ULTIMATE
AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive April 1999 Air Zambezi Introduces New Flights, April 4 1999 Air Zambezi in Zimbabwe will be introducing two new flights between Harare and Chiredzi with a stopover at Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe) from July 1, 1999 until January 30, 2000 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Penguin's Receive Further Protection, April 4 1999 The famous penguins of Boulders Beach near Cape Town, South Africa are to be protected by a barrier after several were reported killed by traffic and domestic dogs. The endangered African penguins will be protected by a 700-meter wall around the car park and access routes blocked off to confine the flightless birds to the seaward side. Cape Town Plans To Host Enormous Millennium Party, April 4 1999 Cape Town, South Africa's tourism Mecca, has announced its plans to host one of the greatest millennium parties the planet on the night of December 31, 1999. Cape Town is rated among the "top 10 millennium destinations". Over two million people are expected to attend the huge New Year's Eve party with a laser and fireworks display centered on Table Mountain. Most of Cape Town's top hotels are already fully booked up for the end of the year and tourism officials have warned tourists to secure their bookings as soon as possible. Revelers will watch the countdown to midnight on a giant laser-beam clock projected on to the face of Table Mountain, and a huge Nelson Mandela sundial will be unveiled which organizers are describing as South Africa's version of the Statue of Liberty. Other plans include a party on the Grand Parade in the city center. Tourism Reports Spell Way Forward for Kenya, April 4 1999 The Kenyan government has received three new reports that give insight into the status of the country's tourism sector. Details of the reports, whose research was commissioned by the European Union and the Kenya Tourist Board, were presented to stakeholders in the Kenyan tourism industry on Tuesday. The findings indicate that safari and game watching remain Kenya's strongest points in the future development of the sector. The study observes that aggressive marketing and focus on quality, not mass tourism, are essential for the revival of the sector. The report says that Kenya was rated poorly in the provision of game safaris, compared to rising competition in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Botswana. The overall performance of the national tourist office was rated poorly. The office's rate of providing information stood at between 7% and 12% and response to questions was between 12% and 50%. Sheraton Secures Foothold in Kenya, April 11 1999 Sheraton Hotels, a leading international hotel group with a strong presence in Uganda, has entered into a management contract with Kenya's 70-year old Block Hotels, giving Sheraton a foothold in Kenya for the first time. Under the contract, the Sheraton brand name will be used alongside the names of all the twelve Block Hotels branches in Kenya. The agreement which comes into effect 1 May 1999, involves a major multi-million dollar refurbishment program of Block Hotels. Cape Town Prepares for Major Party, April 11 1999 Cape Town is living up to its party-town image by announcing that up to a million people are expected at the city's privately funded New Millennium Eve party. The city center will be cut off on December 31, 1999 as a Table Mountain laser show with countdown clock, mega-raves, 12 differently themed functions, water and light displays and other attractions draw crowds from home and abroad. Namibia Sells Ivory, April 11 1999 The first legal sale of ivory in over a decade took place last Friday in the Namibian capital, Windhoek at an auction after the temporary lifting of an international ban. Private Japanese buyers bought the entire stockpile of 14 metric tons of elephant tusks. The sale was agreed to by the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the international organization which regulates trade in endangered species. The last legal sale of ivory took place in 1989, when the trade was banned to protect elephants from widespread slaughter for their tusks. The total ban was relaxed 18 months ago to allow Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana to sell their stockpiles of ivory from "problem" elephants which had been killed, or those which had died naturally. CITES said that the countries could sell their stockpiles in 1999 if they met with stringent controls on poaching and illegal sales of ivory. Revenue from the sale was to be invested in elephant conservation and community development programs, and this has attracted the support of local conservationists. The sale is to be followed by further sales in Zimbabwe on April 13 and in Botswana on April 17, 1999. The Japanese are the only people being allowed to buy the ivory sold at the three auctions. Japan is the world's main consumer of ivory, using it for figures and signature seals on official documents. Table Mountain Cableway Has New Schedule, April 18 1999 The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Co. has announced its new times and rates for the upcoming southern African winter season. Between April 16 and September 15, 1999, the cableway will be open from 8:30 AM (first car up) to 5:00 PM (last car up) and will officially close at 6:00 PM (last car down). Rates during this period will be R45 return (US $7.50) for adults. The company has also announced that the cableway will be closed between June 7-13, 1999 for its annual maintenance service. South Africa / Botswana Sign Historic Park's Agreement, April 18 1999 Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the South African Department of National Parks have created the first formally recognized transfrontier conservation area in southern Africa. The Bilateral Agreement recognizing the new Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) was signed on April 7, 1999. Kgalagadi means "land of thirst" and the new park binds together Botswana's Gemsbok National Park and South Africa's Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in the arid southern Kalahari. The KTP will continue to be managed cooperatively by both nations but policies and management decisions will be made by the Transfrontier Management Committee which will also be responsible for managing the combined 37,991 squared kilometers as one unit. Tourists will be able to buy permits to travel throughout the park, an area almost twice the size of Israel, without being constrained by the national border. The Peace Parks Foundation is currently involved in nine proposed transfrontier conservation areas in southern Africa and the success of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park gives strength to the conservationists and community leaders who are striving to stitch together an ecological and social landscape divided by colonial borders. The Foundation's objectives are to facilitate and fund the development of transfrontier conservation areas in Africa, stressing the importance of regional cooperation, job creation and biodiversity conservation. The Foundation provides practical assistance and resources to people involved in the development of these areas, and in 1998 it allocated nearly US $1 million to wildlife and community-based activities in proposed transfrontier conservation areas. Funding is raised from private and public institutions worldwide. Transfrontier conservation areas have been used in 98 countries to protect habitats and animal species and are often called peace parks because they require peace and cooperation between the participating countries. They overcome the global problem of national boundaries often dividing natural systems, leading to inadequate or incompatible protection of wildlife and the environment. Southern Africa is unique in having at least 10 transfrontier conservation projects in progress which are seeking to protect the region's unique wildlife heritage and to develop a vibrant nature-based tourism industry. Davies Replaced at Kenya Airways, April 18 1999 Kenya Airways has appointed Mr. Richard Nyaga as its new managing director to replace Mr. Brian Davies whose contract expires on July 31, 1999. Mr. Davies became managing director in 1996 when the airline was privatized and is credited with turning Kenya Airways into a profitable company with a growing reputation for service and efficiency. Hungry Rebels Threat to Central African Wildlife, April 18 1999 The use of Central Africa's wildlife parks by rebel groups to hide in and hunt animals for meat is worrying international development and conservation agencies. Five leading bodies recently issued a statement expressing their fears over the fate of Great Lakes National Parks and the communities that border them due to incessant conflict in the region. The African Wildlife Foundation, Care, Fauna and Flora International, the International Gorilla Conservation Program and the World Wide Fund for Nature have warned that human lives, livelihoods and rare animal species - including the mountain gorilla and northern white rhino - were at risk from growing insecurity. Access to protected natural areas throughout Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda was also becoming increasingly limited "with dire consequences for humans and animals". Insecurity had also frightened away the tourists, depriving governments and local communities of a lucrative source of revenue, the statement said. "As protected natural areas are shut down one by one, the plight of the communities bordering these parks becomes more desperate," said Sylvie Wabbes of WWF. "Rebel groups use these parks to hide in and as military bases. So, what incentives do local people have to protect the parks?" The statement noted that throughout the region, war and refugee movements had resulted in significant destruction of the environment, and that only some measure of peace could reverse the situation. "Africa's most precious natural areas are in extreme peril," Jon Mitchell, East African regional director of Care, warned. Harare Hold Ivory Auction, April 18 1999 Zimbabwe recently auctioned off 20 tons of ivory to 18 Japanese buyers for an undisclosed sum. Money from the ivory sale would be used for conservation purposes to help ensure the survival of Zimbabwe's 80,000 elephants and to help the rural poor, whose welfare is crucial to wildlife management. Jim Armstrong, CITES' deputy secretary-general, said his organization would monitor whether the funds are used for wildlife management and also whether there was an increase in poaching. "To date, CITES has not received any reports showing a significant increase in poaching. Namibia and Botswana, like Zimbabwe, say they are selling only existing stocks and that the proceeds will be used for elephant conservation, including anti-poaching activities. The largest tusk in the store weighs around 50kg and was taken from a massive rogue elephant, rangers said. Zimbabwe has a stockpile from the limited killing of rogue elephants and natural deaths. As in the first auction in Namibia last week, each tusk being auctioned is certified with its origin and the date it was recovered. Tanzania’s Elephant Population on Increase, April 25 1999 The elephant population in southern Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve ecosystem has surpassed 57,500, up from 31,700 in 1994, thanks to concerted efforts against poaching. More than 42,500 elephants are living in the Selous Game Reserve, the world's largest reserve, and 15,000 are roaming in bordering areas such as Mikumi National Park and the Kilombero Valley. The Selous Game Reserve, which covers an area larger than Swaziland, is home to half of Tanzania's elephant population. Hippo, buffalo, crocodile and lion also abound in the area. In 1980s, the elephant population had decreased sharply due to rampant poaching. In 1986 the elephant population stood at 42, 000 in the reserve, while in 1989 it dropped to 24,500 and thousands of carcasses of poached elephants were counted. In recent years, Tanzania’s Wildlife Division, with the help of military units, people in 45 villages, as well funds of the German government, have made joint efforts to combat poaching. The efforts have paid off. The Tanzania National Parks, the Wildlife Division and the Frankfurt Zoological Society, found in an aerial survey last October that the population of Selous ecosystem had arrived at 57,500. No carcasses were spotted, a sign marking the success of the conservation drive. Ethiopian Fossil may be Missing Link, April 25 1999 Skull and tooth fragments unearthed in Ethiopia may be those of a completely new hominid, or human-like species, that lived 2.5 million years ago. The fossils were found at Bouri, north-east of Addis Ababa. An international team of researchers who made the discovery suggest the remains could even come from a creature that immediately preceded humans. The reasoning is that the oldest fossils of a direct human ancestor are 1.7 million years old. Homo erectus used tools and had short arms and long legs. The youngest human-like ape fossils show long arms and short legs, and no evidence of technology. The new discovery may sit between the two in time and evolution. The scientists have called their new hominid Australopithecus garhi, after the local word for "surprise". "What we found was a cranium on a hillside, two and a half million years old, having a small brain case, a very projecting face, and very large, back teeth," says Professor Tim White from the University of California-Berkeley who co-led the team with Berhane Asfaw of Ethiopia's Rift Valley Research Service. "This is a combination never seen before in a fossil species of hominid." The research is published in two separate papers in the journal Science. Flamingoes Return to Lake Nakuru, April 25 1999 More than 200,000 flamingoes have returned to Lake Nakuru from Lake Bogoria and other Rift Valley lakes, where they migrated to two years ago. The Kenya Wildlife Service regional assistant director, Mr Daniel Kilonzo, said more flamingoes were expected at the saline lake within the next few weeks. Most of the flamingoes from Lake Nakuru started migrating to other lakes in the Rift Valley in 1996, when the waters started receding due to drought. But the birds did not return last year despite the fact that the lake had filled to the brim as a result of the El Nino rains. It is suspected that the nutrient content in the water was adversely affected by the 1996 drought and the El Nino phenomena, resulting in the depletion of the algae which the flamingoes feed on. South African Elephants Spared from Culling, April 25 1999 Elephants in South Africa's Kruger National Park will not be culled this year according to officials at South Africa’s Department of National Parks, but their reprieve may be short-lived. "We will not be culling this year," Dr Leo Braack, general manager for the park's conservation development department, said "But if we are to cull, we will likely do so next year," he said. The last elephant cull in the Kruger Park was conducted in 1994, when 312 elephants were darted with tranquilizers and then shot. Since then the elephant population in the 20,000 square km (7,723 sq. mile) park that stretches along the South African-Mozambican border has grown to almost 9,000 from around 7,500. Braack added the decision on whether or not to cull will be made early next year after a census is made. "In the short to medium term, the current numbers are sustainable. But we have to look at the longer term," said Braack. The Israel-sized park has adopted a new conservation strategy that calls for the possibility of culling in some areas. "We have divided the park into six zones," Braack said. "In two of the zones we can allow maximum impact by the elephants and no elephants will be culled or removed from these areas. In the other zones, we will have low to medium numbers, and culling could take place in these areas," he said. "But we would prefer to do live removals to other game parks. Those elephants that we cannot find homes for will be culled." South Africa’s ivory stocks, from previous Kruger culls, remains stored at a heavily guarded, secret location. African Star Airways will Fly, April 25 1999 The South African Department of Transport has provided African Star Airways with a license to provide a daily return service from Johannesburg to London and Munich. The airline expects to start its service in late June or early July using two Boeing 747-300 aircraft which it purchased from Singapore Airlines. The airline expects to take delivery of the aircraft later in April. African Star has also purchased an Airbus A310-200 aircraft to provide a domestic and regional feeder service in Africa. Zambia Sets New Strategies to Boost Tourism, April 25 1999 Zambia, which is expected to become a major tourist destination in southern Africa, has drawn up a five-year program to increase tourist arrivals. Under the new marketing strategy which was issued earlier this month, the country is expected to attract 660,000 tourists in 2004 from 362,000 in 1998, with an annual increase of 10 percent. Cletus Chanda, marketing manager of Zambia National Tourist Board, explained that the government is going to attract more tourists with publicity programs and would establish closer relations with the media by inviting foreign journalists to tour the country's major resorts. Air Namibia Purchases Boeing Aircraft, April 25 1999 Air Namibia and the US-based Boeing company signed an agreement in which the former will purchase a Boeing 747-400 passenger and cargo aircraft. It is scheduled to be delivered to the airline by October. The aircraft has a passenger capacity of 284, with class configurations of 16 First Class, 32 business and 236 economy. It will replace the B 747-SP aircraft, which will be retired from operations by October. Return to Weekly Update Archive |
