THIS WEEK

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Eagles hunt lion cubs + guide harasses elephant calf + Chinko, CAR

Pula! The early rains have arrived in my beloved but parched Lowveld, and my soul is soaring. Although I am currently taking time out in the gorgeous Garden Route (also in South Africa), regular updates from colleagues and friends allow me to enjoy the rains vicariously 🙂

Speaking of awesomeness, this has been a year of enormous growth for our safari business, and our plan to be the coolest safari company in the world is taking shape. Why the growth ambitions? Simply put, the more safaris we sell, the more we can invest in conservation media and the more donations we generate. Did you know that we donate a portion of the revenue from every safari sold to carefully selected conservation projects that make a significant difference at ground level? AND YET, our most significant contribution to conservation is our conservation media – to educate the world about ground-level reality – from decoding science to celebrating this place’s extraordinary biodiversity, exposing non-sustainable behaviour by members of the wildlife industries and more. Along the way, we have collected a few haters (nothing like shining that spotlight into dark corners to generate angst), but, more importantly, we are gathering a community of passionate people who want the best for Africa.

Thanks for walking this inspirational journey with us, and stand by for more of everything that helps us celebrate Africa and do good!

Simon Espley – CEO, Africa Geographic

From our Editor – Taryn van Jaarsveld

Hunting for hidden treasures? Forget buried chests – Cape Town’s real gems are blooming right under our noses. After nearly a century of assumed extinction, the elusive salt pan daisy (Cotula myriophylloides) has reappeared in a flooded wetland in the Transnet Railway Reserve. This flower was last seen on the Cape Flats in 1926. Conservationists have been on the lookout ever since, hoping for a miracle return.

This rediscovery is a nod to Cape Town’s rich, lost ecological past. Flowers like the daisy were once very common. But habitat loss and pollution led to its demise. Wetlands, often overlooked, are critical. They filter water, reduce flood risk, support biodiversity, and make the city a greener place. In a city juggling urban sprawl with ecological needs, the salt pan daisy’s resurgence is a reminder that nature’s resilience is tenacious. Cape Town’s wetlands might hold more surprises yet.

This week, we focus on the lion-hunting martial eagles of the Mara. We also follow Kingsley Holgate’s journey to Chinko and report on a shocking incident involving a guide’s harassment of an elephant calf in Savute. Check out these stories below.

DID YOU KNOW?

We donate a portion of the revenue from every safari sold to carefully selected conservation projects that make a significant difference at ground level. YOUR safari choice does make a difference – thank you!

Story 1
https://africageographic.com/stories/chinko-phoenix-rising/
JOURNEY TO CHINKO
Kingsley Holgate & the Afrika Odyssey team are connecting 22 African Parks protected areas. Read about their trip to Chinko, Central African Republic

Story 2
https://africageographic.com/stories/martial-eagles-hunt-lion-cubs-in-mara/
EAGLES HUNT LIONS
Martial eagles have been recorded hunting lion cubs in the Mara ecosystem. A new study delves into the extraordinary behaviour of this apex predator

Story 3
https://africageographic.com/stories/guide-seen-harassing-distressed-elephant-calf/
ELEPHANT CALF HARASSED
A guide’s behaviour is in question after his interaction with a distressed elephant calf in Savute – here are the photos and an eyewitness account

TRAVEL DESK: 

What’s at the top of your bucket list? Big 5, beach vacay, gorillas or chimps? Or why not try a combo? The safaris below will give you the best of many worlds. Let our safari experts start planning your unique safari today!

Alternatively, browse our other ready-made safaris here, and browse our epic safari destinations here.

Vusa the Lion Guardian

How to help young children and their families understand the complexities of human-wildlife conflict in Africa? The Southern African Conservation Trust (SACT) has designed an educational comic to inform learners and their parents about human-wildlife conflict between subsistence farmers and the lions that target their livestock. This comic also demonstrates a possible solution for protecting wildlife: the use of bomas to protect livestock at night. The comic includes easy instructions on how to build bomas and protect cattle.

SACT need your support to get 10,000 of these comics into South African schools – both bordering the Kruger National Park, and around other provincial and national reserves.

Interested in supporting this important project? Visit our Collar a Lion Campaign page here for more details.

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