Hi again,
Herewith, some snippets from various sources.
I appeal to you to send me items to distribute to our members for the Cleft Stick, the Game Ranger magazine and to be posted on the web site. These are your magazines and website, so ensure it gets the news that you would like to see in it.
Please let me have any changes to your physical address, phone no. or e-mail address to keep the database up to date. Remember this is the address we will send your Game Ranger Magazine to.
Thanks to all of you who have made the effort. Please will any of you who know of members who do not get this “electric” Cleft~Stick, & have access to e-mail, pass their address along to me.
Don Yunnie
7 Chalet Drive, Hilton, 3245, South Africa Local Tel & Fax (033) 343 1534
Int. Tel & Fax (+2733) 343 1534 cell 082 377 7562, E-mail dyunnie@xsinet.co.za
If you do not wish to receive this e-mail newsletter please send a blank e-mail to me at the above address with the word “Unsubscribe” as the message heading.
Please feel free to write to express your views on the content or the subject of any of the articles in this magazine – to the address above.
Death of ICCN ranger
We are deeply sorry to announce the death of one of our ranger KAKUKE SAFARI, he was assassinated lastly on 8th January 2009.
KAKULE was one of our brave ranger working with Mount Tshabirimu Project to habituate the 20 isolated gorillas group in the northern province 300Km from Goma.
Their patrol post was attacked by Mai Mai militias and during a heavy exchange, we lost Kakule he was trying to save his wife.
This attack happen just a week after we lost 2 park wardens's wives in Garamba National Park, these were killed by Ugandan LRA rebels closer to the border with DRC and Sudan.
We will keep remembering them.
Jean Pierre Jobogo
Readers respond
1) Dear Wayne, Don, Andre and Bryan,
I have been in contact with Dr. Flamand who is involved in the black rhino project in Tanzania for his comment, and sent him the latest Cleft Stick. With his permission I have copied his reply to me for your and the readers' information.
Yours sincerely
Rosanne
Hello Rosanne,
Actually I don't get this, so had not seen or heard of the negative reactions to black rhino going to Serengeti. Actually the rhino will be coming from Thaba Tholo which has the D.b.michaeli subspecies, and therefore the CORRECT one for northern Tanzania. It is the michaelis in South Africa who are in the wrong place! I am actually a little involved with the proposed move as a kind of informal adviser to Brian Harris (excellent ex-NPB man) who is driving it.
Anyway, as usual, people do like to comment about things that they usually know nothing about, so nothing changes.
2) Hallo Mr Editor
I have just read a very interesting letter in your Cleft Stick Magazine whereby” Pete” refers to the Black Rhino translocation process as utter nonsense. I just want to introduce myself as one of the Martians responsible for this translocation project, which incidentally, may be the largest single Black Rhino translocation project ever done to date. There are people who have the vision to acquire extra limital subspecies of an animal in order to safeguard and promote a nucleus of this subspecies. In so doing, sufficient numbers can be produced to translocate to their former home range areas where they have become extinct or limited in numbers. We have proven to most of the disbelieving Conservation bodies, that such an ex - cito project can be of great benefit to contribute to numbers of species who find themselves under great threat in their own home range states.
This population of East African black rhino ( Diceros bicornis michaeli ) has done exceptionally well in South Africa : so much so, that a large number can be taken back to the Serenghetti National Park. As you know, the michaelis are the most threatened of the remaining three Black rhino subspecies and desperately needed some out of the box thinking to produce some (not all yet), solutions.
We prefer to keep out of the limelight, in order not to become a target for poachers, politicians and the media, and to focus on achieving this goal. We will endeavour to remain unobtrusive, for as long as possible, and strive to ensure a solid foundation for this population with the hope that they can continue to breed well, in order to re populate the East African region (including former range states such as Rwanada, Uganda, Ethiopia and possibly Ethiopia).
Keep up the good work, to all your diligent members.
Kind regards
Rubin (Els)
3) In the interests of painting a full picture I also received this additional information
Hallo Richard
Thank you for your very unbiased and thoughtful response to this. To ad some facts to the matter, the following :
Despite the long way we have come and the many achievements with this project, I am by no means under the illusion that we are out of the woods yet, OR that we have made any significant difference to rhino conservation to date. I would therefore like to have support from like minded conservation doers like yourselves. And yes you are entirely entitled to your views and to be skeptical, only time will tell whether we missed the boat with this one or whether we will actually make some or any conservation contribution.
Kind regards
Rubin
AGM Reminder (Again)
This is a reminder that all of you who are planning to attend the AGM in February (16 – 20th) must make your bookings by 25th January 2009, so that hire of tents, equipment etc. and the catering can be finalized. Please discuss with colleagues, and plan to share transport. If you will have a spare seat or two in your vehicle, let us know as soon as possible and we can advertise here in the Cleft Stick for you. All non-Namibian bookings should be made via me, and all Namibian bookings directly with Charlie Paxton at Shamvura. If you have mislaid the AGM information, it is on the website and in Cleft Stick 19 or, failing that, let me know and I will send it to you again.
Members looking to share transport to the AGM
Greetings Don!
Could you please put this insert into the next cleft stick.
Patrick Lane and myself are trying to get to Shamvura for the AGM. We are both in the Western Cape. We are trying to find options to getting to the AGM .We could link up with anyone travelling from SA from the south of Nambia or link up with guys coming from the Lowveld via Botswana. We can assist with fuel costs and driving if necessary. We are open to any other options within reason financially.
Many Thanks
Rhett (Hiseman) [rhiseman@telkomsa.net]
Vietnam embassy in rhino row
YOLANDI GROENEWALD | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Nov 14 2008 06:00
Vietnamese embassy staff member has allegedly been caught red-handed on film in an illegal rhinoceros horn transaction in front of the embassy building in Pretoria.
The footage was captured by the SABC's nature investigations programme, 50/50, two months ago at a time when conservationists fear that the rhino wars of the Eighties are flaring up again.
This year alone more than 40 rhinos have been killed in South Africa, with about 30 of them thought to have been poached in the Kruger Park and 12 in KwaZulu-Natal parks.
In addition, conservationists have accused Zimbabwean and Mozambican conservation authorities of doing too little to stem a new wave of organised poaching, while warning that poaching activities could soon erupt in a "free for all". Under international law it is illegal to trade rhino horn products and in South Africa it is an offence, carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail and a R250 000 fine.
Most fingers point to Vietnamese syndicates, which have sought to monopolise the rhino horn trade in recent years.
A member of a special government investigating team told the Mail & Guardian this week that staff of the Vietnamese embassy were thought to be involved in rhino horn trafficking and were using diplomatic pouches to smuggle the horns to the Far East.
The 50/50 footage -- to be aired on Monday night -- shows a woman thought to be the embassy receptionist talking to a known agent of a rhino horn smuggling syndicate, who hands her a horn. Smiling, she then heads into the embassy.
50/50 tried to get comment from the embassy for two months, without success. The embassy declined to comment to the M&G, but requested a meeting with the paper next week where it promised to respond to the allegations.
Last year the Vietnamese daily, Thahn Nien, reported that South African police had complained to the embassy that one of its officials was conveying rhino horns out of South Africa. Vietnamese authorities allegedly took action against the official, but he was not charged here.
In June another Vietnamese national was reportedly arrested in Vietnam for smuggling five horns, worth R2-million.
An explosive report about horn smuggling, written by a member of the government task team, also alleged that Far East embassies in neighbouring Mozambique may be involved in the smuggling.
The investigator, who asked not to be named, said 55 rhinos have been killed on the border of the Kruger Park in Mozambique, 18 in the past nine months. This and other forms of poaching posed a threat to the South Africa-Mozambican trans-frontier park.
"It is definitely escalating," he said, adding that South African investigators had caught many offenders, but that Mozambican law enforcers let them down at the last moment.
The 18 horns poached this year have not surfaced yet, leading investigators to believe that they have found their way out of Mozambique.
"The Mozambican anti-poaching legal network is quite weak," he said. "In most cases nothing has happened."
The investigator was unhappy that South African authorities were reluctant to get involved because they feared jeopardising bilateral relationships. He said that unlike their predecessors in the Eighties, the new Southern African horn syndicates were sophisticated and well organised and the syndicate bosses rarelygot their hands dirty.
Prices range between R12 000 and R20 000 per kilogram for a horn, but in reselling it, syndicates can make up to R100 000 per kilogram. Prices of horns have skyrocketed in recent years.
International law allows hunters to shoot rhinos legally as trophies. But because rhino hunts are so expensive, it is cheaper to use hunting licences to smuggle poached horns than to shoot the animals.
Investigators say conservation officials lack the capacity to check if the right rhino has been shot.
In June South Africa's environment minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, announced a moratorium on all trade in horns, to counter the smuggling upsurge.
Van Schalkwyk told Parliament: "This indiscriminate illegal trade in rhino is directly linked to organised crime and the fact that approximately 27 white rhino were poached in the Kruger National Park during the past two years, as well as a definite increase in incidents in other parts of the country."
Internationally the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) also established a rhinoceros enforcement task force in July to combat poaching. In Asia poaching poses an even more direct threat to the species.
South African National Parks is conducting a sensitive investigation into poaching in its parks. SANParks head of communications Wanda Mkutshulwa confirmed the increase in rhino poaching.
"We're working hard to stem the tide, as even one rhino poached is one too many," she said. "Our investigators are confident they will be able to come up with good results before long."
According to the World Wildlife Fund rhino horn is a valuable ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine -- despite the absence of scientific evidence of its curative properties. Contrary to popular belief, it is not used as an aphrodisiac.
Considered a powerful heat-reducing remedy, horn is used to treat fever, delirium, high blood pressure and other ailments.
WE NEED YOUR ART FOR EXHIBITION!
we need it now!
At our upcoming Thin Green Line Festival here in Australia on February 14th we would like to exhibit artwork by rangers from around the globe that reflect your special connection to the environment.
Any artwork sold will go to directly supporting the families of your ranger colleagues who have been killed or badly injured in the line of duty.
It can be
- Photos
- Paintings
- sketches
- Poetry
- sculpture
Please Send Photos and scans of other work directly though to this email sean@thingreenline.info
Include please
- a short description of the work,
- where it was taken and
- what it means to you.
Also please include a short description of your work history and ambitions as a ranger or protected area worker.
I need to receive these by January 31st - so don’t be shy... it will help rangers and conservation around the globe
Please also remember you can host your own music event on the same day February to support rangers around the world.... You do not have to raise money if it is not possible...but awareness and a common bond around the world is just as important.
Please go to to http://www.thingreenline.org.au/event_registration to register your own music event
It’s EASY- it just takes someone with an instrument and more than 1 person. It can be informal, small and private, or public and large also. Its up to you!
Simply register your interest and get some friends together for a good cause and be part of simultaneous events around the world.
Many thanks
Sean Willmore
Director
The Thin Green Line Foundation Ltd
sean@thingreenline.info
www.thingreenline.org.au
FEB 14TH- WORLD MUSIC EVENT- REGISTER NOW
Help with Game Ranging days in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe
Hi Don,
I am very excited that my book about my "Game Ranging" days in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe is nearing publication. We are hoping that it should hit the shelves within 6 months. The publishers have asked me to do an afterword about the present situation within the National Parks in Zimbabwe, so that we can draw parallels with what it was like during my era, as I describe in the pages of my narrative. Please can I solicit the required info from my fellow members who have an active knowledge of the situation on the ground right now, particularly within the Parks that I dealt with in my book, namely: Hwange; Chizarira; Mana Pools and the Zambezi valley?
I particularly would like to know the status of the following:
Obviously we are hoping that the book will sell well - certainly Peter Stiff, the publisher, is confident!!! The book covers the latter days of the war and subsequent Mugabe era, and illustrates the trends that were evident already in the early eighties, of what has come to pass. There are lessons therein that will be of interest to people within and outside of the conservation arena. Zimbabwe is very topical right now for all the wrong reasons, so hopefully we will access a larger audience than normal and get something positive out of targeting a wider spectrum of the population than just the converted. Consequently, any exposure of the plight of Zimbabwe's Conservation Dilemma can't harm, so I plead for any useful descriptions/data that will help illustrate the crisis. We have not confirmed the title yet, but within the month we will have settled on something.
Thanks for your assistance, and the anticipated response to my appeal!
Regards,
Nick Tredger [nicjantredger@xsinet.co.za]
Some good news? SATIB “reserved” insurance for game park staff
With the global financial crisis hitting every local consumers pocket, SATIB have once again come up with a unique risk solution - this time to address the needs of staff living on the premises of game reserves and parks.
Game reserves and conservation parks, by their very nature, have a high degree of security in place to keep wild animals in and poachers out. Electrified fencing, 24 hour manned entrance gates with access control, armed game wardens, perimeter patrols and remote locations all contribute to provide a secure haven for the staff who work there. Certainly a far more secure environment than the average employee residing in urban homes in and around cities.
Yet when it comes to domestic insurance, staff residing on game reserves in South Africa are rated the same as city dwellers in terms of risk with little or no cognisance of the unique security measures provided by their occupation. “Not only is crime lower at reserves but the staff also use their personal vehicles less than those living in towns and cities” says John Stapleton, area branch manager for SATIB Eastern Cape, who initiated the ‘reserved’ domestic insurance facility.
“As a result the rates that SATIB have secured from the insurer are generally more competitive than what is currently available to the average person on a reserve. It must be noted that the cover is only available to those people living permanently on a reserve. Should they change jobs and move to another reserve, the cover would continue provided notification is given of the move. But if they move off a reserve, the cover falls away.
We are rolling the SATIB “Reserved” product out nationally and have already had significant interest shown from clients that we have approached, with the majority of their staff taking advantage of the better cover and premiums that are on offer” confirms John.
The product has no impact on the management of the reserve and no additional responsibilities attach to the reserve. In essence this is a facility that SATIB has developed and arranged with an insurer who sees the benefits of the better risk. It functions as follows:
More/
Any issues would be directed to SATIB, who as the appointed broker will resolve them in the interests of all concerned.
While SATIB Reserved is currently only available to permanent residents in South African game reserves and parks, negotiations are underway with the insurer to provide the product to residents in reserves located in Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe with other Africa territories available on application.
You can contact John Stapleton on 083 306 4087 for more information or visit the website at www.satib.co.za
Source: SATIB Marketing / Copyright / Author: Des Langkilde
iSimangaliso's Integrated Management Plan out for public comment
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park (iSimangaliso) is situated in Northern KwaZulu-Natal and was established in November 2000 when sixteen pieces of land, covering 332,000 hectares, were consolidated into a single protected area. This followed its listing in 1999 as South Africa's first World Heritage Site, when it was recognised for its outstanding universal value. iSimangaliso is an important example of significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems.
The Integrated Management Plan (IMP) is a tool that is used to develop and manage iSimangaliso. It is the framework for decision making over the next 5 years, and has been drafted in terms of the World Heritage Convention Act 1999 (Act No.49 of 1999) and National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003 (Act 57 of 2003). The IMP also meets the requirements of other legislation, such as the Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 (Act 18 of 1998).
The IMP sets out to integrate conservation, tourism development, and the local economic development of historically disadvantaged communities in and adjacent to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
The IMP provides the integrated management tools for iSimangaliso, including:
The IMP is available for your review and comment for the period from the 24 December 2008 until 18 February 2009. Holiday makers to the Park over the festive season will have an opportunity to review the Plan, making the IMP available for comment for an extended period of 8 weeks.
Hard and electronic copies of the Integrated Management Plan will be available at the venues below:
KWAZULU NATAL
Durban Central Public Library
Durban North Public Library
Mkuze - Ghost Mountain Inn
Hluhluwe Public Library
Jozini Public Library
Manguzi Public Library
Mbazwana Education Centre and Library
Mtubatuba Public Library
Mtunzini - ACER (Africa) Offices
Richards Bay Public Library
St Lucia Public Library
GAUTENG
Bryanston Public Library
Rosebank Public Library
Blackheath Public Library
Johannesburg Public Library
Pretoria Public Library
MPUMALANGA
Nelspruit Public Library
WESTERN CAPE
Cape Town Public Library
iSIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK
St Lucia Crocodile Centre
uMkhuze - Mantuma Reception
Sodwana Bay - Camp Reception
Kosi Bay - Camp Reception
The Draft IMP is also available on ACER Africa's website: www.acerafrica.co.za under the "iSimangaliso IMP" link.
At the end of January 2009, Open Days will be held to provide an opportunity for the public to discuss the content of the IMP.
KWAZULU-NATAL
23 January 2009 - Protea Hotel Hluhluwe - 09h00 to 13h00
27 Janaury 2009 - Durban Botanical Gardens - 15h00 to 19h00
GAUTENG
28 January 2009 - Protea Hotel Midrand - 15h00 to 19h00
Comments can be submitted in one of the following ways:
By mail: ACER (Africa) Environmental Management Consultants
IMP Consultation Public Participation Office,
PO Box 503,
Mtunzini, 3867
By fax: 035 - 340 2232
By email: IMP@acerafrica.co.za
The comment period commences on Wednesday, 24 December 2008 and ends at the close of business on Wednesday, 18th February 2009. Please make sure that ACER has received your comments.
All those with an interest in iSimangaliso Wetland Park are encouraged to review the draft IMP, attend Open Days and/or submit written comment. Comments received will be considered in the finalisation of the IMP.
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Public Participation Office.
Ms Bongi Shinga or June Mottram
ACER (Africa) Environmental Management Consultants
P O Box 503, Mtunzini, 3867
Tel: 035 340 2715
Fax: 035 340 2232
E-mail: IMP@acerafrica.co.za
REVIEW PERIOD: 24 December 2008 - 18 February 2009
Dune mining for St Lucia?
02 Jan 2009 - The Natal Witness - Shirley Jones
If eco-tourism cannot provide a viable solution to poverty in and around the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the government’s 1996 decision to ban dune mining could be overturned.
This is just one of the disclosures in the iSimangaliso Park’s integrated management plan (IMP), which is available for public comment until February 18.
According to spokesman Roland Vorwerk, the IMP consolidates the extensive planning, public consultation, assessments and strategic and legal decisions, starting with the 1996 no-mining decision. The plan takes a gloves-off look at the challenges facing one of KZN’s two world heritage sites and includes the vision, policy and planning framework for the next five years.
The forested sand dunes of iSimangaliso are rich in titanium ore and a company’s application to mine for this heavy metal was overturned only 10 years after it was submitted, thanks to global pressure and the economic argument that conservation-based tourism could equal the benefits of mining.
However, the IMP suggests that, despite conservation achievements and growth in tourism, the region remains underdeveloped. The uMkhanyakude and neighbouring districts, where 80% of the population lives below the breadline, are among South Africa’s poorest.
“Despite its conservation significance, iSimangaliso as an entity and the biodiversity and economical processes of the region as a whole, including both terrestrial and marine environments, are under threat,” the IMP states.
One of the greatest worries is that because the poor rely on natural resources, the “depletion and degradation of natural resources in communal areas has put increasing pressure on the resources inside the park”.
Other problems are a lack of infrastructure to support tourism development, such as roads, physical constraints, such as sensitive vegetation types, problematic soils, topographical factors and the mosaic nature of the park, and institutional, legal and financial factors.
The IMP notes that another problem has been the slow resolution of land claims in the area. So far, 75% have been settled.
“The slow progress of the settlement of the land claims … has created uncertainty and in many cases worsened the relationship between iSimangaliso and the land claimants … In some areas, there is strong expectation that beneficiaries … will eventually replace the state management agency and have the right to develop tourism facilities and farm without any regulation from conservation authorities,” the IMP warns.
Additional hurdles include crime, HIV/Aids, malaria, a lack of transformation in the tourism sector, poor service and a skills shortage.
While IMP outlines tourism development as an imperative, it warns that iSimangaliso is not an economic panacea for KZN and calls for multi-levelled interventions to ensure sustainable conservation.
Poachers run amok
Zululand Observer Report -
ONE poacher was killed in a skirmish that put an end to the wholesale slaughter of herds of game at a northern Zululand wildlife sanctuary last week.
A gang of heavily armed poachers made their presence known at about 11pm on the night of 23 December, the roars of AK47s and shotguns sending staff and game guards into frenzied action.
‘It was like guerilla warfare,’ said Fleur Wales-Baillie, owner of Khumbula Thina Mountain Sanctuary.
‘We have had this sort of attack numerous times before, by heavily armed groups accompanied by packs of hunting dogs.
‘This time they were undeniably wearing miners’ helmets, with batteries powering their lamps.
‘They were shooting indiscriminately at animals, including some just days old.
‘They also shot at our staff and game guards, and after the ensuing gun battle the body of a poacher was discovered,’ said Wales-Baillie.
‘Police who later attended the scene verified that he had shot at our people, using a shotgun which had the serial numbers filed off
‘These gangs are very organised, carrying illegal firearms and binoculars.
‘Night after night we are kept awake, staying in radio contact as we monitor their movements.
‘My personal opinion is that nothing short of intervention by the army will put a stop to this.
‘It is such a pity that after years of destruction of wildlife from hunters in the past, our efforts to re-stock game parks are being thwarted.’
POSITION(s) WANTED
Dear sir
Thank you very much for your long heart and keeping me informed always.
How was your holidays I hope you are well in 2009, this side in Zimbabwe everything is fine.
What I want contribute in your magazine is the following
My name is Christine Ndlovu I completed my Diploma in 2006 at the Sourthern African Wildlife College in South Africa. I am looking for help in conservation related job anywhere outside Zimbabwe and a sponsership to undergo a degree programme in the same field. If there is anyone who is willing to help there should contact me on my email address chrndlovu @yahoo. Com, so that I could send them my CV. Could you please send me applicatin forms so that I could pass to others who are willing to join the association.
Thank you
Christine Ndlovu
Tailpiece
New Wine for Seniors
California vintners in the Napa Valley area, which primarily produce Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio wines, have developed a new hybrid grape that acts as an Anti-diuretic.
It is expected to reduce the number of trips older people have to make to the bathroom during the night.
The new wine will be marketed as PINO MORE