Open Safari Vehicles in Kruger

[Puff Addy]

The emissions thing is certainly a red herring in this case.

[Puff Addy]

Someone was doing a bit of ambassadoring today: https://www.sanparks.org/forums/viewtop ... 67&t=92214

No info on his CO2 emissions, though!

[H. erectus]

In my opinion the perception of financial gain seems to be the driving force

Rectified,..concocted then justified to suit moral obligation!!! MMMhhhnnn

[Richprins]

"At certain gates, OSV's will be allowed to enter a few minutes earlier"

So the trial period is over!

[Mel]

How annoying...

[H. erectus]

a few minutes earlier

Like doing photoshop in layers!!!!

[Flutterby]

Sign here

[Richprins]

Target:
South African National Parks Board
Region:
GLOBAL

A recent post share on facebook confirmed the open safari vehicle problem in the kruger national. There are over 250 pvt owned vehicle's operating in kruger. This petion is NOT intended to stop tourism at all and we are pro organised operations.

A recent visit on a normal Friday morning had 18 osvs on granokop with 160 people converging on the the peaceful lookout point. Numerous tourists were filmed simply going into the bush to use the toilet while the guides stood by chatting. 20 mins later another 9 osvs completely blocked of any chance of a lion sight on the Sabie River. There were radios blaring... Guides chatting it was a circus.

This petition is done on the basis to ask parks board to have tighter controls over OSVs. The self policing set us clearly does not work.

Here with some suggestions that could work:
1. A control room set up and controlled by parks board using satellite tracking to monitor over crowding
2. The set up and running cost to be carried by the OSV operators
3. Limiting the number of OSVs to 5 per sighting as per the private reserves
4. Radio calling in of sightings to be penalized by parks board
5. Proper grading of guides to a minimum qualification on a one strike and out policy.

We the undersigned request the South African national parks to implement stricter policy for OSV operators.

We would like satellite monitoring of OSVs to control overcrowding at sites. Limiting of OSVs to 5 per site as per pvt reserves. Parks board to setup and operate a control room and all setup and running costs to be covered by OSV operators.

Proper training and grading of guides. A proper code of conduct and discipline procedure. Total radio ban of sightings monitored by control room. A parks board operated complaints line with a ref number for feedback.

This petition is done not reduce tourism or stop OSV operations but to ensure everybody has equal opportunity and a peaceful enjoyable holiday.

[Richprins]

Have asked for some more details before yay or nay on this one...

But I like the idea of no radios, in fact they were banned years ago. SP don't use them. The 5 vehicles per sighting is a bit tricky, as private sedans etc. are not part of the equation much in East Africa and Luxury Lodges...

[Lisbeth]

This is the response on Facebook from SATSA:

Use correct channels to report OSV rule breaking

To report incidents please submit a detailed description, location, date, time and photo or video proof of the incident to osv@satsa.co.za.

Hannelie du Toit‎ to SANParks - Kruger National Park:

4 mins · Johannesburg · In response to some of the posts on the group recently I hope you don’t mind that I advise members of this group again of the monitoring process put in place as a partnership between SANParks, the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA) and the OSV Industry. A consistent problem experienced in the Kruger National Park is that of inappropriate behaviour and rule breaking. Offenders exist amongst the public, OSVs and other official vehicles. To this end the OSV industry stood together and added a monitoring element to the Industry Self-Regulation Project – a first-of-its-kind in South Africa. Monitoring is taken very seriously and all incidents are captured and actioned. This means that for the public there is a procedure, displayed on a yellow decal on all OSV vehicles operating in the Kruger National Park, to report rule breaking through official channels. It is important to note that proof of the incident as well as a detailed statement must be provided to ensure that constitutional rights are protected. It is disheartening to see incidents, often with no actual proof, being posted on social media sites instead of through the official channel. These postings causes a deluge of negative comments, some of which can be classified as defamatory, which only aids in fuelling more negativity. As an industry the OSV Operators have taken responsibility for their behaviour and incidents can be reported and actioned. We would strongly advice that the correct channels are followed and through working together we can create a better experience for all in the Kruger National Park. As South African citizens we need to understand the importance of Tourism for our economy and also for places like Kruger National Park. We have to be aware of how we are perceived, how we treat our tourists and how we share the beauty of our country with them. The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP was ZAR357bn (9.4% of GDP) in 2014, and was forecast to rise by 3.4% in 2015, and to rise by 4.3% pa to ZAR561.4bn (10.4% of GDP) in 2025, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. South African Tourism’s research shows that 85% of all overseas visitors come to South Africa for its wildlife. The country thus competes against safari destinations like Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana. The OSV industry allows South Africa to stay competitive and through independent marketing it is responsible for bringing in over 4% of overseas tourist arrivals to Kruger National Park.