VOLUME 49
South Africa has an extraordinary diversity of succulent plants, around 40% of the world's total, with incredible endemism rates. The Succulent Karoo, spanning from the Western Cape into Namibia, represents one of only two arid biodiversity hotspots worldwide. This semi-desert receives minimal winter rainfall (50-200mm annually)
VOLUME 46
By Zig Mackintosh One of the key takeaways from the Snare Mitigation Symposium held in Pretoria in September 2024 was the issue of the prosecution and sentencing of snare poachers in South Africa. High-profile cases of rhino horn and elephant ivory trafficking are headline-grabbing, but meat poaching using
VOLUME 40
By Dr Salomon Joubert Senegalia nigrescens is arguably the most important woody plant in the Kruger National Park (KNP) ecosystems. It is highly nutritious, selectively browsed by all browsers, from duiker to giraffe, and provides primary nesting sites for at least four of the KNP vulture species and several of
VOLUME 39
By Dr Salomon Joubert (This is an excerpt from a longer article, Kruger National Park Elephant Population: Current Situation and Management Considerations.) International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW): in a booklet, Elephants, Facts and Fables, by Prof Rudi van Aarde, it is stated that: “IFAW has partnered with the Conservation
VOLUME 37
By Dr Salomon Joubert Since the mid-1960s, when elephant censuses were initiated, the recorded calf percentages have remained remarkably stable. The only exceptions were 1967 and 1995, when they were 11.3% and 10.1%, respectively. In both cases, this could most likely be attributed to observer bias as
VOLUME 36
By Dr. Salomon Joubert Water provision in the Park has come a long way since the early 1930s. Essentially, the underlying motivation for providing artificial water points was to try and achieve larger numbers of animals (for the sake of tourists) by enticing them to waterless areas with sufficient, under-
VOLUME 31
By Dr Salomon Joubert Fire entered the discussion by way of my concern about the lack of vegetation monitoring. Not only elephants have an impact on the vegetation but also veld fires. At this stage it is apparent that nothing is being done to monitor the effects of what may
VOLUME 28
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
South Africa
The poaching of predators and scavengers is on the increase for a variety of reasons. There is a lucrative market for the supply of animal body parts for the muthi (traditional African medicine) trade, as well as an increasing demand in the East. Poisoning poached animal carcasses is the preferred
South Africa
The Snare Busters Program is not just about removing snares from the bush. The volunteers are also involved in wildlife rescue operations. Their policy is the same as other reputable conservation organizations, where they don’t intervene if the injuries are natural unless it is an endangered species. The work
South Africa
The WOW Africa Group operates in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, bordering the Ithala Game Reserve. Here, the main poaching threat isn’t subsistence meat hunting, it’s commercial gambling poaching using large packs of trained dogs. In these illegal hunts, gangs release dogs to chase and kill wildlife, with