Africa Wild

At last we have a topic that is getting a debate going!! And we like to hear everyone's opinion!

Cheetah, no one here has said that we must stop reporting problems, in fact this forum was brought to task by Sanparks for reporting problems in a manner that gets results. However the reporting of problems (which we do conscientiously) when it comes to visitors behavior in the park has certainly not improved the situation, simply because SanParks is inept at managing the problem, in fact it is their staff that add to the problem more often than not. So my comment of naivety that your belief that reporting issues to SanParks will solve it, still holds, saying you were being naive in this one instance has nothing to do with whether you or I disagree on any of your opinions.

I agree with BC wholeheartedly here when he says that BBM sites have the potential to increase the problem and therefore these sites should take on some of the responsibility of educating their members by broadcasting instances of photographed misbehavior along with sighting reports. In other words, if SanParks can't get it right, maybe it's time that the public took the matter of educating visitors into their own hands. If a site has the propensity of worsening a problem, they should be responsible for doing everything in their power to alleviate that problem.

As you say, you are aware of the thousands of futile attempts made by people to get something done by SanParks and in most instances these reports fall on deaf ears, then if you are really concerned about misbehavior or the breaking of rules in the park by members of the public or staff, you, and if you are a member of one of these sites, should you not consider getting your site to name & shame offenders. How about broadcasting rules and expected etiquette a few times per day as well as sightings, we need to get the message across somehow.

Hey cheetah

This part makes me wonder

cheetah wrote:as you two

Hostile

But please answer these questions:

Do you honestly believe that due to the fact that more are receiving sighting updates that numbers haven’t increased? (Simple maths)

Do you honestly believe that now that more are receiving live updates on the road that it may cause more to rush to a sighting? (Simple maths)

Do you honestly believe that if SANParks staff monitored these updates and responded that they couldn’t make a difference? (They definitely would, surely)

Do you honestly believe that there’s no merit in utilizing technology to report bad behaviour? (There’s definitely merit)

So what don’t you agree with, surely not all of the above if you are part of the solution?

cheetah wrote:if you do not try, you cannot say you are part of the solution

Maybe admitting the above and doing something about it are the first steps, which is what I trying to do

Personally I think there's a difference between bringing new problems to SanParks' attention, and ensuring they do there job, compared to actually doing their job FOR them.

They are perfectly aware of the speeding and overcrowding crisis, and contribute to it by allowing too many day visitors and building extra camps and not controlling entry and monitoring their own vehicles...to name a few issues.

BBM is not the problem, enforcement is the problem!

A few massive fines or evictions of tourists/staff, NOT just contractors, will have a far greater effect.

Richprins wrote:Personally I think there's a difference between bringing new problems to SanParks' attention, and ensuring they do there job, compared to actually doing their job FOR them.

They are perfectly aware of the speeding and overcrowding crisis, and contribute to it by allowing too many day visitors and building extra camps and not controlling entry and monitoring their own vehicles...to name a few issues.

BBM is not the problem, enforcement is the problem!

A few massive fines or evictions of tourists/staff, NOT just contractors, will have a far greater effect.

RP I think you've hit the nail on the head with your statement, it's not only the contractors that abuse the law but staff and tourists are just as guilty if not more

By far the greatest percentage of law breakers is the public. I am not necessarily advocating that the BBM sites be used to report incidents to SanParks because they will ignore these reports unless they come through their official channels. Those are their rules.

What I am saying is that the BBM sites can keep the rules in the faces of their members by showing pics of offenders. In other words another form of public education with the ability to reach many people.

Richprins wrote:Personally I think there's a difference between bringing new problems to SanParks' attention, and ensuring they do there job, compared to actually doing their job FOR them.

They are perfectly aware of the speeding and overcrowding crisis, and contribute to it by allowing too many day visitors and building extra camps and not controlling entry and monitoring their own vehicles...to name a few issues.

BBM is not the problem, enforcement is the problem!

A few massive fines or evictions of tourists/staff, NOT just contractors, will have a far greater effect.

I agree RP and all are aware of the above, but in the absence of enforcement BBM compounds the problem, but by doing the below people will naturally monitor themselves and each other

iNdlovu wrote:What I am saying is that the BBM sites can keep the rules in the faces of their members by showing pics of offenders. In other words another form of public education with the ability to reach many people

Perhaps we should start a Name and Shame thread...actually to do it on FB would be even more effective!!!

The more I read about the Apps, IPod, BBM groups and the chaos they clearly create, the more chaos I see for the future. Unfortunately it can't be stopped. In the past the sighting boards in camps were used by the chasers to chase the Big 5, these new groups are nothing more than a technology upgrade from that with, in my opinion, chaotic and unbearable consequences! The sighting boards were/are all about the Big 5 plus a few other carnivores and the same apply to the electronic groups...It's the Big 5 chasers on a massive scale...nothing more and nothing less!

How many bird, hippo, croc, kudu, wildebeest, monkey, insect, tortoise, impala, etc sightings are reported by these groups? Let me guess...nothing or maybe next to nothing! How many lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, cheetah, painted dog, etc sightings are reported? Let me guess again...ALL OF IT with hordes of Big 5 seekers chasing chaotically after it!!

Where are the days when most of us objected against the tour operators radioing their Big 5 sightings to their buddies to satisfy their thrill seeking visitor's search for the Big 5? Those days are gone, they are not the problem anymore, the problem nowadays is the visitors with their smart-phones loaded with all these smart Apps, etc!

What can be done about it? I don't think anything...they are here to stay and unfortunately/sadly it will get more and more chaotic by the day.

I'm saddened to read that this menace has surfaced in the North as well!!