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Cheetahs to India + best pics + Mara safari
I am deep within Rwanda’s stunning Akagera National Park on a journey of discovery; prepping for Ukuri – our upcoming partnership with African Parks. Ukuri means ‘truth’ or ‘authentic’ in the Kinyarwanda language spoken across Central and East Africa. Next stop is breathtaking Nyungwe National Park!
A huge thanks to those who have registered to be advised once we go live with Ukuri. It would appear that the appetite for reasonably priced responsible safaris is healthy. If you are hearing about this for the first time, please read my editorial of last week.
Two quotes resonated with me this past week; perhaps they do so for you?
- “Facts don’t care about your feelings” – Ben Shapiro
- “As scary as it gets it’s just turbulence” – Pink
Keep the passion
Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic
TRAVEL DESK UPDATES:
MAASAI MARA MIGRATION SEASON – 7 days – From US$4,585pps
Experience the Great Wildebeest Migration in Kenya with this carefully crafted itinerary. Stay at Sentinel Mara Camp, perched on the high banks of the Mara River in a cool riverine forest, and explore Musiara Marsh and Paradise Plains – known for their excellent cat sightings.
ART ON SAFARI – 7 days – From ZAR60,150pps
Join this popular art safari in Big 5 Timbavati, Greater Kruger – and hone your skills with professional wildlife artist Alison Nicholls. Soak up the peace of the wild, create art on game drives, and enjoy a peaceful stay at Kambaku Safari Lodge. There are only three spaces left, so don’t hesitate to book!
From our Editor – Taryn van Jaarsveld
This week I am quite taken with our action-packed Photographer of the Year gallery. There are some fantastic pics: from the image of an airborne hyena bursting out of the battle scene surrounding a giraffe kill (which reminds me of an Inferno-esque Renaissance painting) to various scenes of skirmishes and combat; from displays of showmanship to incredible captures of colour, depth and culture from the continent. See this week’s gallery below.
Our second story is a fascinating and poignant read. The reintroduction of cheetahs to India is dividing conservationists. A second group of southern African cheetahs has just made their journey across the world to Kuno National Park. Is this an ecologically unsound vanity project or a conservation victory for cheetahs, and for Indian ecosystems? Read more in our story.
Happy celebrating Africa!
Story 1
https://africageographic.com/stories/photographer-of-the-year-2023-weekly-selection-week-3/
EXTRAORDINARY PICS
Photographer of the Year 2023 entries for Week 3 are here! Enter for a chance to win your share of US$10,000 and a Botswana safari
Story 2
https://africageographic.com/stories/a-passage-to-india-how-the-journey-of-southern-africas-cheetah-divided-the-experts/
CHEETAHS TO INDIA
Is the reintroduction of cheetah to India an ecologically unsound vanity project or a conservation win?
From our Scientific Editor – Jamie Paterson
Did you know that there are fewer than 12 Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) left in the wild? This according to a statement from the Iranian Department of Environment at the start of 2022. A few days ago, the only cub in captivity died of kidney failure.
As I was sifting through the controversy surrounding the translocation of southern African cheetahs to India (which you can read about in our second story below), this fact struck me as unbearably sad. And it was so under-emphasised by the media attention surrounding Project Cheetah.
Asiatic cheetahs are now, for all intents and purposes, extinct – vanished from this planet with barely a ripple of concern. And those conservationists that dedicated their lives to protecting the last of them? Some of them languish in prison, and one has died, because their camera-trap monitoring techniques were decreed “spying” by the Iranian judicial system. Where was their outcry?
WATCH: Farmer Jennifer Cloete farms sheep and goats in the mountains of the Kamiesberg, South Africa. But the wetlands her livestock graze are vulnerable. With the help of Conservation South Africa, farmers like Jennifer are able to find alternative ways to access water when the wetlands need to recover (01:58). Click here to watch
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