: Christina Carr at Norman Carr Safaris Most conservationists believe that man should not meddle with the natural order and that we should allow nature to run her course however cruel or grim it seems to be. We agree on the whole, unless a wildlife problem has been created by man (for instance in …
Hyena Men
This series of disturbing and yet fascinating images from photographers Pieter Hugo and Adetokunbo Abiola in their book The Hyena & Other Men
The Naked Baboon
Photos by Ann Warner These pictures were taken outside the complex of the Caribbea Bay Hotel, Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. Says Ann Warner: “We were coming back to the hotel about 4.30pm in the afternoon, when I could not believe my eyes and asked my husband to stop the car. Sitting on a rock was …
Conservation is Politics: Zambia’s Hunting Landscape
On 9 January 2013, the Zambian Minister of Tourism Sylvia Masebo – responsible through its board for the parastatal the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) – called a meeting at very short notice in Lusaka of all the hunting-safari stakeholders. Vice-President Scott attended. Rolf Shenton, the former MP for Mkushi whose father Barry brought the first …
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The 7 Magnificent Elephants of Kruger
Information for this post courtesy of SANParks Over thirty years ago seven impressive elephant bulls, all with tusks weighing more than 50 kg each, could be found in Kruger National Park. Dr. U de V Pienaar – the Chief Warden at the time – decided to publicise these elephants as a successful example of Kruger’s …
Zambia Hunting Ban Update
On Wednesday the Zambian government held a stakeholders meeting in Lusaka in an attempt to thrash out some of the issues surrounding the crisis within the local trophy hunting industry. Chaired by the Vice-President (VP), Dr Guy Scott, those in attendance included a cross-section of hunters, wildlife managers, eco-tourism consultants, outside observers, government personnel and …
Fingers Off the Trigger: Zambia Cancels All Trophy Hunting Licences
Towards the end of last week Zambian wildlife authorities suspended the tender process for hunting concessions and cancelled all hunting licences for the foreseeable future. According to sources and local news reports, Minister of Tourism and Arts Sylvia Masebo has based her decision on corruption and malpractices between the hunting companies and various government departments. …
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Leopard catches more than it bargained for
On a recent trip to Etosha National Park in Namibia I found a Leopard resting in the shade close to a waterhole and decided to hang around in the hope of her hunting Springbok or other antelope at the waterhole. After about two hours I noticed some movement in the water and so did the …
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Tragedy turns to triumph – baby elephant hauled from muddy pit!
Story and photography by Bradley and Annelize White Early one morning as the last bits of sun rose from the horizon, guests departed on a game drive from Imbabala Lodge along the banks of the Zambezi River. Shortly into the drive I heard a call over the radio that a baby elephant had been trapped in …
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Nothing like a good grooming – Ethiopia style!
Ethiopia is the opposite of what the world tells us – there’s nothing that will prepare you for the beauty and richness of experiences this country has on offer. I certainly had no clue what was in store for me the day I visited Simien Mountains National Park. The aim of the visit was to …
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Helpless baby elephant rescued from muddy pit!
Look at this dramatic footage of a baby elephant being rescued by a concerned group of researchers in the Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
24 Hours in Paradise: A Game Count in Zimbabwe
I’m tired but happy. I’ve counted 14 different species and there are literally hundreds of animals spread out before me, cropping the fresh emerald grass that is sprouting through the black ash left by a veld fire that tore through here a week ago. Zebras are braying everywhere and between the jostling herds are rare …
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The legend of the Mapogo lions
“Legend” – A person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated or romanticised tales or exploits. ‘Legend’ is a word that is thrown around all too often in this day and age, but the term surmises the reign of the Mapogo lions in the Sabi Sands to perfection. For the last six …
Rare spotless cheetah sighted in Kenya
Armed with a spotter plane made by the Israeli army (and coincidentally called Cheetah), a radio and a LandRover in hot pursuit, wildlife artist Guy Coombes went in search of the elusive ‘morph’ cheetah. “I was told about this incredible ‘morph’ phenomenon that has not been seen for over 90 years…the last one recorded was …
