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Current Affairs

Vultures in South Africa are facing a perilous time with alarming population declines over the last decade. Vultures have a notoriously bad reputation and are often associated with death and disease and considered dirty animals. But, they are horribly misunderstood. Vultures are actually very meticulous about cleanliness and spend hours each day cleaning their feathers after feeding. Their feathers need to be clean for flight as vultures do not flap their wings, they soar through the sky. Vultures are highly efficient apex predators and scavengers and can travel hundreds of kilometres within a day. They have excellent eyesight and can spot a carcass up to 6km away. They have thick and strong beaks that tear into flesh and can efficiently...

16 May, 2024 /

The Ecological Society of America - September 2019 Andrew Forsyth (PIdwa Wilderness Reserve; Gravelotte, South Africa) is frustrated – and baffled. Two young bull elephants have spent another night breaking fences and gates, often in exactly the same places they trashed before. Forsyth wonders about the unusual behaviour “I don’t think we understand elephants enough” he admits. Elephants are highly intelligent, with complex social structures, huge ranges and high risk of conflict with humans. South Africa uses fencing to reduce conflict and encroachment. On many smaller reserves outside the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTCA), immuno-contraception has become necessary to control their numbers. The question is whether these interventions affect psychology and behaviour. Fences stop young adults dispersing, and immuno-contraception leads...

15 October, 2019 /

Author: Claire Miller (Published in the Ecological Society of America https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.1995) Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) populations worldwide are declining due to increasing human-wildlife conflict, but South Africa is bucking the trend. From just 400 cheetahs left on two reserves in 1965, the country is now home to the world's only growing wild population, in part due to the emergence of private nature reserves cashing in, post-apartheid, on toursits flocking back to see wildlife. But while the reserves complement national parks, the fences essential for keeping cheetahs safe from human persecution also prevents the animals from dispersing, explains Vincent van der Merwe of the Endangered Wildlife Trust EWT; Cape Town, Africa). "We have to come to terms with the fact that humans and wildlife don't...

02 May, 2019 /

Author: Claire Miller As part of your stay at Askari you visit the 'Kinyonga Reptile Centre' to learn about and see some of our indigenous reptiles. There is the opportunity to meet reptiles as well as other creatures such as spiders and scorpions. While many people find themselves facing their fears to handle a spider, this article explains why the spiders have much more reason to fear humans than we do them! Our fantastic regular volunteer (and journalist) Claire Miller describes the intricate details of a spider species merely trying to survive amongst human expansion. Donald Strydom (Kinyonga Reptile Centre, Hoedspruit, South Africa) has tried everything, from taking plaster molds to rebuild a spider’s exact underground home elsewhere, to digging up entire...

02 November, 2018 /

Author: Natalie Steiner The world’s tallest land mammal and one of the most iconic and recognisable of all of Africa’s animals
..the giraffe. Thought to be common place and an easy spot of safari, Africa’s giraffe are in fact reaching a crucial turning point with regard to their long-term future and survival. As publicised in recent times, the global giraffe population has declined by up to 40% in the last thirty years. In 1985 there were estimated to be 151,702 – 163,452 individuals in the wild but by 2015, that had decreased to 97,562 (1). As a result of this dramatic decline, the conservation status of giraffe was amended in 2016 from ‘Least concern’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation...

22 February, 2018 /

The Pangolin: a mammal species being pushed ever closer to extinction by the illegal, international trade. Did you know that pangolins are the most illegally trafficked animals in the world? So exactly what is it, that makes these animals so ‘desirable’ in Africa and Asia? We take a look at the facts surrounding this exceptionally unusual creature and it's rapid demise. The Facts There are eight living species of pangolin in the world. Only 4 of these occur in Africa and just one in Southern Africa! South Africa's pangolin species is the Temminck’s ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii). This species is mainly nocturnal and is hardly ever seen during daylight. The Ground pangolin is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species and can be found in Appendix I of the CITES...

23 October, 2017 /

In September 2016 CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) held its 17th CoP (Conference of the Parties) in Johannesburg. These meetings occur once every 3 years, with the various other CITES sub-committees meeting in the years in between. CITES came into force on 1 July 1975 and is one of the oldest and largest conservation agreements in existence. With a current membership of 183 parties, every CoP is an important event for global conservation efforts and the world’s flora and fauna [1]. Whilst the recent CoP resulted in a number of decisions (80 pages worth in fact!), the fundamental question is does CITES actually achieve anything? Does it make a real and tangible difference to...

11 May, 2017 /

Author: Natalie Steiner The abundance of invertebrates in the world is staggering – arthropods (the group that includes arachnids, insects and crustaceans) represent 83% of all known living animal species [1]. Within that group, the order of Lepidoptera alone (butterflies & moths) has 180,000 individual species which equates to 10% of all living creatures on earth! Butterflies are wide spread across nearly every type of ecosystem from deserts to mountains and are a great example of why sometimes the world’s smallest animals are some of the most interesting. Here we discuss the life cycle, predation avoidance and mimicry of the African monarch as well as ways in which YOU can help butterflies worldwide. During their Askari stay, many volunteers will see the African monarch butterfly Danaus chrysippus (also known...

15 February, 2017 /

It is the 26th of September and so far we have recorded the return of 3 migratory bird species to Pidwa. First (as is always the case) were the lesser striped swallows. Next, came the Wahlberg’s eagles (this week a sighting of a pale and brown morph together) and then most recently, the call of a Klass’ cuckoo was heard in the Askari garden. Over 130 bird species in southern Africa are migrants, some undertaking massive journeys from Europe and Asia (Palaearctic-African migrants) while others migrate from within Africa itself (Intra-African migrants). The word migrate is derived from the Latin word ‘migrare’ which means to ‘move from one place to another’. It is normally associated with a predictable journey that...

27 September, 2016 /

In September this year, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) will hold their 67th meeting in Johannesburg. On the agenda is the long-awaited discussion on the international trade in rhino-horn. A ban has been in place for this trade since 1977 but with the increasing poaching crisis, calls have been made to reverse the ban and allow the trade once again. Last week, the South African government shocked the conservation world by announcing that they will not be proposing an end to the ban on international rhino-horn trade. This is somewhat surprising after they recently legalised the domestic trade of horn within South Africa just over a month ago. Some believe that reversing the ban is the only chance left to save this iconic species of the savannah;...

07 June, 2016 /
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