Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 4 2021 i PRIVATE GAME | WILDLIFE RANCHING

Our planet, planet Earth as we know it and as we know it to be, is under great threat. The core cause, the elephant in the room, which most try to ignore and avoid mentioning, is human population growth and the spread of people and their activities over the remaining ‘wild' surface of the world. It is us who eat into these wild areas, it is us who reduce the remaining bits of wilderness with our activities, especially agriculture, every day. This threat is recognised, and the seventeen 2015 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs) are aimed at alleviating and perhaps eliminating the damage already caused. But, before we blame agriculture, remember the core issue is we need more and more food for more and more people. Agriculturalists…

The Lapalala Wilderness School (LWS) was founded by Clive Walker and Dale Parker in 1985 making its home in a restored old farmhouse close to the Palala River. It has undergone steady growth since then, with the opening of a new interpretive centre and dining room, the upgrading of all dormitories and teachers' rooms, and the installation of solar water heaters. Today the school can accommodate 60 learners and four teachers at any one time. Tertiary level training and teachers' workshops have been introduced together with an extraordinarily successful Youth Development Programme. The community outreach initiatives continue to deliver measurable results, providing learning opportunities to pupils from schools in local communities. Under the direction and leadership of Mashudu Makhokha, the LWS is increasingly being recognised as a centre of excellence…

PLCnetwork of the Southern Hemisphere is collaborating with Tongole Wilderness Lodge, Malawi, and the Tongole Foundation for the storytelling and publication of local conservation fables. Human behaviour is closely related to conservation fables. These are traditionally passed down from generation to generation within communities, often through quality family time, and are an invaluable cultural heritage. However, this knowledge is slowly being lost due to the difference in perceptions, priorities and attitudes between the older and younger members of societies. Each conservation fable illustrates a moral lesson meant to encourage reflection on human behaviour and norms toward the conservation rhino dehorning operat of our planet and its ecosystems.Chris Laurenz The following conservation fable, “Mvundula Madzi: The Ground Hornbill that caused War”, will make the reader pause to reflect on the role…

“Absolutely everything in our lives – except for the energy from the sun – comes from our planet. Our planet provides all of the resources we need for our economies, our communities, our homes and our livelihoods. Indeed, our very existence as a species is completely dependent on our living planet and so it is critical that we protect it.” (Dr Francis Vorhies). The UN's high-level commitment highlights three core strategies to accomplish this: • Sustainable consumption and production; • Sustainably managing natural resources; and • Taking urgent action on climate change. In the lead article on page 10, Dr Francis Vorhies, Founding Director: African Wildlife Economy Institute (AWEI), unpacks all three of these strategies and their relevance to Africa's wildlife economy. The article concludes that the sustainable management of…

Founder: Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Co-founder: Lapalala Wilderness Reserve Founder: Lapalala Wilderness School Author and co-author: wildlife and conservation books Artist In 1973 I was invited to exhibit my animal art at a hunter's convention in San Antonio in the US alongside many of the world's leading wildlife artists among which were a large number of Americans. This was my first opportunity to exhibit my artwork at an international level. Each artist was expected to donate a work of art that would raise funds for the conservation work undertaken by the hunters' association, in this case, the then Game Conservational International [GameCoin]. Among the wealth of artists, one stood out and that was the late David Shepherd, possibly the United Kingdom's most admired wildlife artist. David was known for painting…

After more than a decade of poaching, rhinos are still being killed for their horns. Seeing a rhino on safari is becoming increasingly difficult, with rhinos missing from many safari locations throughout Africa. The Waterberg has a long and interesting history with rhinos and today it is still a critical place for rhinos and their long-term survival. The Waterberg has both African species – the critically endangered black rhino and the declining white rhino that have been heavily targeted by poachers. Save the Waterberg Rhino was started nine years ago and is a local, grassroots, not-for-profit organisation. Its aim is to support the protection and conservation of this key species of the Waterberg. The impetus for Save the Waterberg Rhino was when it quickly became apparent that rhino reserves were…

Along time ago there were two tribes living in different villages sharing a water hole. They believed that the gods of their ancestors gave them this water hole to safeguard against the years of drought and as a symbol of peace. Surrounding this water hole were long blades of grass, luscious flowers of every colour, and evergreen shrubs growing. It was also a home for abundant aquatic life that both villages agreed upon to never diminish. Now, not every villager lived close to the water hole. Those who lived far away always waited for the rains to arrive. When the rain came, so would they, one by one, balancing plastic basins on their heads to collect plenty of clean water. Many years passed with all villagers being proud to share…

Issues like pollution, climate change and extinction of species are becoming a major concern. Our economy, community and livelihoods depend on how we treat our rivers, mountains, forests and wetlands. By combining Conservation Ecology and Entomology, ConsEnt brings together a considerable body of teaching and research expertise in the rapidly growing important field of conservation in agricultural and development landscapes. For more information, visit: www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/agri/conservation-ecology…

In her 11 May 2021 speech that included a proposed bill to ban international hunting trophy imports, Queen Elizabeth II gave the first strongest hint that the British government and animal rights groups are worlds apart from the international hunting needs of wildlife-rich African countries such as Zimbabwe. African countries and communities co-existing with wildlife don't ever want hunting to be banned because it generates revenue for not only wildlife conservation but also habitat conservation. Sadly, the British government, as indicated by the Queen's recent speech, seems not to acknowledge such benefits. Some of the benefits from hunting income include its use for the socio-economic wellbeing of African rural communities co-existing with wildlife. Therefore, the British are planning to go ahead with plans that will not only destroy African wildlife…

Keywords Hunting/ harvesting, abattoir grading, category animals, veterinary services, abattoir registration Definitions 1. Hunting – a process to hunt for trophy or biltong, usually on a smaller scale 2. Harvesting – a process to cull a large number of animals to control numbers, usually for meat production 3. Category game animal – Category A, B and C and units applicable to specific grades of abattoirs: • Category A – elephant, rhino, hippo, giraffe. No units applicable but slaughter protocol to be submitted for approval • Category B – eland, kudu, blue wildebeest, sable, buffalo. One category B game animal = one unit • Category C – impala, duiker, blesbok, springbok. Six category C game animals = one unit 4. Abattoir Grades – • High Throughput Abattoir – permitted to slaughter > 100 units per…

Authors: Clarke Scholtz, Jenny Scholtz and Hennie de Klerk (2021) Publisher: Penguin Random House/Struik Nature Language: English Pages: 224 Format: Hardback Recommended price: R590 ePub: R399 All the little animals of the world make up the warp and weft of life. From crabs to crayfish, worms to wasps, all these small creatures are busy doing something ecologically important every moment of the day and night. On land, they engage in a wide range of activities from pollination to nutrient cycling and soil enrichment. They are also keeping each other in check through predation and parasitism. Pollinating insects maintain the astonishing variety of flowers across southern Africa, while parasitic wasps, predatory beetles and spiders let no one plant-feeding insect do too much damage to the plants. Many insects, such as the…

“We have only one Earth to call home.”“ECOLOGY (Greek, Oikos = house, Logos = study or the meaning off) is our guideline on how we look after our permanent home.” For how long will this be a natural wonder? South Africa represents a unique mix. On one hand, we are a developing country trying to feed and educate millions of people, yet on the other, we have a country extremely rich in history, nature and wildlife treasures. The aim is to preserve our nature and heritage while stimulating progress and infrastructure. Is this ideal achievable? Over the recent past, our subcontinent has been presented with seemingly spectacular new developments. Locally the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is big news. In our neighbouring countries, the prospecting in the Okavango Delta…

The UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development1 identifies five core themes: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. It is not only interesting, but most useful to look at how our governments globally have addressed these five themes and to reflect on their relevance to the challenges we face at national and local levels. In this respect, the 2030 Agenda provides us with an international standard or benchmark for assessing the strategies and approaches being adopted by our governments, our companies and our communities with respect to Africa's wildlife economy. In this, the second of five issues focusing on these themes, we explore the global commitment to our Planet. The 2030 Agenda confirms that: “We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing…

Sungeni Ruth Karonga is an environmental scientist who is passionate about community development, youth empowerment and environmental research. She was born and grew up in the Warm Heart of Africa, Malawi. She cannot pinpoint exactly which experience turned her passion from law to the environment. However, the feeling propelled her to change courses dramatically from pursuing an LLB to obtaining a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Environmental Sciences at Rhodes University in Makhanda, South Africa in 2020. Her thesis explored the drivers of protected areas being downgraded, downsized and degazetted in South Africa's state- and privately-owned protected areas. The research enabled her to understand how conservation can be a dynamic tool for the rehabilitation and protection of wildlife, and advocacy for environmental health among communities to address some of the…

My father's career in conservation started when he was a schoolboy in Natal (KwaZulu-Natal today). During 1948 there was a polio epidemic, causing his school to close. He and his brother, Barrie, were sent off to a local dairy farm for two glorious months. Here he not only learnt how to handle and respect firearms but developed a passion for nature and the outdoors. In time he became, in his words, an artist by training but a ‘collector' by inclination. Later he was given a full kudu head mount from a private collector's deceased estate and so began a serious hobby to collect anything from the natural world – stones, bullet casings, reptiles in meth spirits, pieces of wood, spears, animal skins, birds' eggs and especially books on nature, history…

Target group: SA Game Farmers The required legal processes and the 5 necessary steps to follow will be explained in an exclusive series of seven articles and published in Private Game magazine. This series to practically demonstrate the legal steps to register your abattoir and processing plant will be published as follows: I. Hitting the Nail – can trophy carcasses be commercially compliant? b. Part I: A pilot study to compare uncontrolled (trophy game carcasses) and controlled (harvested game carcasses intended for export purposes), with reference to meat safety and quality. c. Part II: Discussion, recommendations and concluding on the differences between trophy and export carcasses with reference to meat safety and quality in the commercial meat market. IV. Game abattoir registration process V. Game meat processing facility application VI.…

Authors: Paul Jepson and Cain Blythe Publisher: Icon books Language: English Pages: 164 Format: Paperback Scan the QR code or visit www.amazon.com/Rewilding-radical-science-ecological-recovery/dp/178578627X to purchase a copy of Rewilding or access the audiobook. The book title Rewilding introduces us to a radical new approach to the science of conservation. The premise of the new science is that the old model of conserving fragments of ‘perfect' ecosystems to preserve biodiversity (the conservation watch word of the 1970s), was insufficient to either improve the health of ecosystems or to prevent the 60% loss of biodiversity that has occurred in the 1970s. The authors define the movement of rewilding thus: “A call to conservation scientists to reject the doom and gloom narrative and expand their ambition from saving wild places to rewilding and invigorating…

Being in nature and relaxed, opens the door wide for the family bonding that is frequently lacking due to work pressures or geographic realities. On our recent trip, Grandpa and Granddaughter used this opportunity to take control of the camp lunch. They experimented with the menu and despite limited available ingredients and facilities they managed to dress the old faithful jaffle in a new ‘outfit' in a jiffy. We are sharing the winning recipe: Puff Pastry Game Bobotie Jaffles. PUFF PASTRY GAME BOBOTIE JAFFLES Ingredients Game bobotie mince (pre-prepared) Roll of frozen puff pastry Grated Cheddar cheese Pre-soaked dates, finely chopped and mixed with the bobotie mince For serving: Chutney Mashed bananas Game bobotie mince Ingredients Game mince: 500 gram Marinade Red wine – enough to bind the marinade and…