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
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Sad News - OBITUARY: BRUCE ROBERT BRYDEN
It is with great sorrow that we heard the news of the passing away of Bruce. He will be remembered with fondness and respect by his former colleagues and friends in Conservation and in the GRAA of which he was a Professional Member (209).
Bruce Bryden was born in Johannesburg, RSA and was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, followed by Honours in Wildlife Management at Pretoria University. In 1971 he started his career in the Kruger National Park as a graduate assistant biologist.
He progressed through the ranks as a Section Ranger, District Ranger, Park Warden of Karoo National Park (1977-80) and Regional Ranger to become Chief Ranger in 1983 (in the meantime he managed to successfully complete his Masters in Wildlife Management in 1976). He became Head of Conservation Support Services and held various positions until his retirement in 2001. Since then until his untimely death, he and his wife Helena have been living in Knysna.
He is the author of the bestseller book “A Game Ranger Remembers” (2005). It is a collection of stories about the life of a bushveld conservationist as it is lived at the ground level by that elite band of men and woman who guard the Kruger National Park – at the cost of much sweat and tears and, not infrequently, quite a bit of blood.
They have two children – Annie, now married to Glen and Robert – and a grandson, Bryden.
Bruce passed away on the 16 May 2009 due to malaria. On behalf of the African Committee of the GRAA and the membership of the GRAA we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family during this very difficult time.
Nog ‘n Hardekool het geval!
May he rest in peace.
--- For those of you, who remember Bruce Bryden, please watch 50/50 next week Monday 25th May on SABC 2 at 19h30. There should be a short input in honour of Bruce.
Share with others as well, please.
Rhino anti-poaching meeting
A Rhino anti-poaching workshop will be held at Skukuza on the 8th and 9th of June 2009 and GRAA has received an invitation to send a representative to attend this meeting. This provides us with an opportunity to offer our skills and expertise with regard to the training of rangers to address this issue, especially with regard to areas under private management.
There will be a GRAA member attending this meeting in KNP. If anyone has any relevant information or issues to be raised, please pass to me (ed) for inclusion at meeting.
Lions maul suspected poachers
14/05/2009 13:05 - (SA)
Thandy Ndlovu
Skukuza - Rangers rescued two suspected rhino poachers who were mauled by lions in the Kruger National Park.
The two men were hospitalised and charged with trespassing and the possession of an unlicensed AK47 assault rifle and pistol.
Emmanuel Ngobeni, 34, and Mtlakavaka Matose, 35, of Masingeri in Mozambique appeared in Skukuza circuit court on Wednesday.
They were not asked to plead and were remanded in custody until they appear again on May 27.
Skukuza branch commander Inspector Willie Broodryk said rangers who were on patrol at the Nwanetsi concession near Satara camp on March 17 heard the two men calling for help.
"They found the two suspects crawling along the ground as they couldn't walk after being attacked by lions the previous night," said Broodryk.
He said the men are believed to have fired the two weapons to chase the lions away as there were spent cartridges on the scene. There was no evidence that the lions were injured, however.
The men denied the weapons belonged to them, so police have sent the weapons for forensic tests.
The men are believed to be rhino poachers, as rhino poachers are known to use AK-47s to kill the animals.
The two men were flown to hospital where they were treated for two weeks for injuries before being discharged.
Rhino poaching THE HERALD 18 May 2009
3 poachers shot dead, From George Maponga in Masvingo
Three suspected poachers, who were part of a five-man gang allegedly intending to kill rhinos at Malilangwe Trust Conservancy in Chiredzi, were last weekend shot dead by a joint team of police and game rangers following a prolonged exchange of gunfire.
After the shootout, inside the conservancy, one of the five suspects escaped while the other one was apprehended while holed up in their getaway Toyota Hilux parked along the Chiredzi-Tanganda highway.
A police team and game rangers ambushed the poachers at Chipangadzi Bridge inside Malilangwe following a tip-off.
Masvingo police spokesman Inspector Phibion Nyambo said the names of the three were being withheld until their next of kin had been notified.
"Three suspected poachers, all of them from Gweru, were shot dead following an encounter with our officers who were on patrol together with game rangers from Malilangwe.
"We managed to arrest one of the suspects and also impounded the Toyota Hilux which they wanted to use as a getaway car.
"However, one of the suspects managed to flee and we are looking for him. We managed to recover two rifles, — a .303 and a .306 — which the suspects were using.
"We also recovered 58 live rounds of ammunition and some spent cartridges," said Insp Nyambo.
He said the bodies of the poachers were taken to Chiredzi District Hospital for post-mortem.
It is believed that the poachers arrived at Malilangwe Trust Conservancy aboard a Toyota Hilux with the intention of killing rhinos and dehorning them.
Police, acting on a tip-off, teamed up with game rangers and ambushed the suspects inside the conservancy.
They encountered the poachers at Chipangadzi Bridge and ordered them to surrender.
But the suspects started firing at the police and game rangers prompting a prolonged gunfight that resulted in the death of the three.
Insp Nyambo said police were increasingly worried by the rampant poaching of rhinos in the Lowveld.
Last year poachers killed about 13 rhinos in the Lowveld.
Only recently, another suspected poacher, Starford Machirori, was shot dead by game rangers while poaching rhinos at Kyle Recreational Park.
Zimbabwe is up for discussion at next year’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species meeting over the increased poaching of rhinos, which are classified as endangered species.
Zimbabwe has lost about 70 rhinos over the past 12 months to poaching, according to Parks’ official statistics.
EDITORIAL Boost anti-poaching resources
THERE is a disturbing rise in incidents of rhino poaching in the country with at least 70 rhinos slaughtered for their horns in the past 12 months.
The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority together with the police have responded swiftly by increasing patrols, where in the last two weeks four poachers have been killed while several others have been arrested during separate contacts.
However, the biggest challenge is lack of resources, particularly trained and equipped personnel, to cover the length and breadth of some of our parks and conservancies.
Another worrisome thing is the fact that there are now well co-ordinated local, regional and international syndicates involved in the poaching of the endangered species.
The sophisticated organisation of the poachers is a clear reflection of the lucrative and staggering profits in the illegal rhino horn trade in the international market.
But sadly for us, the resurgence in rhino poaching has attracted the attention of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Zimbabwe should now expect strong criticism.
The country has since been placed on the agenda of the next Cites meeting scheduled for next year.
However, we should continue working very hard and never allow poachers to get on top of the situation and ruin our record as international conservationists of repute.
Areas targeted by rhino poachers are Lake Chivero, the Midlands, Hwange and the South-Eastern Lowveld, where there were many unlicensed guns smuggled through the country’s border with Mozambique.
While the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is weighing up a number of strategies to combat poaching, it is clear that further delays will only translate into more losses of the endangered species.
Although it is necessary to recruit and train more rangers to beef up the current units in order to cope with the new challenges posed by poachers, the Authority can in the interim rope in the army and the police.
The idea of involving the police is not new as they have come in the past, helping the Authority employ the intensive patrol zones strategy, which was successful in curbing poaching of endangered species.
During the latest contact at Malilangwe Trust Conservancy in Chiredzi, the poachers showed determination to exchange gunfire. Therefore, they should be prepared to face the power and force of the police and the army.
We are all aware what has happened in some neighbouring countries such as Zambia and Mozambique. The black rhino has been poached to extinction.
Here, rhino poaching has in the past years been rampant in national parks, which prompted the authorities to relocate most of the remaining animals to conservancies.
But now these conservation efforts are having little long-term impacts as poachers are determined to enter the conservancies.
With rhino poachers demonstrating that they are undeterred, we can only successfully combat poaching by directing the necessary resources to adequately equipped and trained personnel.
Conservation in ZambiaWilliam Soko, ZAWA
Zambia is one of the countries in Africa, which has set aside huge tracts of land for conservation and preservation of natural resources. There are 19 National Parks and 35 Game Management Areas, which make up 30% of the total area of the country.
The largest National Park, Kafue is 22 000 km2 and the smallest is Nyika at 80 km2. There are also 73 private ranches in the country.
Four National Parks have been identified under the Transfrontier Conservation Areas namely the Nyika TFCA, Lukusuzi – Kasungu TFCA, Lower Zambizi and Mana PoolsTFCA and KAVA TFCA. The KAVA and Nyika TFCA have so far been fully implemented and consultations have reached advanced stages in the implementation of the others. The stakeholder consultative meeting for the Mana Pools and Lower Zambizi National Park was held on 23rd March 2009. The result was overwhelming support for the programme by all the participants, including chieftainess Chiawa.
A corporate body called the Zambia Wildlife Authority has been mandated by Government to manage these protected areas through consumptive and non-consumptive utilisation. Consumptive use is mainly conducted in Game Management areas where sustainable harvesting of wildlife is done. These GMA’s also act as buffer zones surrounding National Parks where only non-consumptive use is practised. Like elsewhere, non-consumptive use is by game viewing and photography.
Wildlife Police Officers (Field Rangers) are mandated to patrol and police the protected areas against illegal off take. These officers have powers to arrest and prosecute offenders. The Wildlife Police Officers are strategically placed in camps in and around protected areas from where patrols are launched. Park Rangers (Section Rangers) plan and supervise operations in the protected areas as well as collect and record data captured by patrol teams. The most challenging element faced by our staff in the field is the lack of schools in very remote areas for their children.
There are also some endangered species in Zambia such as the black rhino, which almost became extinct in the late 1980’s. The black rhino has been re-introduced in North Luangwa National Park and the species has since started reproducing and is on the increase.
Presently, the war against poaching has largely been won by ZAWA due to intensive law enforcement programmes that have been implemented by the current management. This includes better training and up to 20 days every month spent on law enforcement by each officer.
GRAA AGM 2010
The Lowveld committee have set the dates and made the bookings for next years AGM. It will be held at Berg-en–Dal in KNP. This will be the place to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Please put the dates in your diary now. 1st to 4th March 2010
Thin Green Line
I have the pdf copy of the April to June issue of the Thin Green Line(187kb). Should you want to see it please drop me a line & I’ll forward it to you. ed.
TREE IDENTIFICATION IN THE LOWVELD
Sunday evening 30th August to Saturday morning 5th September 2009
Eugene Moll will facilitate a 5 days (6 nights) tree identification course at The Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC). The course will also focus on some of the plant ecological issues facing the KNP and Timbavati area in particular.
The cost of this course is R5,500.00 per person inclusive of food and accommodation at the SAWC, transport for fieldwork + armed guard, and two night drives.
Participants are required to find their own way to and from the SAWC.
The SAWC is some 10km west of the Orpen Gate to the KNP on the northern side of the tarred road and some 70km from Hoedspruit. The SAWC is ~2km off the tarred road and the ~30ha Campus has an electric perimeter fence; the Big Five have been spotted between the tarred road and the Campus.
A minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 people are required to make this course possible (bookings will be on a first come first served basis).
Should you be interested in joining the group please contact Alice Moll on amoll@telkomsa.net for further details.
Tailpiece
Subject: Kulula!
Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg. Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."
"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
From a Kulula employee: "Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favourite."
Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."
"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."
And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this
flight!" Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town: The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment.
Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."
Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."
A plane was taking off from Durban Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, non-stop from Durban to Cape Town, The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax... OH, MY GOODNESS!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger then yelled, "That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!"