A Great Article on the Global Ivory Trade

Photography by Michelle Guillermin exclusively for the 
G7 Summit June Special Print Edition

Here's an extremely well researched article on the global ivory trade. It highlights the decimation of both the Elephant and Rhino populations in Africa as well as the ramifications of the disastrous decisions taken by CITES.

http://www.diplomaticourier.com/gallery-of-moments/2581-park-rangers-on-frontlines-of-poaching-wars

Cheers

DADFAP

Scumbag Groenwald still allowed to keep animals

Scumbag Groenwald, accused of multiple crimes related to Rhinos has had a Rhino "poached" from his Polokwane property in Limpopo, South Africa.

I first wrote about Scumbag Groenwald and his Scumbag wife and others way back in 2010.

http://dadfapatlarge.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/rhino-poaching-court-case.html

It seems that he is still involved in keeping Rhino and has had one "poached" from his property. He is also wanted in the US for illegal hunting.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/06/04/Rhino-owner-is-wanted-in-US

When the Scumbag was asked why he was in tears over the poaching, he said that he had looked after the bull for two years and you don't often get an animal like that.

Groenwald is also wanted in the US accused of organising illegal hunts.

It was more likely tears of relief. With the poached horn said to be worth $1M, the Scumbag could now have more than enough to fund a defence.

He will finally go to court in August to face the charges brought against him.

DADFAP

Some Good News From Nepal

Some good news on the Rhino front from one of the most unfortunate countries in the world. Judicious use of the law and the military is having a positive affect on the One Horned Rhino in Nepal

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/16/nepals-rhino-numbers-rise-steadily-thanks-to-anti-poaching-measures

Rhino Poaching Rampant in South Africa

STOP THE SLAUGHTER!!!!

http://stoprhinopoaching.com/

The dangers that face Rhino

Waterberg, Namibia 2011 

It sucks what we are capable of doing to animals! More Rhino are going to be poached again this year than ever. Even Namibia, which had seen only a small increase in Rhino poaching has already seen more Rhino poached in the first 5 months of this year than all of 2014!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/15/rhino-poaching-2015_n_7294186.html


http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2015/05/15/unprecedented-rhino-poaching-in-2015/

Get behind organisations that protect these animals. Soon, your children will only be able to see these animals in zoos! If you have ever seen any in the wild, that's a pretty piss poor way to see one of the most impressive land animals around!

Visit:    http://stoprhinopoaching.com/

DADFAP

The REAL heroes in the war against Rhino Poaching

These guys put their lives and the lives of their families on the line night and day, every single day of the week.

From MEDIAUPDATE.CO.ZA

http://www.mediaupdate.co.za/News/Article/78257/2015-Rhino-Conservation-Awards-to-honour-rangers-on-the-front-line

It is a shame what caused this situation, but it seems that animals have more "humanity" than humanity itself.

http://home.bt.com/news/world-news/orphaned-baby-rhinos-inseparable-after-their-mothers-are-killed-by-poachers-11363975377021

Poaching runs rampant in Namibia

Even in the premier National Park in Namibia, poaching runs rampant!!

Will he make it to adulthood?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-12/poachers-kill-12-rhinos-so-far-this-year-in-namibia

South Africa Trip Nov/Dec 2013

I recently spent two weeks with my wife in and around the Kruger Park in South Africa. The main reason that we go there is photography although my wife likes it because we are so “disconnected” from my real job. Mobile phone coverage is available but when the choice is talking on the phone or photographing wild dogs …................. phone loses every time!

 

Female lion suckling cubs, Kapama Buffalo Camp, South Africa, Dec13

The Kruger is obviously well known, the Sabi Sabi is an area adjacent to the main Kruger Park. The beauty of this whole area is that the fences between the various conservancies on the area were brought down many years ago. This meant that the Kruger as greatly expanded, the animals had greater freedom to roam and the whole experience for tourists was greatly enhanced.

 

Travelling in the South African bush does not mean roughing it unless that's your style. There are camps (tented and buildings) that cater for every accommodation level. On this trip we stayed at Jock (the original concession in the Kruger), Nottens, Shumbalala and Kapama Buffalo Lodge. 

We typically stay no more than three nights at any lodge. We find that we start to feel a little stale at the lodge if we stay any longer.

 

It is hard to pick highlights from any trip to South Africa or

Namibia. On this trip we saw a young male leopard chased up a tree by a herd of buffalo. They then tried to knock the tree down or hit it hard enough to shake him from it.

Then we witnessed a juvenile male hyena greet a senior male from

the pack. The young male was sun baking on some rocks on the side of the road as we passed in our vehicle. We stopped and photographed him for a while, watching him enjoy the late morning sun. About 10 minutes went by when he started to become a little restless and it was then that the senior male emerged from the bush to be greeted by the more junior male.

 

Or the other time at sundowners (the evening cold drink out in the veldt watching the sun go down over the bush) when a small group of rhino emerged from the bush about 150m away.

These curious animals simply stood there trying to work out what we were doing. They wandered a few metres in our direction before stopping and staring at us for a while. After about ten minutes they wandered off, bored with just standing there watching us watch them.

 

Each of the lodges is different in terms of accommodation style, the game drives and sightings, the food experience and the overall feeling of the lodges. It is hard to get bored with a two week stay in and around the Kruger. We have spent as long as four weeks on game drives in different lodges and enjoyed each and every one.

For a voyeuristic “fix” of Africa and the wildlife, I often use the South African National Parks (SANParks) web-cam feed. It is available at ; http://www.sanparks.org/webcams/

Our trip was organised by a very efficient and organised lady at Go2Africa (http://www.go2africa.com/). She was highly attentive to our needs and what we wanted from this trip and I would recommend them for travels to South Africa.

 

Put a trip to South Africa on your bucket list, then move it to the top. That's where it belongs!

Chemical Treatment Of Rhino Horn May Help Save The Day

Treatment of Rhino horn with a chemical cocktail in South Africa has shown two great benefits in the war against poaching.

Initially designed to kill parasites this chemical survives grinding of the horn into powder.  

It induces nausea and vomiting in those who ingest it as part of  traditional medicine and fluoresces pink under airport x-ray scanners meaning that even in the powdered form it is readily identifiable to customs and quarantine inspectors.

Traditional medicine and the use for dagger handles represent the greatest demand for poached Rhino horn.  

Proving that the illegal trade in Rhino horn is truly global, mounted Rhino heads have been stolen from museums across Europe and in the UK.  The EU & the UK have made the sale of antique Rhino horns and mounted Rhino heads illegal.

In Australia there have been reports of vastly inflated prices for mounted Rhino heads.  Early in 2011, Theodore Bruce Auctions announced that a “massive” antique rhino horn trophy with an estimated value of $30,000 to $40,000 fetched a record $112,000 after a bidding war.

There are serious health consequences for the eventual end user of these antique Rhino horns.  In 2010 CITES advised that arsenic was used extensively in the preparation of Rhino horns.

You can learn more about Rhino and conservation efforts to preserve all of the globe's wild Rhino population at www.rhinoconservation.org