The Best Beers in Africa You know the feeling; you’re sitting in the bar after a long hot day of game viewing; you’re gasping for an ice cold beer but you don’t recognise any of the beers the barman offers you. We know how distressing a situation like this can be – you just don’t need to be faced with[…]
Read moreCategory: South Africa
Motswari – The best value lodge in Kruger Park
I first heard about Motswari from a friend. I’d told him I was looking for lodges in the Greater Kruger area we could use for our photo safaris and workshops. We’ve travelled together a lot so he knew the kind of place I would like; Somewhere down to earth with the emphasis on good game viewing, great guiding and impeccable[…]
Read moreWild cheetahs return to the Free State
The cheetah, South Africa’s second-most threatened carnivore, has returned to the country’s Free State province for the first time in 100 years with the reintroduction of two male cheetahs at the privately owned Laohu Valley Reserve assisted by the Endangered Wildlife Trust. The Free State is the only province in South Africa that has not had wild cheetahs since their[…]
Read moreSickening – Canned hunting: the lions bred for slaughter
Canned hunting is a fast-growing business in South Africa, where thousands of lions are being bred on farms to be shot by wealthy foreign trophy-hunters. It’s sickening. The easy slaughter of animals in fenced areas is called “canned hunting“, perhaps because it’s rather like shooting fish in a barrel. A fully-grown, captive-bred lion is taken from its pen to an[…]
Read more2013 may be the critical turning point for the survival of the remaining rhinos on earth.
Conservationist Braam Malherbe asks if rhinos have reached the tipping point in their survival and looks at the true situation regarding the poaching crisis. Click here to read the article from iafrica.com which also looks at the possible solutions currently being considered.
Read moreLegalising rhino horn trade could save species, says ANC MP Johnny de Lange
“It seems abundantly obvious to me … the rhino horn trade has been banned for 35 years, yet rhinos are still highly threatened and on the brink of extinction.” Click here to read the full article from South Africa’s Mail & Guardian
Read moreShould we give in the the Asian market and legalise the trade in rhino horn?
The poaching of rhino horns and lion bones feeds a massive “millennium-old” industrial market in Southeast Asia, in countries such as China and Vietnam – and there is no way to stop it, except by legalising trade. This is the view of wildlife economist Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes and of insiders in the “legal” lion bone trade. Click here to read[…]
Read more#PHOTO TIP – Taking Photos on a Wildlife Safari 5 – Perspective
The majority of photographs taken in game parks are – naturally enough, taken from game vehicles. With larger mammals, like elephants, this is not a problem as you are at an ideal height to photograph them, but with smaller animals, and especially with cats that are lying around on the ground, you will frequently find yourself looking down on them.[…]
Read moreSouth Africa Calls on Neighbours to Assist in the Fight Against Rhino Poaching
Here’s a transcript of the SA Government press release. In a bid to curb the ongoing rhino poaching, Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Vusi Shongwe has called on authorities from neighbouring countries such as Mozambique and Swaziland to help in this regard. Shongwe was addressing members of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature during an oral reply session on Tuesday,[…]
Read moreSA. Adverts target rhino horn consumers
“Rhino horn is made of the same stuff as human nails. Still want some?” Conservation organisations WWF and TRAFFIC are running a series of myth-busting adverts aimed at encouraging Vietnamese citizens to stop buying or consuming rhino horn. Click here to read the story from SouthAfrica.info
Read moreA collection of cats
Our favourite photos of #lions #leopards #cheetahs from recent safaris https://www.wildlifephotographyafrica.com/galleries/a-collection-of-cats/
Read moreRhino poaching toll continues to grow
With yesterday’s @savetherhino #RhinoMayDay still such a fresh memory South Africa has yet again reminded us why action is needed with the news that the number of rhinos being poached continues to rise. click here for the Southafrica.info report
Read moreSouth Africa – Rhino Poaching update
#rhinopoaching This press release from SA Government highlights the plight of the country’s rhino PRESS RELEASE The number of rhino poached for their horn in South Africa since the beginning of the year has increased to 249. The Kruger National Park remains the hardest hit, with the number of rhino poached since last week increasing from 167 to 180. At[…]
Read more#PHOTO TIP – Essential Tips for Wildlife Photography – the 5 ‘P’s
Practice, Preparation, Position, Patience, Pizazz Of course there are lot more than 5 great tips for improving your wildlife photography skills but if you can get a grip on these 5 you will be well on your way. Practice It really is that simple; practice. The more you use your camera and lenses the more familiar you will become with[…]
Read moreIs a legal trade the best way to curb poaching?
In the face of rampant rhino poaching in South Africa, some conservationists and private rhino farmers are lobbying for removal of the international ban on rhino horn trading and the creation of a legal market, to quell poaching. They believe the trade ban is creating a situation where rhinos are being killed unnecessarily. It’s taking resources away from other conservation[…]
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