ZimConservation

Veld fires and electric power accidents remain a nightmare for all during the winter season.

Quite often in an attempt to keep themselves warm many people have put electric heaters on, lit some fires in their houses or in the bush, which have unfortunately gone wild destroying property, homes, the veld and sometimes killing people in the process.

A drive along most highways in Zimbabwe shows that the scourge of veld fire is consuming millions of plants and animal species, as members of the public watch helplessly. More online at the Sunday News…

On the outskirts of the City of Chinhoyi lies a huge sacred pool, whose silence is like that of the innards of a grave.

The silence as one descends into the intricate network of caves is both eerie and profound, yet the grottos and the huge sleeping pool form a spectacular combination in which reality defies existing tourism hyperbole diction.

It is a geomorphological spectre whose grandeur Zimbabwe has failed to market for international tourism recognition. The caves are grossly under marketed that they have largely remained an untapped tourist attraction. More online at The Herald…

Communities living in areas adjacent to Transfrontier Conservation Areas should continue co-existing with wildlife so as to achieve the long-term economic growth for both the country and the communities, a Cabinet minister has said.

Speaking at a Community Day last week at Mahenye Primary School where he officially welcomed the Boundless Southern Africa Expedition Land Rover convoy Environment and Natural Resources Management Minister, Francis Nhema said communities should live in harmony with nature, as wildlife was part of their economic heritage. More online at The Herald…

The 58th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will be evaluating the results of a controversial legal sale of ivory and planning the agenda for the 15th CITES Conference of the Parties in 2010. Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe held the ivory sales in October and November 2008 under an agreement concluded in Jun 2007 at The Hague, and under the supervision of CITES Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers. More online at NewsAhead.com…

By Dr. Ross Gordon Cooper © 2009

Stick insects make extremely exciting pets as they are easy to keep, hassle free and grow rapidly. One can virtually use the leaves from any bush to feed them. The leaves usually contain sufficient moisture to sustain stick insects. This book was born out of a desire therefore to reveal the charms of insects and wildlife in Africa. Sid escaped from his container and ventured out into the African bush where he met many animals including giraffe, kudu, warthog, baboon, leopard, and many more.

This book attempts to show the ecological interactions of animals from a stick insect’s perspective. All illustrations were photographed and/or hand-painted by the author.

It makes an excellent read for the young person who is interested in nature and its conservation. Captivating and highly recommended!

Details: Printed: 49 pages, 14.81 cm x 20.99 cm, perfect binding, full-colour interior ink // Download: 1 document, 14467 KB

ISBN: 978-1-4092-8936-4

Cost: £11.84 (paperback book); £3.56 (downloaded from Lulu.com)

Available from Lulu.com: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/sid-the-stick-insect/7310262

MASVINGO – Leading Zanu-PF officials here have grabbed land in wildlife conservancies and caused an outcry among MDC supporters over the manner in which the sanctuaries were allocated along partisan lines.

Environment and Natural Resources Minister Francis Nhema has reportedly already approved the occupation of the sanctuaries by Zanu-PF officials and top police and army officers. More online at The Zimbabwe Times…

HARARE – Close to 1 000 villagers will next month be evicted from Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park to pave way for a multi-billion dollar transfrontier park that spans over three countries.

Harare had dragged its feet on evicting the villagers – who moved into Gonarezhou in 2000 at the height of government-backed land invasions – due to financial constraints. More online at ZimOnline…

Saturday 25th July 2009: Cheetah Day at the Mukuvisi

Sponsored by Maxwell Trust & N. Tselentis

Videos running all day in the Rondavel

12:15 to 14:15: Two of the vesting cheetahs will be on display by the dam in
front of the viewing platform LIMITED TOUCHING ONLY.
13:00: For an hour Talk on cheetahs for the 6-14 age group by a member of
team.
14:30 – 15:45: Adult talk “The State of Cheetah Conservation in Southern
Africa”.

Entrance Fees:

Children US$1
Adults US$2
Limited TOUCHING SESSION US$10

This event is supported by National Parks and the ZNSPCA.

Saturday 11th July: Game Count

09:30 – 10:00: Briefing and Registration    Dave Hartung and Kelvin Hein
10:00 – 12:00: Game Count
12:00 – 12:30: Debrief
12:30 – 13:30: Lunch please bring your own braais will be available.

Things to bring with you:

- Clipboard and two sheets of A4
- Binos/compass if possible
- Water bottle

Please confirm with Barbara 747123 or Irene 747859 if you will be able to
come and numbers in your group/school.

They came at night. Half a dozen huge, angry beasts trampled through the village, devouring anything edible and destroying everything in their path.

In a matter of minutes, the small village’s harvest was gone — and the Zambian inhabitants had lost another round in the battle against the elephants fleeing across the border from Zimbabwe.

“This year the problem has got worse. There is nothing we can do. The elephants have become so dangerous, sometimes they even destroy our homes. They eat all the mangoes — everything,” said Edna Mwamubi, an elder who organised the lighting of bonfires to try to frighten off the beasts. “They know the smoke will not last and just go off a little distance and then come back. Even firecrackers no longer scare them.” More online at the Times Online (UK)…

Zimbabwe must consider conservation agriculture as a necessity and not a matter of choice in its farming systems to make agriculture an attractive form of investment that boosts the socio-economic reality of the citizenry, the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Dr Joseph Made has said.

Dr Made was addressing stakeholders gathered for the official launch of the project “Upscaling conservation agriculture for improved food security” in Harare on Friday. More online at The Herald…

Harare — Today all roads wind and snake down to Nyanga, Zimbabwe’s gateway to the attractive rugged and craggy Eastern Highlands, Zimbabwe’s sleeping tourism giant.

Nyanga in particular, and the Eastern Highlands in general, are by far Zimbabwe’s most spectacular tourist attractions outside the Victoria Falls.

With rolling moorlands, cascading water falls, trout-filled lakes, frolicking wildlife, sharp curved and snaking roads, state-of-the-art hotels and English-type climate Nyanga has over the years been under-marketed. More online at AllAfrica.com…

Safari operators have asked Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi to intervene in their dispute with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) over the disputed trophy fees in yet another battle that threatens to derail the growth of the industry.

Operators and ZTA have been haggling for the past two years over the two percent levy on trophy fees which the authority charges operators and the matter has spilled into the courts. More online at The Zimbabwe Standard…

An Oxfordshire vet who has dedicated more than 20 years of his life to black rhino conservation is appointed OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

John Gripper, 79, set up the Sebakwe Black Rhino Trust in 1989 which works to preserve the species in Zimbabwe. More online at BBC.co.uk…

For those of you who have been following the story of Tatenda, the orphaned baby rhino at Imire Safari Ranch, there will be a documentary about him on Animal Planet titled “There’s a rhino in my House”.

This documentary will such a treat for our readers who have grown to love Tatenda. Instead of just seeing him in photos, you will be able to see plenty of film footage of him as well as Hogwash the warthog and Tsotsi the hyena so don’t miss it!

We are not sure what times it will be shown around the world but in Southern Africa it will be screened at the following times:

Thursday 18th June 8pm (tomorrow night)
Friday 19th June 2am
Friday 19th June 12 noon

For more info, please contact:

Johnny Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Landline: 263 4 336710
Landline/Fax: 263 4 339065
Mobile: 263 11 603 213
Email: galorand@mweb.co.zw
Website: www.zctf.mweb.co.zw and www.zimbabwe-art.com

National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has started implementing the wildlife-based land reforms in Mashonaland East. Marondera-based Parks board member Mr Jerry Gotora confirmed the latest development. More online at The Herald…

There is no need for Zimbabwe to panic on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species after loosing nearly 70 rhinos in the past twelve months to poachers, Environment and Natural Resources Francis Nhema has said.

This comes after it emerged that Zimbabwe has been placed on the agenda of the next Cites meeting to be held next year. More online at The Herald…

Harare — Armed with picks, axes and hoes, a group of enthusiastic villagers break into song: “Randana kamara wakaipa, Randana kamara wakashata. Watora ufuro hwezvipfuyo, wauraya mombe.” (“Lantana camara, you are evil. You have taken over grazing land for our livestock, you have killed our cattle.”)

They lash out at their common enemy, lantana camara, an invasive exotic plant, also known as black cherry. The shrub, which can grow more than two metres tall, is threatening to take over their fields and grazing land. More online at AllAfrica.com…

The AWARE Trust came into being in 2004 when the trustees were looking for independent funding to perform an important disease surveillance project. Despite the fact that the results of this work would provide crucial information affecting the development of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP), it took the better part of a year to procure international funding for the project.

With each subsequent rejection because of ‘Zimbabwe’ being a four lettered word, the trustees wished there was a local organisation backed up by donors that would be able to facilitate and fund-worthy projects such as this.

With this in mind, the Animal and Wildlife Area REsearch Trust was registered by a local lawyer, with $20 provided by Dr Keith Dutlow as its starting capital. As ideas evolved and the gaping need for specialist wildlife treatment of un-owned animals became obvious, the deed of the Trust was amended to include the word ‘rehabilitation’ in the AWARE acronym.

AWARE works in 5 critical thematic areas, namely:

- Rehabilitation: The Trust provides expert veterinary treatment and rehabilitation to sick or injured ownerless wild animals on a pro bono basis, especially where these animals have suffered at the hand of man. This may include preventative treatment of wild animals at risk from disease, or pre-emptive rehabilitation of wild animals threatened by humans.

- Prophylactic campaigns: The Trust performs free sterilisation, vaccination, and basic health care for domesticated animals living in poverty-stricken marginal areas at interfaces with wildlife conservation areas. The Trust believes that improving the health and welfare of these animals improves the livelihoods of their owners, and has a positive knock on effect for wildlife by limiting the spread of disease into wildlife populations and reducing poaching in wildlife areas.

- Research: The Trust provides facilities and funding for worthy veterinary and ecological research projects, the outcomes of which will provide important data on the status of a species or habitat in a wildlife area. We invite wildlife veterinarians and wildlife ecologists to submit disease surveillance or research project proposals. These proposals will be considered by the Trust Steering Committee.

- Education: The Trust provides animal welfare AWAREness, through animal health and welfare education campaigns for rural people. These coincide with prophylactic campaigns. The Trust intends to start raising AWAREness at grassroots level about the value of wildlife and conservation areas. AWARE believes that it is imperative to promote respect for nature, and compassion for animals from a very early age.

- Capacity building: We firmly believe that the way forward for conservation on a national scale is to have competent, salaried local capacity able to deal with a broad range of wildlife situations.The trust intends to train veterinary and support staff in all aspects of wildlife veterinary medicine through on the job training and continuing education courses.

As a non-profit organisation heavily dependant on external support (in terms of finances, volunteers, and equipment), your donations would be greatly appreciated!  If you’re interested in helping, please have a look at this page for additional information: http://www.awaretrust.org/help-us/index.html

To give you a small idea in advance of what your contribution means to AWARE:

£5 = Vaccinate and de-worm a ‘village dog’
£10 = Castrate a male ‘village dog’
£15 = Sterilise a female ‘village dog’
£20 = Provide fuel to travel to wildlife emergencies
£50 = Immobilise a wild carnivore to remove a snare
£100 = Immobilise an elephant to remove a snare

Four Poachers Die in Shootout

Harare — Police in Masvingo at the weekend shot and killed four poachers including one believed to be a soldier following a shootout at Ruware Conservancy in Chiredzi, bringing to seven the number of poachers killed in the Lowveld over the past month. More online at http://allafrica.com/stories/200906100195.html…

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Environment Ministers vow to speak with one voice

Ministers of Environment from third world countries who met in Kenya recently have vowed to speak with one voice at the upcoming UN Climatic Change Conference in appealing for funds from the UN to enable developing countries to deal with climatic change which has devastated their countries. More online at ZBCNews…

PRESS RELEASE
8 April 2009
WLD Newsletter banner, For Immediate Release
Contact: Samuel Maina (+254-20-3865120)
WildlifeDirect Inc.

WildlifeDirect Welcomes FMC’s Withdrawal of Furadan from Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya – 8 April 2009 – FMC Corporation’s withdrawal of Furadan from Kenya and their commitment to buy back the entire remaining product is a welcome gesture of commitment from the Philadelphia-based pesticide manufacture, WildlifeDirect has said. WildlifeDirect’s Chairman, Dr Richard
Leakey, who has been calling for a ban on this lethal chemical following lion poisonings in the Masai Mara Reserve over a year ago, says it is encouraging that FMC has finally taken action to prevent further poisoning of wildlife using this highly potent pesticide.

FMC announced the withdrawal and the commencement of the buy-back programme following the airing of a documentary on CBS’s 60 Minutes show on Sunday 29 March 2009 in which was reported that the death of some 75 lions had been linked to Furadan poisoning in the Masai Mara.

Although lion poisoning may have prompted FMC’s rapid response, the misuse of Furadan threatens a variety of other species including large predators which are particularly susceptible such as, hyenas, jackals, leopards and others that are considered pests, as well as numerous birds and fish species that are killed with Furadan for human consumption. This practice poses a serious human health threat since the pesticide’s active ingredients, carbofurans, are dangerous to humans.  Ingestion of tiny amounts of these compounds can cause paralysis and even death.

Dr Richard Leakey, world renowned for having led the efforts that brought down the massive poaching of elephants in the mid-1980s, has been at the centre of the campaign for the withdrawal of Furadan in Kenya. In response to the announcement from FMC he said,

“I am delighted at the swift response from FMC which is a promising sign of corporate responsibility. WildlifeDirect is looking forward to working with FMC as well as other stakeholders to ensure that this deadly chemical no longer poses a threat to wildlife in Africa”

Dr Leakey refers to the action by FMC to withdraw this poison of choice for herders, fishermen and bird hunters, as a victory feather to be added to WildlifeDirect’s cap.

Several Kenyan scientists working closely with WildlifeDirect have been studying the use of carbofuran in the various wildlife poisoning applications. Dino Martins, a PhD scholar at Harvard University has written a report on the use of carbofuran for fishing in Lake Victoria. The tragedy is double, poisoned fish are sold for human consumption and given away to HIV-AIDS orphans.  Martin Odino, based at Nature Kenya, has been conducting a long term investigation on the use of Furadan to poison wild birds in Bunyala rice growing region since February 2009. Odino has documented alarming numbers of poisoned birds of several species in this area that he calls ‘a Furadan hotspot’. He predicts that Furadan use could have devastating effects on Kenya’s wetland birds’ diversity in the near future.

As a follow-up to their announcement, FMC representatives will be visiting Kenya to, amongst other things, ensure that the Furadan Buy-Back Program is working effectively. The buy-back program will be implemented in Kenya by the local distributor, Juanco SPS.

WildlifeDirect welcomes the invitation to work with FMC with whom they will be meeting during their visit to Kenya in the coming days.

WildlifeDirect is a non-profit conservation organization based in Kenya that uses the internet to create awareness about conservation issues and to raise funds for conservation through Web Logs (blogs) written by field conservationists. WildlifeDirect endeavors to create a movement powerful enough to produce a virtual endowment capable of reversing the catastrophic loss of habitats and species. WildlifeDirect is Registered as a charity in the USA and in Kenya.

# # #

For more information contact:

1. Samuel Maina maina@wildlifedirect.org or +254 0723 874 859
2. To learn more about FMC go to their Furadan dedicated site
3. To learn more about carbofurans see the carbofuran page on Wikipedia
4. Read about Martin Odino’s work in the Stop Wildlife Poisoning blog