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ANTI POACHING PROPOSAL
Presented by The SanWild Wildlife Trust to obtain funding to launch the SanWild Eco-Rangers 31 January 2006 POACHING – SOUTH AFRICA AN OVERVIEW Poaching in South and Southern Africa is on the increase and some of the most prized booty of fauna and flora are ivory, rhino horn, shellfish, tortoises, snakes and other reptiles, local flowers and endangered plants like cycads. The situation appears to be so bad that recently local newspapers labelled our national and provincial wildlife parks as "killing fields" and wildlife organisations in the country are increasingly calling for better security measures to protect conservation areas and their contents. It is believed that sophisticated rhino and other wildlife theft networks are in operation using helicopters and trucks to “strip South Africa of its wildlife. Increasingly people are appearing in court on charges of stealing white rhino and buffalo worth thousands of US dollars. Even giraffe have been stolen. More and more the illegally trapping and trading of large predators are highlighted in the international media. The professional hunting industry’s “bad apples” are also not waiting to get their share of the loot by operating in or around provincial parks in an effort to get their hands on some big game to sell to their clientele. Recently the Department of Environmental Affairs scrapped the hunting of damage causing animals along the Kruger National Park as well as the Provincial Parks in the area due to the many problems encountered during the running of informal tenders and the apparent illegal activities of certain outfitters. Provincial Parks are targeted because of the trophy quality animals roaming free in the reserves, and which are not readily available on private land anymore. There is also a huge trade in reptiles taking place where smugglers pay good money to local communities to capture the reptiles for illicit international trade. Most of the reptiles die during transportation or within a month of reaching their destinations. The biggest problem is that they fail to adapt to their unnatural habitat. Millions of rands are lost every year to commercial and subsistence poaching in National and Provincial Parks by poaching syndicates and individuals. KRUGER NATIONAL PARK: According to SA National Parks CEO, Mavuso Msimang, poachers and thieves are stealing millions of South African rands in animal, plant and marine life from “our national treasury" of reserves. "These unscrupulous people are attacking the economic fabric of our national tourism industry," he maintains. Mr. Msimang maintains that most of the poaching inside Kruger is under control but that there are problems just outside its borders, with Limpopo Province in particular, where "highly organised syndicates" are operating. Elephants, illegal immigrants from Mozambique, flooding, and poachers rip huge holes in the park's fences, he says, adding that he has seen evidence that many lions have been lured through these holes by foreign hunters. There have also been several reports of lions lured from the Kruger National Park by unethical hunting operators and shot as trophies over the last year. PROVINCIAL RESERVES: It is a known fact that provincial reserves are being targeted by poachers from outside the borders of the reserves for either subsistence or commercial purposes. The reserves should be seen as an asset of the Department of Environmental Affairs, Economic Development and Tourism, but unfortunately poaching is out of control in most of the provincial game reserves. On provincial level very little is done to combat these illegal activities. Sadly it is not recognised that by allowing poaching to get out of hand, the potential of the reserve for eco-tourism purposes is destroyed. The value of eco-tourism is generally compared to that of gold and the value of wild animals can be regarded much more valuable from a tourism perspective rather than just from a simple monetary viewpoint.
Limpopo Province, where SanWild is situated is seen as one of the poorest provinces in the country and during recent years poaching has increased substantially. In most of the Provincial game reserves, the picture is pretty bleak. We know from established sources that certain reserves are currently under severe attack from poachers for commercial poaching purposes. It is no secret that Andover Game Reserve for instance has been severely targeted by unscrupulous operators who are currently standing trial for stealing R1,4 million worth of game. In 1999 a game census showed that the reserve boasted 28 rhinos, but an extensive survey done by helicopter and on foot in March 2002 turned up only 8 animals. Manyeleti as well as Andover reserves for instance have a severe snaring problem and many animals like lion, buffalo, wild dog and even rhino die in snares on a regular basis along with large numbers of impala, kudu, blue wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, warthog and other species. Millions of rands are lost as a result of the snaring and the Department of Environmental Affairs, Economic Development and Tourism simply do not have the financial resources to replace the animals lost. Most of the poaching takes place by means of wire snaring and hunting with dogs and have gone beyond subsistence poaching. The poaching takes place on a regular basis and animal products and meat are sold commercially. Limpopo Environmental Affairs MEC, Mr. Thaba Mufamadi said his team was probing allegations that two lion prides, including cubs were lured from the Kruger National Park in the Giyani / Malamulele area in the far north on the 21 May 2002. Since then attempts to lure lions from the Kruger National Park have continued and other animals such as buffalo, hippo and even elephant have been shot illegally.
In another illegal poaching incident in South Africa late last year two Slovakians were arrested for having more than 100 angulated tortoises in their possession on the Cape West Coast. The two men were charged with illegal possession, collection and transport of 113 angulated tortoises, also known as rooipens skilpad on the West Coast. A Lamberts Bay policeman, who spotted them allegedly loading the tortoises into a vehicle, arrested them after discovering 'a few suitcases full of tortoises'. It is believed South African tortoises are being illegally sold overseas for thousands of dollars. It is illegal to keep tortoise in South Africa without permits, and they may not be sold, collected or even given as gifts.
In addition there have been several cases of perlemoen, orchid and rhino horn poaching in South Africa. Perlemoen is an expensive South African seafood delicacy with a beautiful iridescent blue-green and bowl-like shell. Local police recently confiscated thousands of perlemoen in sacks or boxes, which were ready for export. WHAT CAN BE DONE - LIMPOPO PROVINCIAL RESERVES The provincial game reserves that need to be looked at can be divided into three regions namely Soutpansberg, Waterberg and Lowveld. In total these reserves amount to almost 193 000.00 hectares and include the following reserves: Manyeleti, Andover, Letaba Ranch, Makuya Park, Messina, Blouberg, Lekgalameetse, Nwanedi, Rust de Winter, Wonderkop, Schuinsdraai, Percy Fyfe and Atherstone. Hotspot problem areas seem to be concentrated mainly in the Lowveld area in Makuya Park, Letaba Ranch, Manyeleti and Andover. Problems are also experienced in Nwanedi and Wonderkop. VALUABLE SPECIES Quite a few very valuable species can be found in the above-mentioned reserves:
Many of these valuable species have been poached recently. Wonderkop lost at least 4 roan valued at R600 000.00. Manyeleti lost at least 4-5 rhino valued at R1 000 000.00. Andover lost at least 7 white rhino valued at R1 400 000.00 along with large numbers of zebra, kudu, buffalo and Tsessebe. Letaba Ranch lost an unknown number of white rhino, buffalo and Tsessebe. Besides the commercial poaching for bush meat, ivory and rhino horn large numbers of trees such as kiaat and yellow-wood along with muti plants are taken yearly. Large numbers of common game species such as impala, kudu, warthog, zebra, wildebeest and giraffe are lost due to poaching. This is resulting in large financial losses for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and could have a detrimental effect on any attempts to turn these reserves into viable and well managed eco tourism destinations. POACHING – HOW TO BEST ADDRESS THE PROBLEM: Once a poaching problem has been identified in a particular area or reserve it is essential to approach the problem in a professional manner and do a complete risk analysis as soon as possible. The risk analysis will look at the past history, the current situation, records of poaching incidents available over the last twelve years and the surrounding areas. Anti poaching measures cannot be successfully applied over a short period of time and it is crucial that in the provincial game reserves a program of at least 12 months is planned initially. Placing anti-poaching units into reserves such as Manyeleti or Letaba Ranch for a period of 1-3 months will be totally ineffective and might only allow for the for temporary removal of snares. To effectively combat problems of poaching one will need to put effective measures in place for at least 12 months at a time. Poachers are very clever and do their homework on every reserve or private game farm they target. To accordingly set patterns and deploy teams for only three months they will inevitably get to know your modus operandi and counter that with resultant losses in game. Combating poaching effectively will mean that it will be necessary to get to know a particular area and infiltrate local communities to establish where the poaching originate from and if indeed the problem is subsistence or commercial poaching. In most areas poaching have already reached commercial proportions and is no longer merely a situation of an individual wanting to feed his family. Modern day poaching does not just include wild animals, but also a wide range of trees and plants along with reptiles and fish. On many reserves things seem to be under control but one of the best means to stop poaching is to make a reserve a hard target by having effective anti poaching control measures in place at all times. Having little or none creates an atmosphere of freedom to do whatever you like, which is very conducive to poaching. It is also true that corruption can never be ruled out and in provincial reserves several officers of the Limpopo Department of Environmental Affairs, Economic Development and Tourism had already been fired for illegally selling hunts in Letaba Ranch for instance. In any anti poaching operation one has to take note of this threat and counter every situation conducive to the killing of wild animals in Provincial Reserves and along with them the potential for financial growth. With the very live and lucrative market for large predators especially lion the Provincial Reserves are also ideal venues to steal some of these animals. There were various problems reported to us about illegal luring of lion from the Kruger Park for hunting purposes. COMPANY BACKGROUND – SANWILD “ECO-RANGERS” The SanWild Wildlife Trust is a registered non-profit organisation specialising in wild animal emergency rescues. The trust’s main objective is to acquire land to support a range of indigenous wild animals in a safe area. As part of our community involvement and rural support program we have initiated a project called SANWILD ECO-RANGERS where our objective is to recruit 50 individuals from our local communities to be trained for full time employment into crack anti-poaching units. They will be trained with military precision and will be equipped with the latest technology in GPS and Cyber-Tracking. All team leaders will be armed with Maverick Pump Action Shotguns. Individual members of the units will be well paid and have a sharehold in the Section 21 Company. We do firmly believe in education, training and empowerment and are already reaping the results of this positive attitude. Presently 10 members have already been appointed with sponsorship obtained from two UK companies. SanWild’s Eco Rangers are highly trained individuals who are taught to apply a totally professional attitude at all times. In our own reserve and on other private farms we have had great successes. Presently the Eco-Rangers are only deployed in small numbers on SanWild and on some neighbouring farms adjoining the reserve. However if we can obtain the necessary corporate or company sponsorship we could expand our operation to include provincial reserves and other private game farms and reserves. COMPANY STRUCTURE The new company structure of the SanWild “Eco-Rangers” will consist of:
In the main operations centre all information will be channelled directly into a computer software system that allows for a very accurate pattern to emerge in regards to poaching incident and problem areas. The anti-poaching units will have the backup of the special intelligence unit that is used to gather information and where necessary infiltrate communities from where poaching is most prolific. Each unit will consist of a team leader and four members. Their main objective will be to gather intelligence and work alongside other organisations such as National Parks, conservation services and national police. Management available have had years of conservation law enforcement experience along with intelligence gathering and anti-poaching. The two emergency response units will be on a 24hours standby and can respond to hotspots within the hour. They will have the back up service of a helicopter and a medical evacuation service in the event of emergency. The Eco-Warrior teams will consist of 10 units with 5 members each – a section ranger and 4 anti-poaching rangers. Each team will have a regional manager that is responsible for back up and team deliveries. JOB CREATION & TRAINING SanWild’s anti-poaching program can supply permanent employment to a minimum of 60 anti-poaching rangers and will greatly benefit the local rural communities. Our training programs are designed not just to broaden wilderness and bush knowledge, but also to bring a very strong element of self-pride and leadership skills to local people. In addition to our job creation program we also intend establishing a mobile environmental education program for rural children as part of our anti-poaching initiatives. This education program will consist of a vehicle fully equipped to serve as a travelling movie show where well-known wildlife videos that have been translated into local languages will be show to children in the Limpopo Province. RISK ANALYSIS A full risk analysis on all areas of employment will be supplied free of charge as part of our anti-poaching program. Poaching problems can only be countered by an effective intelligence system and we believe that it remains essential that we forewarn our clients against possible threats. Every animal one loses through poaching has a monetary loss for the reserve either through eco-tourism or from live capture. For any reserve to survive in the modern-day economy Risk management is very essential as reserves will increasingly be required to become more self-sufficient. CYBER-TRACKER In addition to supplying effective and efficient anti-poaching units, all the SanWild “Eco Rangers” units will be equipped with the Cyber-Tracker monitoring system. This system is the most efficient way to gather large quantities of data for field observations, even by non-literate users, at a level of detail not possible before. Data captured by the anti-poaching patrols will be supplied to clients free of charge as part of our ongoing strive for Service Excellence. The Cyber-Tracker field computer is designed to be quick and easy to use in the field. Scientists and conservationists benefit from the icon interface enabling significantly faster data collection than text interfaces or written methods. A user-friendly interface developed for PalmOS handheld computers allows field workers to record hundreds of detailed observations per day. The handheld computer can also be linked to a GPS. Cyber-Tracker projects have now been implemented, or are in the process of being implemented, in more than 30 countries worldwide: Africa - South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger, Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Egypt. South America - Suriname, Guyana, Brazil. Asia & Pacific - India, Borneo, Australia. Europe - UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain. USA and Canada. Arctic and Antarctic. Locally two projects exist where Cyber-Tracker is used most effectively: A. PHALABORWA MINING COMPANY. Located in the northern part of South Africa, the Phalaborwa Mining Company and Cleveland Game Park cover an area of 5 000 ha. The company is involved in several care taking activities on the property. They currently use four Cyber-Tracker units to cover a wide spectrum of wildlife management. Three units are used by game wardens and field guides and the fourth unit by the environmental department. Cyber-Tracker customisations have been made to meet the needs of specific projects, which include:
B. KRUGER NATIONAL PARK The Kruger National Park, the largest national park in South Africa, recently bought 120 Cyber-Tracker units to monitor the entire Park. Cyber-Tracker monitoring will play a crucial role in the Strategic Adaptive Management framework of the Park. The Kruger National Park has adopted a management policy known as Strategic Adaptive Management, which explicitly includes checking against short, medium and long-term goals. A strategic management system aims to be forward-looking and not just reactive. An adaptive management system is flexible enough to respond to changes in the ecosystem, and has feedback loops to allow this. Research in the Park is conducted on an ongoing basis, revealing new interactions between animals and plants. As the data is collected, processed and analysed, a fuller picture begins to take shape, allowing the Park managers to adjust and adapt their management policies. Strategic Adaptive Management requires large quantities of detailed data on the entire ecosystem. Cyber-Tracker proved itself to be one of the most effective tools to meet these requirements. Cyber-Tracker monitoring was implemented on a trial basis into the Park early in 2000. Data collected during the pilot phase include information made available to the MIKE Programme (Monitoring the illegal killing of elephant), data on tree damage by elephant, water availability and rare game sightings. Cyber-Tracker has now formally been adopted as an integral part of the Park management strategy. EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNITS The anti-poaching units have a back up of two fully and well-equipped emergency response units that can be deployed within an hour to any of the areas of operation. These units are equipped to deal with any emergency situation even that of wild animal rescues and ambushes. In the event of a wild animal emergencies this unit can and will supply a helicopter to find, immobilise and treat animals ASAP. In the event of serious injuries animals can be treated or operated at the SanWild Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre close to Gravelotte. The emergency response unit can be deployed in hotspot areas or when special ambushes are planned. A new addition to our emergency response units will be the use of highly trained tracker dogs. Five dogs have been selected and will undergo extensive training by a K9 search and rescue specialist linked to the Creve Coeur Fire Protection district in Missouri USA. An addition to their anti-poaching training all rangers as well as the emergency units will receive comprehensive training in K9 Search and Rescue, Swift Water Rescue, High Angle Repelling Rescue and Confined Space Rescue as well as general first aid. POSITIVE PR AND TV DOCUMENTARIES The initiative of the SanWild Wildlife Trust to deploy professional and well equipped anti-poaching units for the protection of our fauna and flora can prove to be a highly positive move with great Public Relations potential. The deployment of anti-poaching units has great potential for international exposure as a television documentary and we do suggest that this option is considered. The successes of such a unit should also be highlighted in local print media. SPONSORSHIP NEEDED TO LAUNCH THE ECO-RANGERS FOR A PERIOD OF 12 MONTHS:
SANWILD ECO RANGERS CONTACT DETAILS LOUISE JOUBERT / FOUNDER TRUSTEE Telephone / Fax +27 (0) 15 - 318 7901 24 hour mobile – +27 (0) 83 310 3882 Email. louise@sanwild.org ENDS |
