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.
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KUDU AWARDS NOMINEES AND RECIPIENTS
SANParks have pleasure in announcing the Kruger National Park nominees and recipients of the 4th Annual Kudu Awards which took place on Thursday, 26 June 2008 at Utopia Place in Pretoria. This was a glittering event which was not supposed to be missed and we are proud about all our winners. The coveted Lifetime Contribution Award went to our evergreen Mr Louis Olivier commonly known as “Oom Louis” who has served and dedicated his life for 39 years in this organization as a Ranger.
LESEDI
KNP – 9/1/1/3 (08) 21 JULY 2008
“KNP 110 Conservation Celebration”
CONCERNING
RANGER LEGEND ON TV THIS WEEKEND
ITEM ONE: Be sure to watch KNP ranger living legend “Oom” Louis Olivier recount his epic battle with a crocodile on DSTV this weekend.
ITEM TWO: Our colleague, “Oom” Louis, saved the life of a ranger colleague Tom Yssel when he rescued him from the jaws of a crocodile in the Sabie River on Sunday November 21, 1976. This was an action which was to earn “Oom” Louis the South African Government’s highest award for bravery, the Wolraad Woltemade Medal.
ITEM THREE: Staff members can watch the broadcast which is in Afrikaans on DSTV Channel 111-KykNet’s “Reise & Soetkyse” programme this Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 08:30. There will also be an article on this issue in the August Edition of Mooiloop Magazine so be sure not to miss it.
ITEM FOUR: For more information regarding this matter, please contact KNP Media Relations Practitioner, Raymond Travers on 013 735 4116.
Please circulate this to any Golfing buddies you have
GAME RANGERS ASSOCIATION OF AFRICA
ANNUAL “ RANGERS CHALLENGE”GOLF DAY
SPONSORED BY NISSAN SA & VUSWA FLEET SERVICES
At Hans Merensky Estate, 1st November 2008
Format - 2 Ball Betterball
Dear Sir/Madam
The “RANGERS CHALLENGE” Golf Day, now in its 11th year, has provided the Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA) with a unique way of raising funds. All the proceeds go towards enhancing the role of the African Game Ranger, whose duty it is to ensure that all existing and future conservation efforts are maintained.
Last year the Golf Day raised R65,300 for the GRAA, and we would like to sincerely thank all the participants for their valued support. We look forward to another great event this year!
There are a number of ways to become involved in this enjoyable day:
By sponsoring a team you also qualify for the Lucky Draw for one of three wonderful prizes.
For a fee of R500 you will be entitled to display your company’s logo or banner at one of the designated places (tee box or green).
The GRAA will appreciate any donation of prizes that will be awarded and handed out on the day. Two identical prizes per team. Sponsorship will receive due acknowledgement
There will be excellent prizes on offer and, as in previous years, we hope to have prizes from first to last place!
Entries
Please complete the attached entry form (it can be obtained either from me or Merle - ed). Entries and correspondence may be faxed to Mpumalanga Promotions at (013) 735 5195 or e-mailed to Merle@mpu.co.za. Please ensure that entry fees are paid up before the closing date on 31st October 2007.
Entry fees
Please note that the bank details have changed to:
Account holder: Game Rangers Association Lowveld
Bank: FNB Bank, Branch Code 220325
Account number: 62004629244
Deposit slips should please be faxed to Mpumalanga Promotions on (013) 735 5195 to verify payment.
Cheques should be made payable to “Game Rangers Association Lowveld” and must accompany the attached entry form and posted to:
Mpumalanga Promotions
P O Box 814
Graskop
1270
For more information regarding the GRAA Lowveld Region, please browse our website at www.gameranger.org.
Accommodation has been booked at the Hans Merensky Club and Sefapane Lodge, but other alternatives can be found on the website www.twosummers.com.
We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming your participation in our “Rangers Challenge” this year.
Sincerely
Merle Whyte
Mpumalanga Promotions
082 465 2827
It’s that time of the year again – to nominate a deserving colleague for an award. Please note that, where possible, these forms must be submitted via a regional committee meeting, who will recommend, or otherwise, this award to the Africa Committee. Please use the format below or on request I can email or fax a form to you. You will also have to consult the Constitution
Name of person nominated for award _________________________Membership no.______
Category of award proposed – see constitution for details of category - Tick a Box
Norman Dean Award - Gold Medal
Name of Proposer ________________________ Signed___________________________
Name of Seconder ________________________ Signed___________________________
Incident for which the award is proposed – use more paper if necessary.
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Proposed citation to be printed on certificate accompanying award (20 – 30 words)
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Period over which event took place (if not included above)________________________
Corroborated by___________________________ Signed _____________
Note this nomination must be presented to the November AC meeting for processing to be in time to be presented at that year’s AGM in February the following year.
Accepted by Regional committee (Region) __________________________
Date _____________ Signed (Chair)_________________________
Accepted by AC Date ______________ Signed (Chair)_________________
Clothing Range – 2008
For those who have not visited the website recently, photos of the new range of clothing are on display – go to www.gameranger.org and go to Items for Sale.
Tanzania: Sh5 Million Bounty for Killers of Top Warden
The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Mkinga Mkinga
A reward of Sh5 million awaits anybody providing information that would lead to the arrest of suspects who killed a top game reserve officer.
The Kingupira Selous game reserve officer, Mr Pasiansi Masonda, was shot dead last Friday by unknown assailants.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources, Ms Blandina Nyoni, who announced the reward, said information from the public would be treated confidentially.
The deceased was killed at Selous game reserve by a gang believed to be involved in game poaching. According to information from the ministry, he was living alone in the game reserve at the time of the incident.
Ms Nyoni requested villagers living near the game reserve to provide tips to the ministry headquarters.
Meanwhile, the permanent secretary warned people involved in illegal sale of bush meat, saying it was strictly prohibited by law.
She said the ministry was aware of the widespread trading in bush meat that may be fueling game poaching.
"The bush meat business, in any condition, is strictly prohibited and anyone caught flouting the law will be dealt with accordingly," she warned.
She said anyone importing game meat from anywhere must have a special permit.
However, she appealed for cooperation from wananchi living around game reserves to check the malpractice.
"Anyone helping the ministry arrest people involved in illegal hunting will be awarded ten percent of the hunting fee charged on the animal killed", she said.
Unreleasable wild cheetah males
Hi
I have at least three un-releasable wild cheetah males (between 3 to 5 years of age) available for captive breeding projects. These cheetahs were received through the NCCF Compensation and Relocation Program with injuries and have now all recovered. Due to their injuries (mostly leg injuries) they cannot be released back into the wild , and the next obviously responsible thing to do with these cheetahs is to make them available to the captive breeders for genetic supplementation.
I do need to make up for the medical expenses on these cheetahs and they are thus up for a minimum donation of R20000.00 each which will go into the NCCF Compensation Project Account. They are relaxed and have become habituated to human activity. Can you please distribute this to NCCF members and also to the members of the newly established SA Captive Breeders organisation. The only requirement is that these cheetahs may not be exported out of SA, and may not be hunted. It is a requirement that they remain on the Cheetah Studbook.
Interested Breeders or Zoo?s are welcome to contact me regarding these cheetahs.
Regards
Deon Cilliers
Conservation Manager
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildife Trust
De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project
Mobile: 0828531068, Fax: 0866529444, Email: deon@dewildt.org.za
Global survey of protected areas
www.thingreenline.info
Can any readers help these chaps?
I have been given your contact details by Nils Odendaal, who has very kindly provided us with information on NamibRand Nature Reserve, and the social impact assessments that are being carried out there. We are conducting a global survey of protected areas to evaluate how many protected areas measure social impacts, and he has suggested that you may be able to provide us with similar information for other private protected areas in Africa.
There are 4 very brief yes/no questions (below), which take under 2 minutes to complete per protected area. He put forward that you may be able to post these questions (it is also attached as a word document) to conservation professionals in your bi- monthly newsletter, which is sent out to the Game Rangers' Association of Africa (GRAA’s network)? We would be extremely grateful if you could at least just forward it on to a few reserves for us, thanks in advance for you help with this study,
Best wishes,
Vanessa Richardson
As a conservation professional, we would like your expert input for a global assessment of protected areas.
UNEP-WCMC are undertaking a rapid global assessment of a variety of protected areas to establish the extent to which data are now being collected on the social costs and benefits of protected areas. We are interested in gathering examples from terrestrial and marine protected areas from around the world and under a variety of governance regimes (such as government national parks, private protected areas, community conserved areas, or government/community co-managed areas).
This study is part of a larger process that involves UNEP-WCMC1, IIED2, TNC3, CARE International and Imperial College (London), amongst others. The aim is to provide advice to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other stakeholders on the best ways to measure the social benefits and costs of a protected area (where they may be necessary or appropriate), which would include making recommendations to the CBD on a set of approaches that could be used to collect unbiased and relevant information.
We’d very much appreciate some basic information about your Protected Area and answers to four simple questions (please respond no later than July 31st). All responses will be anonymous.
Protected area name:
Designation:
Country:
IUCN Protected Area Management Category (Ia-VI):
We appreciate and are grateful for your time.
Kind regards,
The Protected Areas Programme
Definitions:
POSITION(s) AVAILABLE
Site Manager
Areas of Performance
Requirements
Offer: Comprehensive benefits include competitive salary and benefits commensurate with experience and qualification. On-site housing is available for rent and monthly shopping transport to Walvis Bay is provided. Submit applications with comprehensive CV and letter motivating your suitability to the Executive Director, Dr Joh Henschel, joh.henschel@gobabeb.org.
Administration Manager
Areas of Performance
Requirements
Offer: Comprehensive benefits include competitive salary and benefits commensurate with experience and qualification. On-site housing is available for rent and monthly shopping transport to Walvis Bay is provided. Submit applications with comprehensive CV and letter motivating your suitability to the Executive Director, Dr Joh Henschel, joh.henschel@gobabeb.org.
Tailpiece
THE HORTH WHITHPERER
A city cop was on his horse waiting to cross the street when a little girl on her new shiny bike stopped beside him.
'Nice bike,' the cop said, 'did Santa bring it to you?'
'Yep,' the little girl said, 'he sure did!'
The cop looked the bike over and handed the girl a $5 ticket for a safety violation.
The cop said, 'Next year tell Santa to put a reflector light on the back of it.'
The young girl looked up at the cop and said, 'Nice horse you got, did Santa bring it to you? '
'Yes, he sure did,' chuckled the cop.
The little girl looked up at the cop and said, 'Next year tell Santa the dick goes underneath the horse, not on top.'
1 UNEP-WCMC: United Nations Environment Programme –World Conservation Monitoring Centre
2 IIED: International Institute for Environment and Development
3 TNC: The Nature Conservancy
4 By livelihoods we mean more than one’s sources of income. A term that encompasses the dynamic dimensions of poverty and well being such as the 5 types of assets or capitals including Human; Natural; Social; Physical; and Financial capitals (see DFID’s livelihood framework
5 A broad sense of wellbeing including local definitions and concepts of poverty in the context of access and benefit sharing, rights and local culture
6 Refers to any assessment or form of documenting intended and unintended livelihood consequences (both positive and negative) of protected areas on local communities
Purpose: This position requires the coordination of a broad spectrum of services. The applicant must have a hands-on approach to problem solving and the ability to effectively manage a small team of locally
based staff members. The Gobabeb Training and Research Centre is a non-profit organization situated in the Central Namib Desert and is located along the Kuiseb River, 120 km southeast of Walvis Bay in the Namib-Naukluft Park (www.gobabeb.org). The applicant should have an appreciation for the Centre’s mission of promoting sustainable lifestyles, conservation and environmental rehabilitation in drylands through innovative research, long-term monitoring, broad-based training, outreach, networking and tourism.
Purpose: This position is accountable to the Executive Director for effective and efficient operation of centre and client administration, reception, financial management, secretarial services, dissemination of information and instructions to staff, implementation of business contracts, and liaison with institutional partners. The Gobabeb Training and Research Centre is a non-profit organization situated in the Central Namib Desert and is located along the Kuiseb River, 120 km southeast of Walvis Bay in the Namib-Naukluft Park (www.gobabeb.org). The applicant should have an appreciation for the Centre’s mission of promoting sustainable lifestyles, conservation and environmental rehabilitation in drylands through innovative research, long-term monitoring, broad-based training, outreach, networking and tourism.