Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 5 2017 i PRIVATE GAME | WILDLIFE RANCHING

During the troubled history of the Dutch settlers or the voortrekkers in southern Africa, a typical response to threat was to form a laager (not a type of beer, unfortunately). This laager was formed to collect all the trekkers into a single area for protection, surrounded by ox wagons. The trekkers had a unity of purpose – to face adversity together with a single strategy and vision as to what the outcome should be. They often laid down their lives for their fellow trekkers. Well, today, our wildlife industry is facing many challenges and threats to its survival. These include the sluggish global economy that is struggling to recover from the 2009 crisis; the frighteningly poor performance of our own South African economy; uncertain economic policy; corruption; rampant crime; political…

Die einde van 2017 is in sig! Hierdie jaar sal ongetwyfeld onthou word as sekerlik een van die moeilikste jare… nie net in die wildbedryf nie, maar ook in die algehele Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie. Soos verwag, het die wildbedryf en -pryse baie mooi begin herstel met die laaste paar groot veilings wat gehou is, veral dié in September-maand. Dit maak ’n mens sommer weer baie positief oor die bedryf waarvoor ons so lief is. Wat sou die rede wees vir hierdie verbetering? Een van die redes kan wees dat die meeste vroulike diere nou dragtig is en jy dus twee vir die prys van een koop. Nóg ’n rede kan wees dat die mielieen ander oeste nou reeds gebank is. En dit kan ook wees dat meer vertroue aan die ontwikkel…

BUFFELBOERE STAAN SAAM! ’n Onafhanklike werkwinkel vir alle buffelboere in Suid-Afrika is onlangs deur die wildveearts dr. Alex Lewis gereël en het op 6 September plaasgevind. Dit is die volgende dag opgevolg deur ’n reeds vooraf bevestigde vergadering deur WRSA en die Nasionale Dieregesondheidsforum waar WRSA, buffeleienaars, die Nasionale Dieregesondheidsforum, wildveeartse, die Departement van Landbou en ander partye die dringendheid bespreek het om ’n werkbare buffelprotokol saam te stel. WRSA werk reeds vanaf die eerste protokol saam met die Departement van Landbou. Die jongste konsepprotokol is weergawe 20. ’n Uiters positiewe uitkoms van die besprekings was die samestelling van spesialiskomitees waarop persone met uitstekende kundigheid op die gebiede van korridorsiekte, tuberkulose, bek-en-klouseer en brusellose sal dien. By albei geleenthede is die belangrikheid beklemtoon om ALLE buffelboere in Suid-Afrika te identifiseer…

“Lightning is the build-up and discharge of electrical energy in a cloud.” As South Africa is entering its summer season, the development of convective thunderstorms will become a familiar sight over most of the country. The rainfall produced by the thunderstorms will be a welcome sight to most South Africans but it is important to remember the dangers that can be associated with thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms can produce heavy rainfall that can lead to flooding, hail, strong winds and even tornadoes. Lightning on the other hand is found with every thunderstorm and should be expected as soon as a thunderstorm forms. Lightning is the build-up and discharge of electrical energy in a cloud. When ice particles inside a cloud collide, electrons are sheared off the ice crystals and collect on…

The breeding of lions in captivity has been a controversial topic for many years and has captured many people’s imagination, good or bad – in many instances unfortunately based on contents of documentaries, media articles and personal opinions expressed on social media and so on. It was therefore extremely important for the task-team appointed by the WRSA Board of Directors earlier this year to draft WRSA’s official policy statement on captive-bred lions, to focus on facts regarding government and industry’s roles to ensure legal, sustainable and socially acceptable practices. The task team steered away from being distracted by emotional utterances or sentiments and the differences in public opinion regarding the consumptive as well as non-consumptive value (or not) of captive bred lions. The breeding and management of wildlife in private…

If you haven’t seen pangolins on your property, it doesn’t mean you don’t have any. Smutsia temmincki (known as the Cape or Ground pangolin), which can be found in southern Africa as well as parts of eastern and central Africa, is nocturnal, notoriously reclusive, and very often discovered only when found curled around the tripwire of an electric fence. These scaly anteaters are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List – largely because they are being poached relentlessly (along with the other three African pangolin species) for illegal trade. Their scales are used as traditional medicine in both Africa and Asia. “Around 34.7 tons of scales have left African soil so far this year,” according to Professor Ray Jansen, Chairman of the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG). A recent…

Navigation is the art of getting from one place to another safely and efficiently. Whenever you’re looking for a store in a shopping mall or a house in the suburbs, you’re actually using the tools the early navigators used. But what if you found yourself stranded in the middle of the bush? How will you find your way if you do not have any of the fancy gadgets we have these days? In the previous issue of Wildlife Ranching we covered how to determine direction during the night. Now we’ll discuss how to determine direction during the day and what methods to use if you’re ever in a situation where you have to use these to ensure your survival. The first record of boats large enough to carry goods for…

Studies have shown that the Southern Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) will be driven to extinction without conservation intervention. Currently listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN’s Red List, the bird is already classified as Endangered in South Africa and Namibia, and is likely so in some marginal or smaller range-states (and thus could soon become Critically Endangered). It is estimated that there are fewer than 1 900 Ground-Hornbills left in South Africa – but just one third is safe within, and thriving, in the Greater Kruger National Park, which is something to be grateful for. However, we need to be concerned about the remaining two-thirds that do not have this formal protection. The future of this iconic bird of the African savannas was discussed at length at a workshop entitled ‘2nd Population…

Buffalo owners and other stakeholders gathered for a workshop at Onderstepoort on 6 and 7 September to discuss the way forward in terms of biosecurity and how to respond to the current Veterinary Procedural Notice (VPN), which has come in for strong criticism. The status of the current VPN was called into question when it was declared “unconstitutional, unlawful and therefore invalid ab initio” by the Gauteng High Court on 19 September, in a case brought by B&B Properties and Unyati Game Reserve against the Minister of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries and other respondents. Jaco Troskie, founder and CEO of Unyati, brought a case against DAFF as he was unable to have the quarantine established on his farm lifted after a period of two years, despite having…

Each wildlife ranch will make its own unique contribution to supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and biodiversity based on the ecological legacy of the area, the needs and demands of stakeholders including regulators and neighbouring communities, the nature of its commercial operations, and the effectiveness of its conservation management efforts. A core requirement for verifying the contribution of a wildlife ranch to biodiversity is an area-based conservation management plan. Such a plan needs to address key biodiversity issues that have been globally accepted as best practice, including (a) identifying and preserving critical habitat, (b) contributing to the conservation efforts of neighbouring protected areas, (c) eliminating or managing invasive alien species, (d) enhancing ecosystem services, and (e) ensuring that the use of living natural resources is sustainable. In turn,…

The white-bearded wildebeest migration is possibly the most well-known of all animal migrations worldwide. The wildebeest migrate through the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Maswa Game Reserve, Grumeti Game Reserve and the Ikorongo Game reserves in Tanzania on a yearly basis. The herd is comprised of approximately 1.4-1.7 million white-bearded wildebeest and thousands of Thomson’s gazelles, zebras and eland, who migrate together year after year in search of better grazing. “The main reason for the return movement of the herd to the north is the start of dry weather in the south, which affects the available grazing and water supply.” When considering the reasons for the migration, the following questions come to mind: why do these animals migrate,…

The first legal rhino horn auction in South Africa for decades proceeded, despite a slight delay, on 23 August 2017. August 2017 — rhino horn auction background The first legal rhino horn auction in South Africa for decades proceeded, despite a slight delay, on 23 August 2017. The auction of 264 rhino horns (amounting to around 500kg) was meant to commence on 21 August but did not do so due to the fact that John Hume only received a permit to sell rhino horn thanks to an eleventh-hour court ruling on Sunday 20 August against the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The auction had been advertised for three months on Hume’s website, which had given the DEA more than enough time to issue the permit – TOPS regulations indicate that…

As with business strategies, the success of policies is only as good as its execution. There are numerous case studies on the disconnect between policy and implementation. The challenge is how to bridge the gap between research, policy and practice? During a period of global flux, the authors of content of this issue of Wildlife Ranching confront the South African wildlife ranching industry’s current reality and associated challenges. As industry leaders, they also identify opportunities and solutions for sustainable growth. On page 22, Michael ’t Sas Rolfes stated, “In southern Africa, entrepreneurs have forged institutions and technologies that place regional wildlife management practices at the cutting edge of global innovation in sustainable development. This is both exciting and challenging for all concerned.” On page 30, Dr Francis Vorhies unpacks The…

If you currently have a group on your land then please contact Lucy Kemp (details below) and assist in monitoring it, and if possible locate the nest. There is a Custodianship Programme that will support and recognise your efforts to keep ‘your’ groups safe, including support with reducing bush encroachment. These birds prefer short open grasslands and savannahs and may relocate if the habitat becomes too dense for them. They require a secure nesting site, preferably a hole in a tree or gap in a koppie; it is also possible to provide an artificial nest in a big tree. There are currently 26 such artificial nests scattered throughout the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) adjoining the Kruger National Park, and they use them readily. If you would like to get…

“How does one establish appropriate policy for rapidly moving targets?” Relatively new and rapidly evolving industries present a regulatory challenge to government legislators and other policymakers. An obvious example is the IT industry, in which the rapid development of data processing and communications technologies has disrupted the world’s political and economic landscape, often leaving relatively less flexible governments way behind. Arguably, South Africa’s wildlife ranching industry is similar, albeit on a more modest scale. In southern Africa, entrepreneurs have forged institutions and technologies that place regional wildlife management practices at the cutting edge of global innovation in sustainable development. This is both exciting and challenging for all concerned. How does one establish appropriate policy for rapidly moving targets? As an example, consider the recently emergent colour variant breeding sector of…

The issue of transformation within the wildlife ranching sector has been hotly debated, particularly at the Biodiversity Economy Lab and the 2nd Biodiversity Indaba. However, while much has been discussed among various stakeholders, the beneficiaries of such an initiative – emerging farmers, or the ‘missing middle’ in the wildlife ranching space – have not had a platform from which to express their views. This is about to change, with the formation of the African Game Ranchers’ Association (AGRA), which came into being at the African Farmers Association of South Africa (AFASA) conference held in Johannesburg from 30 July to 1 August. According to chair Mike Gcabo, this brand-new organisation will develop its constitution and elect a committee early next year (the current committee is an interim one). “AGRA, which hopes…

Markdinamika is besig om te verander en die spoed hiervan gaan in die nabye toekoms intensifiseer. INLEIDING Verslae en vakliteratuur t.o.v. die huidige druk op die ekonomie in Suid-Afrika, sowel as ander sosio-ekonomiese onsekerhede soos grondhervorming en die mynbouhandves, word gereeld gepubliseer. In baie gevalle plaas dit meer druk op ’n industrie wat reeds tot die uiterste toe gestrek is en verlaag beleggingsvertroue verder. Die wildbedryf as kommoditeit is ook nie verskans daarteen nie. Of jy nou ’n professionele wildboer of slegs ’n deeltydse belegger is, die vraag ‘Wat hou die toekoms vir die wildbedryf in?’ is waarskynlik voorop in almal se gedagtes. Een feit is seker. Die markdinamika is besig om te verander en die spoed hiervan gaan in die nabye toekoms intensifiseer. Verandering is egter nie noodwendig net…

No other mammal is consumed as eagerly and completely as Panthera leo , the African lion.” PICTURE IT. The lion’s carcass is hoisted by its hind legs and suspended from a beam. Its skin is removed and stored in barrels filled with a special solution that preserves it until it can be delivered to the taxidermist. Then it is the turn of the chief tracker to receive his special bonus. The greasy layer of fat coating the body is stripped away and deposited in a simple Tupperware bowl. The tracker grins and bobs his head in appreciation. He will sell the fat to a traditional healer for use in the traditional medicine market. He will get R5 000 for it. As he steps away, the eager locals…

“A wine estate with a complete package of real South African experiences will not only attract loads of tourists and sell more of its produce; it will also end up with loyal ambassadors to promote its brands and tourist offerings.” Apart from mampoer and melktert, what is truly authentic when it comes to South Africa’s culinary heritage? Probably a host of things, but what springs to my mind are biltong, braaivleis, bobotie and Pinotage – the latter being South Africa’s only indigenous wine grape variety. In wine tourism authenticity is the new luxury. After all, a wine estate with a complete package of real South African experiences will not only attract loads of tourists and sell more of its produce; it will also end up with loyal ambassadors to promote…

Author: Stephen J. Carton-Barber Publisher: The African Wildlife Subspecies Foundation ISBN: 9780620746694 Recommended retail price: R1 295 AFRICAN GAME SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES This book is a work of passion: Stephen Carton-Barber was for many years a safari operator who travelled widely in Africa and became fascinated by the variety of subspecies of African game he observed during his travels. The book deals with all the animals regarded as game species, so it includes mammals (including herbivores and carnivores, ostrich and crocodile). In total, there are 63 chapters, each dealing with a genus or a group of related genera. In the introduction, the author explains his interest in subspecies as the raw material of evolution and therefore the new species of the future. He gives some explanation of how species were…