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When Mark Haldane of Zambezi Delta Safaris (ZDS) took over Coutada 11's hunting lease in 1992, the area was almost devoid of human and animal life. With much grit and determination, ZDS began rehabilitating the hunting area. Mark realized that a full-time anti-poaching unit would have to be
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The illegal online wildlife trade, primarily through social media, of both live exotic pets and products such as ivory, rhino horn, tiger bones and pangolin scales is expanding. Wildlife consultant Dr Dan Stiles, while researching the illegal trade in great apes, found that millions of dollars worth of illegal wildlife
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The gin trap is probably the cruelest weapon in the poachers' toolbox. The poacher doesn't necessarily design and make the device himself. This short documentary shows how an experienced blacksmith can manufacture a gin trap with the most basic materials using rudimentary tools.
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By Dr Doug Wise It is worth considering whether an African Parks–type model would provide the opportunity for all African states to coalesce in support of sustainable trade. One might envisage a single non-profit organisation comprising first-world donors working in partnership with range state governments, taking total control over
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Livestock holdings in Botswana are a mixture of large commercial ranches several hundreds of square kilometers in size and small operators with herds of maybe a dozen cattle or goats. The impact of livestock killing predators is felt most keenly by the smaller operations. If a leopard jumps into a
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By Dr David Cummings Below is an extract from an article written by Dr. Cumming, Elephantine Dilemmas, which was initially published in Quest in 2005. In this extract, Dr. Cumming is referring to the elephant population explosion that had occurred at that time across Southern Africa. Countries in southern Africa
Letting Nature Take its Course (Abrogation of Management) By Doug Wise The title is deliberately provocative because most formally protected wildlife areas in Africa adopt a management strategy that relies upon “letting nature take its course”. Why? I suggest that there are essentially two reasons: 1) Most available funding for
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The Central African country of Cameroon boasts diverse vegetation due to its varied climate and topography. The southern part of Cameroon is primarily covered by dense equatorial rainforests, characterized by towering trees, lush undergrowth, and high rainfall throughout the year. These rainforests are home to a diverse array of flora
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Pelham Jones, chairman of the Private Rhino Owners Association of South Africa, highlights the importance of the private sector in rhino conservation. In 2014, the private owners owned only about 25% of South Africa’s rhinos; today, they own around 50%. But there is a problem; the economics of rhino
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By Doug Wise The title is deliberately provocative because most formally protected wildlife areas in Africa adopt a management strategy that relies upon “letting nature take its course”. Why? I suggest that there are essentially two reasons: 1) Most available funding for such areas is now spent on policing (anti-poaching)
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By Dr Salomon Joubert This article, which has been divided into two sections, was written by the late Dr Salomon Joubert in 2017. It is as pertinent today as it was then. Introduction Censusing of animal populations in medium to large conservation areas plays a crucial role in many of
The Correlation Between Poaching and Culling When Ted Davidson, the park's first warden, arrived in Hwange in 1922, he realized that the provision of water was the key factor in the park's development. The region is semi-arid, with an average annual rainfall of around 25 inches,