Saving the Last Rhinos
The last female rhino in South Africa’s Krugersdorp Game Reserve has been found dead, and she’s the 136 rhino there to be killed this year. Obviously, drastic measures are needed to preserve the remaining rhinos. The idea to call in police used to dealing with organized crime is excellent. As well, park managers should consider dehorning the remaining rhinos to try to thwart the poacher’s desire to sever horns and kill more rhinos.
Research has found that dehorning African Rhinos is worthwhile and can save them from poachers. At least, the study published in Pachyderm No. 18, 1994, found that when black rhinos in Zimbabwe were dehorned, only 14 or 15 out of 210 dehorned rhinos were poached.
The study of the loss of most of Hwange, Zimbabwe’s dehorned white rhinos found that the dehorning was not performed often enough and the anti-poaching protection activities were stopped. Thus, rhinos with enough regrown horn to be deemed profitable by poachers were killed, and no one was there to stop them. The study also found that rhinos need to be dehorned every 1.3 years to deter poachers.
Further, some poachers who spent time tracking a rhino might kill a dehorned rhino in order to not spend more time tracking it again. Considering that the South African poachers today use airplanes and visual location of the rhinos, hopefully they would see the rhino was dehorned and leave it alone.
Another explanation for killing a dehorned rhino involved speculators exterminating all rhinos in order to increase the value of illegally held stockpiles. This situation can likely only be solved through increasing policing.
Policing and other anti-poaching activities work together to conserve rhinos. Science Daily has reported that when Zimbabwe found that poachers were killing rhinos, after people were allowed to live in the conservancies and anti-poaching patrols had been relaxed, they responded with a multi-faceted approach. The Lowveld Rhino Project intensified monitoring of rhinos using skilled trackers and radiotelemetry. Rhinos were moved away from unsafe areas, and the most vulnerable rhinos were dehorned. Rapid reaction units, community awareness programmes, and technical support to develop options for wildlife-based land reform, were also undertaken. The program resulted in the achievement of some of the highest rhino population growth rates ever recorded, up to 10 per cent per year.
Sadly, the events of the last few years are tragic. Suspected corruption in Zimbabwe has resulted in 26% of the living rhino population being lost, and 89% of all black rhinos illegally killed in Africa, since 2006, according to Rhino Conservation. While this puts more pressure on South Africa to conserve the remaining rhinos, I also trust that South Africa will be different and could maintain a successful program. Perhaps the Zimbabwe rhinos should be moved?
When a Javan rhino was recently found poached, the Indonesian Rhino Foundation worked with a team that is creating a 7 mile (12 km.) long electric fence around a new 10,000 acre sanctuary and breeding ground beside the park. I wrote about this on June 24th in Javan Rhino Conservation. Perhaps South Africa, given that Krugersdorp Reserve is such a large area, could move the remaining rhinos into a narrower area to keep them safer?
Tags: anti-poaching, Conservation, crime, dehorning, Krugersdorp Park, monitoring, poach, policing, radiotelemetry, rhino, South Africa, track
African Mammals Decline
A recent study shows that populations of large mammals such as zebra, buffalo and lion in the African national parks declined by an average of 59% between 1970 and 2005, a recent Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Cambridge University, RSPB and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre study found.
According to the Guardian (and a study in Biology Conservation), this includes the famous tourist safari destinations Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Western African parks averaged an 85% decrease in wildlife. Human activities including the bushmeat trade have taken a heavy toll on the wildlife. But one hopes that protected areas would keep the animals safe, particularly where tourist dollars pour into the local economy by people wanting to see the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino.
Outside the parks, the news is even worse. There, in many cases the African animals including the rhino are close to extinction. Of special concern are migratory animals such as the wildebeest, who venture through unprotected areas every time they migrate. The African Conservation Foundation has an online article about why the lack of dry and wet season habitat is depleting the migratory mammals populations.
A beacon of hope shines from South Africa, whose 35 reserves averaged an increase of 25% in wildlife populations. South Africa has more money to invest in conservation, more staff to patrol and stop poaching, and better preservation of park habitats and boundaries.
Another ray of hope is that many of the declines have slowed over time. Park management has improved. Now, urgent efforts are needed to better protect the animals and secure the future of the parks.
Tags: Africa, African Conservation Foundation, Big Five, Biology Conservation, bushmeat, Guardian, mammal, Masai Mara, national parks, population, Serengeti, South Africa, Wildlife, Zoological Society of London
Lesser Flamingo Conservation
The Lesser Flamingo breeds in only four places in Africa, including the large wetland in South Africa known as Kamfers Dam. The area supports the most substantial South African population of Lesser Flamingos, with as many as 60,000 birds at a time. The flamingos are attracted to Kamfers Dam primarily because of the high concentration of blue-green algae, their favored food source.
As well, the Lesser Flamingos bred and produced about 9,000 chicks in 2007-2008, on a purpose-built island on Kamfers Dam that was constructed by an award-winning mining company.
The Lesser Flamingos found in Kamfers Dam have both ecotourism and economic value for the surrounding area. According to Save the Flamingo, the flamingo has become a symbol used by many businesses in their logos, including real estate companies. People all over the country make the trip to see these spectacular pink birds.
However, the Lesser Flamingo is currently listed as “near-threatened” in national and international red data books. This is due to them having few breeding sites, a declining population, infrequent breeding and human induced threats to breeding sites, as reported by Save the Flamingo. Human induced threats include toxic materials, disturbance by low flying aircraft and collisions with the overheard powerlines. An oversized housing development is to be built nearby Kamfers Dam. Untreated sewage is flooding into the area, making both flamingos and people living nearby ill.
In order to help save this species, and the people in nearby suburbs, Save the Flamingo has come up with some solutions for the challenges facing Kamfers Dam. However, in order to achieve success, the NGO must reach out and find support from all over the world. Together, supporters can help persuade local South African authorities to take the threats against the species seriously and take immediate action to prevent the dam from being further polluted.
Save the Flamingo is a South African NGO trying to make a difference. To show your support for the Save the Flamingo Association, please feel free to visit the website and sign the petition or kindly make a monetary donation.
Tags: birdwatching, breeding, Conservation, ecotourism, flamingos, Kamfers Dam, Lesser Flamingo, Save the Flamingo, South Africa
