Kruger PArk Times FREE PUBLICATION • Volume 5 Issue 11 • April / May 2010 • [email protected]

What does the future hold for Kruger’s lions?

Black Rhino Rescued From Sticky When The Situation Elephant Stole My Radio

Inside: 50/50 back on air | why wetlands matter | buffalo attack rangers | Captures, Collars and Disease | Firestorms | lions kill poacher photo: Jacques Goosen, Sanhu 2 • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • news snippets

Honorary Rangers Help Boost Sanparks Four months into 2010 and the Honorary Rangers (HR) have ticked off some milestone events on their ‘to do’ list for the year. Notably, the renovated Sand River Bush Camp boasts new tents (now for tall visitors as well), a new kitchen and braai Photo: Tommy Javerfalk Photo: Katy Johnson area, improved ablutions and French drain system. “We are very happy with the results of the R150 000 face-lift,” says Piet Andjelkovic, spokesperson for the HR. The camp is based near Skukuza In short .... and run by the HR with its Lowveld Region being respon- Lions kill The South African government mented scientific services head of climate change and its impacts on sible for the administration and has granted SAWS R240 million for department, Mr Danie Pienaar. biodiversity in Africa. Developed by maintenance. suspect infrastructure investment to upgrade The Savanna Science Network the BirdLife Africa Partnership, the The HR has formalised a and replace its over 30-year-old radar Meeting provides an opportunity for Africa Climate Exchange (ACE) uses stake in cyberspace by adding Lions killed an alleged poacher in systems to bring about a substan- scientists to share their latest findings. birds and BirdLife’s Important Bird the Virtual Honorary Ranger the Kruger National Park (KNP) tially improved weather observation It is an important forum for dialogue Area (IBA) network to demonstrate (VHR) region to their ranks. on March 14, 2010. Rangers found network that meets contemporary and debate about ecological science how biodiversity in Africa will re- The members are all modera- the human skull six days later while needs. and conservation matters as well as spond to Climate Change, and what tors of the SANParks forum, in search of the man who was The SAWS infrastructure network a pivotal point for future research can be done to mitigate its impacts. which has also been adopted reported missing at the Mkhuhlu includes automatic weather sta- collaborations. The Africa Climate Exchange as the criteria for membership. Police Station by his two friends. tions, automatic rainfall stations, Scientists from numerous South links to various sources of informa- Their impact has already been The two men, who have subse- a sophisticated lightning detection African universities, South African tion on climate change in Africa and felt with a successful cricket day quently been arrested on suspicion of network, computer infrastructure, National Parks and a number of high other parts of the world. that was held in Skukuza re- poaching, and the deceased entered satellite receiving equipment and profile overseas universities spoke at It includes a rapidly growing cently, drawing forum members the park on the night of March 12 weather radars. the meeting. library, currently containing over from all over the world. to set snares. The following night 250 documents on a wide range “We look forward to see- they checked on the snares when of climate change topics, including ing their forum members in they bumped into hippo. The hippo 8th annual Hotel in national and community adaptation Kruger, with the yellow ribbons charged and the men fled in different plans, mitigation, livelihoods and on their car mirrors.” directions. Two suspects reached meeting on Kruger economies, conventions, financing, The HR is a volunteer organ- home and alerted the authorities species and ecosystems, and mod- isation dedicated to the success on March 17 about their missing savanna The development of an hotel eling and monitoring. of South Africa’s national parks. colleague. at the confluence of the Timfene For the first time for any taxa in According to Andjelkovic, pre- “On behalf of SANParks, we wish science Spruit and the Crocodile River in the Africa, a suite of maps showing audited figures indicate that the to express our sincere condolences to Kruger National Park (KNP) seems how different species of birds will HRs donated in excess of R18 the family for the loss of their loved More than 200 scientists and other to be going ahead. be impacted by climate change is million in services, funds and one”, said the KNP’s HOD: Public stakeholders attended the 8th annual SANPArks awarded the tender for available online. equipment to SANParks last Relations, Mr William Mabasa. Savanna Science Network Meeting the development to Secprop Leisure These maps, developed collabora- year, with poaching and alien He further went on to send a held in Skukuza in March. Consortium. The consortium has a tively by BirdLife International and invasive plant management strong warning to both poachers and The week-long meeting hosted 209 management agreement with the Durham University in partnership receiving particular attention. tourists to please understand that delegates from 66 different institu- Residor Group and the hotel will be with the RSPB (BirdLife in the John Turner and his coun- there are dangerous wild animals tions and nine countries. branded as a Raddison Blu Hotel. UK), depict present and projected ter poaching team received roaming around in the park and The 109 presentations covered a According to SANParks the hotel species ranges at four discrete time significant donations from the therefore should avoid walking or wide range of topics and research “will not be built on pristine land, periods: 2009, 2025, 2055 and 2085. Mazda Wildlife Fund and 4x4 getting out of vehicles anywhere conducted in all Savanna National because the area identified for the Megaworld. The team hosted inside the park other than in the Parks and Protected Areas. development is an old road construc- two ‘Sunset Serenades’, from designated areas. These included water issues, the tion camp and a quarry.” 10 years in jail which the proceeds went into role of large mammals such as el- “The 200 bed facility is not going ranger equipment worth almost ephants, sustainable use of resources to be a high-rise building and guests Two suspected rhino poachers, R700 000. New Radar inside and on the borders of the park, to the hotel will not be driving in the Joao Mdlovu and Berlito Mdlovu On the cards for this year is the impact of fire as monitored in park as guests of the camps do but who were arrested on the Nwanetsi a donation of thermal imagers Network long-term research projects, and the they will be offered a “park-and-ride” section of Kruger National Park worth more than R700 000. need for more social science projects service very similar to that of private (KNP) in January 2010 for rhino Plans afoot include a golf day launched to explore the relationship between game lodges.” poaching activities were both found in Skukuza, with prizes exceed- humans and the environment, with The R115- million hotel, which guilty of the possession of illegal ing R165 000 already on offer. The minister of water and envi- specific focus on protected areas and is expected to be ready next August, firearms namely a G3 fully automatic “We hope to do away with ronmental affairs, Buyelwa Sonjica, the governance thereof. will have a restaurant, cocktail bar, firearm and a .375 hunting rifle. our member’s annual fees. This has launched the South African “This is our premier annual event spa and gym, and a pool. Both accused offered a plea of means we have to generate Weather Service’s new state-of-the for the Scientific Services department guilty in the Nelspruit Regional more funds through special art weather radar network. The of SANParks and we are pleased Court for the possession of the illegal events like the golf day.” radar network consists of 12 new that the interest among the scientific weapons. Joao Mdlovu is still under- The HR national executive Doppler weather radars. community is still growing annually. new Africa going court proceedings, together committee (NEC) has also The launch took place in Pretoria Our ever-expanding network of with Phanuel Mnisi, for the illegal booked three bushcamps at as part of SAWS’ celebration of 150 collaborating scientists and scientific Climate hunting of rhino in the KNP in 2009. Sand River for fundraising years of organised meteorology in institutions provides us with the most This year alone Kruger has lost events. South Africa. It also followed an- up-to-date scientific knowledge Exchange 13 rhinos for which the park has More information can be other significant yearly celebration of and understanding which enable arrested 11 poachers and dealers. obtained from Andre van der World Meteorological Day observed information based inputs to better The BirdLife Africa Partnership The country has lost a total of 46 Merwe on 082 650 5764. on the 23 March 2010. manage our national parks,” com- has launched a new website about rhinos collectively.

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Paul Kruger, president of the ZAR, proclaimed the Gouvernement Wildtuin (government game reserve) in 1898. It extended from the Crocodile River in the south to the Sabie River in the north, and from the Logies River (Nsikazi River) in the west to the Mozambique border in the east. conservation concerns kruger park times • april / may 2010 • 3 “It became clear that there was a huge lack in our understanding of population dynamics in lion populations” Diverse Projects Keep Sanparks’ Vets On The Go Lynette Strauss cated animals were fitted with five years, a research team will collars to monitor the new ar- first determine the dynamics If the SANParks veterinary wild- rivals’ movements in their new in the current Kruger popula- life services section had to choose a environments. tion and then explore how mascot for 2009, the rhino would top In addition, the SANParks team these change in groups where the list. “On last count,” says Markus assisted researchers Michelle and BTB prevalence is high.” Hofmeyr, head of the section, “we Steve Henley in the northern parts On another front, the stood on 260 rhino captured for of Kruger and Rob Slotow and health fraternity is on high the year.” SANParks sold the rhino, Audrey Delsink in the southern alert following an extended 120 buffalo and other game at three and central sections in collaring outbreak of rabies on the auctions and to private buyers. elephants for their respective western borders of the Park, All sale proceeds went to the Park projects. with the biggest concentration Development Fund, which, in turn, in the south. funds appropriate conservation and New drug People have died and health research, as well as urgent projects combination authorities have implemented in all of the country’s national parks. Markus and his team admin- an aggressive vaccination pro- According to Markus, the system istered a new tranquiliser drug gramme, but as always there is a good example of sustainable use combination to lions during a is too little money and too few of resources that lightens the burden capture in the Satara area and hands that are needed to jab on the country’s tax income. on five hippos in the vicinity of more and more domestic dogs Despite an increasingly intense Skukuza and the Crocodile River. at least once a year. battle with poachers in recent years, With the knowledge of the the Kruger National Park (KNP)’s Medical Control Council, this Future rhino population is estimated at drug combination was first intro- “Following successful work- between 9 000 and 11 000 animals. duced in 2007 as a joint project led shops with our counterparts by Dr Gregory Fleming of Disney’s results of the new drug combination sections of Kruger, will probably be in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, Captures and Animal Kingdom and Markus, when after three hippos were darted last done next year. we will be introducing similar pro- collars they tested it on hyenas. year and five hippos during 2009. While BTB has also been found in cedures, processes and even labs to The team also spent many hours “The ideal is to limit side-effects The project is ongoing and the leopard, cheetah, kudu and smaller ensure a uniform approach when on game captures and transloca- associated with a drug combina- team hopes to publish their findings antelope, it is the prevalence in dealing with animal health in the tions to Tankwa Karoo and Addo tion and to have fully reversible next year. Kruger’s lion population that has Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park Elephant National Parks, neighbour- anaesthesia for predators. Some of risen in the vets’ priority ranks. (GLTP).” ing communities and across the the drawbacks of combinations used Disease A workshop on this issue, held by All game translocations to the country’s borders. in the past include stormy induction Close watch is kept on the preva- ecologists, biologists and vets at the Limpopo National Park (LNP) have Many years ago Tankwa Karoo (falling asleep) and long recovery lence and impact of bovine tubercu- beginning of the year, highlighted been put on ice until the planned National Park was home to several times. A recovery time of one hour losis (BTB) in Kruger and adjacent the urgent need for research projects village resettlements out of the park migrant game species, a phenom- or longer places the animal at vari- areas. to deal with critical knowledge gaps. are finalised. There are encouraging enon that shaped the Park’s ecosys- ous risks.” Buffalo are regarded as a host A large programme aimed at obtain- signs of growing animal populations tem. With this in mind, SANParks The new combination, comprising species and “we try to survey the ing the information is planned for in the LNP, as observers have spotted re-introduced oryx, hartebeest and medetomidine, butorphanol and entire park every five to seven 2010. “It became clear that there many young animals and good male- mountain zebra into the park. midazolam has been tested in hyena, years – the park is divided into more was a huge lack in our understand- female ratios in the groups, making Buffalo, eland, hartebeest and cheetah, lion and wild dogs. manageable sections and monitored ing of population dynamics in lion the next game relocation probably zebra have been translocated to This drug combination has also at different times and the whole area populations and what birth and more symbolic than ecologically Addo Elephant National Park. “This been used in hippos, who require would have been monitored in a five- mortality rates do exist in the differ- significant. will be an interesting development a heftier dose than the predators. to seven-year cycle.” Markus says the ent lion populations in the greater photo: Gavin Olivier to watch,” says Markus. Before Markus is encouraged by the initial last part of the survey, in the central Kruger area. Over the next three to long, more land will be made available towards the southern areas of the main camp. Water is not abundant and no artificial water points will be established. Addo has about 500 elephants, some of which may want to explore the newly available tasty treats in the extension, but at the same time will have to plan their drinking habits somewhat differently. This will influence the movement pattern of the elephants and their impact on the landscape – exactly what needs to happen to mitigate some of the pressures on vegeta- tion in the Addo Main camp. How will the elephants change their movement patterns and will this have an impact on the park’s landscape? Areas outside the parks were also on the receiving end of new game, notably the Mjejane community on the southern borders of the KNP. The fences in between the reserve and Kruger have been removed and already buffalo and black rhino move freely in these areas. In co-operation with the Mpumalanga Parks Board, Sanparks translocated zebra to the Barberton Nature Reserve. Further north, 55 buf- falo found a new home in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park. Since 2007, South Africa has played a sig- nificant role in the re-establish- ment of Gorongosa’s buffalo population. Several individual translo- 4 • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • current concerns Intensive Lion Research Initiated Kruger National Park’s lion population faces an uncertain future - or does it?

Katy Johnson projects conducted on the lions. Undeterred by the extent of in each. These regions will differ in reproduction of lions either on their The problem was that predictive information required, SANParks the amount of prey available and own, or in combination. That was the question facing sci- models are only as good as the has commissioned one of the largest prevalence of bTB, both of which As well as the physiological studies, entists at a Lion Bovine Tuberculosis information they are using. The investigative studies of its type, to can influence the demographic a behaviour study will also be un- Disease Risk Assessment Workshop reliability of the model and validity gather the information needed to response in the lions. However, no dertaken. From each pride selected held in 2009. The collection of of the results it provides are highly model the effect of bTB on Kruger’s distinction will be made between the females will be collared. These will scientists from around the globe dependant on the both the quantity lion population. It is a multi-faceted different zones, granite and basalt, hopefully provide scientists with a found answering the question of how of data channelled into the model, research programme, dependant within each region. Re-sampling of lot of the data they are currently Kruger’s lion (Panthera leo) population but more importantly the quality of on expertise from across a number each pride will happen every two missing. Researchers will follow the would respond to the increasing that data. To model the population of SANParks departments includ- years, although every two months, prides and will document everything prevalence of bovine tuberculosis effect of a specific disease like bovine ing Scientific Services, Veterinary researchers will spend three days from interactions on a kill to litter (bTB) in the Parks’ buffalo herds tuberculosis, a detailed understand- Wildlife Services, as well as research- and nights with the pride, using sizes. These observations will provide more challenging than most had ing of both the disease transmission ers from the University of Pretoria radio collars to track their every the team with the life history data for expected. rate and the demographic response and Onderstepoort Veterinary move and recording the behaviours bTB prides they are currently lacking This was despite having sophisti- to the disease in lions is required. Faculty. they witness. as well as giving them much better cated mathematical models designed Unfortunately, there are big gaps in Dr Sam Ferreira, SANParks’ insights into disease transfer rates. to answer such questions and the current knowledge when it comes large mammal ecologist, heads the One of the aspects of lion capture results of a number of research to both these aspects of the disease. programme. He explains that the Collaring 30 prides which makes it such a drawn out aim of this project is to process, is waiting for the lions to collect data which will Before this can happen, the 30 wake up after being anaesthetised. try and fill the current prides have to be caught so that Male lions from different coalitions gaps in knowledge. collars can be attached and initial are notoriously hostile to resident These gaps include un- samples taken. Collaring 30 prides pride males, so the team have to stay derstanding both the carries a large cost, both financially with the lions until the effect of the vertical and horizontal and logistically. The programme drugs has totally worn off, otherwise transmission rates of has therefore been split into three other prides might come in and take the disease. smaller projects, according to the advantage of the sleeping or drowsy Vertically transmis- different regions, to make it more lions. sion is via predation, feasible. Currently collaring and with buffalo being the sampling of lions in the southern New drug primary hosts for bTB region has started, with a team from combinations in the park and one SANParks going out on a week of of the lions’ favourite night captures. Using a fresh carcass The team is addressing this by food sources. The lions and a calling station the team hopes looking at new drug combinations. catch bTB from feed- to draw in a pride from the vicinity. Dr Peter Buss, from Veterinary ing on diseased buffalo. Audio calls are particularly impor- Wildlife Services, is also involved in There is a concern tant, and a lot of work is going into this project. He is looking at refining that male lions could what sounds work best. a drugs trial he initiated in October be particularly sus- Traditionally, buffalo distress calls 2009, which would replace zoletil ceptible, as they often and the sounds of hyenas noisily (the traditional drug used for darting get first choice at a celebrating a kill have been used. lions) with a combination of drugs kill and will frequently Both bring in lions, however, the that includes butorphanol, medeto- select the most disease- lion’s response differs dramatically. midine and midazolam. This new ridden parts, including Hyena calls will bring lions in from combination of drugs will enable the the lungs. a great distance however it will tend vets to reverse the drug effects, when Horizontal transmis- to be male lions looking for a fight, and if required. So the lions can be sion is intra-species whereas the buffalo distress call quickly back on their feet after all transmission from lion tends to bring whole prides in, but the sampling has been completed, to lion. Lions are so- from a lesser distance. Small factors reducing the waiting time dramati- cial animals, feeding, like these need to be considered cally. It also gives the vets the option sleeping, playing, and when setting up call-ups given that of using the reversal drugs if the lions hunting in prides. Due SANParks wish to attract prides and experience any troubles under the to their social nature, not only males. anaesthetic, an option previously not lions tend to be par- When the lions have been called available to them, lessening the risks ticularly susceptible to in, vets from Veterinary Wildlife associated with anaesthetising lions. horizontal intra-pride Services dart as many of the indi- The project is in the very early transmission, as bTB viduals of a pride as possible. Several stages. Lion capture in the southern Dr Sam Ferreira, SANParks’ large mammal ecologist, heads the research into Bovine is an airborne disease tests commence once lions have region of Kruger started in early Tuberculosis in Kruger’s lion population. and lions breathe over been retrieved at the capture site March this year. 10 females from 10 one another constant- with assistance from the Operations prides have been successfully col- ly, especially around Unit. Currently there is no solid lared and a total of 51 lions caught a kill. Another gap in test to diagnose bTB in lions, so and tested. It won’t be until 2011 that current knowledge is two associated projects under the all 30 prides will have been selected the demographic re- auspices of the KNP Veterinary Unit and even then that is just the begin- sponse of lions to bTB. aim to evaluate methods of testing ning of an intensive six years of data Little is known about in the hope of finding a reliable, collection. However, these initial how bTB affects the standardised test for bTB. efforts by the SANParks team, their birth intervals, fecun- Alongside testing for bTB, screen- colleagues from various academic dity, cub survival rates, ing for a number of other feline institutes and the sponsors, who have life spans and pride diseases will be carried out, includ- made all this research possible, will takeovers in lions. ing testing for feline aids (FIV). A result in a significant difference in Sam’s programme pioneering study by Dr Dewald six years time. aims to test all this, Keet stimulated a lot of the discus- Then when asked whether “Kruger by collecting detailed sion surrounding bTB in Kruger’s Nationals Park’s lion population faces information from 30 lion population and identified a an uncertain future due to bTB” the prides over a six-year potential correlation between the scientists and managers of Kruger timeframe. Kruger effects of bTB and lions that have National Park will be able to have a will be split into three also have FIV. Dr Danny Govender better understanding of what influ- distinct regions - from Scientific Services screens ences lion survival in the Kruger and southern, central and captured lions which hopefully will how significantly TB is playing a role The research team northern - and ten shed some light on how the various in lion survival. prides will be studied feline diseases affect the survival and photos: Dr Peter Buss

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Until 1960, Pretoriuskop was the only rest camp with accommodation available all year. Before that the park was only open between May and October 15. current concerns current concerns • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • 5 Celebrating Biodiversity - 2010 he United Nations water cycle, the nutrient cycle, the · KwaZulu-Natal’s wetlands are Human beings are driving much of in the world to contain an entire declared 2010 the oxygen cycle, to name a few. worth an estimated R200 000 per this. Some examples: floral kingdom within its borders – TInternational Year hectare per annum for their water • The human population increased the Fynbos. of Biodiversity and the Why does catchment and purification value, by 34 percent since 1987 and there However: Convention on Biological biodiversity matter? and forests around R21 000 per are currently about 6.5 billion people • Only 18 percent of our river Diversity (CBD) is driving the Our lives depend on it. Loss of hectare per annum. on the planet, with the number systems are intact while 54 percent global campaign to encour- biodiversity will have drastic impacts The economic losses of ecosystem still rising. Consumption rates also are Critically Endangered. age worldwide action to for livelihoods, human health, econo- services in the Fynbos due to alien increased by 300 percent in this time. • More than 50 percent of our safeguard biodiversity. It is mies and our way of life. The services plant invasion amount to almost • We lose 50 000 km2 of primary wetlands have been destroyed. a celebration of life on Earth and goods that nature provides and R700 million per year. forest every year. • Alien plants have invaded more and of the value of biodiver- that we take for granted such as the Globally economic losses due to in- • More land was converted to than 10 million hectares of our land, sity for our lives. food we eat, the water we drink and vasive alien species amount to almost cropland between 1950 and 1980 obliterating indigenous species. the air that we breathe, will be lost if five percent of the world economy. than between 1700 and 1850. • 34 percent of our terrestrial eco- the current rate of biodiversity loss · Wood fuel is the main source of • About 20 percent of world’s systems are classified as threatened. The CBD is one of the most continues. energy for about 75 percent of rural coral reefs were lost and another • 20 of our 25 key commercial signed onto treaties in the world, The poor are especially vulnerable South African families. 20 percent degraded in the past few marine fish species are over-fished and deals with the need to sustain because they do not have the means · Rural and urban households use decades. and stocks have collapsed. the rich diversity of life on Earth. to produce or even use technology to woodland products to an estimated • About 35 percent of mangroves In 2002 the CBD adopted the 2010 solve their problems. value of R5 500 per household per were lost in the past few decades. What can you do? Biodiversity Target, an international Everyone is affected by the effects year. • Desertification costs the world · Learn about biodiversity and commitment to reduce biodiversity of natural disasters, worsened by the Biodiversity allows our planet to an estimated US$42 billion per year. teach others what you’ve learnt. decline by 2010. However, the target loss of local biodiversity, or by rising adapt to changes and so ensure our · When shopping, always choose was never met and the world is now food costs and polluted water catch- future survival. The less biodiverse What is the status products that use less packaging. negotiating its revision. ments and it is everybody’s challenge the planet is, the more vulnerable of South Africa’s · Buy locally produced products to solve the problems left in the wake we are and less able we are to adapt. biodiversity? as much as possible. What is biodiversity? of biodiversity loss. Some examples Comparatively good. However · Grow your own fruit and veg- It is the network of life. Every · In KwaZulu-Natal alone about What is the status it is declining. etables. living organism, the variation among 70 percent of people rely on tradi- of the Earth’s • South Africa contains the third · Question retailers about their and within species, the variation in tional medicine for their primary biodiversity? highest level of biodiversity of all the products and ask them to stock en- the genetic make-up of species and form of healthcare and this comes It is declining rapidly. Experts countries in the world. vironmentally responsible products. all the processes that support these from indigenous plants and animals estimate that at least 34 000 plant • South Africa is home to 10 · Buy only what you need. species are collectively known as - biodiversity. and 5 200 animal species face ex- percent of the planet’s plants and · Replace alien plants with indig- biodiversity. · In 1995 the expenditure on tinction today and this will increase seven percent of reptiles, birds and enous ones. We are biodiversity, along with medicinal plants in South Africa was dramatically if current trends con- mammals. · Use fewer pesticides and other the 13 million other species on our R768 million. Several hundred thou- tinue. Biodiversity is being lost at • Our coastline contains 15 per- chemicals, or switch to natural planet, and the global cycles that al- sand people are directly employed in 100 times the rate of previous extinc- cent of world’s coastal species. alternatives. low all these organisms to exist – the the industry. tions documented in fossil records. • South Africa is the only country · Reduce, reuse and recycle. 6 • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • conservation concerns

Over the past decade it has been noted that extreme fire weather patterns has generally increased Fire Storms And Their Use In Conservation Management

Navashni Govender losses that amounts to the thousand Imfolozi Park in Kwa-Zulu Natal, allowed for firestorm conditions. only causing it, but possibly being if not millions of Rand. investigating the potential tools that Preliminary data from the project caught up in it. Fire is an important and crucial If the weather parameters are are available to managers to stop in Hluhluwe suggest that burning photos: Prof William Bond driver within savanna ecosystems changing, fuels are increasing and forests from wiping out high rainfall the veld under weather conditions and SAVFIRE and is necessary in maintaining sources of ignitions are not limit- savannas under high CO2, include conducive to firestorms, provides ecosystem functioning. ing thus favouring more firestorm that of herbivory by elephants and an opportunity to managers to However to use fire as a manage- events. The question now begs as other megafauna. reclaim invaded grasslands by re- ment tool clear objectives have to to how were predict, prepare, utilise However, elephants and other introducing frequent late season be agreed on and the consequences and manage for these events during browsers seem to avoid thickets and grass fires. must be clearly understood and ef- our fire seasons. do not have an impact. The use of There are however many safety fects thereafter need to be monitored Research undertaken by Professor fire under current policies has not issues, such as good fire training, and learnt from. William Bond, Catherine Browne worked in Hluhluwe despite high equipment and man-power that Globally and in South Africa, and Jeremy Midgley from the fire frequencies but these fires are need to be taken into account before climate change has had very tangible University of Cape Town has burnt too early, under too mild fire these fires can be effectively and effects on our ecosystem. recently demonstrated that these weather conditions and are therefore safely be used. Changes in rainfall patterns, firestorm events should not only be of too low intensities to move into Finally the world that we live and increases in air temperature with seen for their negative effects on the the forest/grassland boundaries. manage within is certainly not the knock on effects on a decrease ecosystem but can possibly be used A recent fire event in Hluhluwe same as it used to be and therefore in relative humidity continue to to tackle the increasing problem has shed some new light and in- management tools, policies and steadily increase fire risk of our of densification of indigenous formation in tackling the woody actions will have to adapt as never landscapes. woody vegetation into our grassland densification phenomena in the before. Over the past decade it has been systems. park. In September 2008 the newly These situations also serve as a noted that extreme fire weather pat- formed thickets and a forest section good reminder that when we’re out terns has generally increased and fire woody vegetation in the park burnt down. enjoying nature, we do need to be frequency, size and intensity to levels Usually fires do not penetrate particularly careful about fire - not that we would not have previously Woody plant cover is currently the forest and thickets experienced historically. being favoured as never before in stands but the weather A firestorm is a fire which attains whole history of savannas. conditions (air tempera- such intensity that it creates and sus- This is mainly due to the fact that ture greater than 30 tains its own wind system. It is most the current CO2 (carbon dioxide) degrees, relative hu- commonly a natural phenomenon, level is higher than at least the last midity less than 30% created during some of the largest one million years and higher CO2 percent and wind speed bushfires forest fires, and wildfires. makes woody plants grow faster, greater than 30km/ The Black Saturday bushfires sprout better after fire and build de- hour) under which this (Australia February 2007), the Great fences (spines, tannins) more easily. particular fire burnt Peshtigo Fire (USA October 1871) Due to this competitive advantage was such that the fire and the Ash Wednesday (Australia of woody vegetation over savanna would be deemed a February 1983) fires are examples grasses, which have evolved under firestorm and was able of extreme firestorms. lower CO2 conditions, the en- to move through the Such fires are usually beyond croachment of woody vegetation stand of thickets and human intervention and subside into our grasslands has increased forests and cause severe only upon the consumption of all significantly over the past few dec- top-kill or kill many of combustible material within its ades. This translates into a potential the encroaching woody locality or when environmental loss of a crucial biome, the savannas, tree species. conditions no longer support the which makes up approximately Analysis of the continued spread of the fire. 11percent of the global and 46 climatic data from Unfortunately, in the aftermath percent of Southern Africa’s land Hluhluwe from 2001 to associated with these extreme fire cover and provides essential goods 2008 demonstrated that events are losses of lives (human and and services for millions of people the alignment of the animal), habitat, infrastructure and which sustain their livelihoods. 303 weather conditions property of unprecedented levels, Further work undertaken by Prof is very rare, with only which translates into economic Bond and his team in Hluhluwe- 70 hours or 2.9 days conservation concerns rangers’ diary • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • 7 Buffalo Live Up To Their Reputation espite their docile ary fence and bumped into field Mooiplaas section ranger. demeanour, buffalo rangers waiting on the road. This According to Samuel, they tried to Shagoni section’s sergeant Dare known as one of made them turn back into the thick run away from the animal which was Isaac Hlungwane and section Africa’s most dangerous bush. charging from their left. Although ranger, Marius Renke creatures. An old, injured or Two trackers had joined the Samuel was nearest the animal, it threatened buffalo may often follow-up group and the five men passed behind him towards Joseph. charge with no provocation. pursued in a line, “with a spacing of As Joseph shouted, Samuel turned Unlike elephant or lion, buf- five to 10 metres between us with the around to see the buffalo horns hook- falo do not mock-charge – a wind in our favour.” ing into Joseph’s thigh and tossing characteristic many Kruger Without warning, the cow emerged him into the air. National Park (KNP) rangers from behind a bush and charged The buffalo turned and charged can attest to from firsthand Marius from about nine metres; the again. Joseph yelled at the animal experience. distance was paced afterwards. and at Samuel to shoot, which he She came from his left and he only did. At first the bullets hitting the saw her when she was on top of him animal’s side appeared to have no at full charge. effect, and it kept going at Joseph. Shangoni “She picked me up on her horns, Samuel persisted with his fire and breaking my rifle in two in the proc- finally the animal collapsed and died. Thomas Hlungwane, damage ess.” She dumped him and would Samuel radioed Johann about the causing animal control (DCA) of- probably have gored Marius had attack and informed him that the ficer with the Limpopo environ- Isaac not fired two shots that scared injured Joseph was losing a lot of ment, development and tourism her off. Marius was taken to the blood and needed urgent help. department (Ledet), called in KNP hospital in Tzaneen. “I sustained “The poor radio signal and help with a buffalo cow and juve- only a few bruises which is a miracle Samuel’s distress made it impossible nile. The animals were reportedly by itself,” says Marius. to establish the full extent of the roaming a populated area on the The search team followed the injury.” Johann realised they were western boundary of Kruger be- buffalo and destroyed the young too far into the bush for Samuel to tween Hlangapulala and the small animal. The cow, which was prob- carry Joseph out. Ndombodzane spruit. ably wounded, entered the park at He telephoned and requested an Shangoni section ranger, the Phugwame River that night. emergency air evacuation, but the Marius Renke, and sergeant Isaac The team tracked and eventually SANParks helicopter was not avail- Hlungwane met Thomas early on destroyed the cow. able. While head of the SANparks the morning of February 6 to pursue criminal investigative services, Ken the animals on foot. Mooiplaas Maggs, tried to locate the pilot, They flushed the buffalo from a On February 19, lance corporal Johann also pursued other avenues. Phalaborwa and Johann at Mopani to where Joseph lay at the scene of thicket without catching a glimpse Joseph Maluleke and field ranger He contacted Manie Kriel, a well from where they met Samuel who the incident. of them. (FR) Samuel Milane were on a known Phalaborwa businessman was waiting at the vehicle. Dr de Jager stabilised Joseph who “We heard them running away,” routine foot patrol in the northern who has often offered to arrange for “Samuel gave the doctor a brief was taken to Phalaborwa and am- says Marius. “They were then scared sector of the Dzombo block in the the helicopter services of a friend in description of the nature of the bulanced to the hospital in Tzaneen. off by community members who Mooiplas section. emergency situations. This chopper wounds and that the buffalo’s horn “Joseph responded very well to were chopping wood and moved in “About 09h30 a buffalo bull stood was also unavailable, but Manie went in Joseph’s right thigh and out the treatment and was discharged a northerly direction crossing a small up from the shade of a small mopane phoned around and Big Game Heli the other side,” says Johann. on February 25. He is recuperating path that leads to Magone village.” tree and within seconds charged Services offered their assistance. Johann was dropped off to make at home,” says Johann. The buffalo moved to the bound- the rangers,” says Johann Oelofse, The pilot picked Dr de Jager up in room for Samuel who guided them

Trees Retaliate When Their Fig Wasps Don’t Service Them Figs and fig wasps have evolved to The findings suggest that when Smithsonian institute in Panama, The researchers found that in force in keeping this and other mutu- help each other out: Fig wasps lay one species in a mutually beneficial co-authored the paper. passively pollinated pairings, the ally beneficial relationships on track their eggs inside the fruit where the relationship fails to hold up its end “What prevents the wasps from tree almost never aborted its fruit, when being part of a mutualism is wasp larvae can safely develop, and of the bargain, sanctions may be a cheating and reaping the benefits of and the wasp always carried pollen. costly,” said Jandér. “In our study, in return, the wasps pollinate the figs. necessary part of maintaining the the relationship without paying the However, the researchers found that we saw less cheating when sanctions But what happens when a wasp relationship. costs?” Jandér added. in actively pollinated pairings, where were stronger. Similar results have lays its eggs but fails to pollinate “We want to know what forces More than 700 species each of fig the wasp needs to expend energy to been found among human societies the fig? maintain this 80 million-year-old trees and wasps have co-evolved in collect pollen, the tree dumped the and social insects. It is very appealing The trees get even by dropping mutualism between figs and their the tropics worldwide, with each fig fruit and killed the offspring when to think that the same general princi- those figs to the ground, killing wasp pollinators,” said lead author tree species having its own species the wasps did not carry pollen. ples could help maintain cooperation the baby wasps inside, reports a Charlotte Jandér, a Cornell gradu- of pollinating wasp. Jandér worked The researchers also found that both within and among species.” Cornell University and Smithsonian ate student in neurobiology and on six fig tree-fig wasp pairs for the among the actively pollinated fig The study was supported by Tropical Research Institute study behavior, who conducted the study study. Some wasp species passively species, pollen-free wasps were much the Cornell Graduate School and published in the Proceedings of the as a Smithsonian Tropical Research carry pollen that sticks to their bod- more common when the trees had Smithsonian Tropical Research Royal Society, published online in Institute predoctoral fellow. Edward ies, while others actively collect weak sanctions. Institute. January this year. Allen Herre, a staff scientist at the pollen in special pouches. “Sanctions seem to be a necessary 8 • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • rhino rescue Black Rhino Rescued From Sticky Situation

Katy Johnson on Paulie’s vehicle. In an obvious attempt to protect her ill-fated calf, For guide Paulie Viljoen the af- she charged towards Paulie’s safari ternoon game drive along the Ncau vehicle, only pulling out at the last loop on Saturday, February 27, possible moment. Sensing both the started off much the same as any mother’s and calf ’s distress, Paulie other drive. His guests were keen moved off but logged the position to see “the big five” and Paulie had of the calf, which he reported to every intention of fulfilling their KNP’s Skukuza section ranger, wishes. Little did Paulie, or his guests, Albert Smith. know what this game drive had in After receiving the report late that store for them. afternoon, Albert made the decision Driving along the Sabie River, on not to intervene immediately, but Tinga Private Game Lodge’s western rather wait until the next morning concession in the Kruger National and give the calf a chance to free Park (KNP), it was Paulie’s tracker itself. It was feared that if people in- Isaac who first heard the distress tervened the mother could be chased calls. Following the sound, they away and this might permanently reached a thick mud pan. Stuck fast separate mother and calf. in the midst of this pan was a tiny The following morning, Tinga’s black rhino calf, less than a week old early safari went out to see whether with all four legs deeply embedded in the calf had been able to get itself the mud. It was calling continuously free. But the unfortunate calf was to its mother, who was watching from still stuck in the cold mud, clearly the sideline, apparently unable to distressed and weakened by a night help. struggling to get free. His mother was As the calf struggled in the mud, still there, also obviously exhausted Paulie, his guests and the baby after presumably spending the night After 18 hours of being stuck, it notoriously hostile and extremely newfound freedom. Then with no rhino’s mother looked on. The warding off potential predators. was apparent that the black rhino dangerous. A careful approach was mother in sight the baby rhino did calf ’s mother vented her frustration Initially she remained near to her calf would not be able to get out needed, especially with the mother. the unthinkable. It began to follow calf, then she dis- of the mud by itself and its mother Although she wasn’t visibly coming the Tinga safari vehicle. appeared into appeared to have given up and disap- back for her calf, it didn’t mean she Slowly the calf began to follow the the bush. peared. Albert had to decide whether wasn’t in the area. Aware of the game viewer, at times even attempt- W i t h t h e they would intervene. Intervention dangers they faced Albert and David ing to suckle on the wheel. morning drives could dictate whether the baby rhino pressed on, on foot. Hungry, rejected by its mother, if reporting no would survive or not, but it is not With one eye on the bushes around this calf was to be left alone it would improvement in standard practice for Kruger officials them, they approached the calf. surely mean certain death. So Albert the calf’s situ- to get involved in natural incidents. Using its oversized ears as the perfect made the call to take the rhino back ation, Kruger The fact that its mother abandoned handle, they attempted to drag the with him to Skukuza, so it could be section ranger it, that it could not free istelf and it youngster from the mud. But no checked out by Kruger vets. Once Albert Smith was obvious the carnivores would matter how hard they tried, the the rhino calf was deemed fit, the decided to come get to it, as well as it being a highly young calf was stuck fast. It didn’t question was what next for this poor and evaluate the endangered species, swayed Albert’s budge an inch and now it wasn’t little rhino. There was no chance situation. While mind to intervene. just the baby rhino that was getting of reuniting it with its mother, or w h i t e r h i n o With the decision was made to stuck in the mud, Albert and David returning it to the bush, so the numbers have free the baby rhino, Albert sprang were sinking too! A new plan had to only solution was rehabilitation. increased dra- into action with the assistance of be made, as the longer the rhino calf Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre, matically since Tinga guide David Pusey. Using a spent in mud the weaker and more near Hoedspruit, opened their doors they were almost Tinga safari vehicle, they cautiously distressed it got. Finally, the two men to the little calf. wiped out in approached the rhino while ensuring grabbed the rhino calf by its front The calf is doing really well now, the late 1970s, that the vehicle wouldn’t also get legs, sinking further into the mud thanks to its attentive surrogate black rhinos stuck in the deep mud. The calf themselves and using every ounce “rhino mummies”. The rhino mum- haven’t been so was by now highly distressed and of strength available, they somehow mies spend 24 hours with the little successful. With continuously calling for its mother heaved the calf to freedom. calf, feeding it and providing it with approximately with all its might. David and Albert Wobbling at first, the calf strug- the comfort and companionship a only 3500 indi- waited, hoping the mother would gled to its feet. Looking dazed and mother would. The rehabilitation viduals left in come back to her calf but she never teetering dangerously, it watched centre has named the little calf the wild, black came. David slowly reverse the Tinga safari Landela meaning “follower” after rhinos are one It was clear that Albert and David vehicle. For the first time the calf the way she adopted the Tinga safari of the most en- couldn’t get the calf out with the stopped calling out in distress. vehicle and followed it when she was dangered mam- safari vehicle, so a new approach was For a few moments it just stood first freed. mals on earth. required. Black rhinos, however, are there, unsure what to do with its photos: David Pusey

Sabie park R 6,8 million Hazyview R5,5 million Sole mandate Malalane R2 300 000 Nesteled in the heart of Mpumalanga lies this 345 ha Priv Nat Res Bedrooms 4 bathrooms 3 garages 2 carports 2 Mhlatikop bordering the world famous KNP. Here man is privileged enough to Superb fully furnished chalet on golf estate Bed 5, bath 3, double garage live side by side with the inhabitants of the bush,down by the river Luxury free standing air conditioned unit with Where everyone wants to stay. The perfect is a lovely picnic area overlooking the Sabie River and KNP For Many superior extras including a temperature address! Large stand with a swimming pool and sale is this stunning 4 bedroom en-suite thatch house on the banks Controlled wine cellar and jacuzzi on deck overlooking Lovely garden. of the Sabie rRver with a stunning view into the KNP, private pond where bird life abound. conservation concerns • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • 9

Every wetland forms an integral part of a natural ecological system that supports human well-being and biodiversity. Why Wetlands Matter About half of South Africa’s wetlands have Furthermore, wetlands mitigate floods and What you can do: already been destroyed or converted through droughts by slowing down the flow of the • do not dump waste in wet- Did you know? draining, the building of dams, incorrect burn- water during the rainy season and storing lands; ing and overgrazing, invasive alien species, water for release in the dry season. In this way • adhere to approved urban de- Wetlands are complex, fascinating and dy- waste disposal, water abstraction, agricultural, they reduce the impact of natural disasters and velopment plans that clearly namic. They are hardworking ecosystems that urban development and inappropriate land reduce soil erosion, which would otherwise define wetland boundaries provide us with a range of benefits, including management. These losses are expected to mean the loss of arable land and potable water. and buffer zones as no devel- some that are not immediately apparent. increase as the human population grows and Wetlands have for millennia provided opment areas; The National Wetland Inventory has mapped demand for water resources and land expands. breeding and feeding habitats for birds, insects, • do not litter or pollute our over 120,000 wetlands, ranging greatly in size Many communities across Africa are directly mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Wetlands water ways as this enters and and value and accounting for about seven percent dependent on wetlands to harvest reeds for are thus rich in biodiversity and are important overloads our wetlands; of South Africa’s surface area. Different wetland crafts, grow crops in wetland fields and extract stop-overs for many migratory species, while • organise or participate in types supply different ecosystem services includ- water for drinking. some species are dependent on wetlands for clean-ups in your area; and ing flood attenuation, provision of clean water, and They also obtain medicinal plants from breeding. • support wetland conservation carbon storage. wetlands, and at least 70 percent of South Wetland conservation is not only about the initiatives such as those run Commonly referred to as marshes, swamps, Africans are believed to use traditional rural people who are directly dependent on by the Endangered Wildlife bogs or vlei’s, they support a range of specialised medicine as their primary form of health care. them for their survival, but affects all human Trust and other non-govern- plant, insect, bird and mammal life and also sup- Wetlands also provide indirect, but essential beings and several other species. Every wetland mental organisations. ply wild food, grazing, building and craft materials services, such the purification of water con- forms an integral part of a natural ecological Illustration: SA Government, to people. taminated by industrial and domestic waste system that supports human well-being and former department of water http://wetlands.sanbi.org through physical filtration and dissolution of biodiversity. This applies to wetlands of all affars and forestry chemicals. types irrespective of size or location.

How Many More Species Will Go the Way of the Dinosaur?

According to the International species,” he says. at SJU. Of particular interest is his onstrates the limitations of attempts for them to be released into the wild.” Union for the Conservation of McRobert adds that the biggest colony of 13 Vietnamese leaf turtles to save a species.” But McRobert is hopeful that Nature (IUCN), which is the oldest cause of extinction is habitat destruc- – Mauremys annamensis – a small turtle McRobert adds that leaf turtles the leaf turtle – and many other and largest global environmental tion: cutting down forests, draining once abundant in central Vietnam. are relatively easy to keep and breed species – will not go the way of the network, governments have failed wetlands, and replacing natural areas “This species is listed as critically in captivity. “There are quite a few dinosaur. “Scientists are playing a to meet targets to reduce the rate with housing developments, roads endangered, but may very well be individuals alive in captivity. We waiting game,” he says. “Though of biodiversity loss by 2010. Their or farms. extinct in the wild, which means study them to learn more about the we don’t know if it will ever happen, recent message says we are now A geneticist who also studies no individuals exist in the natural species, and breed them to increase we are trying to keep species alive witnessing the greatest extinction animal behavior, McRobert houses world,” says McRobert. “It has been the size of the remaining population, long enough to someday reestablish crisis since dinosaurs disappeared several assurance colonies of endan- decimated by habitat destruction but we also must ask, ‘what’s the populations to nature.” from our planet 65 million years ago. gered species in his biodiversity lab and hunting for food, which dem- point?’ since there are no safe places While critics might counter that IUCN is engaging in hyperbole, claiming that extinction is part of the natural cycle, conservationist Scott McRobert, Ph.D., professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pa., says the urgent tone of the message is accurate, and the current mass extinction has little in common with the prehistoric event. So what is different? “Human beings are the cause of this crisis. Almost everything humans do that causes damage to the Earth – polluting, introducing alien species, causing global climate change, sport hunting, commercial hunting and poaching – contributes to the loss of

The printing of this publication was sponsored by SANPARKS, kruger national park 10 • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • conservation concerns National Bird Threatened By Illegal Trade In February alone, nine blue a private garden or shopping centre, stabilised, probably mainly in re- The removal of cranes from the the relevant provincial permits are cranes were confiscated in four sepa- a demand is created for cranes, sponse to the work undertaken by wild for the illegal trade market is obtained.” rate incidences of illegal removal which places pressure on the wild the EWT-ACCP and its partners, however an increasing threat. The law provides the follow- from the wild in their Karoo habitat. populations. Many unsuspecting in particular the Overberg Crane The EWT-ACCP undertook a ing penalties according to the “Sadly, this is likely just the tip people then become involved in Group, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal blue crane population modelling latest amendment 27 May 2009 of the iceberg, with many more illegal trade, as they find birds quite Wildlife and the KwaZulu-Natal exercise in 2009. Analysis of the (Government Gazette Nr. 32237), having been taken illegally,” says readily available. Crane Foundation. Over the last results suggests that the population which came into effect in September Kerryn Morrison, manager of the The blue crane, Anthropoides two decades these organisations have remains on a knife-edge and that 2009 (Government Gazette Nr. Endangered Wildlife Trust’s African paradiseus, South Africa’s national worked closely with landowners in an increase in mortality rates could 32580): Crane Conservation Programme bird, is a near endemic to the country the major crane regions, helping once again swing the population into • Imprisonment for a period not (EWT-ACCP). and is classified as vulnerable on them to find viable solutions to the a steady decline. exceeding five years, or a fine of a “People often don’t realise that one the International Union for the crop damage that cranes sometimes The Endangered Wildlife Trust maximum of R5 million or both for needs a permit to trade in and own Conservation of Nature’s Red Data cause, without killing or disturbing asks anyone looking to keep cranes the first offence. cranes. It is illegal to take cranes out List. Its charismatic stature, elabo- the birds. to carefully consider their decision. • For second conviction, imprison- of the wild.” rate dances and the fact that it is Today farmers use agrochemicals One needs to ensure that they are ment for 10 years and a fine of a Often legally-owned blue crane easily recognisable are the reasons more responsibly than they did in legally acquired and that their pur- maximum of R10 million. pairs are used as a front to move ille- why this crane is sought after for the past and are far more tolerant chase of cranes will not contribute The African Crane Conservation gally captured chicks. A legal pair of captivity. Numbering around 25 of cranes living on their properties. to the demise of the blue crane Programme’s important community blue cranes is kept, and crane chicks 000, a few vagrant birds are seen in Furthermore, the work undertaken population in the country. and crane conservation work is sup- are then illegally removed from the neighbouring countries from time to by the EWT’s Wildlife and Energy “Ask the relevant questions around ported by the World Wide Fund wild and sold under the premise that time, and a sedentary population of Programme to make powerlines the origin of the cranes to be bought for Nature, Rand Merchant Bank, the legal pair reproduced the chicks around 35 birds is found in Namibia. more visible to large flying birds and ask for parentage testing to Lufthansa, the Anglo American in question. Following a severe decline in has seen a 60 percent reduction in ensure that the birds you are buying Chairman’s Fund, Eskom, SASOL, With the lure of the supposed the 1980s and 1990s, the species’ bird/power line collisions in the last are actually the chicks of the pair Millstream, Agricol, Senqu Clothing status acquired by keeping cranes in population size appears to have decade. in question. It is also vital that and the Johannesburg Zoo.

Controls for Animals’ Colour Designs Revealed

The vivid colours and designs animals use to interact with to make pigment. “It acts by triggering responding cells to do hadn’t been on before.” their environments have awed and inspired since before people things, in this case make colour,” Carroll explains. Although the study was conducted in a lowly fruit fly, the learned to draw on the cave wall. In Drosophila guttifera, the morphogen acts in proximity to principles uncovered by Carroll’s group, he argues, very likely But how different creatures in the animal kingdom — from existing physical landmarks such as the intersections of veins apply to many animals, everything from butterflies to boa colourful birds and reef fish to butterflies and snakes — make and cross veins on the wing. The positioning of the spots, in constrictors. “This is animal color patterning, how they are and deploy their artful designs is one of nature’s deepest secrets. short, is dictated by these pre-existing patterns, notes Carroll: generated, how they evolved.” Now, however, a team of researchers from the Howard Hughes “The Wingless molecule is deployed in this species at specific Photo: Nicolas Gompel,Sean Carroll, Medical Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison points in time and in specific places — the has exposed the fine details of how animals make new body places where the spots are going to be.” ornamentation from scratch. The work, the result of years-long The role of the Wingless morphogen and laborious experimentation, is published in the journal was detailed by the painstaking genetic Nature, April 7. manipulation of flies that took three years “How do you generate complex patterns? This is a question and the injection of nearly 20,000 fly that has interested biologists for a really long time,” says Sean embryos to accomplish. Complicating the Carroll, a UW-Madison molecular biologist and the senior project is the fact that Drosophila guttifera is author of the Nature report. “In this case, we at first had no little used in research and its genome has clue. But now we think we’ve figured out all the key ingredients not been sequenced. and we believe they are generally applicable (to many However, by inserting the Wingless gene animals).” into different parts of the fly’s The new study is important because it genome, the team was able is the first to provide to successfully manipulate concrete evidence for the deco- a long-hypothesized ration system for generat- of the ing animal colour f l y ’ s patterns, be they wing, stripes, spots or any of creat- the myriad designs animals ing stripes use to camouflage themselves or instead of find a mate. In particular, the Wisconsin group spots, and patterns not is the first to identify a colour-inducing mor- seen in nature. “We can make phogen, a diffusible protein that tells certain custom flies,” notes Carroll. By cells to make pigment. manipulating the gene, “we To ferret out the secret of animal orna- can make striped flies out of mentation, Carroll and his UW-Madison col- leagues, spotted flies.” Thomas Werner and Shigeyuki Koshikawa, and Thomas In addition to working out the Williams, now at the University of Dayton, pried loose the molecular details of how the fly colours molecular details and evolutionary history of how a species of its wings, Carroll’s group was also able to North American fruit fly,Drosophila guttifera, generates a complex deduce the evolutionary history of wing pattern of 16 wing spots. colouring in Drosophila guttifera. The group discovered a morphogen, a protein present in In short, says Carroll, the patterns found embryonic tissue and encoded by a gene known as Wingless, on the wings of Drosophila guttifera came which seems to be a linchpin of wing decoration. Late in wing about through the fly’s manipulation of development, the Wingless morphogen is produced and diffuses the Wingless gene: “It evolved by simply through tissue where it prompts cells in certain areas of the wing turning this gene on in places where it alien invasion • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • 11 Have Feral Cats Clawed Their Way Into Kruger? Dr Llewellyn Foxcroft their DNA into the gene pool of Marna studied African wildcat conservation management strategies. where African wild cats occur in the African wildcat population behaviour in the Kalahari National One of the ways in which biologi- close proximity to domestic and Although more commonly known of Kruger National Park (KNP). Park. Together with Jaco Le Roux cal invasions threaten biodiversity, is feral cats. Little is known about the for his expertise with alien plants, A proposal was submitted to and and the molecular lab at the CIB, through reducing the genetic diver- genetic status of the African wild Llewellyn Foxcroft’s latest collabora- accepted for funding by the British and with the support of the British sity of species. cat population in the park, and thus tion to keep national parks as havens Ecological Society Overseas Grants Ecological Society, the study has This is of particular concern to determining the genetic purity of for indigenous species involves programme. recently started. protected areas, whose primary the African wild cat population will claws and teeth rather than thorns Llewellyn’s interest in the possible The main objective of this project mandate is to protect biological assist in determining management and spikes. Recently Llewellyn, hybridisation of feral cats with the is to clarify the current genetic status diversity and normal ecosystem strategies. a specialist in alien species with African wildcat population started of the African wild cat population processes. The African wild cat (Felis Acknowledgements: SANParks and research fellow for in 1997 when he saw (and heard) in terms of its hybridisation with silvestris lybica) has a wide distribution The British Ecological Society the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence a large number of feral and hybrid feral domestic cats in KNP. Second, throughout Africa and is generally Overseas Grant programme is for Invasion Biology (CIB), with the cats along the boundary of the the team hopes to see how far recognised as the ancestor of the thanked for their support and con- collaboration of Marna Herbst, Phalaborwa section of the park. hybridisation has spread into the domestic cat. The identification of tribution to the study. The CIB and also from SANParks, initiated a His interest was again raised earlier KNP (eg around staff villages, near genetically pure wild cat populations SANParks are also thanked for their study to examine the role of feral this year, this time as a conservation towns on the boundary of the KNP is imperative for future assessments support. cats as an invasive species. Domestic concern within an invasion biology and in more remote areas of KNP) of the extent of hybridisation and Photo M. Herbst cats can ‘invade’ by introducing framework. SANParks colleague to identify focal areas for efficient introgression, especially for areas 12 • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • current concerns All of these bulls are considered emerging and in years should all develop into the impressive bulls we know and love Kruger’s New Generation Tuskers n the previous issue we his home range predominating in not much to his liking, but he introduced a few of the the Timbavati Private Reserve. accepted the job as it gave him Iemerging tuskers in However due to his extensive a foot in the door. In 1935 the Kruger National Park wanderings into the KNP, he is he was appointed to a section (KNP) - Machachule, Madolo, definitely worth recording and ranger’s position and was Mandhevu, Mashangaan, keeping note of. given the Sabi section of the Masthulele, Ngunyupezi and park. Given his new status, he Tsotsi. In this issue Kirsty MULILUANE promptly married Ruby Cass. Redman tells you more During this time, Harry fol- about Mac, Mililuane and Origin of Name: Named after lowed up on reports of black Nwashinangana. section ranger Harry Kirkman, who rhino in the Gommondwane served Kruger between 1933 and area of the KNP and while These are the magnificent ele- 1958. Muliluane means ‘small fire’. he found tracks the animals phant bulls (and a few cows) believed Range: He is known to move eluded him. to be following in the footsteps of between the Sabi-Sands Private He was thus the last person Kruger’s Magnificent Seven. Nature Reserve and the Skukuza to record this species in KNP, The Magnificent Seven, impres- section of Kruger. as thereafter black rhinos were sive elephant bulls all with tusks He was recently sighted as far not recorded again as they weighing more than 50kg each that south as Biyamithi Bushveld camp, had become locally extinct roamed Kruger in the latter half of which is a new area for this bull. until their re-introduction to the 20th century, earned themselves a Special Features: The elephant Kruger in the 1970s. wounds, Harry followed it up and in recent years. He was named in name based on the 1960 Hollywood has very widely spaced straight In 1938 Harry was moved to shot it, using only his right arm. 2008 during the judging for the film. ivory with the left tusk being notably a new ranger’s section, known as This at the age of 65! 2007 Emerging Tuskers competition While many of Africa’s elephant longer than the right. Shangoni and he was instrumental Harry recovered completely from and received 1st prize in the same populations have seen the genes He has a prominent square in its development. his wounds and eventually retired competition. of their largest tuskers depleted notch/tear in his left ear towards Once, while patrolling on horse- from service in the Sabi-Sand in by ivory hunting and poaching, the top of the ear lobe, with a loose back, his horse was attacked by a July 1969. Ted Whitfield Kruger’s giants live on in what are piece of skin just below that. On the lion. He was thrown from the saddle, He passed away on June 12, 1989 now called the emerging tuskers. same ear, there is a notable hole to- but still had his rifle in his hands. in an old age home in Eshowe, Ted ‘Nwashinangana’ Whitfield In recent years, some of these wards the outer edge of the earlobe He fired a shot at the lion; wound- Zululand, at the age of 90. was born on the April 12, 1936 in new tuskers have died, nota- towards the bottom of the lobe. ing it and watching it take off. After Pilgrims Rest. He attended Pretoria bly Masunguine, Masbambela, General: Muliliuane seemed an retrieving his badly wounded horse, NWASHINANGANA Boys High and Belfast High School. Mashagadzi and most recently appropriate name for this bull as he he followed up the spoor of the He started his career in the KNP Alexander and Hlanaganini. is known to move between Kruger wounded lion and destroyed it. Origin of Name: Named in as a section ranger at Klipkoppies, “Visitors to Kruger can search for and the Sabi-Sand Private Nature Once elephants became more honor of Ted Whitfield, who was now named Mooiplaas, section on 14 named tuskers, 10 of which are Reserve. Harry Kirkman started his common, Harry and Harold a section ranger in the KNP for April 1, 1970. regularly seen. All of these bulls are career in the Sabi-Sand, then moved Trollope were detailed to drive 24 years. Nwashinangana can He worked at seven of the 22 considered emerging and in upcom- to Kruger as a section ranger and marauding elephants back into the be translated as ‘somebody that ranger section throughout his career ing years should all develop into the returned to Sabi-Sand as warden park, which resulted in many close blows the animal horn’, due to his (Mahlangeni, July 1970; Malelane, impressive bulls we know and love,” after his retirement from Kruger. encounters. habit of whistling softly while he January 1972; Nwanetzi, April says Kirsty Redman, interpretive In 1942 Harry again joined the was working, 1976; Kingfisherspruit, October officer, Nxanatseni region. Harry Kirkman armed forces and served in the Range: Imbali (Mluwati) 1977; Satara, November 1977; Western Desert, but he returned to Concession, Kingfisherspruit, Houtboschrand, April 1982). Ted MAC (Timbavati) Walter Henry (Harry) Kirkman Kruger to resume his duties in 1946. Tshokwane and Lower Sabie retired on November 1, 1994 and was born in the Steytlerville district In 1947 he was again transferred Special Features: Very substan- lives in Graskop. Origin of Name: Unknown of the Eastern Cape on March 31, to Skukuza, where among other tial thick ivory widely splayed. This Ted’s legacy continues in Kruger Range: Timbavati/Klaserie and 1899. Being legally under aged, he duties, he was also placed in charge bull has two small v-shaped notches through two of his three chil- Umbabat Private Reserves adjoin- joined up with the armed forces at of the roads section. in his right ear, towards the centre dren. Steven is section ranger at ing the KNP. This bull is known the age of 15 and served in the East Harry Kirkman retired from serv- and bottom of the lobe. Tshokwane and Sharon is married for his extensive wanderings and African campaign. ice with National Parks at the end of His left tusk is longer and less to Don English, section ranger at is a regular feature as far north as After the war he took over the 1958, and was appointed warden of curved than the right tusk. There Malelane. Shingwedzi and Mopani as well as management of the TCL. cattle the Sabi-Sand Game Reserve. is a tennis ball sized growth on the Ted is very keen on musketry and in the Letaba and Phalaborwa areas. ranch on the Sabie River, now the His place of work had come full left flank about 50cm from the tail was an outstanding marksman. Special Features: Mac wears Sabi-Sand Game Reserve. He took circle – his movements mirrored by of the bull. He played a mayor role in the a radio collar. He has fairly sym- over duties in 1927 from his friend the elephant bull “Muliluane” which Two small notches spaced ap- South African development of metrical ivory. Bert Tomlinson who left this posi- has been named after him. proximately 10cm apart at the top the monolithic bullet point for There is a prominent wide u- tion to become a section ranger in While following up a wounded of the left ear lobe heavy calibre hunting rifles. He shaped notch in his left ear towards the KNP. lion in the reeds of the Sand River General: This bull has been seen started making hunting knives as a the middle of the lobe. Many of the duties of this posi- in 1964 the lion charged Harry from on numerous occasions in recent hobby during the mid 1970’s and In the same ear there is a large and tion such as predator control, fire short range. years and seems to be a popular is a founder member of the South wide v-shaped tear at the bottom of management and anti-poaching, His rifle belt hooked on the tusker to photograph. African Knife Makers’ Guild. the ear lobe. In the right ear lobe were similar to those of a ranger vegetation, preventing him from From the submissions it has been (Information provided there is a wide v-shaped notch in and in 1933 he followed his friend bringing the rifle to bear on the noted that this bull has a very large by Ted Whitfield to Steven the top part of the ear lobe, with a Bert Tomlinson into service with enraged lion. The lion severely home range stretching from Orpen Whitfield and Louis Olivier) smaller same-shaped notch towards SANParks. mauled Harry’s left arm. Gate to Lower Sabie Restcamp. Photo: Mac, photographed the lower to middle area of the lobe. Initially, he was employed by Wounded by one of Harry’s He was first recorded in 2006 by Michele Henley General: This bull is not consid- colonel James Stevenson-Hamilton companions, the animal took off and has grown substantially since ered to be a ‘Kruger Tusker’ due to in a clerical position, which was into the reeds, and in spite of his then, attracting far more attention

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Our primary mandate, and top priority, is to conserve South Africa’s biodiversity, landscapes and associated assets, through a system of national parks. Our vision is that these national parks will be the pride and joy of all South Africans. people in conservation • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • 13 Meet The Amazing Amone “There was nothing I could do so I froze, curled into the foetal position and prayed. I prayed the elephants wouldn’t see me, I prayed I would survive to see another day, I prayed harder than I had ever done.”

Katy Johnson out of the way of the rest At this point we realised the termite of Kruger’s wildlife. On one mound was just too small, our size Amone Mzimba is a humble man, trip we found a snare with an might put a lone elephant off, but with his fine frame, soft-spoken impala already dead in it and not a whole herd. So we ran. Now manner and gracious nature; you spoor prints leading back to the it was the whole herd that was after would be forgiven for mistaking boundary fence. To catch the us. We had only run a few paces, him for part of a lodge’s hospital- poacher in action we decided when I tripped. I felt my feet go ity team rather than their guiding to camp out by the snare, in from underneath me and the next department. But the moment he the hope that they would come thing I know I was on the ground. I starts speaking about his life in the back to collect their prize. We fell so hard that my rifle barrel was Kruger National Park (KNP), his waited and waited, for three forced deep into the ground. It was passion, enthusiasm and love of the days nothing happened. We so full of dirt, that it was completely bush is clear for all to see. would be dropped off at 3am, useless to me. I could hear the first Even before the interview of- under the cover of darkness, elephant right behind me and the ficially started, Amone was already with a canister of water and others coming. There was nothing explaining the reason he had come then wait until 10pm when I could do so I froze, curled into out of retirement to be a Tinga we would be collected, only the foetal position and prayed. I Lodge tracker. “The bush is my to be sent back out again at prayed the elephants wouldn’t see life, every day I wake up and am 3am the next morning. It was me, I prayed I would survive to thankful. I love doing my job. It’s on the third morning that we see another day, I prayed harder my passion”. When he is speaking heard something coming along than I had ever done. I heard the about his life in Kruger, Amone’s the pathway. Silently we all first elephant stop, and something eyes brighten up and it’s hard not got into our hiding places and touching my back. My radio was to be truly mesmerised by his stories. waited. It was the poacher and attached to my belt and I could feel The memories he has stored up over he had no idea we were there. it being roughly tugged away from a lifetime working within the Park, We waited while he carefully me. I just laid there. As still as I pos- spilled forth with ease during our removed the snare, placing it sibly could, holding my breath and interview. Forty years of stories, for back into position and then continuing to pray. Then I heard the most it would be hard to know where pulled the dead impala onto other elephants thundering past me, to start, but this didn’t faze Amone. his back. It was then that we the sound was incredible, the earth “When I first became a “Mapoisa” sprang into action, jumping vibrated and the dust rose in thick a field ranger, I did many routine up out of our hiding places choking clouds. The elephant who patrols. I loved doing them, as you and screaming ‘halt’. We fired took my radio must have left with get to know the bush. You are learn- a couple of rounds at his feet, the herd, as when the clouds of ing from your corporal and the old this worked brilliantly. The dust had settled and I slowly looked Mapoisas about the world around guy dropped to the ground, around and I was alone. No radio, a you, until it becomes second nature. chucking his weapon away into broken rifle and my fellow Mapoisa’s The bush will always surprise you the bush. After that it was easy, were nowhere to be seen. It took me though; you can never take it for we brought the poacher back a while to find my colleagues, as granted. On this particular patrol to Malelane with us, where he they had run in different directions. there was just me and one other was then sent to jail”. When the elephants had passed Mapoisa, we had been walking for With every story he tells, them, they started following their some time when we came across a Amone’s long, delicate hands tracks back to me. They weren’t lone buffalo in the bush. I think we fired a couple of warning shots. This then it is less likely; but, accidents do cut through the air, pointing, rolling, sure what they would find, whether must have surprised him because stopped the buffalo in its tracks and happen and that’s what happened waving, directing the story in much I would be alive. We celebrated the as we tried to go around him, he it turned to look at who was shooting that day.” the same way a conductor directs fact we were all still alive, but now got a fright and somehow got in at him. At that moment I wondered From the first moment I met him, his orchestra. In 1995 Amone we needed to find the radio. We between us. Now I am looking at whether the buffalo would now it was clear Amone is fanatical about retired, after 26 years of service searched high and low around the the buffalo, but he is looking at come for me and I would have to being in Kruger. When he talks, he during which he had seen, learnt site where the elephant had taken it, the other Mapoisa. We stood still, shoot him. This I didn’t want to do. becomes so animated reliving his and experienced so much. He left but it was nowhere. So we tracked my friend, the buffalo and I, for For a few moments he just stood past. But, what brought him to the the park as a corporal, a position he the elephants, hoping it would have what seemed like hours. My eyes there and then he just turned and Park in the first place? was proud to earn. Now the guests been discarded somewhere along did not move from the buffalo, the ran. The moment the buffalo started “I actually started in Kruger at at Tinga have the privilege to safari their path, but still nothing. So we buffalo’s eyes didn’t move from my running, so did my friend. I think it the abattoir, working as a skinner with Amone as their tracker, utilising had to go home without it, much friend, and my friend, well he was was the adrenaline. He just got out and learning a new trade. That his wealth of knowledge to make to the dissatisfaction of my section looking at the buffalo and then at from under the tree and just started was 1969 and I worked for Louis their time at Tinga an incredible ranger who sent us out the very next me and then back at the buffalo. It running in the opposite direction Olivier. It was Louis who inspired experience. day to retrieve the radio. Much to was then the buffalo made a move from the buffalo. So I gave chase, me to be more. I followed him when the amazement of everyone my forward and my friend began to run. the buffalo had wounded him badly he left the abattoir and spent a year sergeant found it. The radio was I tried to make a noise to draw the both on his hand and his leg but this doing game capture in 1973, before When the elephant completely trodden into the ground, buffalo’s attention, it slowed him but didn’t seem to affect him, he just heading to Shangoni with Louis stole my radio only the aerial sticking out giving he stayed focused on my friend. By ran. Eventually I caught him and he in 1974, where Louis became the its position away. What was more slowing the buffalo, it gave my friend stopped so I could take him to a tree, section ranger, and I was one of When I asked him what his incredible was that the radio still enough time to get in between the where he could sit and I could treat his Mapoisa. I worked for him until favourite memory of the Park was, worked! Despite being trodden roots of a very old tree. He squashed his wounds. He had large lacerations 1984 and I learnt most of what I he simply answered, “When the el- into the ground and trampled on himself in as tightly as he could, on his hands and feet and so I used know now from him. He definitely is ephant stole my radio,” slowly giving by elephants, we could still use it to but his hand and leg was still partly a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. the reason I love the bush so much. a wry smile. “I was on patrol, with tell the rest of the search party that sticking out and the buffalo was Once it had stopped enough that he Whatever he wanted we would do two other Mapoisa, when we saw an we had found it. Never again have determined to get him. With the could walk we began to head back it, he is a very good man, a very elephant in the bushes just ahead of I lost my radio, or come that close first charge the buffalo caught my to camp, about 2km away. Only good leader.” us. We all climbed on to a termite to elephants!” friend’s hand sandwiched between when we got back did I realise how In 1984, Amone moved to mound, it was a big mound and we Amone has spent the last forty the tree root and the hard section on lucky we were, but that is one of Pretoriuskop and then on to thought it might make us look big- years in the park. During that time, the buffalo’s skull between the horns the aspects of the job. When you Malelane in 1987. It was there that ger as there were no trees to climb. he has learnt from the best, had called the boss. I heard him scream work with wild animals, you have Amone had numerous encounters The elephant had seen us. At first some incredible experiences and in pain, but the buffalo kept going to realise you are going into their with poachers. “Anti-poaching it took about three steps away from some near fatal ones, but one thing trying to gore him with its horns world. You need to respect that. patrols were part of our day-to-day us, then it turned and charged. For has remained constant, his love of through the roots. I was shouting at These things, they happen, you need job. You would be on foot, looking some reason it was only then that we the bush. the buffalo, but it didn’t make any to be prepared. If you respect them, out for spoor or snares or any signs noticed the elephant wasn’t alone. In photo: Katy Johnson difference. So I used my gun and respect their world and keep alert, of poaching; whilst trying to keep fact, it was part of a breeding herd.

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To conserve for biodiversity we need to manage for patchiness and change. We cannot aim to achieve specific and unchanging ecosystem conditions, but only to encourage variation and process. 14 • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • kids and the environment promotion Young Neighbours Learn More About Kruger

Left: Bryn Pyne- Bryn Pyne-James, director of James, director of development for My Acre Of development for My Africa, Abe Sibiyia, KNP managing Acre Of Africa, at the executive, Busi Mkhize, executive sponsored bricks laid director for MAOA and Craig on the MAOA site Lourens, Total South Africa. near Phabeni Gate.

To be like a child again or one day, to experience the Kruger National Park (KNP) the way a child would, learning about animals and their habits, the importance of conservation and car- ing and the excitement of spotting an elusive leopard during a night drive... That is exactly what South African petroleum giant, Total, made possible for a group of journalists from all over the country. They attended the media launch of the Kids in Kruger initia- tive of the My Acre of Africa (MAOA) project in October last year. The launch took place at Nkambeni tented lodge at Numbi Gate. Both projects are driven from the MAOA site in the KNP near the Phabeni Gate, benefitting thousands of children who live adjacent to the Park, but often do not have the opportunity to visit the park. Total has been a prin- cipal sponsor of MAOA since 2005 and has already donated R17,5 million to- wards these initiatives to instill a love of nature in young South Africans, and an awareness and appre- ciation of the importance of conservation. Other major sponsors of MAOA are SANParks, SA B C, S o u t h Af r i c a n Airways, National Lottery, Development Bank Of Southern Africa and ACSA. “Our vision is to engage people all over the world, inspiring them to ensure the survival of Africa’s wildlife, by raising money to create a significant endowment fund to supplement seriously depleted conservation bud- gets and by educating chil- dren about the importance of their cultural heritage. MAOA is building environ- mental education facilities (made possible through National Lottery) and has already educated more than 24 000 learners from schools adjacent Kruger. The endowment fund is cre- ated through buying a brick to sponsor an acre of Africa, with each brick representing one of the 4 692 914 acres of the KNP. For more infor- mation contact Bryn-James at 013 750 1992 or at bryn@ myacreofafrica.org people and plants • kruger park times • april/may 2010• 15

Full exclosure Partial exclosure Control Site

The Consequences Of Human Manipulations In Protected Areas

Georgette Lagendijk removed) was used in the sand forest 2005. Within this enclosed area, own. Browsing activities by only suni impeded by other herbivores, and in Phinda Private Game Reserve. smaller sized exclosures were set up and duiker did not cause any changes no small trees recruit into the taller The current status of conservation This reserve is 180 km2 in size, and to exclude nyala (a medium-sized in species assemblages. height classes to compensate for management forces many herbivore is situated in north-eastern KwaZulu- browser). Unfenced control plots It was also discovered that nyala (natural) die-offs. species to co-exist in high densities Natal. The research is a joint col- were situated outside the elephant and smaller sized herbivores changed This implies that every form of within small protected areas. While laboration between And Beyond exclosed area. their diet (resource) utilisation in manipulation needs to be carefully densities of species such as elephant (previously known as CC Africa) With the help of students from the absence of their larger counterparts considered before implementation, are being manipulated through and the University of KwaZulu- University of KwaZulu-Natal, all (which would be elephant and nyala and needs to be monitored in order population reductions (for example Natal, Durban and was initiated to trees were monitored in 36 plots of respectively). This implies that there to detect any (undesirable) cascading hunting, or contraception), removal investigate the effects of elephant and 400 m2 each (12 per treatment), dur- might normally be some competition effects, to conserve our habitats and or introduction, these management nyala on the sand forest vegetation. ing four weeks of field work in 2007. between these different sized herbiv- biodiversity. decisions are likely to have implica- Sand forest is a deciduous dry Data gathered included species, ores, when all species are present, The University of KwaZulu- tions for other species or plants. An forest with a high biodiversity and height of tree, canopy dimensions and that species might change their Natal would like to acknowledge example of this comes from the USA endemic species, and is only found and the recording of any browsing feeding strategies when others are the joint collaboration with And where the introduction of wolves in in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal damage by any herbivore. removed. Beyond (Phinda Private Game Yellowstone National Park caused and southern Mozambique. This After counting over 2800 stems, From this short term experiment it Reserve - www.andbeyond.com), and the numbers of elk to decline, which critically endangered forest generally the researchers found over 140 tree can be concluded that when species especially thank them for putting up in turn increased recruitment of occurs in a mosaic of distinct patches species in the sand forest. Most are removed from the system this will all the fencing used in this study. aspen due to the release in browsing enclosed by savanna woodland. surprisingly many seedlings and have indirect cascading effects on for pressure from elk. These subsequent Threats to sand forest include fire saplings were encountered. However, instance vegetation dynamics, tree effects are also known as trophic and selective species utilisation by seedlings have to escape a “browsing composition and even on feeding cascades. both man and herbivores. In addition trap” caused by nyala, and once these strategies of other herbivore species. To test for these indirect cascad- the forest has a very low resilience to recruits survive this they potentially The effects on vegetation are most ing effects of human intervention any of these disturbance factors and face herbivory from both elephant important to acknowledge, as this in herbivore populations on the is known to have poor recruitment and nyala. may affect biodiversity (in the worst different species of trees that occur (germination and growth of new In the short term that the experi- case scenario even a loss of species). together (tree assemblages) and the seedlings and saplings) rates. ment was running, the study found For example, while it is well known diet choices of other herbivores, an To protect the forest from elephant tree species assemblages to be af- that elephant can have a destructive existing exclosure experiment (where impact an electrified elephant ex- fected by both elephant and nyala effect on tall trees, there remains one or more species is artificially closure fence was constructed in together, and by each species on their a problem when recruitment is 16 • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • people and conservation

Alien Invasives Declared Major Threat To Life On Earth Invasive alien species, ranging tor. “This shows that although from disease and plants to rats we are winning some battles in and goats, are one of the top the fight against invasive species, three threats to life on this planet, current evidence suggests that we according to a new publication are losing the war.” coordinated by the Global Invasive If left uncontrolled, invasive Species Programme (GISP). alien species can have a serious im- Most countries have made in- pact on native species. Yellowhead ternational commitments to tackle Mohoua ochrocephala, a bird endemic this threat, but only half have to New Zealand, has suffered introduced relevant legislation and considerably in recent years due even fewer are taking adequate to a surge in the number of action on the ground. rats. Two populations of the The paper entitled ‘Global yellowhead are now extinct and indicators of biological invasion: three more are significantly falling species numbers, biodiversity in number, leading the species impact and policy responses’, pub- to move up from Vulnerable to lished in the journal Diversity Endangered on the IUCN Red and Distributions, looked at 57 List of Threatened Species. countries and found that, on aver- Similarly, the pathogenic chytrid age, there are 50 non-indigenous fungus, which was entirely un- species per country which have known until 1998, is thought to a negative impact on biodiver- be the cause of the decline and sity. The number of invasive extinction of many amphibian alien species ranged from nine in populations around the globe. The Equatorial Guinea to 222 in New disease caused by the fungus can Zealand. A total of 542 species be spread by humans and a host were documented as invasive of other species, ranging from aliens, including 316 plants, 101 exotic fish to African clawed frogs Game Farmers Not Happy with Government marine organisms, 44 freshwater Xenopus laevis. fish, 43 mammal, 23 bird and 15 But the impact of invasive alien Threats About Underutilised Land amphibian species. species can be successfully con- According to Professor Melodie trolled. Black-vented shearwater In March this year, deputy min- “Game ranching is the perfect so- Dr Dry said WRSA has been McGeoch, lead author on the pub- Puffinus opisthomelas, a seabird ister of rural development and lution to land restitution challenges,” corresponding with the departments lication and member of the Centre native to Natividad Island off land reform, Joe Phaahla, said that said Dr Dry. “Game ranching is of agriculture and rural affairs for for Invasion Biology (Stellenbosch the Pacific coast of Mexico, was under-utilised game farms could ideally suited to South Africa’s arid many months, offering to partner University), these numbers are a under threat from cats, goats and be targeted for land restitution land conditions and developmental on land reform and rural economic significant underestimate. “We sheep. But since they’ve been purposes. agenda. The wildlife ranching indus- development through ecotourism, showed that regions with low eradicated, the status of the bird Phaahla told parliament that it try has already transformed more job creation and skills development. development status and little has been reduced from Vulnerable was unacceptable to have vast tracts than 20 million hectares of mar- “South Africa has approximately investment in research have lower to Near Threatened on the IUCN of land that are not contributing to ginal agricultural land into thriving 12 million hectares of over-grazed than expected numbers of invasive Red List. Similarly, the control food security, while there are so many game ranches, thus enhancing food communal land that could offer aliens.” An increase in the number of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in people that are land hungry. production units, attracting tourists, a sustainable income stream for and spread of alien species, which south-western Australia in the last In a press statement on the issue, creating jobs and developing rural rural communities who are willing adversely affect the habitats they decade allowed the population Wildlife Ranching South Africa communities.” to establish multi-purpose game invade, is nonetheless attributed to of the endemic western brush (WRSA) president, Dr Gert Dry said, The association asserts that a well- ranches,” he said. a substantial rise in international wallaby Macropus irma to recover “I don’t know where the minister run game ranch is a key contributor “We have the skills, experience trade over the past 25 years. sufficiently for it to be downlisted gets the idea that game ranches are to the local economy through game and desire to help emerging farmers. “While some threatened spe- on the IUCN Red List to Least under-utilised. The vast majority of viewing, hunting, hiking, lodges, With a little help and support, newly cies on the IUCN Red List have Concern. South Africa’s game farms are highly conference centres, adventure trails settled farmers can become success- improved in status as a result of “It’s likely to be more cost ef- productive, contributing almost R5 and meat production. A typical game ful game ranchers. successful control or eradication fective to prevent the spread of billion a year to the country’s gross ranch generates approximately R220 We already have an indication of invasive alien species, a grow- invasive species in the first place domestic product.” of economic activity per hectare, from SANParks that surplus animals ing number are more threatened than to tackle the biodiversity Dr Dry says the game ranchers compared to an average R80/ha from the national parks could be owing to increasing spread and crisis once they have become es- are deeply conscious of the pressure for conventional livestock farming. made available for emerging farmers threats from non-indigenous spe- tablished”, says Dr Bill Jackson, on government to make more land Wildlife ranches in South Africa or communities who wish to establish cies”, says Dr Stuart Butchart, IUCN’s deputy director general available for the land-hungry masses, employ more than 100 000 workers, game ranches.” BirdLife International’s global and chairman of GISP. but feel that politicians and officials paying on average three times more photo: Lynette Strauss research and indicators coordina- are targeting a potential ally. than conventional agriculture.

Live band 16 April 2010 at 09h00 - FREE culture and conservation • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • 17 Coal Mine May Threaten Mapungubwe World Heritage Status

The Australian company Coal an external review and independent able from Peace Parks Foundation. trading with far flung parts of the a degree that these activities will have of Africa Limited (CoAL) recently assessment of the environmental The stakeholder group strongly world. They pioneered farming, to be reconsidered for the future. announced that it had been awarded management plan for the proposed recommends that without an ap- gold mining and the manufacture of South Africa signed a binding docu- ‘unconditional new order mining Vele mine, undertaken by the South proved strategic regional plan for gold ornaments and jewellery. What ment with Botswana and Zimbabwe rights’ for the Vele Coking Coal African Institute for Environmental the Soutpansberg-Limpopo River eventually, in about 1220 AD, be- whereby it agreed to be a partner Project in Musina, Limpopo, by Assessment. This was done to get an region, no industrial development came the Kingdom of Mapungubwe in a trilateral conservation develop- the South African department of independent, unemotional opinion should be allowed. It is however is also inextricably linked with the ment, the Greater Mapungubwe mineral resources. This despite the on the EIA process and content unclear who is responsible for cu- dynasty of Great Zimbabwe. Transfrontier Conservation Area. fact that the environmental impact quality, assessing amongst others, mulative impact assessment of Peace Parks Foundation, Rupert By allowing that same conservation assessment (EIA) process on access factors like bias and regional context. industries and related infrastructure, Family Foundation, De Rothschild area to become part of an industrial and fuel storage for Vele is still under The assessment identified sig- water issues and the loss of jobs in Foundation, De Beers, National area, it is not adhering to the spirit way and a water license has not nificant problem areas and fatal the existing tourism sector in that Parks Trust and WWF-SA assisted of that agreement. been approved. What’s more, no flaws, which were duly pointed region. SANParks by facilitating negotia- photos: Lynette Strauss formal announcement to this effect out to department of minerals and tions with landowners to either con- has been issued to interested and af- energy (DME), the department of Old and new tract land or purchase properties to fected parties involved in this project. water and environmental affairs and legislation consolidate the core area of South interested and affected parties. No Africa’s contribution to the proposed No feedback to feedback on any of the identified Best practice environmental plan- Greater Mapungubwe TFCA – the stakeholders issues has been received yet. ning by mines should consider new 30 000 ha Mapungubwe National Another planned development legislation that states that the EIA Park. A stakeholder group consisting next to Vele, the Mulilo Power process must consider cumulative The Mapungubwe Cultural of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, Station, is currently undergoing an impacts. However, the current Landscape, which follows the pro- the Mapungubwe Action Group, EIA. Anglo Coal has also completed process is running under the old tected area footprint, was pro- the Office of the International prospecting on the same coal field legislation, which did not consider claimed a World Heritage Site in Coordinator for the Greater adjacent to Mapungubwe and cumulative impacts. July 2003. Mapungubwe is home Mapungubwe Transfrontier several mining companies including The planned mine is situated next to the famous Golden Rhino – a Conservation Area (GMTFCA) and CoAL are active in the coal field to the Mapungubwe National Park symbol of the power of the King Peace Parks Foundation objects to all north of the Soutpansberg. and World Heritage Site. It also falls of the Mapungubwe people who industrial activity in that part of the As part of the official Transfrontier within the broader Mapungubwe inhabited the Limpopo River Valley very sensitive Limpopo Valley with- Conservation Area (TFCA) planning Cultural Landscape. The Kingdom between 900 AD and 1300 AD; at out an approved integrated regional process, Peace Parks Foundation of Mapungubwe is still under explo- the time the largest kingdom on the development plan. Comments to conducted a scientific, peer reviewed ration by archaeologists and carries subcontinent. that effect have been filed in the Vele land use planning study of the larger the history of more than 50 000 The mine has the potential to EIA and environmental manage- Mapungubwe region, including an years of human settlement. Stone bring all this to an end, threaten- ment plan (EMP). The stakeholder ecological and cultural sensitivity Age humans and hunter-gatherers ing the World Heritage Site, the group asked for more information rating. This study proves without were followed by inhabitants of the transfrontier conservation area and regarding the awarding of mining doubt that the area is extremely Iron Age, which saw the develop- the tremendous tourism potential. rights, but their request has to date sensitive. The study was submitted ment of the Zhizo and Leopards The presence of heavy industry in been ignored. to the department of water and Kopje people and conclusive evi- the area will impact enormously on The stakeholder group supported environmental affairs and is avail- dence exists of these communities its tourism and conservation, to such

Mapungubwe National Park is situated on South Africa’s northern border with Botswana and Zimbabwe. Above: The Shashe River flows into the Limpopo River, which defines South Africa’s northern border.

Wildlife And Soccer Spotted any large What does the Soccer World Cup “What better way to get kids birds in Kruger? and biodiversity have in common? excited about the environment and This is the challenge SANParks has conservation than through an event If you have seen birds such as the kori bustard, put to the country’s children in its that the whole nation is excited annual Marula Kids Competition. about?” large raptors, vultures, saddle-billed storks and the Aimed at children from grade Prizes include a cellphone, three to grade seven, the organis- a two-night trip to the nearest southern ground hornbill contact Scott Ronaldson ers are asking for a drawing of an South African National Park, and animal playing soccer. Kuduzelas, among other things. of the Endangered Wildlife Trust on 0827818783 “In addition to this, learners must The competition closes on 31 be able to display an understanding May 2010 and entry forms can be or email: [email protected]. of SANParks, wildlife and biodi- accessed at any of the national parks versity when filling in their entry or through the SANParks web- Detailed information about the location of the forms,” says Edgar Neluvhalani, site at: http://www.sanparks.org/ the general manager for People and people/education/morula/2010/ sighting or GPS coordinates will be appreciated. Conservation. morula_kids_entry_form.pdf 18 • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • kids and conservation

I Spy With My Little Eye

1. A very strong animal, both males and females have horns, a special ranking order in the herds, one of the Big Five. 2. A reversing mammal with dangerous tusks, kneeling down to eat his lunch. 3. A shy, nocturnal carnivore covered with rosettes, a good climber and successful hunter. 4. An animal lazing in the water during the day, grazing at night, his body is almost completely hair-free. 5. The tallest animal on earth, with very good vision, keeping her eyes clean with her long tongue. 6. A cat build for speed, his claws are only partially retractable and he purrs like a house cat. 7. A very intelligent mammal with a pair of tusks, drinking between 100 and 300 litres of water a day, good swimmers. 8. The second biggest feline in the world, males start to roar around the age of one, living in a pride. 9. A herbivore with a top speed of up to 60km/h, social, the stallions will bite and kick to protect their herd. 10. A large grazer, the biggest of its species in the world, with three toes on each foot and two horns on his nose. me so co d l e o e u n r

I ! The discovery of biodiversity

I was a naughty little monkey and mom ordered me to go up to my room. I was lying back on my branch in the marula tree. Staring up in the sky I saw a soaring bateleur eagle and a group of vultures. I would rather play with my friends, I thought. Suddenly, I saw This page was something move on the leaves above my compiled by head. It was a caterpillar going about his Karen Randall business. Then, a golden twinkle from the of BushyTale one side caught my eye as the sun fell onto www. a golden orb web spider and her web. bushytale.com I quickly turned to see what scrambled behind me and just caught a glimpse of a squirrel’s tail. I found some ants on the gigantic tree trunk and a colourful butterfly flew by. On the ground a twig broke as a warthog kneeled down to eat some of the marula fruits. A skink disappeared between the grass and leaves on the ground. Then I realised what dad meant. This must be what biodiversity is. Oh no, I thought, and now everyone knows mom sent me to Can you help Mapuru slither through my room! the maze? Discovering nature the BushyTale way!

Win a 1 month BushyTale Subscription. Find out more at www.bushytale.com kids and conservation conservation concerns • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • 19 Krazies in Kruger ...... Claim to Shame

It Will Take Only One Incident

I have just returned from a 23 the pictures of people hanging out that nothing will happen if they day holiday to the northern parts of their cars taking pictures. get out of their cars. of our country. Part of the holiday The following day we stopped The incidents happened 200m was spent enjoying the wonders of to see a pride of 11 lion around away from 11 lion, two of whom the Kruger National Park. the Crocodile Bridge area and to disappeared into the bushes be- The campsites we stayed at my amazement people in the cars hind us. were Pretoriuskop and Crocodile around us did the very same thing. It will take only one incident of Bridge. Clean and a pleasure to I have enclosed the pictures we a lion attacking a person to have stay at. took of these idiots, and would disastrous effects on the tourism At one of the camp site shops like to know that something more industry in the Kruger Park. I picked up a copy of the Kruger than a picture in the local paper is Regards Park Times and was shocked to see done to these “freaks” who think Gary Evans, Belville

These two guys got out of their vehicle to photograph elephant and on seeing us got into the vehicle again and drove off. This was in the Left: This photo December holidays. was taken at a lon kill, 13 we Regards could count, on Okkie Meintjes the 15 December 2009, just outside Satara camp. People really are crazy!

Regards Babette du Toit

The printing of this issue was sponsored by SANParks, Kruger National PArk, Communications department

Kruger Park Times Distribution Spotted a vulture with Big Tuskers You will find a copy of the Kruger Park Times in all the camps at reception, and the shops in the Park, as well as at • Afsaal • Tshokwane • Nkhuhlu a yellow tag? Info picnic spots and all the entrance gates to the Park It is also available at selected outlets in Phalaborwa, Send your photos to: Hoedspruit, Nelspruit, White River, Malelane and Hazyview Contact Andre Botha from the [email protected] Endangered Wildlife Trust or mail The Kruger Park Times is an independent newpspaper, published by Emerging Tuskers Kruger Park Times, PO Box 953, Phalaborwa, 1390 on 011 646 4629 e-mail: [email protected] * www.krugerparktimesonline.com or email [email protected]. Competition, Editorial and Layout: Lynette Strauss Alternatively, contact Letaba Elephant Hall, Advertising Design: Janke Strauss 079 427 6808 Kruger National Park, contributor: Katy Johnson Sub-editing: Melissa Wray Moholoholo at MARKETING: Pieter Strauss, Sasha Strauss 015 795 5236 Private Bag X402, Printer: Caxton Printers, Nelspruit. 7 000 copies distributed in and around Skukuza 1350 the Kruger National Park. Member of the AIP. 20 • kruger park times • april/may 2010 • conservation concerns Unsafe Water, The Silent Killer Every 20 seconds a child dies got washed away and ended up sub-Saharan Africa (330 clean. from a water-related disease - 1.8 in rivers and oceans, where it million) have the highest • Use of bottled water is million children younger than five contributed to triggering algae proportion of people living increasing, but it takes three years each year. This alarming blooms that could damage eco- without basic sanitation. litres of water to produce figure is from a new report by the systems and fish stocks, Nelleman • Ninety percent of the one litre of bottled water. UN Environment Programme said. Wastewater treatment plants wastewater discharged dai- In the USA alone an ad- (UNEP), which says millions of should be sophisticated enough to ly in developing countries is ditional 17 million barrels tonnes of solid waste are being harvest the phosphates. untreated. Eighty percent of oil per year are used to flushed into water systems every The report urged countries to of all marine pollution make the plastic containers. day, spreading disease. draw up national and local strate- originates on land - most Worldwide, 200 billion “More than two billion tonnes gies to cope with the wastewater of it wastewater - damag- litres of bottled water are of wastewater are being flushed production and invest in infra- ing coral reefs and fishing produced every year, creat- into our fresh water and oceans structure to manage it. grounds. ing an enormous problem every day, every year,” Christian • People in developed of how to dispose of the Nelleman, the lead author of the Some facts from countries generate five used plastic bottles. report, ‘Sick Water?’ told IRIN. the report times more wastewater • Wastewater generates The wastewater, a cocktail of • Around 90 percent of diar- per person than those in methane, a greenhouse agricultural and industrial runoffs rhoea cases, which kill some developing countries, but gas 21 times more powerful

and sewage, was seeping into 2.2 million people every treat over 90 percent of than carbon dioxide (CO2). groundwater and polluting drink- year, are caused by unsafe their wastewater, compared It also generates nitrous ing sources, like wells, in low-lying drinking water and poor to only a few percent in oxide, which is 310 times

areas where the bulk of the world’s hygiene. developing countries. more powerful than CO2. population live. • Over 50 percent of malnu- • Agriculture accounts for 70 • It is estimated that in just a Countries should not only invest trition cases globally are as- to 90 percent of all water decade, wastewater-linked in infrastructure to manage waste- sociated with diarrhoea or consumed, mainly for ir- emissions of methane will water but also in ecosystems, for intestinal worm infections. rigation, but large amounts rise by 25 percent and instance by replanting mangroves, • Over half the world’s hos- return to rivers as run-off; that of nitrous oxide by 50 which acted as natural filters in pital beds are occupied nearly half of all organic percent. coastal areas, said Nelleman. by people suffering from matter in wastewater comes • Increased flooding as a “What is also very alarming illnesses linked to contami- from agriculture. result of climate change is the amount of phosphate and nated water. • Industrial wastes, pesticides can overwhelm ageing sew- nitrogen that is lost as agricultural • Almost 900 million people from agriculture, and tail- age infrastructure in cities refuse - projections show that we lack access to safe drinking ings from mining also cre- and towns. can run out of phosphate very water, and an estimated 2.6 ate serious health risks and © IRIN. All rights reserved. soon,” he warned. billion people lack access to threats to water resources, www.irinnews.org Nearly half the agricultural basic sanitation. South Asia costing billions of dollars photo: UNEP phosphate applied each season (around 221 million) and to monitor, much more to

sponsored by SANPArks

Paul Kruger proclaimed the Gouvernement Wildtuin (government game reserve) in 1898. visitor’s view • kruger park times • apri l/ may 2010 • 21 The Southern Circle – Kruger’s Best-Kept Secret Mario Fazekas The southern circle is shown on the map. You’ll notice the high concentration of our Visitors to the Kruger National Park go sighting pins here. We have marked every there for a variety of reasons. One of the lion (red), leopard (yellow), wild dog (pink), primary reasons is to find and photograph and cheetah (purple) sighting but only animals such as the ‘super-seven’. The large herds of buffalo, rhino and elephant super-seven are the most sought-after as there are too many of these sightings to animals and are the ones that visitors mark fit on the map. on the sighting boards in all the Kruger I know; you want to find out which roads camps each day – lion, leopard, elephant, these are and why this area is so good for buffalo, rhino, cheetah and wild dog. game viewing, don’t you! We have been visiting the Kruger Park Well, the southern circle comprises since 1995 and have spent over 400 days the H4-2 tar road and the S28 dirt road, staying in all the main and bushveld including the short S130 and S137 Duke camps. During this time we discovered roads in between. It seems to be a combina- the ‘Southern Circle’ – the area between tion of three things that make this area so Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie camps game-rich: in the south-eastern corner of the Kruger. • there is water all year round as the area This area must be the most underrated is situated close to two perennial rivers in the whole park. We have heard some (as the crow flies it is about 20 kilometres people saying that they just use the from the Sabie to Crocodile River in the Crocodile Bridge gate to enter the park southern circle); in order to enable them to get to the real • the basalt plains hold water in pans for Kruger (from Satara northwards). Well in long periods; and our humble opinion the section of roads • the area is sweet-grass, which is known as the ‘Southern Circle’ must be favoured by the zebras, buffalo and the most consistently productive in the wildebeest. whole Kruger. We have seen the big five on So, as far as ‘best routes’ go this must be four separate occasions all in this southern the number one in the Kruger Park – give circle area. On the one day we had entered it a try! the park at 06h00 and by 10h00 we had Mario Fazekas is a wildlife photographer seen the big five. On the other occasion living in South Africa, and the editor of Kruger- we saw the big five (including a lion kill), 2-Kalahari.com. View some of his Kruger Park three leopards as well as wild dogs and photographs on his website. cheetah – all in one day!

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Golf, Game And Leisure In The Heart Of The Lowveld

On the rich green verge of the well drained lush fairways, along with historic Sabie River, surrounded by new water features strategically placed landscaped lawns and lush waterfront on the 3rd and the 9th holes. The golf gardens, Kruger Park Lodge provides course is an integral part of the overall a sumptuous base for an unforgettable well maintained resort landscape, African adventure. With the accent on allowing different habitats for many uncompromising comfort and gracious bird species. living, this award-winning estate offers Other facilities on the resort include a sophisticated and leisurely lifestyle in three swimming pools, five flood-lit the heart of big game country. tennis courts, putt-putt, and a driving For the golfing enthusiast there’s range on the adjoining property. Bird the challenge of the resort’s superb watching and scenic walks can be nine-hole golf course designed by enjoyed along the banks of the tranquil Gary Player, set among the indigenous Sabie River, or a bicycle ride around flora of the Lowveld with birds in the the lodge’s extensive estate. Relax in trees, buck on the fairways and hippo the hippo hide which provides a splen- in the waterholes. The course, rated did vantage point for hippo viewing 71, offers an 18-hole challenge via and appreciate the drama of a golden nine other tees positioned at various African sunset. Enjoy the resort’s angles and distances from the green. clubhouse, which has a restaurant and In addition to the well-treed bushveld full conference facilities. Kruger Park landscape, 400 more indigenous trees Lodge is managed by the prestigious have been planted on and around the Legacy Hotels and Resorts group. 22 • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • enviro discovery Thulamahashe Children Celebrate International Year Of Biodiversity

To increase the understanding of the vital role that biodiversity plays in sustaining life on Earth, Maureen Lahoud was invited to assist in teaching the concept through dances and body movements at a Children’s Eco Training workshop from 29 – 31 March. Maureen, a professional actress and dancer of inter- national fame, established an African dance group in the Hoedspruit area, and is very much in demand at lodges and functions. Her aim is to eventually go to the rural areas and offer after-school educational programmes for children with limited occupational options. At the training session of CET in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, the focus was on mimicking animals, trees, insects, grass and re-enacting daily tasks in the villages, for example chopping wood, digging, etc. Four dances were taught to four different groups of children and represented: a typical village scene; “pollution police” fighting with the village people; protected areas (animals and birds) and city life. The difficult concept of biodiversity was taught in a fun way, and in the process, an additional skill was mastered. Visitors who attended the training were Megan, Claire and Sarah of Buffelshoek Trust, and 11 children from the Thulamahashe orphanage who had the time of their lives. The donation of Easter eggs from Donovan and Lee-Anne Detert and Spar Hoedspruit, added the final touch to a special training session. Everyone is looking forward to the next training session in June.

When Is Water Safe Diarrhoea-inducing waterborne sources but they do not guarantee safe with the international guidelines. microbes often go undetected in parts drinking water, he said. Luyendijk told IRIN ministries of the world with the highest rate of “Water from a dug well may not meet working on water and sanitation need under-five deaths from gastrointestinal microbiological standards and may still to improve data coordination and infection. be deadly,” he told IRIN. water quality surveillance to find out if According to the UN Children’s Fund According to the World Health investments are reaching the neediest. (UNICEF), lack of water safety regula- Organisation (WHO), contaminated “There is an enormous amount of tions, inter-ministerial coordination and water contributes to more than two money invested in boosting access [to surveillance can paint a deceptively million deaths from diarrhoea each safe water and sanitation] and those benign portrait of water quality. year, plus millions of other cases of improvements have not reached the “There are different interpretations waterborne diseases. poorest quintile [20 percent],” he said. of water safety among the line minis- In 2004, UNICEF and WHO piloted While 84 percent of people living tries [working on water issues], which rapid water assessments in Bangladesh, in low-income countries are reported makes it hard to draw a conclusion China, Ethiopia, India, Jordan, to use improved water sources, eight about water quality,” Rolf Luyendijk, Nicaragua, Nigeria and Tajikistan, out of 10 people without access live senior statistician for water and sanita- which showed that only piped came in rural areas, according to the latest tion at UNICEF, said. close to meeting international guide- WHO-UNICEF report on water and Taps, boreholes, covered wells or lines. sanitation coverage. springs, as well as rainwater, are con- Other water sources labelled as “im- © IRIN. sidered “improved” and “safe” water proved” were about half-way compliant for the love of butterflies with Herbert Otto • kruger park times •april / may 2010 • 23 Is The Shepherd’s Tree Magical? The Pierids Agree Boscia albitrunca, or the Shepherd’s Tree, has the butterfly world supplicating and cheering in wonder. Why is that?

The Shepherd’s Tree, Boscia albitrunca, soils. It is a solitary growing tree in arid The tree is favoured and browsed by is the larval food plant for 14 different and savanna conditions. game and livestock and the leaves have species of butterflies in the KNP and The greenish-yellow flowers are a rich protein content. It is believed to southern Africa. borne in leaf-axils and seem petal-less have magical values. The roots are also The shepherd’s tree has a white with many protruding stamens. The used for a coffee substitute or ground to trunk, which the species name albitrunca ripe fruit vary in colour from pale yel- make porridge, while the buds of the alludes to; Albi = white and trunca = low- apricot to translucent-like pink, at blossoms are pickled. A fruit pulp may trunk. The tree has small elliptic leaves about 1cm in diameter, appearing from be used as a side dish. The leaves and and prefers well drained rocky or sandy December to March. roots have medicinal properties. The butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of this popular tree. When the eggs emerge about a week later, their first meal is usually the egg shell. From here they feed on the leaves of the tree itself. The Pierid larvae have 5 instars, which means that they moulted or lost their skins 4 times, to grow into a larger larva. The butterflies whose larvae feed on this tree, also feed on species of the Caperbushes, Worm-bushes and Maeruas. This is a case of adapting to Boscia albitrunca, nature and what is available. the Shepherd’s Tree, host Photos: Herbert Otto, to 14 butterfly species Graham Otto and Kurt Otto

Banded gold tip, Colotis eris eris The Purple Tip, Colotis ione Zebra white, Pinacopteryx eriphia eriphia

Boscia albitrunca, the Shepherd’s Tree, host to 14 butterfly species

• The diverse white, Appias epaphia contracta • Brown-veined white, Belenois aurota aurota • African common white, Belenois creona severina • The red tip, Colotis antevippe gavisa • The common orange tip, Colotis evenina evenina • The speckled sulphur tip, Colotis agoye • The smoky orange tip, Colotis euippe omphale • The lemon traveller or lemon tip, Colotis subfasciatus subfasciatus • The queen purple tip, Colotis regina • Banded gold tip, Colotis eris eris • Zebra white, Pinacopteryx eriphia eriphia • Veined orange, Colotis vesta argillaceus • Bushveld purple tip, Colotis ione The red tip, Colotis • The Lilac Tip, Colotis celimene amina antevippe gavisa 24 • kruger park times • april / may 2010 • current concerns Popular Conservation Programme Back On Air After nine months of being off air, and also a production unit for 50/50, is going on, especially when it comes to 50/50 is back on South African television is working on a number of interesting nature and conservation. screens. stories and is looking forward to an This allows us to follow all kinds of The programme has built up a huge exciting season. interesting stories, not just the sensa- contingent of loyal viewers over the past “We are very excited to start making tionalist ones. 27 years that it has been on air. inserts for the new series of 50/50. The 50/50 have just commissioned a It has provided a crucial stage for en- crocodiles are still dying in the gorge, couple of nice inserts from us, one vironmental- and human-focused issues and while the cause remains elusive, the looking at a ‘Stress in Rhino’ project to be discussed and communicated to team investigating the crocodile deaths currently being undertaken in Kruger the broader public, covering issues such has been conducting incredible research and another following the progress of as crocodiles dying within the Kruger while 50/50 has been off. the Endangered Wildlife Trust as they National Park (KNP), tuberculosis in From catching four metre plus croco- undertake a photographic census of buffalo and proposed developments and diles, whilst perched precariously on saddle billed storks, where tourists are mining in wilderness areas. boats, to burning thousands of dead making a huge difference.” The new series will build on this solid barbel carcasses after they were found “We have also been fortunate to have foundation, with producers from all over floating bloated and rotten in the gorge, Marike Bekker join our team. Marike, the country providing 50/50 with the we have been there to catch it all”, a stalwart of South African television, most up-to-date goings-on from the explains Sanhu managing producer will present most of the 50/50 inserts.” Western Cape to the KwaZulu Natal Antoinette Goosen. Wetlands. “The nice thing about producing Right: Marike Bekker The Southern African Natural History stories for 50/50, is their viewers are loyal Unit (Sanhu), KNP’s resident film crew and like to be kept informed about what

More About Marike Photogenic Storks Elicit More Marike Bekker’s career in media In 1997 she moved to Cape Town began in 1982 in the early years of and Homebrew Films expanded to the SABC. She formed part of the produce work for etv, and for the Than 2000 Images original team that saw the launch launch of the early KykNET with of the first ever nature television programmes such as Groen and The Endangered Wildlife another eating a large snake that tied itself into a programme in South Africa, 50/50. Pampoen tot Perlemoen. Trust and SANParks started knot first. Various submissions of juvenile storks On returning home after study- She compiled two cookbooks a photographic survey of show that the birds are breeding successfully. ing and working in the UK, she called ‘Roer! met die Sterre’ and saddle-billed storks in the “The public has also assisted us in locating nest launched a television production ‘Roer!,’ from their lifestyle cooking Kruger National Park sites and should continue to do so as the breeding house in Johannesburg, Marike show on kykNET. (KNP) on September season has started and will continue throughout Williams Films. The name changed After selling Homebrew Films to 1, 2009. The project autumn,” says Marcelle van der Hoven, project to Homebrew Films in 1989. They a business partner in 2008, Marike will run for a full co-ordinator. A special saddle-billed stork aerial delivered work to the SABC, M-Net recently joined Sanhu as a producer calendar year. survey is planned during the winter months to and the international broadcaster as well as field presenter for local The contri- locate more nest sites. The Discovery Channel . conservation programme 50/50. butions re- According to van der Hoven, it is too early ceived from the in the survey to make any comments on cur- p u b l i c so far rent saddle-billed stork numbers, but visitors have been to the Park, especially to the northern regions, very encourag- are encouraged to keep on submitting their the Kruger emergency ing with over 350 photographs to [email protected]. call centre number is: submissions and almost “There are nice prizes up for grabs for the 2 000 photographs submit- winning photographs and all photographers 013 735 4325 ted. Many of these photographs are making a very valuable contribution to the were useful for unique identification, conservation of these birds.” and all aided in establishing distribu- Look out for the project’s posters and flyers, tion for the species while also provid- which have become a familiar sight at entrance ing some very interesting information gates, reception areas and rest rooms throughout on saddle-billed stork diet and habits. Kruger. Photographs showed saddle-billed storks eating a small crocodile and krugerparktimesonline.com