Vanishing Giants – KNP Rhinos headed for Extinction

For years, Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation has been working to raise the awareness about the merciless slaughter of these Vanishing Giants, strengthening their protection, and caring for the survivors. Has it all been in vain? It certainly seems like it's over for the Rhinos in the Kruger National Park.
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Kruger National Park, the world’s greatest refuge for rhinos, is losing them to poaching faster than they’re being born. The park’s last Rhino may already be alive. It’s time to declare an emergency.

Under the heading Progress, the 2022 SANParks Annual Report has a deeply disturbing and immensely sad target claimed as a success: only 195 rhinos were killed by poachers during 2021 – an average of one every two days. The success, it seems, is that the previous year it was one rhino every 36 hours. 

In its reports and pronouncements, SANParks acknowledges poaching problems, but the overall tone is “don’t panic, we’ve got it under control”. They haven’t. Kruger is bleeding rhinos and is in need of sutures – fast. 

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) has disclosed that in the first six months of this year, 82 rhinos were killed in the park. If the trend continues, the year will end up with a kill rate equal to 2021.

The truth is that unless Kruger does something fast, Rhinos could go extinct in the park within four years. That’s far shorter than the lifespan of most rhinos in Kruger. 

Since 2009 – just 13 years – rhino numbers have dropped from 11,420 to 2,458 and this year they will continue to drop. During that time, the number of rhinos poached was double the existing population. 

The cumulative numbers are shocking. There’s a good chance that Kruger rhinos are on the way to becoming functionally extinct, as these graphs clearly show.

Where do the problems lie?

What will it take to bend the curve upwards away from zero? The answer can only come from understanding the reasons for the decline. 

SANParks will point to forces beyond their control – and they are considerable. 

Like a snake eating its own tail, the problem begins and ends with a seemingly insatiable appetite in Asia for rhino horn, which is seen as both a status symbol and cure for various ailments (it isn’t).

This has led to a situation where highly organised international crime syndicates supply weapons and logistics to local middlemen who induce impoverished young men in communities on both sides of the park to poach rhinos. 

The park is sandwiched between millions of mostly poor people – Mozambican and South African – with few prospects for employment. It’s fertile ground for poacher recruitment. 

Kruger Park also has unfenced borders with a parallel park in Mozambique, but rangers following poachers cannot cross the line.

In his book, Rhino War, written with Tony Park, General Johan Jooste – who was Kruger’s head ranger from 2013 to 2016 – was told by a ranger: “They laughed at us, General. As soon as they crossed the border they stopped and started waving at us, yelling insults. They know we cannot chase after them.”

These issues alone, however, cannot be the sole reason for the precipitous decline of rhinos. There are serious internal problems as well, mostly, says Jooste, to do with ability, capacity, integrity and vision.

Buffet’s cancellation

A retired military officer, Jooste was brought in as head ranger in 2013 as rhino poaching began escalating. Donations formed the backbone of his development strategy and with them he created a highly trained paramilitary force out of the ranger corps. He also brought in high-tech surveillance equipment. 

Jooste negotiated a R225-million anti-poaching grant from billionaire Howard Buffett, using it to create an efficient joint command centre to gather and coordinate intelligence against poachers. 

Then, in 2016, Buffett cancelled more than half of the grant, citing the absence of a reporting structure with clearly defined roles and lack of internal capacity for project management. Millions were wasted on internal inquiries into this loss.

The collapse of Intensive Protection Zones for rhinos – set up by Jooste during his tenure and funded by Buffett – started coming apart after his departure. They did so, he says, because Kruger and ranger leadership failed “to carry them through and find a way to make them work or come up with workable alternatives”.

It was an “abdication of duty and lack of courage”.

Buffett’s bequest had been received with great fanfare, but evidently not universally within SANParks’ executive ranks. 

A rhino after it is sedated on October 16, 2014 in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Photo by Gallo Images / Foto24 / Cornel van Heerden)

Buffett’s generosity was based on his personal regard for Jooste and, according to the book, Rhino War, this rankled with those who didn’t appreciate being beholden to a rich American who had made it clear that his largesse would only be in place as long as Jooste – the white ex-apartheid general – remained at the helm.


Integrity testing

Jooste resigned under circumstances he is not willing to discuss; details of which are largely absent from his book. He alludes to “problems”. The park clearly not only lost necessary funding, but a key strategist in the rhino war. One of the problems, it seems, was integrity testing.

“Members of Exco feel you’re acting outside your mandate in pursuit of corruption after integrity testing,” he was told. Integrity testing was the euphemism for the polygraph testing of Kruger staff. From the outset, Jooste had insisted on this intervention and was the first to subject himself to the process. 

Integrity testing was not popular, but Jooste felt it was necessary. 

Poachers were paying some rangers to locate rhinos and a few were even involved in actual poaching. These included Rodney Landela, who Jooste had promoted to regional ranger.

Unions were also opposed to polygraph testing and it was suspended during the Covid pandemic. SANParks has undertaken to renew it, but has as yet failed to do so. It is not known whether a proposal for integrity testing was finally submitted to the SANParks board in November.

In his book, Jooste says testing without steps being taken on the results is useless. While Kruger management knows that leaks on rhino locations are coming from staff, they seem to be dragging their heels on making integrity testing happen.

Ranger shortage

Kruger also has a ranger shortage. More than 80 posts were not filled this year despite a commitment to do so obtained by DA shadow minister David Bryant. 

They had not been filled for several years. SANParks explained the problem as a budget issue, despite millions being spent of anti-poaching initiatives. 

It is unclear and counterintuitive that these posts are not budgeted for and filled as a fundamental step in the poaching war. 

Strongholds

Beyond Kruger Park, rhino conservation is another story and is in an intensive planning stage. Although the park has the largest single population of black and white rhinos, around 60% of the national species are in private hands and many others are in national and provincial parks other than Kruger. 

According to SANParks’ Annual Report, strongholds beyond Kruger are being constructed, though it doesn’t say how advanced this is or quite how this programme will work. It’s clearly not in the interests of rhino safety to say where they are or will be. 

There will be pushback from conservationists. They point out that placing rhinos in private hands has led to the crisis of rhino farming for their horns, which keep “leaking” on to the black market. This fuels both Asian demand and poaching. There’s a fine line between conservation and commercialisation.

In Rhino War, Jooste writes of Kruger: “A decade into the rhino campaign, my overwhelming realisation is that we cannot afford another 10 years like this, even with our successes. We must avoid another ‘runaway train’ situation at all costs.”

If the statistics are anything to go by, that train without brakes has already left the Kruger Park station. DM/OBP

Republished with permission from Daily Maverick.

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50 #FunFacts about #AfricanWildlife:

1. Elephants have a specific alarm call that means 'humans'.
2. Rhinoceros horns consist of keratin - just like your fingernails and hair.
3. Giraffes make almost no sounds. Scientists believe that their necks are too long for the airflow across their vocal cords to result in any sound being made.
4. Many herbivore animals chew on bones, including Giraffes, Zebras, Tortoises, and Buffalo. This is to obtain certain essential minerals lacking in their diets.
5. Zebra stripes act as a natural bug deterrent. Apparently the contrasts confuse/dazzle blood-sucking insects to the point where they cannot land on the zebra. Incidentally, a group of Zebras is called a 'Dazzle'
6. Elephants can't jump, probably because they don't need to! They evade predators in other ways.
7. Porcupines stomp their feet and growl as a warning to stay away. They also rattle their quills, although they cannot 'shoot' them at a predator.
8. The eye of an ostrich is bigger than its brain. It's not a case of an under-sized brain, but rather of over-sized eyes, allowing ostriches to see threats and food from a great distance.
9. Sea otters use tools like rocks, to smash open snails to eat.
10. Hartebeest run in zig-zag patterns to evade predators.
11. The adult flamingo can only eat when its head is upside down. They filter the water through their bent beaks used upside down to filter feed on tiny plants and organisms in the water.
12. For every human in the world there are one million ants. I think all of mine live at my house.
13. Octopuses can taste with their arms. The arms of an octopus are lined with hundreds of suckers, each of which can act as a taste bud.
14. Sunbirds are the African equivalent of hummingbirds, and they are monogamous - mating for life.
15. Giraffes have black tongues in front, but the back and base of it is pink. Many experts believe that this darker pigment is nature's way of protecting giraffe tongues against ultraviolet rays.
16. The only mammal capable of flight is the bat. Other mammals like the flying squirrel glide, they do not fly.
17. Lionesses do most of the hunting in a pride. Even though females are the primary hunters, male lions can hunt, too. Female lions famously hunt their prey in packs, while male lions have typically been viewed as the lazy recipients of the spoils.
18. Bottle-nosed dolphins are mostly right-handed (right-finned?). Researchers found they favored their right side. It's not just humans that are left or right-handed. Animals also show a clear preference for what scientists call “lateralized behavior.”
19. A group of Rhinos is called a Crash.
20. Elephant Calves such their trunks to comfort themselves, like human babies would suck their thumbs.
21. The collective noun for Owls is a 'Parliament'.
22. Nile Crocodiles can live up to 100 years, but mostly survives up to 80 years maximum.
23. Butterflies taste with their feet. Butterflies don't have tongues, they have a proboscis which many people think of as a tongue but it's more like having your mouth extended into a long tube. They do have some taste buds on their proboscis and some on their antennae as well, but most of the taste buds are focused on their feet.
24. Jonathan (hatched c. 1832), a Seychelles Giant Tortoise (is the oldest known living land animal.
25. Gorillas can catch human colds and other illnesses. Humans and gorillas are about 98 percent identical on a genetic level.
Watch VIDEO here:
26. Ostriches can run faster than horses, and the male ostrich is capable of making a “roaring” noise similar to a lion's roar, adding a hiss with it.
27. A group of Buffalo is called an 'Obstinacy'.
28. Killer Whales experience menopause, like Human Females.
29. A grasshopper can leap 20 times the length of its own body.
30. Owls don't have eyeballs. They have eye tubes or cylinders, rod-shaped eyes that do not move in their sockets as eyeballs do. Instead, owls have to move their bodies or heads in order to look around.
31. There are an estimated 8.7 million species on earth and more than 80% of them are undiscovered. Africa is immensely rich in biodiversity. Its living organisms comprise around a quarter of global biodiversity and it supports the earth's largest intact groups of large mammals, which roam freely in many countries.
32. Wild Dolphins call each other by name. Each dolphin has a 'signature whistle' which is copied by another dolphin during communication, just like you would call someone by their name.
33. Gorillas have been seen dismantling traps set by poachers. Staff at the Dian Fossey Research Center in Rwanda witnessed two 4-year-olds and a teenage mountain gorilla work together to destroy snares.
34. African Buffalo herds display voting behavior, in which individuals register their travel preference by standing up, looking in one direction and then lying back down. Only adult females can vote. Herd movements are guided by majority vote. If the votes were evenly divided between two directions, then the herd separates for the night, grazing at different locations, and reconvenes in the morning.
35. Rhino Calves eat their mothers' dung for digestion development. It helps mature their digestive systems, which at birth do not have the bacteria needed to help digest the grass material that they will feed on for the rest of their lives.
36. Chimpanzees are very intelligent and make all kinds of tools. Like spears to hunt with, and sticks to scratch open a den. They are sophisticated tool users with behaviors including cracking nuts with stone tools and fishing for ants or termites with sticks. These chimpanzees not only use these sticks to fish out their meal, but they in fact build their own 'tool kits' to do so, as observed in the Republic of Congo.
37. Pangolins' only protection mechanism is curling into a ball, but their scales provide good defense against predators. When threatened, pangolins can quickly roll into a ball, protecting their vulnerable undersides. They also deter predators by hissing and puffing, and lashing their sharp edged tails.
38. A Duiker (tiny African antelope) is classified as one of the ten most dangerous antelope to handle, in Africa, due to its razor-sharp horns that can cut through a human's femoral artery in the groin.
39. Porcupines mate for life.
40. A Woodpecker has a long tongue that folds into its skull, and protects its brain from vibration damage as a result of pecking out a nest in a tree. Having its tongue wrapped around the back of its brain doesn't just give a woodpecker somewhere to store a long appendage; it also helps protect the bird's brain from injury during high-speed pecking.
41. Both Black and White Rhino are Grey in colour. Black Rhinos are mostly browsers, while White Rhinos mainly feed on short grass on the ground using their square upper lip. Black Rhinos have a unique looking, pointy upper lip, which they use to grasp and pluck food from trees, bushes and shrubs.
42. Hyenas mark their territory or advertise for a mate by fixing a substance from their anal glands onto grass stalks. This is called 'pasting'.
43. Flamingos are not pink. They are born grey, their diet of brine shrimp and blue green algae contains a natural pink dye called canthaxanthin that makes their feathers pink.
44. A group of Parrots is called a 'Pandemonium'. African Grey Parrots voluntarily help each other to obtain food and perform selfless acts, even with individuals they’re not ‘friendly’ with.
45. A cheetah is the fastest land animal - capable of reaching speeds up to 125km/h (75mph).
46. Meerkat parents train their offspring to hunt scorpions. The parents bring the babies half-dead prey or scorpions with the stinger removed, to teach them how to kill scorpions without getting stung.
47. Nile Crocodiles have the strongest bite of any animal. At 5000 pounds per square inch (psi), that's approximately five times the bite force of a lion and about 30 times that of an average human being.
48. The Shoebill Stork can swallow baby crocodiles whole. Shoebill Storks are masters of patience. They will stand in water, on large patches of grass, and other hiding places for hours on end, just to suddenly lunge at an unsuspecting prey. Their stomachs can digest almost any kind of prey.
49. The Black Mamba is not black in colour; the name derives from its mouth, black inside, and displayed when it feels threatened. Its venom is an extremely potent neuro and cardio-toxic mix, capable of killing a dozen men within an hour. Without proper treatment and anti-venom, the mortality rate is almost 100%.
50. Baby porcupines are called porcupettes.
Written & compiled by Carina Crayton
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New Gate for Kruger National Park

New gate for KNP raises eyebrows: The news that a new Entrance Gate and Entertainment Hub, named Shangoni, is to be built in the Kruger National Park, has been met with mixed responses. The gate is planned for the North-West of the KNP, between Giyani and Malulele. Shangoni is a Venda word meaning ‘of or for the earth’. But certain stakeholders seem to think that none of this would benefit the Earth in any way, despite the name connotation.
Grave Concern about Tourist Entertainment Hub:

Most people are gravely concerned about the ‘entertainment’ and ‘fun park’ aspect of the new development. This section of the KNP has always seen less traffic than the busy South of the Park, and is regarded as a peaceful haven for wildlife and humans enjoying solitude. There is considerably less poaching in this quiet North-Western section as well, with most of the Rhinos being killed for their horns in the South of the Park.

With the recent killing of a Cheetah by a speeding motorist, it follows that increased traffic without increased law enforcement would lead to an escalation in traffic accidents. Specifically, a surge in the number of collisions with animals as a result of speeding and increased traffic, would impact the Wildlife in the Park negatively.

Balancing Act:

"There always has to be a balance between tourism, (and opening up that niche market to locals, many who’ve never been able to afford going into the Park), and income from Tourism. In this instance, the intent is to involve local residents in the tourism industry, and provide much-needed employment. In short, looking after Wildlife costs money, and Tourism generates funding. But generating funding should never be done to the detriment of the Wildlife", says Paul Oxton (CEO/Founder of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

Elephants in the Kruger National Park Photo: Paul Oxton (Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

A long time coming:

The Limpopo Department of Economic Development and Tourism (LEDET) announced the plans to open the new gate and tourism activity hub at a recent tour of the Park with media outlets. The MEC Economic Development, Environment and Tourism in Limpopo, Thabo Mokone, said the two projects had long been on the books of the department and were now being implemented.

Arguably the most controversial statement of Mokone’s speech is the following phrase:
“We have taken a decision as government to claim the Kruger Park.”

Mokone said the activity hub would bolster the economy in Phalaborwa. “Phalaborwa town has been anchored by the mining industry so we want the tourism sector to be a secondary encore to develop the town into an epic tourism destination.”

“I’m particularly keen to kick-start these projects because they will create employment in the provincial economy. We can’t only rely on international tourists to come to visit us. We must also rely on ourselves to visit our own country. Charity begins at home.”

A squabble between the bordering communities over exactly where the gate would be opened has caused delays, but the engagement between LEDET, SANParks and the local Municipalities are now being fast-tracked, so that the matter can be resolved.

The aim is for this project to be completed by the end of 2022.

The Park currently has 11 entrance gates: Crocodile Bridge, Malelane, Numbi, Phabeni, Phabeni Border, Paul Kruger, Orpen, Phalaborwa, Punda Maria, Pafuri and Giriyondo.

The Kruger National Park is named after former president Paul Kruger. The Park is bigger than the country of Israel, and offers a wildlife experience ranked one of the best on the African continent. It boasts 19 623km² or nearly 2 million hectares of land that stretches for 352km, and contains hundreds of historical and archaeological sites.

 

Written by Carina Crayton (Co-Founder #WHWF)

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Rhino Numbers in Kruger National Park to dip below 3000

The Rapid Slide into Extinction:
The most devastating news, as we still reminisce about #WorldRhinoDay2021.
The Daily Maverick reports:
"The new CEO of South African National Parks, said there may be fewer than 3,000 rhinos in the Kruger Park for the first time – despite the park authority spending millions on rhino protection."
In January 2021, Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation reported about the devastating losses reflected by the (then) new statistics. The total figure of White Rhinos in KNP, was listed as 3549 in 2019.
Yesterday, on 22 September 2021, #WorldRhinoDay2021, the CEO of the Kruger National Park, Dr Luthando Dziba, confirmed: 'The rhino population has declined by almost 70% over the past 10 years. This is … because of relentless poaching. We have officially released the numbers up until the 2019/2020 reporting period where basically we had 3,500 rhino.”
He stated that the country’s rhino population has declined by nearly two-thirds over the past decade and highlighted that there may now be fewer than 3,000 in the Kruger National Park for the first time.
Don Pinnock from Daily Maverick said that South Africa created loopholes that were exploited by criminal syndicates through licensing of hunting and legalising internal trade, but only shutting down of all rhino horn trade, removing loopholes and stopping mixed messaging – backed up by initiatives like the Pelly Amendment – would bring down poaching.

Dziba said, “I think another way of looking at the alarming stats… is the fact that it is possible to actually do something to basically restore the species but I think it is important to know what needs to be done to basically protect rhino in the wild.”

“We might have created loopholes… in basically legalising hunting and giving permits to international hunters and it is possible, but I think right now within the context of national parks, for instance, there has never been hunting in national parks. We are experiencing the brunt of the scourge of poaching and if you look at Kruger for instance, where our largest white rhino population is at, we experience some of the most severe poaching.”

"The fact is that Rhino Poaching is not 'just the death of a Rhino', but it is a cog in the well-oiled machined which is organized crime. With corruption being rife, mixed messages with regards to legalization of trade, and the failure of effective prosecution and convictions thrown into the mix, this is a recipe for disaster, and most of us can just watch the rapid slide into extinction with frustration and deep sadness," said Paul Oxton, Founder/CEO of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation.

Carina Crayton (Co-Founder #WHWF)

With Thanks to Daily Maverick for the Webinar recording and original article.

#WHWF
#EthicalConservation
#StopPoaching

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Fun facts about Rhinos Learn about Rhinos here

Fun Facts about Rhinos by #WHWF

If you want to learn more about Rhinos, read on!
Did you know?
  • The name Rhino is the short form of ‘Rhinoceros, which means ‘Nose Horn
  • There are five different species of rhinoceros, three native to southern Asia and two native to Africa. They are the Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros, Indian Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros and Sumatran Rhinoceros.
  • The only land animal bigger than a White Rhino, is an Elephant.
  • Rhino Horn is made from Keratin, just like your fingernails and hair. Their horns are what they get killed for (poached). And it doesn’t make any sense!
  • Crash is the term for a group of Rhinos, like this below:

A Crash (Family) of Rhinos

 

  • Although they have thick protective skin, it is still sensitive. Rhinos take mud baths to serve as sunscreen and protect them against parasites. Rhino skin can be up to 5cm in thickness!
  • They can run very fast, much faster than a human when they get scared or angry, and you don’t want to be in the path of one!
  • Both Black Rhinos and White Rhinos are actually grey in colour. ‘White’ actually stemmed from the word ‘wide’, meaning flat and wide. They’re sometimes called ‘square-lipped’ Rhinos. White Rhinos eat grass and they are called grazers. Black Rhinos have a hooked lip enabling them to catch onto shrubs and eat the juicy leaves. They are called browzers.
  • Rhinos communicate through noises and poo! Baby Rhinos sound like whales when they ask for milk. Rhinos sniff their toilets called ‘middens’ to gather information about who was there. Click the Video below to watch Rhino Babies asking for Milk!

Adorable Rhino Babies asking for Milk:

  • White Rhinos are much more passive and gentle than Black Rhinos. Black Rhinos are so dangerous that they are the cause for Rhinos being included in the Big 5. (The five big, dangerous African Animals).
  • Rhinos are the oldest group of mammals, and have been around for 10 to 20 million years. They are living fossils!
  • Rhino Moms are pregnant for 15 to 16 months before giving birth. At two months old, Rhino Babies start to get weaned off milk. At three years old, Rhino Babies are fully independent. They live to between 10 and 45 years, depending on the species. A newborn Rhino should be up and walking within one hour after birth, but will remain wobbly for a few days
  • The average birth weight in Black Rhinos is 35.5 kg and 62.7 kg in White Rhinos. 
    White Rhino Mum and Baby

    White Rhino Mum with newborn Rhino Baby

     

  • Rhino babies eat their mother’s dung to acquire critical bacteria for their digestive systems to work properly.
  • Rhino Mommies and Babies are very close. In the case of Orphaned Rhino Babies, where the mothers had been killed, the little ones often die from stomach and mouth ulcers as a result of stress.
  • The Baby of a Black Rhino walks behind the Mom, and the Baby of White Rhino, in front of the Mom.
  • Their Magnificent horns are not only for show, they use them to defend themselves, to steer their babies, to dig up roots for nutrient and to test the depth of mud-holes before they wallow. If the hole is too deep they might get stuck and die.
  • To learn more about the extent of Poaching of Rhinos in the Kruger National Park, click here.
  • Did you enjoy this article? Let us know! Do you want to Help Rhinos?

Written by Carina Crayton (Co-Founder #WHWF)

"No one in the world needs a Rhino horn but a Rhino"

Paul Oxton (Founder/CEO Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

 

 

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Fun Facts about Elephants

Did You Know?
#FunFacts about #Elephants!
🐘 A Baby Elephant weighs about 210 lbs (or 95kg) at birth.
🐘 Elephants are pregnant for almost two years! At 22 months, that is longer than any other animal.
🐘 Asian Elephants are bigger at birth, but African Elephants are bigger as Adults!
🐘 The typical lifespan of an Elephant is 70 years.
🐘 Up to 16 hours are spent foraging every day, but only 2-3 hours are spent sleeping.
🐘 With their trunks, they are able to determine the size, shape and even temperature of an object.
🐘 Elephants have an amazing sense of smell, but their eyesight isn’t that great. They can smell water from 12 miles away!
🐘 Ellies drink around 210 liters of water a day.
🐘 Have Mud, will Wallow! It's not just for playing - Elephants actually have very sensitive skin, so they use the mud and dust to protect it.
🐘 Some Scientists claim that besides humans, Elephants are the only mammals that have chins!
🐘 An Elephant has more than 100,000 muscles.
🐘 Elephants are afraid of bees, and bee-hive fences are successfully used to help protect human food crops from Ellies.
🐘 Elephant tusks are actually enlarged incisor teeth which first appear when elephants are around 2 years old. Tusks continue growing throughout their lives.
🐘 Their feet are sensitive underneath, and closely spaced pointed rocks are an excellent deterrent to protect vulnerable infrastructure and people against human wildlife conflict.
🐘 The ears of African Elephants are much larger than that of Indian Elephants and are shaped like the African continent.
🐘 Elephants communicate in several ways - including sounds like trumpet calls, body language, touch and scent. They can also communicate through seismic signals - sounds that create vibrations in the ground - which they may detect through their bones, and sensitive feet. Some of their sounds are too low in frequency for humans to hear.
🐘 No matter what size or shape, we absolutely LOVE Elephants, and believe that everyone should do their very best to protect them too!
🐾❤️🐾
Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is a registered Non-Profit Organization (147-339 NPO), and Public Benefit Organization (Reg. no. 930051372 , providing a Valuable Service as a support organization, rescuing wildlife where needed, and educating the public to foster a love for al things wild.
🐾❤️🐾
We LOVE what we do and how we do it, while we realize that we're in need of ongoing support from Corporate Sponsors, Monthly EFT donations, recurring PayPal, Payfast (Credit and Debit Cards accepted) and MySchool support (South Africa only).
Legacy bequeathments would make a world of difference too, and would enable us to expand and do even more good!
🐾❤️🐾

Written by Carina Crayton (Co-Founder WHWF)

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Draft Policy on Lion, Leopard, Rhino and Elephant Released

BREAKING NEWS - Draft Policy on Iconic Species Management Released

The South African Government (Minister Barbara Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment - DFFE) has released the Draft Policy Document for the Conservation and Management of Lion, Leopard, Rhino and Elephant. (Full PDF document available for Download here:  Iconic Species Management)
This Draft addresses the Government's critically important position on ending the Captive Breeding of Lions in South Africa, but also includes blanket proposals with regards to Wildlife Welfare, the hunting of Wild Leopards, the Captive breeding of Rhinos for Profit, as well as the export of the iconic (Big) 5 species for the purposes of captive displays.
The entire policy document has been compiled upon the recommendations of the recent findings of the HLP (High Level Panel) enquiry into these practices.
As an Organization, Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation supports, among others, the following aspects of the Policy:
1. The immediate ban on captive lion breeding, and the closure of these facilities.
2. The ban on the export of iconic species into a life of captivity.
3. Increased awareness and practical improvement of the welfare of all wildlife.
4. Focus on decreasing captive and unnatural breeding of all iconic species, including Rhino.
5. Measures to increasingly re-wild and naturalize areas to the benefit of all people living with wildlife, all citizens of South Africa, and all Wildlife contained within our borders.
6. The One Welfare approach (as encompassed in point 5).
Included in our formal response to this draft policy, #WHWF will include our concerns over the fate of the thousands of lions currently held in captive breeding facilities.
This document is open for public comment, and it is critically important that we submit as many comments as possible. Please comment by emailing your support or concerns through to:
Contact person: Dr Kiruben Naicker
Email: knaicker@environment.gov.za
Deadline: Tuesday 27th July 2021

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Southern Africa’s Ivory

The values of Zimbabwe’s and Namibia’s ivory stockpiles have been grossly overstated, and their proposed sale would lead to another poaching epidemic.

Last year the world reacted in shock when Namibia announced plans to auction off 170 live elephants to the highest bidder.

Despite criticism, the plans have continued to move forward — and that may just be the start. Tucked away in a Feb. 1 press release justifying the auction was a rehash of the country’s oft-repeated desire to also sell ivory. The Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism’s stated:

Namibia has major stockpiles of valuable wildlife products including ivory which it can produce sustainably and regulate properly, and which if traded internationally could support our elephant conservation and management for decades to come.”

Namibia is not alone in this desire to capitalize on its wildlife. In Zimbabwe’s national assembly last year, the minister of environment valued the country’s stockpile of 130 metric tonnes (143 tons) of ivory and 5 tonnes (5.5 tons) of rhino horn at $600 million in U.S. dollars. This figure, which would value ivory at more than $4,200 per kilogram, has since been seized upon by commentators seeking to justify the reintroduction of the ivory trade.

I’m an environmental accountant dedicated to ethical conservation, so I wanted to understand these numbers and how they motivate countries. In truth, I found not even full black-market value comes close to arriving at this figure.

Black-market values are, of course, often invisible to the general public, but the most recent data from criminal justice experts finds that unworked (or raw) elephant ivory sells for about $92/kg on the black market in Africa, while rhino horn is currently selling for $8,683/kg.

Therefore, a more realistic valuation of Zimbabwe’s ivory stockpiles, using an optimistic wholesale price of $150/kg, would give a potential income of only $19.5 million in U.S. dollars.

This is a 30th of Zimbabwe’s estimate.

And even then, those numbers fail to account for the disaster that would happen if ivory sales return — as we saw in the all-too-recent past.

The One-Off Sales

International trade in ivory has been banned since 1989, following a 10-year period in which African elephant numbers declined by 50%, from 1.3 million to 600,000. However, in 1999 and 2008 CITES allowed “one-off sales” of stockpiled ivory, to disastrous effect. The selling prices achieved then were only $100/kg and $157/kg, in U.S. dollars respectively, due to collusion by official Chinese and Japanese buyers.

Photo: Paul Oxton (Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

The intention of CITES in approving the one-off ivory sales was to introduce a controlled and steady supply of stockpiled ivory into the market. The legal supply, coupled with effective systems of control, aimed to satisfy demand and reduce prices. This in turn should have reduced the profitability of (and the demand for) illegal ivory. Poaching should have followed suit and decreased.

Instead, the sales led to an increase in demand and, consequently, an increase in elephant poaching. The 2008 ivory sale was accompanied by a 66% increase in illegally traded ivory and a 71% increase in ivory smuggling. An investigation in 2010 by the Environmental Investigation Agency documented that 90% of the ivory being sold in China came from illegal sources.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) comparison of elephant poaching figures for the five years preceding and five years following the sale showed an “abrupt, significant, permanent, robust and geographically widespread increase” in poaching.

The problem has not faded away. Most recently the two African elephant species (savanna and forest) were declared endangered and critically endangered due to their continued poaching threat.

Illegal ivory. Photo: Gavin Shire / USFWS

Still, some African nations look fondly at the 2008 sale and have long hoped to repeat it. The Zimbabwe Ministry’s 2020 statement follows yet another proposal to the 18th CITES Conference of the Parties (COP18) by Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana to trade in live elephants and their body parts, including ivory. The proposal was not accepted by the parties.

Why Didn’t Ivory Sales Work?

The one-off sales of ivory removed the stigma associated with its purchase, stimulated the market demand, and increased prices.

The ivory that China purchased in 2008 for $157/kg was drip-fed by the authorities to traders at prices ranging between $800 and $1,500 per kilogram. This meant that the bulk of the profits went to filling Chinese government coffers — not to African nations — and in doing so, created a large illegal market which drove prices even higher.

Raw ivory prices in China increased from $750/kg in 2010 to $2,100/kg in 2014. The market had been stimulated, prices increased and the volume of legal ivory available was insufficient to meet demand as the Chinese government gradually fed its stockpile into the market.

Japan, the other participant in the one-off sales, has systematically failed to comply with CITES regulations, meaning that there were (and still are) no controls over ivory being sold,  allowing the illegal markets to function in parallel to the legal one.

In a very short space of time, criminals ramped up poaching and elephant numbers plummeted.

What Has Happened to the Price of Ivory Since Then?

With no recent legal international sales, combined with the significant U.S., Chinese and United Kingdom domestic ivory sales bans, the price for raw ivory paid by craftsmen in China fell from $2,100/kg in 2014 to $730/kg in 2017. That’s when China closed all of its official ivory carving outlets and theoretically stopped all official ivory trade.

The price currently paid for raw ivory in Asia, according to an investigation by the Wildlife Justice Commission, is currently between $597/kg and $689/kg, in U.S. dollars. Ivory sourced in Africa and sold in Asia has additional costs such as transportation, taxes and broker commissions. The prices paid for raw ivory in Africa have decreased correspondingly from $208/kg to $92/kg in 2020.

Those numbers pale in comparison to a living elephant. A 2014 study found that live elephants are each worth an estimated $1.6 million in ecotourism opportunities.

Funding Conservation

One half-truth is that the money earned from the legal sale will be used to effectively fund conservation.

One of the CITES conditions of the 2008 sale was that funds were to go to the conservation of elephants. South Africa placed a substantial portion of the income from its share of the pie in the Mpumalanga Problem Animal Fund — which, it turns out, was well-named. An internal investigation found the fund had “no proper controls” and that “tens of millions” of rand (the official currency of South Africa) had bypassed the normal procurement processes.

Ironically, proceeds were also partly used for the refurbishment of the Skukuza abattoir, where most of the 14,629 elephant carcasses from culling operations between 1967 and 1997 were processed.

All the while, Africa’s elephant populations continued to decline.

How to Stop Poaching

In light of these deficiencies — and in light of elephants’ recently declared endangered status — the very reverse of actual conservation can be expected if any nation is again allowed to sell its ivory stockpiles. The cost of increased anti-poaching efforts required from the consequent increase in poaching will outweigh the benefit of any income from the sale of ivory stockpiles.

To stop poaching, all international and local trade must be stopped.

Photo: Paul Oxton (Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

Repeating this failed experiment will send a message that it is acceptable to trade in ivory. Ivory carving outlets in China will re-open and demand for ivory will be stimulated. The demand for ivory in an increasingly wealthy and better-connected Asia will quickly outstrip legal supply and poaching will increase.

Meanwhile, the management of a legal ivory trade requires strong systems of control at every point in the commodity chain to ensure that illegal ivory is not laundered into the legal market. With recalcitrant Japan continuing to ignore CITES, “untransparent” Namibia “losing tolerance” with CITES, and Zimbabwe ranking 157 out of 179 on the corruption perceptions index, not even the basics for controlled trade are in place.

Therefore, aside from the strong theoretical economic arguments against renewed one-off sales, the practical arguments are perhaps even stronger: If international ivory and rhino horn sales ever again become legal, the cost to protect elephants will skyrocket and these culturally valuable animals will plunge into decline — and possibly extinction.

By Charan Saunders (Conservation Action Trust)

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Captive Bred Lions

Breaking News: Captive Lion Breeding to be Cancelled

Landmark Move to End Captive Lion Breeding:

In an unprecedented move, Minister Barbara Creecy revealed that the Captive Lion Breeding Industry will be shut down. Minister Creecy's delivered her Statement in response to a 582-page High Level Report. This document originates from the work of a Panel of Experts. It scrutinizes the Wildlife Management of certain high-interest sectors, such as Lions, Leopards, Elephants and Rhinos.

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation welcomes the move to phase out Captive Lion Breeding:

Habitat-loss and diminishing numbers continue to plague Wild Lions - one of South Africa's most iconic species. Despite widespread  greenwashing, the captive breeding industry does nothing to alleviate their plight. #WHWF welcomes the proposed phasing out of Captive Lion Breeding. We trust that as a result, better protection will be enforced for the Wild Lions. We need to protect the Wild Lions remaining in South Africa, at all costs.

"While we understand that it will take time to phase out the Industry, we are overjoyed at the prospect of Captive Lion Breeding being outlawed and cancelled completely" said Paul Oxton, Founder of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation.

© Paul Oxton (Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

The Captive Lion Breeding Industry has been the thorn in the side of many a Conservationist for at least 3 decades. An industry that generates so much money for the breeders and exploiters, that it seemed impossible to rectify from a purely economical standpoint.

"This shameful exploitative industry has been supplying never-ending streams of lion cubs to pet, feed, and walk - to unsuspecting Tourists falling into this deceitful trap of greed", Said Carina Crayton (aka CJ Carrington), Co-Founder of Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation.

Only in the past twelve years or so have people been awakened to the fact that these cute cubs they are petting, end up in a trophy hunt when their usefulness has expired. Their bones, teeth, claws and skin get sold as replacement for tiger parts in tiger bone wine in Asia.

With one lion being able to generate as much as ZAR 2 million for its owner over its lifetime, the math soon amounts to mind-boggling numbers.

Shocking numbers: Around 2300 Wild Lions remain in South Africa, and they do not benefit one iota from the vile breeding industry. An estimated 10 000 to 12 000 Captive-bred Lions are kept on around 800 Breeding Farms in South Africa. They will all be influenced by move to end captive breeding. It is simply not be possible to rescue, relocate or find homes in sanctuaries for even a small fraction of these lions. Captive bred Lions can never be released, so the phasing out of this practice comes with its own set of ethical dilemmas. When the owners can no longer make ridiculous amounts of money from these lions, they will have no incentive to care for them. These lions are often kept in the most appalling conditions, and merely used as cub-mills. This should not be our legacy, as South Africans. It should never have been allowed to get out of control.

©Paul Oxton (Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

Minister Creecy stated: “The Panel identified that the captive lion industry poses risks to the sustainability of wild lion conservation resulting from the negative impact on ecotourism which funds lion conservation and conservation more broadly, the negative impact on the authentic wild hunting industry, and the risk that trade in lion parts poses to stimulating poaching and illegal trade. The panel recommends that South Africa does not captive-breed lions, keep lions in captivity, or use captive lions or their derivatives commercially. I have requested the department to action this accordingly and ensure that the necessary consultation in implementation is conducted.”

© Paul Oxton (Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

Maybe, in the near future, this decision will restore the image of the magnificent Lion to what it should be - The King of the Savannah. Hopefully, as a nation, we will learn to once again respect, admire and protect this unique symbol of true Wilderness.

"Perhaps, once this stain has been removed from our Wildlife Industry, we will once again get goosebumps at hearing the roar of Wild Lions through the dense African bush" ~ #WHWF

© CJ Carrington (Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation)

The full 582 page report is available here: Lion et al Management, Breeding, Hunting, Trade and Handling

Minister Creecy's Full Statement can be viewed here: Minister Creecy's Statement - Report from High-Level Panel

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Donation Tax Benefits for South African Tax Payers

Looking for a Good Cause to Support and pay less Income Tax in the Process?

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is a Registered NPO and PBO. All Donations by South African Corporates and Private Taxpayers are eligible for a Section 18(a) Tax Certificate, which will assist in reducing the income tax payable to SARS.

Department of Social Development/Republic of South Africa. Registration No.: 147-339 NPO
SARS Public Beneficiary Organization Registration No : 930051372 PBO

Some of our past Success Stories with regards to WHWF's use of Tax Deductible Donations include:

  1. The sponsoring of our Field Vehicle, and equipping of it for Emergency Wildlife Rescue (Private individuals and Corporates);
  2. The Purchasing of an Anaesthetic Machine and Oxygen bottle system for the Rhino Orphanage;
  3. The Equipping of Theaters for several Emergency Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers, including an Operating Table and Theater Trolley used for Pangolins;
  4. The Purchasing of Capture and Transport Cages for various species of the Wildlife Most at Risk;
  5. The Supply and Equipping of Rangers with specialized Equipment for Anti-Poaching Work;
  6. The Tagging, Tracking and Monitoring of Rhinos as an Anti-Poaching Measure and much more..

We will need the following details to issue your certificate:

  • Date and Amount of Donation,
  • Full Name of Company or Individual,
  • Registration Number of Company or ID number of Individual,
  • Registered Address,
  • Telephone Number and Contact Details (email to send PDF of Tax Certificate).
Please contact us with any questions!

If you're still unsure, please take a look at our Future Plans and Wishlist 🙂

We're available for Corporate Talks and Education!

 

CoVid19 has wreaked havoc on the world, and as a result, we have lost a lot of Corporate Support. Please consider helping our Organization survive during these trying times!

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is committed to #EthicalConservation and showing our Donors how their Loving Donations are spent.

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