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Cleft Stick 21 of 2006
IN THIS ISSUE
Pioneer conservationist dies in Zim

In memoriam

Green Helmets database

Mark Paxton, Black Mamba bite

Appeal to GRAA Members

GAME & HUNT

CONGO: September 11

Heartfelt plea

African Indaba

The SA Natural Heritage Programme

POSITION(s) AVAILABLE

Tailpiece

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 magazine 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.
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 C~S ” as the message heading.

Pioneer conservationist dies in Zim

It is with regret that we have to report the passing on one of our members. Pioneer conservationist dies in Zim, IOL, September 07 2006 at 09:19PM Harare - One of southern Africa's most noted conservationists, Clem Coetzee, died after suffering a heart attack at his farm in southern Zimbabwe, family members and friends said Thursday. He was 67.

Coetzee, an internationally renowned veteran game ranger who pioneered techniques to relocate elephants and a wide range of wild animals from habitats affected by drought and environmental degradation, collapsed Sunday after an early morning tour of his farm and its wildlife research and breeding pens in the Triangle district, about 400km south-east of Harare.

"His death is a great loss to wildlife conservation not only in Zimbabwe but elsewhere in Africa," said Justice for Agriculture, a farmers' support group, in a tribute Thursday.

Coetzee developed methods to move elephants in family groups by darting them with sedatives from a helicopter and lifting them via heavy duty rubber conveyor belts into truck containers or freight train cars, where they were revived and fed and given water for journeys of hundreds of kilometres.

In the Gonarezhou nature preserve in southern Zimbabwe during a drought in 1992 he moved at least 40 elephants to new habitats in neighbouring South Africa in the first operation of its kind in which electronic tracking microchips were implanted beneath the animals' skin.

Subsequent groundbreaking research showed the elephants suffered no ill-effects of being moved as long as the family unit of bulls, cows and the young was left mostly intact.

The technique was later used to relocate game animals in Kenya and several other African countries. He was also responsible for spearheading a campaign to sedate and saw off the horn of the endangered African rhinoceros as a means of combating rhino poaching.

Rhino horn is prized in the Middle East and Asia for traditional dagger handles and as a medicine in its ground form.

Coetzee is survived by his wife, Em, his daughter Beth, his son Vicus and three grandchildren. A funeral service is planned in the garden of his farm in southern Zimbabwe on Saturday. - Sapa-AP

--- A second source states Gentlemen,
Just to let you know that Clem Coetsee died of a heart attack yesterday morning at Triangle, Zimbabwe. For those of us who had the privilege of working with him, there is little doubt in our minds that he was one of the greatest rangers Africa has produced. Clem was a quiet and modest man who gained the respect of all who served Part of the legacy he leaves is the technique of catching and moving entire herds of elephant, a method he developed with one tractor, two old landrovers and some second hand shipping containers. In the drought in 1992, he moved more than 500 animals from the Gonarazhou National Park to Madikwe and the Save valley conservancy - pioneering the way for this option in controlling elephant numbers.
Cheers
Jeremy.

In memoriam

I again have to report the death of rangers. At the beginning of this week, an anti-poaching unit in Tanzania were attacked. One Field ranger is dead, a driver critically injured and another ranger has been discharged from hospital. This is the same unit I presented an award to at the IRF Congress. Tim Snow

Rangers Shot
Dear Tim
On Friday one of my anti poaching teams on patrol in the Moyowosi Game Reserve ( Far western Tanzania) was attacked. They were on patrol with a Government Game Scout close to the Malagarasi river when their Land Cruiser was ambushed. Game Scout Mtemi , Field Ranger Eluid Rutozi and Driver Ranger Mohamed Mruma were all wounded by automatic gunfire. Fortunately they were close to a hospital, about 3 hours away, where they were stabilized . Medical care was limited there so we organized them to be evacuated by plane to Mwanza to a larger hospital . Sadly Game Scout Mtemi passed away on Sunday afternoon. A sad loss to all and his dedication and enthusiasm will be missed. Field Ranger Rutozi was fortunate to receive only flesh wounds and has been discharged from hospital and is currently at home with his family. Driver Ranger Mruma a long term employee of the Friedkin Conservation Fund however is in a critical condition and yesterday we had to get the Flying Medical plane to airlift him to another better equipped hospital close to here and his family. He was shot twice in the stomach and twice in the upper legs. He has been stabilized but still remains critical and still requires further surgery once he has regained some strength.
A follow up operation is under way by the police, Wildlife Division and ourselves. The poachers that attacked the vehicle are known elephant poachers. All the Game Reserves in Western Tanzania are experiencing elephant poaching. This is largely due to the fact that there are a number of Refugee camps strung along the Western border. They house displaced Burundians but have also become bases for criminals and poachers alike.
As I have said elephant poaching is on the increase and far worse than is being admitted too.
Hopefully this sad incident will generate the needed support and action from the powers that be! Only the Game Scout was armed in the team. My rangers are not allowed to carry firearms something we have desperately been trying to change. Maybe now we will make some headway.

I was actually with Jobogo , our colleague from the DRC when the news come through of the passing of Game Scout Mtemi. Having had similar experiences he was very supportive to all concerned.
To add a more positive note I have just returned from the Lake Nyamagoma area in Western TZ were we ran a large operation with our plane and we managed to arrest 39 poachers over 6 days. This is far fewer than in the past so the patrols are paying off. I will keep you informed of Ranger Mruma’s condition.

All the best
Keith Roberts, Anti-Poaching Manager, Friedkin Conservation Fund
P.O.Box 2782, Arusha, Tanzania, Cell:+255 (0) 787686829

Green Helmets database

For some time the GRAA has proposed a concept of the "Green Helmets". The name should rather be the "Protected Areas Advisory Group" or similar, because the idea has been that such a group could offer their services at short notice (a one month to 1 year term - for payment; with a percentage payable to GRAA funds) as part of what the GRAA do and stand for, to maintain standards of conservation and PA's. The original concept is based on the fact that PA's are often damaged after conflicts such as wars or political upheavals, and such a group of advisors could be deployed as advisors and consultants when the area is stabilised by the UN "Blue Helmets" or democracy. This proposal does not mean becoming part of the conflicts. The objective is post-conflict reconstruction.

The idea of having trained conservation managers who were able to be deployed to areas in trouble has a great deal of merit. Especially if there is international funding for it! We need age, health, experience, special skills and availability. Availability in terms of lead in time for deployment and possible length of time the individual can spare away from their normal life. There needs to be some indication of what sort of remuneration would be acceptable to each individual. Once we have a reasonably comprehensive database we can pursue this issue or forward it to all the normal funding agencies.

So I appeal to all who have the skills required to advise on re-establishment of PA's, or any other appropriate skills such a infrastructure development (building Field Ranger outposts etc), or any skill which you believe is appropriate towards fulfillment of this objective; to submit and expression of interest together with a concise CV to Ron Physick via e mail to ronphysick@kznwildlife.com, by 31 October 2006. Please include full contact details and your conditions of availability.

Ron will advise the Africa Committee of the response from members by mid November, and a decision will be made whether to pursue this concept or not. Regardless of this decision, the respondents' skills and availability will be made available to potential employers via the website in due course.

Regards
Tim Snow
Africa Chairman, Game Rangers Association of Africa, www.gameranger.org, IUCN Member NG1567

Mark Paxton, Black Mamba bite

yesterday, Saturday, September 09, 2006 10:38 AM From: Charlie Paxton
Hi All,

Before the rumours all get out, (within hours of the incident, while at the Dr's clinic I had phone calls, from all sorts of people), I thought I had better clarify information.

Firstly, We need to thank people for offers of help, airlifts, driving and assistance to shoot Mark and get it over and done with

What happened:

Follow-up for those interested, Mark seems almost fully recovered, yesterday (post bite day 1) he had very distended spleen and liver which pushed a bit on his diaphragm and unless he was upright or flat had difficulty breathing and he was dark under the eyes. However was up, about and although he tired easily still made it up and down the HILL. Today much better, abdomen less distended, breathing better and is out fishing with Ralph. A full recovery, hopefully the neurotoxin poison might have a positive effect on his brain, we can always hope! In fact he is recovering more quickly and more easily than he did from both the Cobra and Puff-adder bites. For those he was given anti-serum, plus a bit of tissue damage??
Clearly what was left in his body of the toxin, plus medicines where being filtered and sifted through the liver and spleen. The protein molecules in BM poison take about 12 hrs to start breaking down. I must say I am a bit tired today, but getting things together for the work on the resettlement farms. I leave tomorrow morning.
I will be releasing the BM tomorrow somewhere far from habitation.

Cheers
Charlie.

Appeal to GRAA Members
Author seeks Zululand Lion “Campfire Anecdotes” & information about the “Demoina” floods in Umfolozi & Hluhluwe Game Reserves (January 1984)

Do you have any interesting short memorable “campfire tales ” to share about encounters with Zululand’s lions, and any information & photographs of the 1984 “Demoina” floods in Mfolozi/Hluhluwe?
Any contributions or assistance would be greatly appreciated and should be submitted to the contact detailed below.

For the past 50 years, I have been researching and collecting material for a book that spans the “History & Saga of the Zululand Lions”, chronicling the demise of the lion from the 1800’s and spans the history of their re-introduction in 1965, until their current day status, and unpredictable challenging future.

The book pays tribute to “those many dedicated people who strived over the past century to save Zululand’s priceless wildlife heritage”. It concludes in this, the 21st century, with the challenges of conflicting conservation and political agendas, hungry land claims by an ever expanding population, and the effects of increasing violent crime on wildlife tourism in the region.

It is hoped this publication will one day become a useful historical reference source, for future wildlife managers and this centuries conservation decision-makers.

“Campfire tales” & any special Zululand lion photographs.

Of specific interest is do you have any short, memorable, unpublished anecdotes about encounters with the Zululand lions during the course of either your work or trail duties as rangers, and which are destined to be lost in the wilderness mists of time?

In addition do you have access to any special photographs of these lions, whether on kills, at a river/waterhole scene, large black-manned lion or anything else unusual like climbing trees, ravaged by illness, etc; & including general shots of interest which could include lions within access of the tourist roads and whilst on wilderness trails.

Photographs can be black and white or colour slides, prints or digital ranging from the mid-1900’s to current times.

Recent lion sightings from Umfolozi/Hluhluwe Game Reserve, Conservation Corporation’s Phinda Private Game Reserve, Munyawana Conservancy, Mkuze Falls Private Game Reserve or Tembe Elephant Park are all relevant.

1984 “Demoina” Floods in Umfolozi/Hluhluwe Game Reserves

I am trying to track down that small band of rangers who were in the reserves during the devastating “Demoina” floods during January 1984.

I’d appreciate any stories of just what it was like to experience the horror of the “once-in-centuries” flood and any information as to the extent of the loss of animals and their habitat, the destruction of the majestic riverine sycamore fig forest is well known.

In addition and of great significance, what I’m after is any photographs of both the flooded Black & White Umfolozi rivers, particularly the low level causeway on the road to Mpila. Any leads as to who may have some photographs would be most valuable.

I’d greatly appreciate any assistance you can provide, as so many of the GRAA members have already done on other topics in the book.

Many thanks,
Tim Condon
Any information can be sent by email to: tim.condon@shaw.ca
Or by post to ::Tim Condon, ,877 Ross Road, ,North Vancouver, V7K 1C4, ,CANADA

LETTER FROM MR GERHARD WIEHAHN PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH IN THE JUNE 2006 EDITION OF GAME & HUNT WITH THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S RESPONSE

Hunter mentality

Dear Hunter,

Many times I’ve read letters in magazines from nature lovers voicing their concerns about hunting practices in Africa. For picking up a pen and voicing their opinions, I salute them!

There is, however, always the other side that is quick to retaliate by trying to justify their hunting activities with an arrogance that I typically expect from modern hunters. Frankly I’m sick and tired of this beating about the bush about hunting and the lame excuses these so-called hunters use to make themselves feel better or trying to bullshit people. Maybe a six-year-old will believe this but who do you think you’re fooling in the real world?

Excuses like: “There is a place for hunting in environmental management.” Please . . . that is such a cliché and maybe try at least to be more inventive like you are when it comes to your “campfire” stories. Where is this so-called place for hunting and who decided on such a place . . . is it maybe your self-proclaimed game farms where you “own” the animals? Where you can shoot them where they are confined and have no chance against you? Where you can sell them and hunt them for big money to enrich yourself?

Us humans decided to destroy their natural environment which they owned long before us. Now we confine them in small, proclaimed areas that cover less than 5% of the country. We put up fences to ensure they stay there and let them multiply, and when their numbers become too high for their big camp, you come and cull them or crop them! Is this maybe the “place for hunting in environmental management” that you preach?

Manipulating animals’ space and shooting them because their natural born instinct to reproduce causes a problem is nothing less than disgusting to say the least . . .

Excuses like: “The hunting industry generates millions of rands in revenue annually for nature conservation.” If so much money goes back to wildlife, where is the extra land these animals so desperately need? Where is the upgrading of facilities in our parks? Why is every single wildlife project handicapped to be dependent on sponsors and donors like myself? Why, with all your millions that you bring in, is our wildlife fighting the last fight for survival? Sorry hunter, I do not see any of your money where you preach it to be!

What I do see is your Bonnox, eight foot game fences, your fancy houses, your big 4x4’s, holiday mansions at the coast and a lifestyle to die for. A lifestyle blood-stained from the animals you preach to love and care for.

Excuses like: “Hunting has been part of Africa for hundreds of years.” So be it . . . but hundreds of years ago people were primitive and hunted to stay alive. They didn’t mount trophies at the bar and frame photos with the hunter’s foot on the corpses and a smug grin on the face. Nor did they make over-spiced biltong to enjoy with a beer while watching the Bulls playing the Sharks. Nor did they compare the prices of their weapons or the fantastic ballistics that managed to kill at 200m plus!

Excuses like: “It’s a sport and a challenge.” Small things amuse small minds. Tell me, what kind of sport is it when there are no equal grounds between competitors? What kind of challenge is it when there is only one outcome?

Still you argue and argue . . . big rifles, super fast rounds, telescopes strong enough to pick a tick on a hundred yards, 4x4’s with long-range tanks to travel a thousand miles to shoot the animal where it cannot escape you. The planning you put into your hunting trip, the preparations are precise. All just to pull that trigger and then call yourselves conservationists. Pathetic!

Still you answer with arrogance. Still you will tell me there is no place for emotions when it comes to this. No place for my emotions but place for you to pull the trigger . . . a suspiciously convenient argument I would say.

I do expect some of you to respond with obscure scientific statistics, but your statistics do not reflect the outcome on the score board. These responses just prove how you try to justify your actions. Whether you kill a baby seal with a baseball bat or shoot a springbok with your .270, you do it for the “sport”. Please feel free defending what you do, for I know nothing will convince you otherwise, but know for sure that one day I shall stop your practices. I love and protect animals in word and deed, unlike your words and deeds that are worlds apart . . .

Gerhard Wiehahn
Grumeti Reserves,
Sasakwa, Western Serengeti, Tanzania

--- Jan van der Walt, Editor-in-Chief, responds as follows:

At first I wasn’t sure whether at all to publish Mr Wiehahn’s letter, which reflects a large degree of prejudice, ignorance and faulty statements. It is, however, a good example of the sentiments and fallacies of the animal protection and anti-kill crowd and although they are past redemption, it could do some good to put the facts into perspective for those people who are more rational.

It is of course a futile exercise to try and explain to these persons that the hunter is an ethical, skilful person who appreciates nature and contributes to conservation. Even equipped with a camera instead of a rifle, it is a challenge to compete with the cunning of an animal to get a successful “shot”.

It would be meaningful to take a closer look at the role of hunting in conservation and the relevant economic realities.

Only 23.4% of South Africa’s soil is suitable for cultivating crops, 11% of which is in any case marginal. Of the 62.2% of the soil surface that is only suitable for grazing, 36.2% is also marginal. A further 14.4% consists of desert and mountain areas. A large part of our country is therefore only suited for the conversion of available grass, shrubs or trees into food by means of animals.

In this respect the role of game is becoming increasingly important, resulting in more than 10 000 game ranches that jointly cover a bigger area than all the national parks and provincial reserves combined (16-20% of the country’s surface and not less than 5% as Wiehahn maintains). Due to the commercial value attached to game because of hunting, there is more game on private ranches now than in all the parks and reserves combined. Game numbers have also increased to much more than a century ago and game can be harvested economically without a decrease in the population. This is how hunting promoted conservation in practice. There is no question of “our wildlife fighting the last fight for survival”.

Local and overseas hunters combined with harvesting teams who cull game for commercial marketing of venison, kill some 600 000 game animals each year. Those opposed to the killing of animals, while they themselves thrive on the country’s food products, should take note that 2.671 million cattle, 6.192 million sheep and 1.974 million pigs are slaughtered commercially in South Africa each year. In terms of meat mass almost just as many chickens (598.636 million) are slaughtered annually (11.512 million per week!).

Do people realise that the hands of the NSPCA are also “blood-stained” as a result of an animal’s “natural born instinct to reproduce”? In 2001 they already had to put down (kill) 78 681 dogs and 57 274 cats per year.

These outspoken animal lovers/anti-kill/anti-hunting people who would regard the above as “obscure scientific statistics”, should ask themselves why the internationally acknowledged World Conservation Union (IUCN) at their World Conservation Congress in 2004 accepted the following resolution:

“Recognizing that in much of southern Africa, wildlife on communal and privately owned land is accommodated because it also provides an economically viable form of land use; and that where it is successfully implemented, well-managed consumptive utilisation, including recreational hunting, enables retention of wildlife populations and ecosystems functions on large areas of land that would otherwise be used for agriculture; and
Recognizing further that the management of these populations and their habitats contributes to biodiversity conservation;

The World Conservation Congress at its 3rd Session
Supports the philosophy and practice that on state, communal and privately owned land in southern Africa, the sustainable and well-managed consumptive use of wildlife makes a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation;
Accepts that well-managed recreational hunting has a role in the managed sustainable consumptive use of wildlife populations;
Condemns the killing of animals in small enclosures where they have little or no chance of escape; and Recommends that agencies in southern Africa responsible for:

  1. the control of wildlife utilisation and hunting, should implement measures to ensure that codes of high ethical conduct and standards are achieved and maintained in accordance with the Earth Charter (Article 15b); and give use to the remains by the local communities;
  2. biodiversity conservation takes steps to increase public awareness and understanding of the role of ecologically sustainable use of wildlife.”

With regard to Tanzania specifically, where Mr. Wiehahn is apparently “protecting” animals, note should be taken of a recent statement by Professor Tim Caro from the University of California, who researched wildlife biology and management issues in Tanzania for 25 years: “So if you look at the big picture, conserving the numerous species that live in an area – plant, fungi, insects, birds, reptiles, etc. – does it really matter if hunters reduce the lion population or the eland population to very low levels? Probably not, so if you direct your attention to many species, or biodiversity as it is now called, hunters have a very positive effect because the money that they bring into the country makes it economically worthwhile for the government to protect an area”.

Wildlife scientists worldwide agree that well-managed hunting as a form of sustainable utilisation of wildlife does play a positive role in conservation.

People’s personal aversion to the killing of animals can be respected but they should not push their personal preconceptions down other people’s throats.

CONGO: September 11

2006, KINSHASA - Wardens in Congo's giant Virunga National Park face an unusual and deadly challenge: heavily armed militia fighters are eating their elephants.

Just as wildlife was starting to return to Virunga after a decade of war, an offensive by Democratic Republic of Congo's army to clean up militia groups has driven Mai Mai fighters deep into Africa's oldest national park, conservationists say.

Not only are the Mai Mai killing savannah elephants for food and ivory, but the battles to dislodge rebel groups are destroying much of the habitat in a park which once boasted the highest density of large mammals in the world.

"The park has become a battlefield," said John Hart, senior scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), told Reuters from eastern Congo. "There are a range of armed militia and renegade groups retreating or being pushed into the park."

A report in June by New York-based WCS and Congo's Nature Conservation Institute (ICCN) showed Virunga's population of elephants and other large animals -- such as buffalo and Ugandan kob, a type of antelope -- was recovering after a decade in which two wars swept across the park.

But just two months after the report was published, a group of 200 Mai Mai fighters set up camp in the centre of Virunga. In the last month, this one group has killed 17 elephants for food and to sell the meat and ivory, with evidence pointing to the collusion of elements in Congo's national army, Hart said.

"There are almost daily reports of elephants being killed in the past month," said Hart, estimating there could be fewer than 300 left. "Wildlife still remains in the park, but it is hanging on by a thread. It faces ever newer threats."

ENDANGERED HERITAGE SITE
Militia groups were also selling buffalo and hippopotamus meat from the park, which sits on the border with Rwanda and is ranked by UNESCO as an endangered world heritage site.

Protecting Congo's animals has come at a high price for the guards, who are paid US$1 per month by the government but receive some support from other organisations. Over 100 guards have been killed in the last decade, five in the last year alone.

The Mai Mai are a disparate group of militias formed during Congo's 1998-2003 war to resist incursions by Rwandan forces. After a 2003 peace deal, many of them refused to participate in a UN-backed disarmament process and resisted the new government.

Congo held its first free elections in over 40 years on July 30 and will stage a presidential run-off next month. Many people hope the elections can draw a line under the last war, which left four million people dead, mostly from hunger and disease.

"It is going to take military intervention to secure the park," said Hart. "Any time the militia leave the park, they leave a trail of murder and looting." Some 15 people, including eight civilians, were killed this week in a joint operation between the Congolese army and United Nations forces to clear some Rwandan militia from the park.

While the frontiers of Virunga have not changed since its foundation in 1925, the area available to wildlife is being gradually eroded by human encroachment. Removing these populations will be very difficult, Hart said.

"I remain hopeful that enough wildlife will survive in pockets to recover the populations once the park is secured," he said. "I am not confident that will happen immediately."

Story by Daniel Flynn, REUTERS NEWS SERVICE.

Here is a heartfelt plea from Tom Hugo

With the amount of junk mail flying around, and it appears to be ever increasing - please read below and take a few tips from this information. It will substantially and indirectly protect you and your computer from spammers, hackers and unsolicited junk mail.
Thanks Tom

Dear GRAA Friends,

This is not to insult one's intelligence, but it proves we can learn something new at any age. For those of you who know this technique - disregard - BUT for those of you who don't know how to correctly forward email - please take note.

Forwarding e-mails

Excellent Info on Sending E-mail

This came direct from a system administrator for a corporate system.
It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails.

Please read the short letter below

Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.

Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it? Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every E-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel! How do you stop it? Well, there are two easy steps:

(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. High light them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.

(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: columns for adding e-mail address. Always use the BCC:(blind carbon copy) column for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way that people you send to only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.

(3) Remove any "FW :" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.

(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.

Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition.

So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.

Finally, here's an idea!!! Let's send this to everyone you know (but strip my address off first). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.

African Indaba

Read your African Indaba September/October issue online at www.africanindaba.co.za/news.htm or download the e-Newsletter as PDF-file by clicking this link
African Indaba’s editor Gerhard Damm argues that conservation NGOs and hunters could form virtually invincible “Natural Partnerships” and the Baldus/Child think-tank concludes a provocative series about rebuilding the Zimbabwe Wildlife sector.
The regal Mountain Nyala – one of Africa’s premier game animals – makes a comeback in Ethiopia, argues Paul Evangelista. Don’t miss his beautiful photographs – they are just a click away!

Read these interesting articles:

  1. Hunters & Conservationists are Natural Partners by Gerhard Damm
  2. Rebuilding the Wildlife Sector in Zimbabwe by Rolf Baldus and Graham Child
  3. Mozambique Elephant Trophy Import Permit Applications Denied for US Hunters by John Jackson
  4. Don Causey Reviews Kai-Uwe Denker’s “Along the Hunter’s Path”
  5. News from Africa
  6. PHASA Disciplinary Actions
  7. PHASA Policy Statement: Canned Lion
  8. Hyaena: Scavenger or Predator by Steve Pope
  9. Reclaiming Land for Wildlife by Stewart Dorrington
  10. Population Estimates for Mountain Nyala on the Rise by Paul Evangelista
  11. Recreational Hunting Symposium in London

Please pass this message to your friends and colleagues. Subscription to African Indaba is free-of – charge and everybody can subscribe online

Below is a letter I addressed to the Farmer's Weekly, which I think is self explanatory. Through the media of your network and magazine, could you please communicate to your members that a forum will be established and that their thoughts and extensive/practical knowledge (shared) would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
JD Alcock, Mhlopeni Reserve
Natural Heritage Site No. 223

The SA Natural Heritage Programme

(SANHP) was launched on November 7, 1984 as a co-operative venture between the government sector, with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the provincial nature conservation agencies and the private sector; in terms of which, the private landowner dedicated a tract of his land to nature conservation.

Only the most significant areas qualified for registration,with one or more of the following natural features being a requirement.

Stands of special plant communities
Good examples of aquatic habitats
Sensitive catchment areas
Habitats to threatened species
Outstanding natural features

In the Foreword to the SANHP Annual Report of 2000/2001, Dr GT Willemse, Deputy Director said:

"The dawning of a new political era in South Africa and a new millenium in world history has found the South African Natural Heritage Programme (SANHP) already well established, with the 300th heritage site registered at the close of the 20th Century.

An essential part of the growing awareness that natural resources is a common heritage of mankind, is the universal recognition of the important role of civil society in the conservation of a nation's natural resources. In this regard, the SANHP, at its inception in 1984, was well ahead of its time, illustrated amply by the recent global recognition of this incentive programme as contributing to South Africa fulfilling its commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity."

Since those words were written, however, the SA Natural Heritage Programme appears to have fallen from favour with Department of Environmental Affairs and all efforts to communicate with them have been in vain.

Land claims have been made, which include tracts of very fragile terrain and specialised habitats for endangered species, without any Environmental Impact Assessments being undertaken. In our case, the Land Claims Commissioner has refused to even identify the claimants, so we have no knowledge of their capacity or intention to conserve what we have protected for so many years, for posterity.

I wish to make contact with others who may or have been similarly affected, to establish a forum where experiences can be shared and options investigated, with legal opinion if necessary.

Sincerely
JD ALCOCK, e mail: mhlop@telkomsa.net, or Tel: 033-4961722

POSITION(s) Available

Employment Opportunity, Manager of Community Social and Economic Development Gorongosa National Park Restoration Project , Sofala Province, Mozambique

Background to Gorongosa Restoration Project
The Carr Foundation (a US based non-profit) and the Mozambican Ministry of Tourism are together restoring Gorongosa National Park in Sofala Province, central Mozambique. The four thousand square kilometer park once held the highest concentration of wildlife in all of Africa. Gorongosa, the flagship national park in the country, contains spectacular natural beauty and a diverse set of ecosystems. It is the goal of this restoration project to generate a vibrant tourism industry in and adjacent to the Park that will provide economic development to central Mozambique. In addition to providing the direct benefit of employment creation, Gorongosa Park will allocate 20% of its tourism revenue to sustainable development projects in the communities that surround the Park.

Background to Mozambique
The United Nation's Development Program ranks Mozambique as one of the poorest countries in the world. Poverty is common all over the country but more so in the rural areas. Gorongosa Park is located in Sofala Province, where 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, soils are nutrient poor, precipitation varies greatly each year, natural resources are not now being consumed sustainably, and rates of infectious diseases are increasing. The average lifespan of a person in Sofala is approximately 32 years. The struggle against poverty has become the major policy objective of the Mozambican government and it is the goal of the government that this restoration of Gorongosa Park will create sustainable economic activity and increased human capacity in education and technical skills.

General Responsibilities
The Manager of Community Social and Economic Development is a member of the Community Relations Department, reporting to the Director of Community Relations. The mission of this department is to create a mutually beneficial relationship between Gorongosa National Park and its adjacent communities. The Manager of Community Social and Economic Development is a departmental peer with the Head of the Park Management Training School and the Manager of Community Conservation Education.

The Manager of Community Social and Economic Development is responsible for implementing a Mozambican government ministerial diploma that states that twenty percent of the value of tourism in national parks and reserves be consigned in favor of the communities.

The Manager of Community Social and Economic Development will support the communities in their efforts to define and perfect their ancestral land rights and in their efforts to form community committees to further organize themselves politically.

The Manager of Community Social and Economic Development shall work closely with these community management committees in the selection of projects to which the twenty percent tourism revenue sharing shall be applied. In distributing the twenty percent the Park will be compensating the communities for supporting the Park in the protection of the environment around the Park, such that the Park can maintain a healthy ecosystem. In their charters, the management committees shall agree to use the funds on projects that benefit the entire community, not individual actors, that promote the sustainable development of the community, and that protect the environment of the greater Gorongosa ecosystem.

The Manager of Community Social and Economic Development shall attend regular meetings with these community management committees. In addition to the implementation of the twenty percent tourism revenue sharing, the following additional issues shall be addressed at the meetings. Local communities shall be given priority for Park employment and shall be given priority in the awarding of selected tourism and other Park business opportunities. Local communities shall have access to cultural heritage areas within the boundaries of the Park.

Specific Duties of the Manager of Community Social and Economic Development

The ideal candidate will have broad experience and a proven record of success in implementing sustainable development projects in rural Africa.
The candidate will have knowledge of agricultural methods, irrigation systems, small business development, micro credit institutions, rural community political systems, and native people's land rights. It is a plus if the individual has experience in the unique challenge of creating a positive relationship between a protected natural area and the people who live nearby and has advanced education in the emerging science of community conservation. Candidates should speak Portuguese or be willing to learn.

Terms of Reference

This is a full-time position based in Gorongosa National Park.
The commencement date is December 2006 or sooner.
Salary and benefits will be commensurate with experience.
Please send your CV and covering letter explaining what attracts you to this job and what personal characteristics and expertise you will employ.
Information should be sent electronically to Katherine Raphaelson, Carr Foundation, Cambridge, MA USA. ([ mailto:Katherine@carrfoundation.org]Katherine@carrfoundation.org)

Interested applicants will find additional information at
[/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.Gorongosa.net ]www.Gorongosa.net.

VACANCY in India:

Resort host management couple wanted for Kabini Tented Camp – (72 kilometers south of Mysore, 220 south of Bangalore in Karnataka) in Nagarhole National Park and the Bush Betta camp in Bandipur, which is 70 kilometers away from the first camp. Duties would include everything to do with running the camps, with a team of staff working under the successful couple. At least one or two years experience of working in the bush is required. Look up www.fishmaseer.com and www.bushbetta.org and if interested in working and traveling in India for a few years contact waynelotter@iafrica.com (tel. 079 498 7086) for more information.

We are currently working on a project in the Limpopo Province and a position has arisen for a management couple on the farm. Presently a new project, building up game stocks for future trophy hunting. There have been a few hunts over the past year however.

I wondered if it wouldn't be possible for you to email this out, as the owner, who lives in Dubai is ex Zimbabwean and has expressed a preference for a word of mouth approach.

Criteria to be met:
1. Professional hunters' experience- license holder.
2. SA residency or citizenship
3. Game management experience
4. Office work & accounting for the wife plus overseeing catering for the hunting parties and supervising cleaning staff.
5. Labour management

The farm is 8,000 hectares in the Waterberg, has a 6 chalet bush camp and a 4 tent camp. Very beautiful - good grazing, lots of water. 34 kilometers outside of Mokopane (old Potgietersrus).

Plans to build more camps this year.

Plains game - impala, kudu, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, eland, bushbuck, giraffe etc. No lion, buffalo or rhino.

Lovely main farmhouse under thatch for management couple. Good salary.

Any queries and/or CV's can be sent this email address. Our contact number is 015 492 9800

It's a really great opportunity!

Many thanks

Kind regards

Carol Fynn

Tailpiece-
7 reasons not to mess with children.

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.

The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".

The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"

The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".

--- A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.

As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

--- A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.

After explaining the commandment to "honour" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

--- One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.

She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"

Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

--- The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.

"Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'

A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher, she's dead."

--- A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face."

"Yes," the class said.

"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?" A little fellow shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."

--- The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:

"Take only ONE. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

--- It doesn't matter how many people you send this to, just remember if it made you laugh, your friends will laugh too.

Matter of Fact
This is an electronic newsletter of the Game Rangers' Association of Africa. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Association, nor of the Editor. This is intended to be an exchange of news snips, ideas and communication between members. Newsletter content may be copied and re-distributed without authorisation. Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at dyunnie@xsinet.co.za

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