Dear All Congratulations to National Airports for keeping the gardens so neat and trim. It always makes me smile when I go there. Dog Shootings LIVINGSTONE The other week the Livingstone City Council with the police went out to shoot stray dogs. To me, this culling exercise had to be done as we are being overwhelmed by dogs that are not cared for. Dogs carry rabies and other diseases and often they bite people. I have heard of the number of dog-bite victims being treated in clinics and hospitals and it is quite shocking. However, it seems to me that we need to be a bit more sensitive and careful about which dogs should be shot. When I lived in Botswana, the veterinary department went round the town with rabies inoculations and called all the people to bring their dogs. They were vaccinated (for free) if the owner did not have a valid certifi cate and the dog s head given a dollop of red paint. The red paint stayed on the dog s head for at least two weeks. After the vaccination campaign the police then went round and shot dogs which did not have the red paint. It was a simple solution and worked well. Surely we can use a similar method of identifying stray dogs. More Airport Pics I really like our new airport - it is very smart. But there is a small problem with the tar road. It is very sticky in the heat. Can you see my footprints as I walked along the road?
Zambian Carnivore Programme ZAMBIA Liuwa research team members Daan Smit (L) and Teddy Mukula (R) tracking wildebeest and hyena against an incoming storm. With the advent of the wet season the majority of wildebeest migrate into the southern portion of the park, making prey plentiful for the area s hyena clans. Despite the rains and limited access ZCP conducts year-round research at our sites. Africa Geographic The Liuwa Plain National Park law enforcement team recently caught a poacher with a live pangolin. The African Parks team was approached by a community informer about two possible poachers with a live pangolin and one of the poachers was arrested in possession of the creature. The ground pangolin proved to be a resilient fellow and survived fi ve days being carried around in a sack. It was later released by senior law enforcement offi cer, Mr Tembo, back into the park. The poachers intended to sell the pangolin s body parts. The poaching of pangolins is a massive problem throughout Africa, so we must celebrate wins like these while remaining vigilant for the next time. Visa Waiver From Mwebantu PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has revealed that the government will pilot a one year visa waiver for nationals from four countries from Europe and Asia in a bid to ascertain the effect of tourism arrivals in the country. President Lungu said during the period government would undertake a cost benefi t analysis of the waiver with specifi c focus on the impact on security and other related matters.... Gill Comment: The visa charge was introduced in Zambia many years ago and we were told at an LTA meeting that it was incurred for political reasons. All of us at the meeting knew that the tourism industry was going to suffer as a result and it has. Now, though, government is so used to the income it earns from visas that it is going to be diffi ucult for them to learn to live without it. Assessment of the economy without visas would have to take place over a period of at least 5 years; the change won t happen overnight. The tourism industry is very fi ckle and often slow to change.
Painted Dog Foundation ZIMBABWE There was high drama at Makwa pan this morning, the Nyamandlovu pack had chased an adult female kudu into the pan. After nearly an hour of failing to take her out, the kudu bolted towards some bushes close to the pan with all the dogs in pursuit. As she ran back into the pan, Browny the alpha male grabbed her by the neck with all the other dogs grabbing the rest of the body. Within seconds the whole pack was feeding as we watched from our research vehicle. Heavy rainfall and thunder storms have been gracing the skies mostly in the evenings. By morning the park is very damp with dew and scented with fragrant foliage. Large pools of water are taking over the vast and intricate systems of sandy and dirt roads. Jealous and Washington have been making short work of the many fallen trees making the roads impassible. We sighted a large herd of elephants grazing in the wooded bushland. One male in particular was very curious by our presence and made for a wonderful photo opportunity.... Cheetah Zimbabwe Time to share some results of last year s questionnaire based fi eld survey in the south of Zimbabwe. In 2014 we interviewed 691 wildlife professionals and others about 190 000 km 2 of land. Although cheetah are occasionally seen in areas like the Tuli circle and Matopos, the main cheetah populations were found in the conservancies (Bubye Valley, Save Valley, Malilangwe, Nuanetsi) and Gonarezhou National Park. There was virtually no humancheetah confl ict and people generally felt positive about the species.
Swakopmund Beach Clean-Up NAMIBIA NACOMA (Namibian Coast Conservation Management Project) recently sponsored t-shirts to the Learning Right Kiddies Centre here in Swakopmund towards their Annual Beach Clean-up. The beach litter collected could fi ll a whooping 6 cubic skip! The little ones were really hard at work trying to keep our coastal environment clean and it just goes to show- you are never TOO OLD TO CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Well done little ones... Results of Walvis Bay summer bird count February 2015 Namibia The summer bird count in the Walvis Bay Ramsar site took place on the weekend of 7 & 8 February. The count has been organised by the Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia for many years. On both days, the skies were sunny and bright with no mist. On Saturday, 70 volunteers, mainly from Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, gathered at Buccaneers Squash Club for a briefi ng. After being divided into 8 teams, each led by an experienced birder, they set off to the various count areas around the lagoon and into the salt works. Thirty volunteers were ferried by Namib Marine Services from the waterfront to opposite the Angling Club. These three groups counted the thousands of birds on the mudfl ats. The counts are done at low tide, as the exposed mudfl ats attract the birds. Other teams walked or drove along the lagoon edge, using binoculars and telescopes to distinguish the various species. After lunch, supplied by the volunteer catering section, everyone went home for a welldeserved rest. The bright sun is a disadvantage at times, as counting into the sun is diffi cult, but counters with their backs to the sun have a very clear image of the birds. As some birds are too far to identify, the numbers are estimated and recorded as unidentifi ed species. Similarly, dense concentrations of fl amingos are estimated. The count is not an absolute fi gure of birds in the Ramsar site, but a good estimate of the total numbers. These counts, done since 1983, can be compared, as the same biases are present every year. The teams also stay in contact by radios, supplied by Radio Electronics, so that movements of large numbers of birds are brought to the attention of other groups. On Sunday, 59 volunteers, in 6 teams, scoured the area south of the Paaltjies road and also Pelican Point. One group went to the Bird Paradise, to see what they could fi nd in the sewage ponds. By 13:00, all but one team had completed their count. Lunchtime gave everyone time to chat and discuss the count and get to know members of other teams. The meals, prepared by the volunteer catering section, are sponsored by Walvis Bay Salt Company and Probst Bakery. Namibia Breweries made sure no one died of thirst. After lunch, the tired but happy sunburnt birders headed for home. Wilderness Safaris helped with transport. A total of 148 475 birds were recorded. # Flamingos, the most visible and well known of the birds, always attract a lot of attention and many tourists come to Walvis Bay to see them. The fl amingo numbers are up, probably as most birds are on the coast, with a total of 85 584. This is the highest number for the past fi ve years. This year, Etosha Pan and Sua Pan in Botswana have had no water, so fl amingos have not left to breed. Because of the 29 025 unidentifi ed fl amingos, the numbers of identifi ed ones are not too high. Greater Flamingo 36 367 and Lesser Flamingos 20 192. Because of dense concentrations of these birds, the light and shimmering heat haze, the species could not be separated. Some wader species showed increased fi gures, such as Curlew Sandpipers, with a total of 44 270. The nearest count was in January 2012, when over 31 000 were recorded. Pelican numbers are down from a high of 1281 in February 2014 to 500 this count. Terns can push up the totals by thousands of birds, as in January 2008 when over 41 000 were observed. This count, we just had over 10 000. However, the count at Sandwich Harbour on Sunday, recorded huge fl ock, estimated at about 50 000 birds. The huge fl ocks of ducks, the Cape Teal, were also not seen and only 5055 were recorded. In February 2013, we recorded 11 562. Another conspicuously absent species, were the Black-necked Grebes, with only 373 this count against 16 494 in July 2013 and 23 853 in July 2008. Curlew Sandpipers, our most common wader, totalled 31 094, very close to the January 2012 fi gures. Rare, vagrant species included 4 Eurasian Oystercatchers, one Redshank, one Terek Sandpiper and a Pacifi c Golden Plover. The count fi gures are sent to the Ministry Environment & Tourism, as are the other counts done by the Namibia Bird Club at inland dams and other water impoundments. Holger Kolberg from MET and volunteers count at Sandwich Harbour and Orange River Mouth, both Ramsar sites. Cape Cross, Swakopmund, sites in Kavango and Caprivi and other dams and vleis are also counted. All these fi gures are sent to Wetlands International. This organisation collects counts from other African countries and thus sees the bigger picture. They analyse the fi gures and see trends and movements of birds and produce scientifi c publications. They can warn of population declines and make participating countries aware of danger signs. The Coastal Environmental Trust of Namibia would like to thanks all volunteers who came to Walvis Bay at their own expense to help with the count. Also our sponsors mentioned above and all the people who prepared the food.
Botswana Fishing Industry BOTSWANA Fishing licences for locals and the infl ux of traders from Zambia and the DRC should be controlled, writes Roman Grynberg. In 2010 the Tahal group presented a bold idea to the Botswana ministry of agriculture that the landlocked semi-desert country develop a fi shing industry. Part of the 420-million cubic metres of water that could be taken from the Zambezi as part of the country s riparian rights would be used for a project that would include, among other things, an aquaculture industry that would export about 13 000 tonnes of fi sh a year. The idea that Botswana would become a major exporter of fi sh products was beyond the imagination of those in the ministry and the idea was canned. Now, without a litre of water being lifted from the Zambezi and with little investment, Botswana is becoming a signifi cant exporter of unknown quantities of tilapia and catfi sh to water-rich countries such as Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Next month the 2015 fi shing season will begin again on Lake Ngami. The Congo and Zambezi rivers were once considered an important source of fi sh for local people but, say several Lake Ngami as I saw it in 2013 environmental specialists in Botswana, poor management of fi sh stocks and rising populations have resulted in there being not enough fi sh for residents of these countries. Lake Ngami is a seasonal body of water fi lled by the Taughe River, which is part of the Okavango system. When it comes back to life, consumers, particularly those in urban areas, are delighted by the sudden infl ux of relatively cheap fi sh. But since last year fi shermen found they could get better prices from the hundreds of Zambian and Congolese salters, who gut and salt fi sh. They live in tents next to the lake. In 2014 there were 11 camps with a population of about 1?000 people surrounding the lake, say environmentalists working on conservation measures for Lake Ngami. About 300 Batswana get permits to fi sh. A medium-sized fi sh costs about three pulas at the lake, but when sold in Gaborone it sells for up to 10 pulas. The dried and salted fi sh sold in Lubumbashi can treble in price, according to Neo Ntshwabi. She drives to the DRC four times a year and says she sells 6 000 fi sh a trip at 27 pulas a fi sh. Ntshwabi would thus bring home a gross income of about $72 000 a year, which, after costs, is enough to pay for a home for her and her two children. But, according to Botswana Unifi ed Revenue Service (Burs) fi gures, only 300 tonnes of fi sh were exported to Zambia and on to Katanga in the DRC in the period up to November 2014 at a value of less than a million pulas. Either Burs is not receiving the correct value and volume fi gures for fi sh leaving the country, or the 16-wheel trucks full of fi sh that leave Maun during the fi shing season, in addition to the 1 000 Zambian and Congolese, are making a huge loss. The Ngamiland fi shery has become a lawless wild west and the government should act before the next fi shing season begins at the end of this month. The Lake Ngami fi shery may become unsustainable because the lake could one day disappear, as it did in the 1965-1966 drought. But it will also be unsustainable if the rate of extraction of fi sh is not suffi ciently controlled. If the lake is overfi shed there is a potential danger to the ecology should the fi shermen and salters shift from Lake Ngami to the rest of the Okavango ecosystem. Overfi shing there could harm the economy of the country as the Okavango, a world heritage site, is Botswana s main tourist destination. Immigration offi cials should check whether the Zambians and Congolese are in the country legally and Burs needs to record the real volume and value of fi sh sold locally and leaving Botswana. Fisheries offi cials need to better police the number of fi shermen, monitor the size of their nets and ensure that the number of fi shermen per licence is adhered to....
From The Voice, Botswana For a woman that wants to give a gift that gives back this Valentine s Day, a recent BDF patrol search in Kasane might have just come to the rescue. But on one condition, the man has to be brave and adventurous. Last year when the soldiers pounced on a Chinese Construction Workers camp in that tourist village a handful of illegal immigrants, some of them in possession of cocaine were busted. This week a similar operation at the same camp however yielded something strange but very interesting. The soldiers were surprised to discover fi ve bottles of mayonnaise, packed full with at least 100 scorpions in each bottle pickled in some orange juice. A quick research however revealed that the poisonous creepy crawlies were nothing but an ingredient in a rice-based liquor considered to be a strong natural aphrodisiac. In fact, the Chinese themselves said that they used the wine to boost their stamina to work long hours on the construction site. Apparently there are over 100 forms of this type of wine available,many of which are infused with the remains of wildlife, with even endangered species included in the distilling process. Kasane police confi scated the wines but later handed them to the Wildlife Department to establish what kind of scorpions were used and whether there were any other wildlife remains included in the recipe. According to the Chinese, months of fermenting was used to make sure that the dead scorpions encased in the bottles didn t have the same sting in the tail as when they were alive before the wine could be ready for consumption. Some of the wines use snakes too and because snake venoms are protein-based, they are inactivated by the denaturing effects of ethanol and rendered harmless. Instead, the liquor is considered healthy and seemingly has many health benefi ts such as treatment of back pain, rheumatism, lumbago and other health conditions. You want to try it? No need to go all the way to Kasane, check out a Chinese restaurant in Broadhurst and you might be in luck. Botswana Lion Corridor Project This handsome young male is called Mokusi. Together with his brother Mothusi he roams the eastern parts of Botswana. Shortly after we collared him he decided on a change of scenery and moved 180 km in less than ten days! This just highlights how diffi cult it is to protect animals that cover such enormous distances.
Zambezi Integrated Agro-Commercial Development Project From Mmegi The feasibility study for Zambezi Integrated Agro-Commercial Development Project is about to completed with a net irrigable area of 25, 000 hectares identifi ed for crop production. The study recommends growing eight crops being; sorghum, beans, sunfl ower, maize, cotton, wheat, soybean alfalfa and mango. The study was conducted by an Italian company, Studio Gallli Ingegneria (SGI). Agriculture Hub, Communications and Investor Relations Offi cer, Baitshephi Babusi-Hill told BusinessWeek that the Environmental and Social Impact Assesment (ESIA) and the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) reports have been submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in January for adjudication and subsequent approval.... The article went on but lacked details except that the project would be up and running by 2020, so I looked around. This is from Development Business: The project is based on the Government s Policy of Water and Food Security for the Nation. The objective of the project is to extract water from the Chobe / Zambezi River and feed the water into the National Water Carrier through the North South Carrier. Secondly to establish a viable commercial agricultural development, which will improve Botswana s food security, diversify agriculture, meaningfully contribute to the country s GDP and create employment. Estimated at over 4,000 direct jobs, the total employment is expected to more than double when indirect employment, throughout the country, is included. It is also anticipated that the project will create opportunities for Botswana to be involved directly and indirectly as entrepreneurs, therefore increasing the impact of the investment for the country. Total water extraction is estimated at 495 million cubic metres per year. About 150 million cubic metres will be used by the National Water Authority, with the remaining 345 million cubic metres being used for the proposed agricultural project, which is planned to be located west of the existing Pandamatenga Commercial Farms, about 110km south of Kazungula. The total project area is expected to be about 45,000 hectares, with an irrigable area of about 35,000 hectares. The project will include roads, drainage and auxiliary infrastructure.... At peak fl ood the effect of this extraction will not be noticed but at low water I calculated that the extraction would be about 5% of the water coming down the river. I also looked up Development Business: Welcome to Development Business, the offi cial United Nations website for consulting, contracting and export opportunities worldwide. What we do: Everyday we receive, process and publish dozens of procurement notices and contract awards coming in from our partners at the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, national governments, the United Nations agencies and more.
VISA FREE TRAVEL FOR EXPATS IN EAST AFRICA DELAYED BUT COMING Waturi Wa Matu, the coordinator of the East African Tourism Platform, the region s private sector apex body affi liated to the East African Community, has given the thumbs up from Juba, where the latest meeting of the Northern Corridor Integration Project took place over the past two days. There were a number of controversial issues... There was however progress too and upon repeated questions and answers going back and forth between Kampala and Juba it emerged that the Visa free travel for duly registered expatriates, holding work permits, or residents holding residency permits, will after all become effective on the 15th of February,... It should be pointed out however that this arrangement only applies at present to Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya, countries which have subscribed to the common tourist Visa and implemented travel arrangements for citizens of the three countries to cross the respective borders using only an ID, or in the case of Uganda, a voters card.... NO GOLF COURSE INSIDE MURCHISONS PARK, UGANDA WOLFGANG S COLUMN The reaction was swift and united among the conservation fraternity and tourism stakeholders, when news broke earlier in the week that the owners of the Chobe Safari Lodge in the upper part of Murchisons Falls National Park had dropped their quest to establish a golf course inside the park. I congratulate Marasa for abandoning the idea and accepting that playing golf outside the park is a better option. Like many years ago in Mweya, the same arguments were advanced from both sides. Like in Mweya back then, did facts triumph over the wish of the owners to have a golf course inside the park. Maybe few understand what a golf course development entails. It means to bring in alien species of grass, a high usage of water and a high amount of chemical fertilizers especially for the greens. In Mweya there was also a wildlife corridor to and from the peninsula to consider. At Chobe the area is quite wooded and felling trees for a golf course is also not a good way to protect the environment. If Marasa can secure land and build a golf course near Karuma, it will be better. But then, there is a golf course in Pakwach and there is space near Katwe to develop one there, so why not invest in those? There is an existing course in Kasese, also not far from Mweya, all viable options wrote a regular conservation source from Kampala, expressing both relief and delight with the decision.... Highlighting the Work of NGOs in our parks OTHER STUFF You will have noticed that I am highlighting the work done by NGOs in our parks in all our countries. They do an amazing job and we should all laud their work. Whenever I travel now I try to make a point of going to see their offi ces and fi nd out more about them. Without the conservation organisations our parks would be shadows of what they are today. Through their work they are a constant presence in the parks, always on patrol - driving, walking and fl ying overhead. They get into the schools too to teach the children about their natural heritage. Tour operators too within the parks spend time and effort to help whenever and wherever they can. Also, something that we often forget, is that our wildlife is only little understood their life patterns, their habits and their needs for a good life. Now our parks are islands surrounded by human habitation. Unlike in the days, say 50 years ago, before our human populations exploded, the animals could move through forests, safari areas, farms and game management areas from one park to another. Those days are long-gone. Our wildlife is often shot if it wants to move outside our artifi cial borders marked on a map which they can t read and don t know about. They see a luscious fi eld of mealies and think, wow, there s lunch, little realising that they are outside their allowed area. We have to learn how to make the environments in the parks suitable for all the wildlife which inhabit them. The Conservation NGOs work alongside the government authorities, ZAWA, etc, and are supported by outside wellwishers, some of them huge donors. The rest of the world is in love with Africa s wildlife and wants us to keep it safe. We need a lot of money to care for our parks; money that governments cannot give because of all the other necessary expenses like schools and clinics.
But surely there is something that we can do to help... Yes there is. The fi rst thing any of us can do it to take a holiday! Visit the park, supporting the operators there. Your presence in the park too will be an added patrol. Poachers don t like people. The more we visit the park the more the wildlife gets used to our vehicles. The second thing we can do is to discuss with friends and family about the plight of our wildlife in the parks. (Change the topic from politics,...). Did you know that there is nothing in our school syllabus about our natural heritage? The children learn about chitemene, but they know nothing of our wildlife! Talk to the kids and tell them about our wildlife, taking them into Mosi-oa- Tunya Park to show them too. Here is a bit of information about the southern section of Kafue National Park, one of my favourite spots because it is so easy to reach from Livingstone. And it is so beautiful... During the 1990s there was mass poaching in many of our parks. I can remember southern Kafue National Park with its herds of hundreds of buffalo, impala, zebra, sable... The large herds have gone. Were they still in the park, southern Kafue would be a major destination. Now the situation is that our herds of wildlife are gradually increasing with the protection given by ZAWA, operators and NGOs. Here is a map of the southern section of Kafue National Park. The distance from the southern gate, Dundumwense, to Ngoma, the ZAWA Camp, is 85 km as the crow fl ies. Inside that area is Nanzhila Plains Safari Lodge; on the edge is Konkamoya Lodge (on Lake Itezhi-Tezhi) and just southwest of Ngoma is Camp Phoenix, the elephant orphanage. (All in red). There are scout camps at Dundumwense, Kalenje, Kaunga and Ngoma. (In green type). This area is approximately 3,000 sq km. The borders are porous; the surrounding land, although mainly in Game Management Areas, has many villages of subsistence farmers. Imagine the job of keeping the animals safe... As I said above, we can help so please book a holiday not now because it is the rainy season and Nanzhila is fl ooded, but after June... Here is a photograph from Nanzhila Plains Camp from January with the comment: The rains just keep on coming and we are starting to get a little concerned!
WEATHER Min Temp Max Temp 19 C 31 C We have had a dry time since the last newsletter but on Saturday night the heavens opened and dumped huge amounts of rain... EXCHANGE RATES US$1 K6.99 P9.66 Nam$11.67 THE SMILE Have a good two weeks Gill It s cold on the American continent at the moment. Here is a photograph of part of Niagara Falls taken recently.