Counter Poaching Efforts

[Klipspringer]

https://lowvelder.co.za/496597/minister ... -poaching/

Minister promises increased efforts against illegal poaching
Better controls at ports of exit, more support on the ground, and faster prosecution of offenders are needed.
9 hours ago

SKUKUZA – It is time for government to put more effort into the war on illegal poaching and wildlife trade in South Africa.

This is the view of the recently appointed minister of environment, forestry and fisheries, Barbara Creecy. She addressed guests during the World Ranger Day celebrations held at Kruger Gate on Wednesday.

The celebrations at the ranger monument at Kruger Gate were opened by a ceremonial wreath laying, as well as messages of support by several dignitaries from Mpumalanga and Limpopo, the SAPS, SANDF and the Honorary Rangers.

In her keynote speech, Creecy said that better controls at ports of exit, more support on the ground, and faster prosecution of offenders are needed. Her department, as well as those in the security and justice cluster, should work together to achieve them.

She promised to act promptly by convening a meeting with police minister Bheki Cele and justice minister Ronald Lamola as soon as possible to better coordinate their collective efforts.

She recognised that rangers fighting the war on the ground need more support, through provision of adequate tools or reward and recognition, and asked SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni to put forward a proposal in this regard to her.

She continued that with more than two million South Africans directly dependent on the country’s natural resources and environment for their income, its richness in biodiversity, ecosystem services and wealth of indigenous knowledge are a strategic asset for sustainable development.




With the Kruger National Park (KNP) providing employment and economic growth opportunities to nearby communities, illegal poaching and the illicit wildlife trade continue to threaten both conservation and sustainable use efforts.

“An important approach to protecting biodiversity and wildlife-associated crime in parks has to be the economic and social well-being of communities living adjacent to avoid them falling prey to syndicates recruiting foot soldiers for illegal activities,” she said.

She promised that her department would transform the biodiversity economy. It is supporting several projects aimed at working with industry and conservation to ensure people benefit.

Creecy mentioned a slight decrease in rhino poaching over the last three years. In 2018 rhino poaching had decreased, with 769 reported incidents and in the first six months of 2019, 318 rhino had been poached countrywide, a modest decline of 68 incidents over the same period last year.

From January to June this year, 122 alleged poachers were also arrested within the KNP with 61 firearms being recovered during operations in the park in this period.

Lastly she reminded everybody that the field rangers are in the midst of a battle for all plant and animals species and for any successes in the anti-poaching war, their commitment and dedication to wildlife protection should be honoured.

[Lisbeth]

As always too late This Minister could hardly have done it before, but the last one could.

[Lisbeth]

Music for blind rhino Munu

BY GUY ROGERS - 06 August 2019


Munu the blind black rhino emerges from his boma at Founders Lodge while a member of the team looking after him keeps a close watch
Image: Fredlin Adriaan

The media and other guests were introduced on Monday to the disabled rhino bull, which listens to music every day and is being housed in a special boma at Founders Lodge, between Port Elizabeth and Makhanda.

Munu was found wandering in a nearby reserve after he was involved in a fight with another black rhino and charged with such force that his retinas became detached.

While he can see nothing, a complex system of sensors and cameras keeps a close eye on him and his immediate surroundings, and links up with a parallel system monitoring the whole Founders property.

The extraordinary system and Munu’s central part in it is the result of a visionary partnership between conservation boss Adrian Gardiner, owner of Founders Lodge, former game farmer and security and artificial intelligence specialist Brett Barlow, the UK-based White Lion Foundation, and SANParks.

Barlow said he hoped the system could, in time, be rolled out across SA and further afield as an efficient, cost-effective way to counter poaching.

“We’re still developing it but it already includes a range of cameras, analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities. Right now, we can keep an eye on Munu from anywhere in the world.”

With the support of Gardiner, Barlow partnered with camera-surveillance companies which wanted to test their products and supplemented them with customised technology capable of picking up motion, following intruders and recognising vehicle number plates even kilometres away.

“The cameras will also alert us if they pick up vehicle plates that have been covered up, which of course poachers have done in the past,” he said.

“If a person comes into the picture anywhere on the property, that camera stays on him and ‘wakes up’ the next one to continue tracking his movements. The aim is to stop poachers before they can make a kill and to hit them for trespassing.

“In terms of security and technology, with imagination and a cheque book there is nothing you cannot achieve.”

“But this is not a commercial project for us – we’re hoping it can be used on other reserves to stop poaching.

“The costs are relatively low but we’re hoping we can establish a subsidy that will help struggling reserves to introduce it as well.”

Key funding for the Munu project came from the fledgling White Lion Foundation whose co-directors Shirley Galligan and Dr John Knight flew out to witness Munu venturing out of his boma into a small, custom camp.

Galligan said they were approached by Barlow and although the organisation only launched in May, they were captivated by Munu’s story.

“This rhino could have died but he has been rescued and given quality of life and, hopefully, in time he will breed and contribute to the survival of his sub-species and his species.

“We’re proud and honoured to be involved and so impressed with the efficiency of the team here at Founders.”

The hope was that Munu would live 20-25 years, she said.

“That means a lifetime cost of about £50,000 [R906,000], so we’re appealing to all our supporters to help with funding.”

Knight, a top vet and wildlife conservation strategist, said it was important to save even one black rhino because there were so few of them.

“This western black rhino or desert sub-species is down to just 254 animals and there are only about 5,500 black rhinos in total left in the world.

“So it’s very important that Munu was rescued.

“He’s comfortable and happy now, which augurs well for breeding hopefully in the future.”

After he was injured, the traumatised animal was transferred first to a boma at the reserve – which has asked not to be named due to security concerns – where he lived.

In an effort to ease his move to Founders, the transfer team created a replica of this first boma where he recovered after his injury, Knight said.

“They even took a sample of the soil and moved it across so it would smell the same to him.”

Because of losing his sight, Munu’s other senses were heightened, making him constantly nervous, and they had to find ways to reduce his stress levels.

“Brett had the excellent idea of introducing a little light music – it’s already a known method used in dairies to calm cattle and increase milking yields, and it seems to be working very well here too, so all day in the background he has some music playing.”

Senior SANParks official Nic de Goede said they had ear-marked a female western black rhino in Namibia and were hoping to bring her across soon to breed with Munu.

“There are western black rhinos closer to home but the aim is to increase and strengthen the gene pool.”

Gardiner, widely credited for sparking the ecotourism boom in the Eastern Cape 25 years ago by buying up stock farms, turning them over to game and establishing Shamwari, said he hoped the Eastern Cape could lead the way in turning the rhino poaching scourge around.

“We are pioneering something great here, I believe.”

[Richprins]

Rhinos dehorned for protection

22 hours ago




Four Rhinos were dehorned in a painless process at the Thula Thula Game Reserve on Tuesday

THREE adult rhinos and a 15-month-old calf were dehorned at the Thula Thula Game Reserve this week in an attempt to keep them safe from poachers.

Thula Thula Managing Director Françoise Anthony said they decided that after two 18-month-old rhinos were killed for their horns in their orphanage two years ago, they would try their best to not have any more animals suffer at the hands of poachers.

‘Two of the rhinos we currently have are 10 years old and they came to us as babies after their mother was killed by poachers.

‘We have since brought in two more female rhinos with the hopes of them reproducing and growing our population.

‘We hired extensive security to ensure our rhinos are kept safe.

‘Ten years ago, we lost a rhino to poachers and then two years ago we were devastated when our two baby rhinos were killed just for their tiny horns,’ said Françoise.




Rhino poaching, which has rapidly escalated in recent years is driven by the demand for their horns particularly in Asian countries where the horn is used for medicinal purposes, as a display of wealth as well as an aphrodisiac.

This is despite studies that show the horn is mostly made up of keratin, the protein that makes up hair and nails, and that it does not possess medicinal power.

During the dehorning, the animals were tranquilised before their eyes were covered with white clothe while their horns were sawn off and polished.

It was not long after the procedure that the rhinos were able to wake up and continue as they normally would.

Anthony explained that the dehorning process was meant to be as painless as possible.




‘The rhinos are not supposed to feel anything during the procedure and it takes less than 10 minutes.

They also do not really have to adapt because here the rhinos do not have to use their horns to fight off any predators.’

Despite the calm procedure, many who helped and witnessed the dehorning were left in tears.
London tourist, Jo Malone vowed to financially support the conservation efforts at Thula Thula, saying that no animal should have to suffer under the hands of humans.


https://zululandobserver.co.za/197142/r ... rotection/
‘People need to see such things for themselves because we lack awareness of what animals are going through. We need to use our voices to speak out for these Rhinos before it is too late.’

[Alf]

Hopefully that will keep them safe

[Lisbeth]

There is still a lot of horn left, but you can only see it close up.

[Lisbeth]

From CONCERNED SANPARKS STAKEHOLDERS Facebook Group:

Liz Penprase

Anyone remember this a few years ago? Food for thought?

Millions of $ donated by the Warren Buffet foundation for intensive protection of rhinos in KNP - where is it one wonders.










Rhino Rescue Project

25 August 2014

Now, read all three of these articles together, and suddenly the picture starts to take shape: SANParks knew late last year that it was in the process of selling the very rhinos that were supposed to have their horns treated (those on the Eastern boundary of the KNP). So their own scientists write an article to "prove" treatments won't work in the KNP. This is, of course, the highly anticipated Pachyderm paper that has yet to be published, despite much premature fanfare and sensational leaks to the press. Funny that, in the most recent article of the three, SANParks' spokesperson seems far less confident in its scientific findings than what the authors did in previously, saying only that "... the bluff... is inconclusive". Suddenly, horn devaluation is no longer called an outright "failure", as was the claim before?

From these articles, it would appear that, after the decision was made that the animals would be sold instead of treated, it was obviously also agreed (between the key role players) not to let the cat out of the bag about this minor detail until the donation for treatments was in hand. Will the Dutch funding now finance the mass evacuation to the hunting farms - you know, the ones where they won't be hunted - instead...? For months, we couldn't understand why we were being targeted in this ridiculous witch hunt - I guess now we know.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1793178824286703/

[Richprins]

Very interesting!

[Lisbeth]

Daredevil Zulu Princess skydives for rhinos

2019-08-29 08:50 - Marisa Crous

Princess are not stereotypical daredevils.

However, last week Princess Nandi Zulu, daughter of the Zulu King, proved everyone wrong as she skydived about 10 000 feet to raise funds in support of Project Rhino KZN.

The plane took off from Hluhluwe Game Reserve’s airstrip carrying both the princess and Truman Ndlovu, the reserve manager and head of the anti-poaching unit at Thanda Safari in Northern Kwazulu-Natal, who also strapped on a parachute and took the leap against poaching.

Project Rhino KZN is an intensive anti-poaching and conservation collaboration between KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) game reserves, conservation organisations, government bodies and anti-poaching security specialists.

Watch the video here:

phpBB [video]

[Klipspringer]

How exactly does she rise funds with skydiving?