Africa Wild

Clever, Flutts!

One thing that was unexpected was how few people, especially kids, are on twitter?

Instagram is what they requested...apparently that also starts with a # ?

well done RP

Ja RP, the Brat said the same thing!

Rhino relocation to enrich conservancy tourism experience (Kenya)
BY PROF. WOLFGANG H. THOME, PH.D., ETN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT | MAY 19, 2015



A long-planned Eastern Black Rhino relocation went underway over the weekend to restock the Sera Conservancy with twenty of these prized animals, last seen in that part of the country over twenty-five years ago. Two of the animals were released into their new home yesterday and the remaining relocations will be carried out over the coming eight days. The rhinos were identified and sourced from the Lewa Conservancy as well as from the Nairobi and Nakuru National Parks.

This exercise is a joint venture under a public-private partnership between the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Lewa Conservancy, and the Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT).

The Northern Rangelands Trust is an umbrella organization that aims to establish resilient community conservancies that transform lives, secure peace, and conserve natural resources. There are now 27 NRT-member community conservancies across northern and coastal Kenya, home to over 300,000 people who are managing over 31,000 square kilometers of land and safeguarding a wide range of species and habitats. NRT is now widely seen as a model of how to support community conservancies, and its success has helped shape new government regulations on establishing, registering and managing community conservancies in Kenya.

The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is an award-winning model for community conservation, a UNESCO World Heritage site, features on the IUCN Green List of successful protected areas and is THE pioneer of private wildlife conservation when the Craig family who owns the sprawling ranch turned their focus towards mixed land use, giving a space to game on their property, already back in the 1980s. Lewa is considered to be at the heart of wildlife conservation, sustainable development and responsible tourism in northern Kenya, and its successful working model has provided the framework on which many conservation organizations in the region are based.

This will be the first time in East Africa a local community will be responsible for the protection and management of the highly-threatened black rhino, signaling a mind shift in Kenya's conservation efforts. This pioneering move demonstrates the government of Kenya's confidence in the local community, and materializes the promise to support community-based conservation initiatives as provided for by the new Wildlife Act, 2013. It is expected that the presence of the Eastern Black Rhino species in Samburu County will trigger a significant boost to tourism in the area while providing new job opportunities for local communities. Parts of the Sera Sanctuary will also be set aside for dry season grazing for local herders, and the community is reportedly looking forward to the benefits of significantly increased overall security in the area.
The animals earmarked for translocation range from 6 1/2 years to 20 years of age. The chosen animals are meant to reflect natural demographics and encourage natural breeding conditions. All animals have been or will be fitted with satellite-based transmitters for close monitoring. The community rangers have been trained by Lewa and KWS in data gathering, anti-poaching operations, bush craft and effective patroling – and will have the back-up of the Lewa and KWS Anti-Poaching Units.

According to International Union for the Conservation of Nature, populations of the Eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli) plummeted by 98% between 1960 and 1995 primarily as a result of poaching and hunting.

However, conservation efforts in Kenya have managed to stabilize and increase numbers in most of the black rhino's former ranges since then. Kenya's population has increased from 381 since 1987 to a current estimate of 640. It is projected to rise significantly in the near future especially with growing partnerships between government, communities and conservation organizations. It is hoped that the new rhino sanctuary will benefit Kenya's black rhino population.

The Sera Community Conservancy, established in 2001 and reported about here some time ago, is a member of the NRT umbrella organization, governed by a council of elders, an elected board of trustees, a management team and the residing communities which include the Samburu, Rendille and Borana.

The current translocation exercise is jointly supported and financed by Samburu County Government, USAID, The Lundin Foundation, San Diego Zoo, St. Louis Zoo, Tusk Trust, The US Fish and Wildlife Service, Zurich Zoo, and several private philanthropists all of whom deserve due recognition and a vote of thanks for their splendid effort and cooperation to make this long envisaged plan a reality.

Yes, people are expressing outrage at the number of rhinos being killed. And so they should. But why aren’t more people lobbying parliament to ask what sort of country South Africa has become where it appears to be beyond the capacity of organs of the State to put an end to this or to protect the nation and its natural resources? Indeed, they cannot seem to even slow this criminality down, let alone halt it.

I cannot comment on the whole article, as it would be politics, but I perfectly agree with the judgement expressed, taken in consideration that we do not live it and struggle to understand it.

Scientists creates synthetic rhino horn
Producers of synthetic rhino horn says there was a big need to continue with the tradition of using rhino horn without engaging in illegal or environmentally damaging activities.


MBOMBELA – On April 14 2015 a biotech firm surprised the world with its plans to produce a synthetic rhino horn and promised to supply the first of its kind before the end of June.

Pembient, a biotech company based in San Francisco, has produced a synthetic rhino horn which it hopes will flood consumer markets and decrease the number of poaching incidents.

It carries the same genetic fingerprint as a real horn and Pembient uses this DNA, combined with keratin, to produce a powder that is then made into the synthetic ones.

The firm’s CEO Dr Matthew Markus said, “We sell rhino horns at one-eighth of the price of the original, undercutting the price poachers can get and eventually forcing them out. We can produce a rhino-horn product that is actually more pure than what you can get from a wild animal.”

The biotech company plans to release a beer, brewed with the synthetic horn, into the Chinese market later this year.

Research for this project has taken scientists to China and Vietnam where negotiations were undertaken with some traditional-medicinal practitioners.

Markus says his company surveyed users of rhino horn in Vietnam. “What we found was that 45 per cent of people tested said they would accept using rhino horn made in a laboratory, while only 15 per cent would use water-buffalo horn, which is the official substitute.”

He added that there was a big need to continue with the tradition of using rhino horn without engaging in illegal or environmentally damaging activities.

He claimed it was based on a lie and said that the only randomised double-blink trial of rhino horn found that it did indeed reduce fever in children.
Synthetic rhino horn

Surprisingly, this finding suggests that it might actually be superior to Western medicine since acetaminophen is difficult to safely dose in children and aspirin is linked to Reye’s syndrome.

Pembient plans to sell the first products on World Rhino Day, September 22 this year.


http://lowvelder.co.za/278010/scientist ... hino-horn/


This could be important...more news about implementation!

As said before, I doubt that this will be successful. The consumers want the real stuff and I doubt very much that this synthetic "horn" cures anything and they have invented aspirin for children a long time ago, which does not lead to the Sindrome di Reye

Rapport 28 junie 2015
some stats and remarks out of a article on Sunday.
"More poachers enter Krugerpark from SA
-R 500 milj in one year was not enough to solve the problem.Netherlands lottery R 175,9 milj ,Howard Buffet R 134,4 milj and R110 milj(equipment) from the USA
-Non official figures show that about 490 poacher*s was neutralize the past 5 years.80% of them was Mozambique citizens 392.
-Dr Leonardo Simao MDO of the Joaquim Chissano Foundation said too many young men return in body bags due to poaching syndicates.
-The deployment of a Environmental Police force on the Moz side of the border bring a significant change in poaching patterns.
- More than 70% of the poachers enter from the Western side now.According two senior SANParks Officials.The Article put it forward that poachers move their weapons and operations now to South-Africa."

Thank you Dup!

Should be easier to control and catch the poachers ........in theory!