Rhino Relocations

[Duke]

According to Hector Magome Kruger has sold 1500 rhinos since 2000



Click on photo to get better resolution and full article

[Richprins]

Another thing is that some SP chap recalled that Rhino relocation from KZN to Kruger led to the great numbers in Kruger now, which is true, and possibly saved both species!
This was in the late 1960's and decades after. However, no money changed hands between the two unrelated Boards...they were not sold, just translocated.

So once again, why in this emergency situation does SANParks at least just not give rhino away free of charge to those safe areas, aside from transport costs? They have received many millions of rands to do their thing, from private donors?

[Richprins]

This was in the late 1960's and decades after. However, no money changed hands between the two unrelated Boards...they were not sold, just translocated.

No, H.! Meant Kruger didn't pay Natal Parks for the rhino in those days! They went and fetched them!

Obviously the hunting farms must get their deposits back, and I do agree that at least one may have been a good backup, in theory! But transport costs are prohibitive, and vegetation scarce up there in NC..., so feeding so many of them would entail more costs!

[Richprins]

I'm fine, H.!

Anyway, my latest on this soap opera...


Phaahla has denied ever saying that the "window had closed" regarding rhino captures for this year.

Date: 28th August 2014


South African National Parks (SANParks) today responded to recent reports that Cabinet’s decision to translocate rhino from the Iconic Kruger National Park has been postponed.


Ike Phaahla, SANParks Media Specialist, was quoted in a Sunday newspaper as contradicting the Minister by stating that the programme would only be implemented from next year. SANParks realises the importance of protecting the animals by implementing the strategy announced by the Minister on behalf of cabinet and has no intention to delay the implementation of Cabinet’s decision and by implication defying the Minister.

“In my explanation yesterday (23 August 2014), I merely gave context to the fact that there is currently no definite date that has been set aside for the translocations to take place, the fact is that we have to plan the logistics around the translocations as required. The reports suggesting a postponement were false and that the best time to do mass capturing and translocations was coming to a close. I had stated that the period recommended by scientists is between March and October and that is what I pointed out. At no stage did I mention a date and suggest that this will only take place next year.” said Phaahla.

The translocations will be taking place as soon as all the planning has been finalised and SANParks will take the public into their confidence.

Phaahla concluded by saying that any misunderstanding due to his explanation was regrettable and hopes that the picture will be made clearer by future announcements of the start of the relocations by the SANParks Board.

[Richprins]

it has been reported on the 23rd of August that the rhinos will no longer be moved to “safe locations” this year. “We have missed the window to remove the animals because it is now getting warmer. The best time to move them is in winter,” says spokesman Isaac Phaahla.


http://theenvironmentalupdate.wordpress ... g-safaris/




August 23 2014 at 11:44am
By SAPA


Mpumalanga - Rhino at the Kruger National Park will not be moved this year, SA National Parks said on Saturday.

“We have missed the window to remove the animals because it is now getting warmer. The best time to move them is in winter,” spokesman Isaac Phaahla told Sapa.



http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/ ... _mhg8WSzSt



My point is this...how exactly did Phaahla not ever say that there would not be removals this year, because that is obviously what he said?

[Duke]

Leaving the door open for the furure.

“Two of the buyers are reputable people and we might do business with them in the future as the process unfolds in a valid way and in a sound transparent way,” he said. “That will be coming into play again.” – Bloomberg

LINK

A company associated with billionaire Christoffel Wiese is among those that were refunded R14-million in deposits after a contract to buy rhinos from South African National Parks was canceled, a parks official said.

Professional hunter Jacques Hartzenberg had a deposit of R8-million refunded after the planned sale was found to be invalid, GC Dry, a parks board member, said in a phone interview on Monday. “Christo Wiese has an association with Hartzenberg,” he said. “It’s the same company.”

South Africa, home to most of the world’s rhinos, plans to relocate some of the animals from Kruger National Park to undisclosed sites to protect them from poachers, Environment Minister Edna Molewa said last month. This year 638 rhinos have been poached in the country, compared with a record 1 004 in all of last year.

Wiese is the chairperson and majority shareholder of Pepkor, an investment company operating retail stores in Australia, Europe and Africa. Hartzenberg is the owner of Chapungu Safaris Africa, which includes the Kalahari Oryx Game Reserve, according to a company website. He didn’t return a phone call or email seeking comment. Johan Maritz, manager at Kalahari Oryx, declined to comment. Sandra Jooste, a spokesperson for Wiese, said Wiese is currently out of the country and declined to comment further.

Wiese has a net worth of $4.7-billion and is ranked as South Africa’s fourth-richest man, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index.

Unauthorised commitment
The sales were “transactions that were based on the unauthorised commitment by a member of the SANParks executive, which exceeded the board’s delegated authority,” Dry said in an August 28 statement. “This member of the SANParks executive has subsequently been suspended, pending disciplinary action, and an independent forensic audit has been commissioned into this matter.”

Wiaan van der Linde, a hunter and safari company owner, had a R6-million deposit refunded, Dry said. “Those contracts are null and void, given they were signed without the approval of the board.”

The transaction with Wiese and van der Linde involved 240 rhinos, with van der Linde’s contract alone worth R40-million rand, the Sunday Times reported, citing van der Linde.

Sales of the rhinos may occur at a later date when a proper approval process is put in place, Dry said.

“Two of the buyers are reputable people and we might do business with them in the future as the process unfolds in a valid way and in a sound transparent way,” he said. “That will be coming into play again.” – Bloomberg

[Richprins]

“Two of the buyers are reputable people and we might do business with them in the future as the process unfolds in a valid way and in a sound transparent way,” he said. “That will be coming into play again.”

If they have been deemed "reputable" by SP now, why then suspend Magome, who did the deal in the first place? Were they not reputable a year ago? Should any process not "unfold" in a sound transparent way anyway? Notice "tenders" are no longer mentioned...there is a whole .gov department tasked with checking up on tenders lately...which is good!


Anyway, H. I had the same thoughts...there is no reason to not extrapolate concerns regarding this fiasco to the potential hotels etc.

Not good!

[mposthumus]

September 06, 2014

Dr Hector Magome / Beeld (p)

“In this sad saga, rhinos and South Africa are the only losers. The 500 rhinos that could have been removed this year remain trapped in the Kruger in a raging war of bullets.”

Confusion around the SANParks sale and removal of 260 rhinos has deepened after the man accused of making an unauthorised decision to sell the Kruger National Park animals has spoken out in his defence.

According to the Sunday Times, Dr Hector Magome was suspended as SANParks' head of conservation in June after allegedly arranging to sell 260 rhinos without permission.

Magome spoke out however, after SANParks board member Gert Dry said last week that "... in a number of media... articles, it is incorrectly stated that SANParks has sold 260 rhinos to private land owners in the Northern Cape".

Magome said that this remark has forced him to defend his integrity.

"In this sad saga, rhinos and South Africa are the only losers. The 500 rhinos that could have been removed this year remain trapped in the Kruger in a raging war of bullets," he said.

Following months of speculation regarding the sale and removal of hundreds of Kruger rhinos, Dry says no sales were authorised.

However Northern Cape game farmer Wiaan van der Linde and retail tycoon Christo Wiese, allegedly paid a R16million deposit eight months ago to buy 240 rhinos collectively. Van der Linde said his contract for rhinos was worth R40million and that SANParks had assessed his farm and issued transport permits for the animals. Last week however, he received notification that his contract was “null and void”, he said.

MOVING RHINO
Magome, who was involved in the deal, says he acted with full authority at the time. He says he has been involved in numerous sales of rhinos over the years and at no stage has the board objected. Now suddenly he is "the bad guy", he says.

Meanwhile, last week, Sapa reported that rhino at the Kruger National Park will not be moved to safety this year.

"We have missed the window to remove the animals because it is now getting warmer. The best time to move them is in winter," spokesperson Isaac Phaahla from SANParks told Sapa.

He said a project plan had been developed but it was still with the board of SanParks, waiting approval.

"Once approved, the plan will be implemented," he said.

Phaahla said the rationale behind the move was to grow the number of the animals while at the same time preserving their safety.

He said a lot of work would go into investigating the places where the animals would be kept.

"The animals will only be moved to an area where they will be properly looked after and protected from poachers. They will only be moved to areas where there is expertise for their well-being," he said.

"The move will probably happen next year."

SECURITY RISKS
On 12 August , Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa announced that rhino along the Eastern boundary of the Kruger National Park would be moved to strongholds both inside and outside the flagship reserve to protect them from poachers.

She said her department was also looking at moving some rhino out of the country.

"Part of the translocation will include the Southern African Development Community, the SADC area in particular... We have already started discussions with Botswana, we are working with Zambia, we are working with other countries, but more intensely those two in particular," she said at the time.

A week later, Molewa announced that SA National Parks (SANParks) has made over R80million following the sale of 354 rhino since 2010.

Replying in writing to a parliamentary question, Molewa said she could not reveal who the rhino were sold to due to "exposure and security risks", but said the money from the sales would be pumped into various conservation projects.

"SANParks accumulates all income from the sale of animals in a special fund called the Park Development Fund," she said.

"This fund is used by SANParks for numerous conservation-related projects, including acquisition of land for inclusion into national parks, research projects in the biophysical and social sciences relevant to national parks, scientific reports, and community beneficiation projects."

[Lisbeth]

South African National Parks (SANParks) realises the importance of protecting the rhino population by implementing the translocation strategy announced by the minister on behalf of cabinet and has no intention to delay the implementation of cabinet's decision and by implication defying the minister.


© andreanita – za.fotolia.com

This was the response by SANParks to recent reports that cabinet's decision to translocate rhino from the Kruger National Park has been postponed. Ike Phaahla, SANParks' media specialist, was quoted in a Sunday newspaper as contradicting the minister by stating that the programme would only be implemented from next year.

"In my explanation I merely gave context to the fact that there is currently no definite date that has been set aside for the translocations to take place, the fact is that we have to plan the logistics around the translocations as required. The reports suggesting a postponement were false and that the best time to do mass capturing and translocations was coming to a close. I had stated that the period recommended by scientists is between March and October and that is what I pointed out. At no stage did I mention a date and suggest that this will only take place next year," said Phaahla.

The translocations will be taking place as soon as all the planning has been finalised and SANParks will take the public into their confidence.

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196 ... .html#more

[trailrunner]

The left hand doesn't appear to know what the right hand is doing.
So it seems like a done deal that the translocations are definitely going ahead despite the fact that, “SANParks will take the public into their confidence”.