Africa Wild

well done... a lot of publicity

GEORGE – A new tracking device has been developed to monitor and record the movement of rhinos in order to prevent poaching.

The tracking collar is a live-monitoring gadget and was developed by Vodacom and I-Detect. It will be attached to the animal’s ankle and is powered by a solar panel.

It sends three signals to alert rangers to possible poaching incidents.
The first alarm will signal when the rhino exceeds a speed of six kilometres per hour, the second when the animal is stationary for more than two hours and the third signals when the rhino ventures out of its habitual grazing area.

The device is positioned via GPS and transmits the rhino’s location via Global System for Mobile Communications.

The initiative was presented to delegates at this year’s South African Tourism Service Association Conference in George in the Western Cape.

The executive head of Vodacom, Mr Tony Smallwood, pointed out that some poached rhino had survived days after being shot and dehorned and that the technology could save them and also prevent other instances of poaching by picking up on the rhino’s behaviour.

Vodacom has wide geographic coverage and is therefore able to partner with I-Detect to provide this solution to rhino poaching.

“Vodacom’s participation in this project is to provide the secure connectivity for the data that is collected on the tracking collar on the rhino’s ankle,” Smallwood concluded.


http://lowvelder.co.za/291828/vodacom-j ... ve-rhinos/

Will this gadget give a signal anywhere in the bush

That's what I was wondering too. The telephone certainly does not

Yeah the first thing coming to mind is my picture at Pafuri gate next to the sign board showing the sponsors name without any signal there

YAS ! OUR FAVOURITE POACHER-BUSTING LADY GANG ARE NOW ‘CHAMPIONS OF THE EARTH’ !
[United Nations gave them their ’Champions of the Earth’ award in their “Inspiration and Action” ]

When we first heard about the Black Mambas — an elite team of women working to stop poachers on the Balule Private Game Reserve in South Africa — it was pretty much love at first sight (Lady gangs + animals = literal hearts in our eyes).

So imagine how excited we were to see that the United Nations gave them their ’Champions of the Earth’ award in their “Inspiration and Action” category for all the work they’ve done to protect the rhino population on the reserve.

“Community-led initiatives are crucial to combatting the illegal wildlife trade, and the Black Mambas highlight the importance and effectiveness of local knowledge and commitment,” Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Achim Steiner said in a news release. “Their many successes are a result of their impressive courage and determination to make a difference in their community. The Black Mambas are an inspiration not only locally, but across the world to all those working to eliminate the scourge of the illegal wildlife trade.”

Damn straight, they’re an inspiration. The UN says that since 2013 the mambas have “helped arrest six poachers, reduced snaring by 76 percent, removed over 1,000 snares and put 5 poachers’ camps and 2 bush meat kitchens out of action.”

Along with these very real results, they’ve also worked to educate everyone they can on the beauty of the South African rhino population and why it’s so important to conserve them and the rest of the protected animals on the Balule Reserve. Working without weapons, they show just how badass a group of women on a mission can be.

“With every rhino saved, the Black Mambas demonstrate that action on a local level is critical to achieving global sustainability and equity,” Steiner said.

Rock on Mambas! Please never ever stop.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/2266838/black-m ... the-earth/

Media Release: Kruger National Park rangers receive quad vehicles for patrol

Date: 2015-09-14

The patrolling of the Kruger National Park (KNP)’s terrain keeps evolving as the Ranger Corps received 10 quad vehicles; as part of the ‘ground mobility’ capacity and support in the anti-poaching operations inside the Park today, 14 September 2015. Funding for six of the quad vehicles was made possible through the US based Howard G Buffet Foundation (HGBF).

“We continue to be invaded by well-equipped poachers that aim to illegally capitalize on our rhino on daily basis. For as long as this scourge continues at the rate it is on at the moment, we need to continuously equip our Rangers with the latest field equipment available; including the all-terrain vehicles such as these to enhance their effectiveness,” said KNP’s GM: Communications and Marketing, William Mabasa

Rangers will receive training for the new quad vehicles, to afford them the best way to effectively utilize the vehicles for their specific terrain within the KNP.

SANParks received an initial grant funding of R254.8 million from HGBF in 2014 to support anti-poaching operations in the KNP. This incorporated the establishment of ‘Air Mobility’ capacity’ and included the purchase of the first helicopter in September 2014.

Subsequent to that initial funding, the Howard G Buffet Foundation granted SANParks a further R37.7 million to purchase a second Airbus AS350 B3e helicopter, with similar specifications of night flying capability, to further increase the capacity of SANParks’ rhino anti-poaching flight operations in the KNP. The commissioning of that helicopter took place this year on 19 March.


http://www.sanparks.org/about/news/default.php?id=56479

Luckily there are some very generous people around

An unusual request...these things are very noisy and virtually useless in dense bush, but good for support work?

Will try and find out!