Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 4 2015 i PRIVATE GAME | WILDLIFE RANCHING

Ek is trots – nee, baie trots – op dit wat ons wonderlike wildbedryf in die paar dekades sedert wildboerdery se ontstaan bereik en tot ons jong demokrasie bygedra het. Enige sakeman wat sy sout werd is, sal vir jou sê ’n besigheid het ’n produk nodig wat volhoubaar asook anders is – en dit is wat ons het. Ek maak geen verskoning daarvoor dat ek wildboerdery ’n besigheid noem nie, want dit is presies wat dit is. Vandag is almal – insluitend die nieregeringsorganisasies wat hulself bemoei met raadgewing oor bewaring, en selfs lande as ’n geheel – op die een of ander manier betrokke by die essensie van sakebedrywighede, hoewel sommige politici anders mag dink - tot die nadeel van hul land in die lang termyn. Omdat hulle…

Barry Streicher van Ammondale, een van die ware grotes in die wildbedryf, is onlangs oorlede. Barry was ’n formidabele boer en geagte lid van Trophy Breeders® vir baie jare. ’n Buffelboer by uistek, Barry was nie net ’n gesiene kenner van ons wildbedryf nie, hy was ’n aangename en gewaardeerde vriend van ons almal. Dit is met hartseer en leedwese dat ons Barry Streicher se lewe, vriendskap en invloed eer. Barry was van 1977 af betrokke in die wildbedryf. Hy het as boer en sakeman sy lewe lank in die noordelike bosveld gewoon- en werk. Hy het op sy plaas vir sy vrou Magda, hulle kinders, skoonkinders en kleinkinders 'n ontvlugting geskep. Barry het sy boerdery met passie bestuur, wat die uitmuntende eienskappe en kwaliteit van veral sy buffelkudde sterk…

Despite the icy weather and loadshedding, the Absa Kirkwood Wilds-fees drew more than 50 000 visitors between 26 and 28 June 2015. The small town of Kirkwood in the Sunday’s River Valley, Eastern Cape hosted this event for the 14th time, and accommodation in and around the area was booked to capacity. Good food, good music and excellent entertainment ensured that all visitors had a great time, with one of the main attractions being the annual Absa Kirkwood Game Auction held on Friday the 26th . With a 27% increase from last year’s registrations, a total of 252 registered buyers was recorded. Although down from last year, the total turnover was around R13m, which included 32 adult buffalo from the Addo Elephant National Park, and earned them around R7.4m for…

Met die ongelooflike en opwindende hoeveelheid wildveilings, bied hierdie spesiale veilingsbylae die geleentheid aan kopers en verkopers om vroegtydig te beplan. With the unbelievable and exciting number of game auctions, this special auction supplement offers both sellers and buyers the opportunity to plan timeously. The Auction Insurance Specialists Dawid Naude | dawid@comav.co.za | 011 601-8800 | www.comav.co.za Comav Risk Services (Pty) Ltd is an authorised Financial Services Provider. FSP 45247…

It should by now be evident that there is no single solution to addressing the growing illegal trade in rhino horn, in spite of some of the simplistic options promoted by genuinely concerned individuals sickened by the reports of appalling suffering by rhinos at the hands of poachers. Unfortunately, the strong case that is being presented for a legal trade in rhino horn is being seriously undermined by individuals and NGOs who are against any form of wildlife utilisation, including hunting and trade in animal parts, even if both are run to the highest standards of sustainability. Their arguments and criticisms come at a time when representatives of Africa’s range states should be showing a much more unified approach to recommending solutions to rhino poaching. The continent’s national parks and…

Despite the introduction of the CITES international trade ban in 1977, overall rhino populations have suffered severe decline. It is estimated some 100 000 rhino have been poached. Some 23 African range states no longer have rhino, and certain countries that still have rhino have populations of less than 100 animals and declining (refer to the statistics and maps supplied by Dr Mike Knight on page 10 and 11 of this supplement). All this despite attempts to reduce demand, improve law enforcement, and rhino protection projects costing hundreds of millions of US dollars across Africa. South Africa was relatively free of poaching until 2008. Since then, we have lost in excess of 4 600 animals, of which over 1 100 were poached on private reserves. A conservative calculation of the…

The key to the recovery of wildlife in southern Africa is not technical or ecological, but carefully crafted legal changes that address ‘market failure’ by returning the ownership and value of wildlife to landholders. In this article, I would like to give credit to some of the far-sighted conservationists who challenged conservation dogma to lead southern Africa down a bold new policy pathway. Africa is the only place on earth with five, and as many as 15, large mammals in any one place. However, there is a significant danger that these will be lost in the near future, as Africa’s human population doubles to two billion people, unless radical changes are made. Since the 1970s, West Africa has lost 80% of the wildlife in its national parks, and even more…

INTRODUCTION Many dedicated and passionate rhino lovers are vehemently against the legalisation of a rhino-horn trade. These arguments have a natural resonance with many of us, but how valid are they? This article will examine the available evidence and with common-sense reasoning answer the following question: will a continued trade ban increase the probability of survival in the wild of the two South African rhino species as well as diminish the poaching of rhinos in southern Africa? Although every argument and counter-argument can (and should) be pursued in far more depth and at more length, this article will, of necessity, deal with the debate at a high level and is therefore not exhaustive. 6 ANTI-TRADE ARGUMENTS These will be grouped into six broad themes, which are dealt with below: 1.…

As veearts het ek met verskeie kollegas gepraat wie se kliënte ernstig deur longontsteking in hul bastergemsbokke geraak word. Ons boer al sedert 1992 met bastergemsbokke naby Kimberley en ek deel graag ons ervaring met longontsteking in ons eie kudde. In die laat 1990’s het ons geïsoleerde gevalle van longontsteking in ons bastergemsbokkudde begin kry. Die diere het goed reageer op behandeling met antibiotika teen Pasteurellose. Ons het nooit volslae uitbrake gehad nie, maar moes elke jaar ’n paar diere behandel. Rondom 2003 was daar kommer dat plantgifneerslag in suikkerrietneweprodukte soos molasse tot verlaagde immuniteit en vrugbaarheid kon lei in diere wat dit oor ’n lang tydperk inneem. Ons het besluit om eerder die voer van molasse by ons vroulike diere te staak tot daar uitsluitsel was hieroor. Agt maande…

Which wine pairs best with salad? There is no single answer. That said, salad is normally a light dish, so a full-bodied wine, white or red, is certainly going to overwhelm it. A salad with vinaigrette is better with an Extra Brut Champagne than a buttery Chardonnay. A good all-round choice would be either a fruity white, such as Riesling, or fruity rosés and a Sauvignon blanc. Matching venison steak with wine Steak is ideal for a good red Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz. A young Cabernet will make a rare steak taste mellower as it lessens the sensation of tannin in the wine. A fattier steak needs a robust red blend, while a leaner fillet pairs better with a pinot noir. Wine with game birds It can take a red…

I am proud – no, very proud – of what our great wildlife industry has achieved and contributed to our young democracy in the few short decades of wildlife ranching’s existence. Any businessman worth his salt will tell you that what a business needs is a product that is both sustainable and different – and this is what we have. I make no apology for equating wildlife ranching with business, because it is exactly that! Today, everybody – including the NGOs that involve themselves in advising on conservation, and even countries as a whole – is involved in some way with the essence of business practice, although some politicians may think differently, to the detriment of their countries in the long run. Because they love nature, care deeply about the…

DIE WENNERS: 1ste prys: Emil Schultz – wat weggestap het met ’n jagpakket wat bestaan uit ’n buffelbul met ’n minimum horinglengte van 38” met drie (3) nagte selfsorgverblyf daarby ingesluit. 2de prys: Jaco du Bruyn – ’n jagpakket bestaande uit ’n elandkoei, blouwildebeeskoei, waterbokkoei en koedoekoei insluitende drie (3) nagte selfsorgverblyf. 3de prys: Willie Nel – ’n jagpakket bestaande uit ’n blouwildebeeskoei en rooibokkoei, ook insluitend drie (3) nagte selfsorgverblyf, En ten laaste het Wouter van Zyl weggestap met die 4 de prys bestaande uit ’n elandkoei en drie (3) nagte selfsorgverblyf. Peet Koen (WRSA: Direkteur van Finansies) wil namens die kerk sy dank uitspreek aan MLP Media en Wildlife Ranching-tydskrif vir die hulp met die advertensie en ook die kompetisiewenners weereens baie gelukwens, en groot…

The private wildlife industry has grown tremendously over the past two decades, mainly due to the expansion in breeding and live sales of plains game species. The industry is comprised of four main segments, namely hunting, breeding, wildlife tourism/ecotourism and game products. Each of these pillars has its own unique characteristics, which need to be taken into consideration before one invests in them. GAME HUNTING Before the later part of 2000, the majority of plains game was bred for hunting, with only a few animals being sold on the live market for non-consumptive breeding purposes. The main driving force for the recent growth in demand for hunting by international and local hunters has been internationally declining game numbers. Given the latest research in 2014, approximately 8 950 international trophy hunters…

The ban on the trade in rhino horn was instituted in 1977 and yet, 38 years later, it is very clear that the objective of the ban – that is, to save the rhino from being hunted for its horn – has been unsuccessful. Year after year, there has been a serious escalation in rhino poaching, in spite of the South African government and others involved in protecting the species doing everything they can to put a stop to it. The justice system, the police, and the courts have all been aligned as never before in South Africa, to make sure that anyone who is caught killing rhino illegally is successfully prosecuted and punished, but even this has not been enough to stop poaching. I am convinced that neighbouring communities…

Community benefits are today perceived as a necessary component of conservation, and the provision of benefits, in one form or another, is part of government policy in most, if not all, SADC countries. It was not always so. In southern Africa in the 1980s, for example, community benefits from conservation was a relatively novel idea and was the focus of a number of intriguing programmes that sought to include communities in the complex command-and-control system that constituted national conservation efforts in the region. The ADMADE (Administrative Management Design) programme in Zambia and the CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources) programme in Zimbabwe were leading examples of this new approach. In the early days of CAMPFIRE, impala were culled in Kariba district in their thousands every year, for population…

Major Ian Grimwood, a noted conservationist and a recipient of the much-coveted Paul Getty Conservation Prize, once said: “It is not governments or committees we have to thank for saving Africa’s wildlife for the world, but a handful of individuals.” This is certainly the case with Swaziland’s designated protected areas, which total 75 000ha, with an additional 80 000ha converted to game farms and conservancies by the private sector, developments that have been led and encouraged by Big Game Parks (BGP) and strongly supported initially by King Sobhuza II, and more recently by King Mswati III. Today, the country’s wildlife tourist industry is marketed as one of the best Big Five viewing destinations, including superb opportunities to see rhino at close quarters in their natural habitat, in the process providing…

Rhino poaching has increased exponentially since 2008. South Africans, fed up with the illegal exploitation of their heritage, took matters into their own hands – LeadSA convened a Rhino Emergency Summit during 2011 and the Rhino Action Group Effort (RAGE) emerged from the resolutions adopted there. RAGE is a civil initiative that seeks to support co-ordinated efforts by several government departments, formal conservation agencies and the private sector to curb poaching. Rhinos are commodities targeted by organised crime. RAGE acknowledges that the connection of rhino poaching to other forms of organised crime may lead to widespread societal degradation. Every law-abiding South African therefore has both a responsibility and a duty to blow the whistle on rhino poaching – it helps ensures the wellbeing of society as a whole. A small…

In 2014, about 1 500 horn-sets were sold from Africa to the Far East – that was the extent of supply and demand. Some 1 500 horns were sold and 1 500 bought. The trade was illegal, with all the profits going to criminals. It required the killing of 1 400 rhino and the other 100 horns came illegally from stocks. Astonishingly, South Africa can sustainably supply the market with 1 500 horns a year and satisfy demand without the need to kill one rhino. All the killing is actually absurd. South Africa is considering putting a proposal to CITES to permit a legal trade – something that seems fundamental. To help the decision-making process, there needs to be a clear idea of what form trade will take. There are…

PHYSICAL Permanent cavitation has different biological effects from temporary cavitation. A hole through the heart will cause a loss of pumping efficiency, loss of blood and, eventually, cardiac arrest. A hole through the liver or lung will be similar, with the lung shot having the added effect of reducing blood oxygenation; these effects, however, are generally slower to manifest than damage to the heart. A hole through the brain can cause instant unconsciousness and will likely kill the recipient. A hole through the spinal cord will instantly interrupt the nerve signals to and from some or all extremities, disabling the target and in many cases also resulting in death (as the nerve signals to and from the heart and/or lungs are interrupted by a shot high in the chest or…

’n Mens hoor baie oor die gesondheidsvoordele van wildsvleis bo bees-of skaapvleis. Dit is gesonder, sê die wat weet, omdat dit nie vet bevat nie. Niemand stry hieroor nie, maar vra jy die ouer garde oor die gaarmaak van wild, pluk hulle allerlei rate uit om die vleis sag te maak voor dit pot toe gaan. Dit moet vir minstens 'n dag voor die tyd in jougurt, rooiwyn en wie weet nog lê. Dan moet dit nou so en so behandel word en so en so gaar gemaak word om te verseker dat die “wilde smaak” nie daar is wanneer dit klaar is nie. ’n Hele dag se gekook op die stoof verseker dat die vleis darem sag is ook. Wild as braaivleis is dus heeltemal ondenkbaar... In vandag se…

Most or all forms of investment involve some type of risk. Fortunately, businesses can use tools like Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Return on Investment (ROI) and Break-even analysis to ‘look before they leap.’ As one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa, wildlife ranching has become increasingly important and according to Ernst Janovsky (July, 2015), the wildlife industry is ‘expected to continue to grow.’ In this regard, it is significant to note the following comment by Michael ‘t Sas Rolfes (August 2015): “Ultimately, investing in wildlife will succeed in both financial and conservation terms if it meaningfully includes all the major stakeholders in the industry, including local communities, wildlife managers and consumers of all types of wildlife products.” South Africa is viewed as the primary custodian of Africa’s rhinos. In…

Former editor-at-large of Getaway magazine, Justin Fox, has been in love with the bush since visiting Kruger National Park with his family as a child. But like most ardent bush-lovers, he is as enamoured with the unusual and unique as he is with the Big Five and the more obvious attractions of the wild. His book The Impossible Five charts his quest to find five rare and significantly lesser-spotted mammals, with the help of a handful of guides who have studied the behaviour and habitats of these creatures for many years. “Almost every Getaway assignment took me to a national park or natural area somewhere in Africa and I quickly ticked off all the ‘important’ animals very quickly,” says Justin. “But I really wanted to see a pangolin and rangers…

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” Winston Churchill said. His adage has rarely been as appropriate as it is today when we consider the desperate plight of the rhino. It is unfortunate for the rhino, and for those who care, that there is no longer any more room or time left for mistakes. The very existence of the species is under serious threat. The old conventional methods of protecting the rhino have over the past decade proven to be unaffordable, unsustainable and completely ineffective in stemming the losses, which are mainly due to poaching. Perhaps the remarkable successes in increasing the numbers of rhino in South Africa, which is a result of good cooperation between government and private game ranchers, have lulled us into…

The solution is partly in your hands. At the beginning of 2013, South Africa provided a home to an estimated 21 000 (or 82%) of Africa’s 25 500 black and white rhinos – the single largest rhino range state in the world. Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya collectively account for the next 16% (or 4 000 animals), making up the ‘Big 4’ rhino range states. More than 100 rhinos occur in Tanzania, Botswana and Swaziland with much smaller numbers in Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. South Africa’s estimated white rhino population of 18 900 (beginning 2013) accounted for 93% of the total African population. The recovery of this species from its 20-50 animals left in Umfolozi in 1895 is hailed as one of the world’s conservation success stories (see Figure 1). This…

The sustainable use of rhino is a key issue in terms of promoting the socio-economic upliftment of the Balepye and Selwane communities in Limpopo. These communities have reclaimed the land originally taken from them (historically an area used for game-farming), which lies between Tzaneen and the Kruger National Park, adjacent to the Hans Merensky Nature Reserve. Various farm portions were redeveloped and consolidated to form a single 9 000ha area for tourism and conservation development. In partnership with private landowners, a 20 000ha private reserve has been created – one of the largest in the country – known as the Greater Balepye Nature Reserve. Having identified wildlife as the sector best able to support the aspirations of our communities, we asked government and the private sector to partner with us…

The challenges facing Africa’s rangers are greater than ever before in the face of a continental poaching epidemic that threatens the very existence of our continent’s remarkable wildlife. Maintaining the motivation and morale of those at the front line of African conservation defence is of paramount importance if we hope to win what can only be described as a war against our wildlife and biodiversity. The multi-billion-dollar illegal trade in protected species is one of the most lucrative illicit markets in the world today. Combined with habitat loss, it is driving many wild animals and plants towards extinction. Unsustainable poaching and wildlife trafficking is perpetrated globally, with less developed countries often targeted in this theft. Despite national and international laws designed to protect endangered species, almost all wild species are…

On 13 February 2009, the erstwhile Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Martinus van Schalkwyk, promulgated a domestic moratorium on the trade in individual rhino horn and rhino-horn derivatives in South Africa. This moratorium was promulgated for the supposed purpose of addressing the alarmingly escalating incidence of rhino poaching at the time (2008 and 2009). The moratorium was purportedly implemented as a temporary measure in order to afford the said minister and his department the opportunity to investigate a longterm solution to the rhino poaching crisis. It is an unfortunate fact that, whatever measures have been implemented since February 2009, and whatever feasibility studies were conducted, or perhaps are still being conducted by the current Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa and her department, the brutal onslaught of rhino poaching…

Despite well-funded anti-poaching operations and the dedication of conservation staff, the rhino poaching problem has become progressively worse and we continue to lose the war. A new solution to the rhino poaching tsunami is desperately needed. In the preceding articles, several authors make the telling point that, after 38 years of the CITES ban on trade in rhino products, the situation is worse than ever. Several countries have lost all their rhino and others are now only considered ›range states’ because of animals reintroduced from South Africa. These conservationists, all with long and illustrious track records, make a compelling case for South Africa to secure CITES approval to implement a sustainable legal trade in rhino horn. Revenue from horns would no longer go to the poachers but to the state…

Peet het ingestem om sy uithalergereg ook voor te sit, en ja, dis op die vuur gemaak. Die smaak aan die fillet laat jou stom – geen woorde kan dit beskryf nie! Peet meen “jy moet eers ’n goeie eetlus opwek, miskien met so twee glasies GOEIE brandewyn”. JY BENODIG Baie warm vuur en 'n Dikboompan BESTANDDELE (vir vier porsies) 1 wildsfillet, skoongesny en sonder senings botter (nie margarien nie) growwe swartpeper beesvleisaftrekselpoeier braaispeserye sout ½ koppie goeie brandewyn ½ koppie droë witwyn 1 eetlepel Bisto “Dit is uitmuntend!” AANWYSINGS 1. Sny die fillet in skywe van 3-4 cm dik. Wenk: As jy van gaarder vleis hou, sny dunner skywe. 2. Strooi ’n dik laag swartpeper oor die vleis en slaan liggies met ’n vleishamer. Dit keer dat die peperkorrels…

Although my husband believes that the best food and wine pairing is brandy and kudu wors, there is more to the art than that. There are too many good pairings to mention, but I am going to take you on a journey of some favourite dishes and wines with which we might have a pairing dilemma. The number-one guideline is to bring out the best characteristics of a wine. The wine must shine instead of fighting with the food. Currently, there is a demand for healthy, low-calorie, low-cholesterol and low-fat food. Game meat is all of these things and in addition is untreated with hormones and steroids and has a fine texture and delicate taste when prepared properly. Game feeds on herbs and fresh grass and has unlimited freedom in…