Hunter Mitchell, a young man from Cape Town, has just won the prestigious Action For Nature International Eco-Hero award for his work in raising over R170 000 to help save and raise orphaned rhinos.
Continue reading Young Capetonian wins International Eco-Hero award
We need to stop the slaughter of our rhinos. Rhinos are being poached for their horns, which are more valuable than gold in Southeast and Far East Asia. Vietnam in particular shows a high demand for rhino horn, as where it is often used as a part of traditional medicine. Various conservationists are exploring different proposals to stop this senseless slaughter of innocent animals and save the rhino. Here are the top three most promising solutions that experts have devised.
Continue reading The 3 most promising solutions to rhino poaching
A southern white rhino female, named Victoria, has been impregnated via artificial insemination, researchers announced on Thursday.
“It’s very exciting because this is our first pregnant rhino from artificial insemination here at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park,” Barbara Durrant, director of reproductive sciences at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research told AP.
Continue reading Hope for the northern white rhino subspecies: rhino impregnated in California
Scientists hope that advances in in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques can offer hope for the survival of the northern white rhino, after the last male of the species died last week.
The death last week of Sudan, the last northern white rhino male, has led to worries that the subspecies will go extinct, as the last two northern white rhinos still on earth are female. They are Sudan’s daughter Najin, and her daughter Fatu, both of whom remain at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
Continue reading IVF techniques to provide hope for Northern White Rhino
Rangers in some of South Africa’s nature reserves put their lives on the line almost daily in an effort to protect game that are vulnerable to poaching. On 24 May 2013, Kruger National Park (KNP) section ranger Andrew Desmet was severely injured when he was accidentally shot near the Letaba river by a member of the Defence Force, who mistook him for a rhino poacher during an anti-poaching operation.
It had been a full moon night when Desmet was shot. The result was a collapsed lung, a torn diaphragm, an injured spleen and intestines and a shattered hip.
“Subsequently, infections almost killed me on a few occasions. I underwent many operations to repair the internal damage, including fixing my spleen, lung, buttocks and colon, as well as a hip replacement after all the other injuries had healed significantly enough,” Desmet recalls.
Since then he has focused on rehabilitation and needs to work hard to maintain his fitness. The lasting effects are mostly to his hip and lung capacity.
Today Desmet is still in the trenches, although he is not as agile as he used to be. “I’m still a section ranger (at Letaba). I’m not able to walk long distances in hard terrain like I used to and can’t run. But I have since acquired my private pilot license and am fortunate enough to use a light aircraft very effectively to give air support to the teams on the ground.
“I focus on managing my rangers and supporting them through any operations. Recently, we arrested three rhino poachers who entered the KNP from Mozambique after a long follow-up and recovered all their poaching equipment, including a hunting rifle and a large axe.”
According to Desmet the tactics of both poachers and rangers have changed continuously since 2013. “Poachers develop tactics to get through our defences and we develop counter measures to catch them and disrupt their efforts. In 2013 most poaching was still confined to areas close to the park boundaries, while now it is not unusual for poachers to be found deep within the KNP. Some walk from the boundaries, some are dropped off or picked up and sometimes even staff have been involved, which makes protecting our animals very difficult.”
How have anti-poaching efforts improved from the perspective of rangers since his shooting accident? “They have been better trained and equipped and have become very effective at anti-poaching. We can operate at night and use a wide variety of different tools and tactics to accomplish our goals. If you consider the size of the KNP, which is that of a small country, and the number of rangers, it is truly phenomenal what has been achieved. Our rangers are generally well disciplined, hardworking and committed to the cause.”
In contrast to what is happening in the rest of the country, the KNP has achieved quite some success with its anti-poaching efforts during the past two years. Desmet ascribes this to commitment and passion. “We really have incredible rangers with unsurpassed dedication. Hard work, good leadership and a lot of support from various stakeholders are key. The KNP’s honorary rangers have done exceptional work in supporting us. Other stakeholders, like the prosecutors in the south of the KNP, are also doing great work.”
Over the past decade, more than 1 000 rangers have been killed on duty in Africa, of which 80% by poachers or militias. What advice does Desmet have for fellow rangers who are concerned about their safety? “You always need to be aware of threats out there and try and mitigate any risks as far as possible. Don’t take your security for granted. Always be professional and disciplined. However, if you are passionate about the cause and believe in what you are doing it will be worth it, come what may. Don’t give up or be tempted to be involved in the poaching yourself.”
His goal for the next five years is to halt poachers within the region, aiming for zero poaching and incursions. He says this can be achieved through growing skills and knowledge, improving equipment and tools and contributing wherever needed for the greater good of the KNP.
The shooting accident taught Desmet how quickly life can change. Although that made him change his priorities and realise the importance of his young family, his work is still his passion. If he had a message to himself as a young ranger starting out, what would it be? “Stay focused and disciplined, keep improving yourself, never give up and believe in what you are trying to achieve. Keep fit and have faith!”
A British wildlife photographer was so moved by the plight of our continent’s rhinos that she united 65 of the world’s top wildlife photographers against poaching. The result was “Remembering Rhinos’, a beautiful book the proceeds of which will go to anti-poaching efforts.
For Margot Raggett this journey began in 2014 when she witnessed a poached elephant while on safari in Laikipia, Kenya. Raggett recalls that she was woken up by the sound of hyenas going crazy. As soon as it was light, they found a young male elephant that had died from a poisoned arrow.
“Poachers had targeted him, and I was so furious and upset I resolved to do something about the poaching crisis there and then.”
Continue reading ‘Remembering Rhinos’ with Top Wildlife Photographers
World Rhino Day, celebrated on 22 October, pays tribute to the courageous work of those who are the first line of defense against ruthless poachers. They risk their lives daily, not only by fighting poachers, but also in encounters with dangerous wild animals such as lions, elephants and buffaloes, to ensure future generations will have the privilege of sightings such as the one described above.
The father-and-son combination of Michael and Harrison Cooney set out from the United States earlier this year to honour these heroes, or “The Wildlife Defenders”, as they call them.
Their aim was to highlight the slaughter of rhino in Africa through the creation of photographic images of rangers and other individuals involved in the war against poachers that would tell a story without words. They wanted people to see the photographs and generate curiosity about what it had to do with the rhino war.
According to Michael his entire family has always been committed to wildlife conservation and he and Harrison wanted to focus on the positive work being done. “Harrison wanted to use his photographic talents to recognise the people behind the scenes who are directly involved in protecting rhinos from extinction – the unsung heroes of wildlife protection and conservation.”
Their journey took them to South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe and they covered more than 8 000 kilometres by road and air.
EcoTraining, a training school for guides and nature guardians with facilities in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Kenia, was the Cooneys’ main partner and hosted them at their Mashatu Camp in Botswana and Makuleke Camp in the northern part of the Kruger Park. According to Michael they were warmly welcomed and offered accommodation by many people during their three week trek.
He enthuses about the “unsung heroes” they met along the way. “Where do I begin? Everyone we met is so committed to saving the rhino and other endangered species. Harrison did not want to post more gruesome images of a rhino with half of its face hacked off. As sad as that is, he wanted to draw people to the issue using other humans who are making a difference.”
The Cooneys have big plans to continue focusing on rhino, and eventually expand their project to other threatened animals such as elephants, pangolins, tigers and orangutangs. “We also want to travel to Asia, where Harrison can create images of the unsung heroes protecting the rhinos and other animals there, and specifically visit China and Vietnam to showcase the people in those countries who are working to curtail consumption of the various animal parts and products.”
– Read more about the Cooneys’ journey and enjoy Harrison’s images at www.thewildlifedefenders.org
An integrated approach in the fight against rhino poaching, seems to be paying off in the Kruger National Park. This focused strategy includes creating close alliances in Swaziland and Mozambique, involving local communities and employing cutting-edge technology.
Rhino poaching in the Kruger National Park (KNP) has decreased by 23% in 2016 and by a further 34% in the first six months of 2017, as recently announced by Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa.
Last year, 354 rhino carcasses were found in the park compared to this year’s 243 carcasses in the same period. Although every loss is devastating, the dedicated anti-poaching efforts within the KNP, as well as measures to engage regional, national and international stakeholders, seem to be paying off.
Johan Jooste, a decorated former army major general who heads the KNP’s anti-poaching task team, has emphasised since his appointment in 2013 that only 20% of the answer lies in fighting fire with fire.
Elaborating on his watch as custodian of the KNP’s rhinos, he recalls the three year plan that was implemented from 2013 to 2015, including establishing a well-trained ranger corps, an air-wing and a canine unit.
“In 2015 we phased in sophisticated technology, which included surveillance, early-warning detection and tracking to make detection and intervention possible. These were all force-multipliers to increase the effectiveness of existing measures.
“It took the best of three years to establish a world-class anti-poaching unit, and adding infrastructure and technology. A big part of that was the joint operation centre in Skukuza, which has been in full operation for the past two and a half years.”
Jooste emphasises that although successes have been achieved, it’s still no victory. Tackling the problem at a strategic level with the help of regional, national and international role players, community ownership and consumer management are essential elements in the pursuit of such victory.
“That is why we have established close alliances in Swaziland, Mozambique and with all the communities around us. This has worked very well. Four years ago 75% of the poaching came from Mozambique; now it is only 25%. We work with other governments, who use similar training and equipment. It’s called the Lowveld Lebombo Environmental Protection Alliance.”
As a result of this integrated approach, in the first six months of 2017 more perpetrators were arrested outside than inside the KNP’s borders.
Regarding community ownership, Jooste says although a lot of awareness about poaching is raised, communities must benefit more from conservation by means of rural development. “That is why we need the involvement of more state departments than law enforcement, including social development and the ‘softer departments’. We will have to accelerate this aspect to establish firm and constructive relationships with communities in which they take co-ownership of anti-poaching efforts.
“The other aspect is consumer management – bringing about behavioural change among consumers – which is going to take many years. The two strategic issues in this regard is firstly the collapsing of crime networks, syndicates and smuggling chains. We have to form alliances with other intelligence agencies to improve investigative capacity and intelligence gathering.
“Secondly, we have to keep on working with and exerting pressure on consumer countries like China and Vietnam.”
According to Jooste, the KNP has benefitted from excellent co-operation with, direct involvement in and financial support to the tune of millions of rands from NGOs, other countries, the KNP Honorary Rangers and many others.
“We are thankful that we can show results. We are committed to this marathon we all have to run over the long haul,” says the man under whose watch more than a thousand poachers have thus far been arrested.
Current research by scientists of the University of Pretoria’s (UP) veterinary faculty to improve wildlife immobilization drugs, calls to mind the pioneers of rhino conservation in South Africa after hunting had decimated populations in the former Zululand to less than 100 animals in 1900.
They include Dr Ian Player, whose work is being carried forward by the Player Ntombela Foundation, the main beneficiary of Royal Rhino and Van Loveren Family Vineyards’ collaboration to raise funds and awareness for rhino conservation.
Player, together with a host of other role players, was a driving force behind Operation Rhino in the 1960s. It involved translocating rhino from KwaZulu-Natal to start new breeding populations elsewhere. Since 1961 this operation seeded a healthy rhino population in the Kruger National Park (KNP), where they had been extinct.
Very few and inefficient drugs were available at the time and half-paralyzed rhino had to be maneuvered into transportation trucks. By the time of arrival, the drugs had worn off and the safe release of the aggressive animals was a dangerous operation. (The first four white rhino were released in the KNP on 13 October 1961.)
Enter Dr Tony Harthoorn, a veterinarian from Kenya, and a new immobilization drug that he had developed in co-operation with the pharmaceutical company Reckitt & Colman. M99, later named etorphine, was predictable and without the side-effects of previous drugs.
An effective dosage rate had to be established for various animals and an antidote was also developed. It was determined that a minute amount of the active ingredient would be effective for an adult rhino weighing several tons. This drug was thousands of times more potent than morphine and made it possible to walk a rhino up a loading ramp like a tame horse.
For the first time it enabled the reliable immobilization, handling, transportation and relocation of dangerous and rare animals. M99 would eventually help kick-start the development of the current multi-million rand wildlife industry.
Unfortunately it is also very dangerous and could be fatal to humans. Therefore, an antidote for humans was also developed. Furthermore, the same drug that had played a massive role in saving the white rhino from extinction, has been commonly used by poachers and syndicates to effect the tsunami of poaching that has engulfed our rhino populations during the past decade.
Current research by UP scientists has revealed that M99 has adverse side-effects on especially white rhinos, repressing their breathing and leading to increased blood pressure and excessive trembling. The search is on for more effective drugs.
With the black rhino being critically endangered (there are approximately 5 000 individuals left in the wild) and the white rhino being near-threatened, it is up to modern-day pioneers to heed their cry of despair.
This will require the combined efforts of governments, law enforcement, protection units, rangers, communities, rhino champions and activists, as well as new research by scientists to ensure safer immobilization for this vulnerable species.
Additional source:
Veldstories; Raoul van der Westhuizen; Kejafa Knowledge Works; 2013
Hunter Mitchell from Cape Town is a young man that inspired the team at Footprint Sports Travel to get involved in the fight against rhino poaching, and do our part to help save these endangered species.
Daily, rhinos around the world are being killed for their horns. Whether in a game reserve in South Africa or a zoo in France, these animals are being targeted. There are more rhinos being poached than being born and at this rate, future generations will not have the privilege of encountering these beautiful creatures for themselves.
At 9 years old, Hunter took it upon himself to help raise funds to care for an abandoned rhino named Osita.
Osita was born at Aquila Game Reserve and was tragically abandoned by his mother. The rangers at Aquila put themselves in an incredibly dangerous situation, but managed to rescue the calf. Hunter started raising funds for Osita by donating his pocket money and asking friends and family for donations. It then grew to a Facebook page, radio interviews and billboards around Cape Town. Within months, Hunter had raised R75 000 for Osita. All it takes is a vision, hard work and dedication to be able to make a difference.
The team at Footprint heard Hunter’s story on KFM, and this is where our journey with Aquila began. Footprint Sports Travel has decided to donate a portion of each travel package to Aquila Private Game Reserve we sell. For every person who travels through Footprint, they will be contributing to this great cause. Aquila has recently opened the first rhino orphanage in the Western Cape and needs funds to be able to run this facility.
Each year, Footprint hosts a function to thank our suppliers for all the work they have done for us during the year. This year, Van Loveren Family Wines donated a bottle of Rhino Run The Last One for us to auction off. The auction was a huge success and the wine was bought for R7 000. All proceeds were donated, in Hunter’s name, to Aquila.
Van Loveren’s Rhino Run range was also on display during the function to create awareness of the work they are doing for rhino conservation in South Africa.
Through working with Aquila and Van Loveren, it’s been wonderful to see how many companies are getting involved. Each organization has their own unique way of creating awareness to this worthy cause. I would like to encourage everyone to try and find a way to do their part as we need to stand together to secure the future of our rhino’s.
• This guest post was written by Kate Minnaar, Financial Manager of Footprints Sports Travel.
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