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Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive

September 2001

Phinda Introduces Rhino Darting Safaris, September 2 2001

Conservation Corporation Africa (CCAfrica) has announced rhino darting safaris at Phinda Private Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu Natal. The company says guests will be able to participate in a program that integrates wildlife management with the tourism industry, and benefits the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT). Phinda has a population of approximately 55 white rhino, of which five have been darted in order to implant microchips and perform ear notching.

The safaris are conducted in partnership with the EWT, and under the supervision of experts including a veterinary surgeon and are planned for the months of October 2001 as well as March 2002 through to August 2002. The program involves a three-night stay at Phinda Mountain Lodge.

Namibian Cabinet Approves Elephant Plan, September 2 2001

The Namibian Cabinet has approved measures to solve the conflict between the Kunene region's elephants and local communities.

The Namibian Minister of Environment and Tourism, Mr Philemon Malima, said that the approximately 700 elephants represent the maximum carrying capacity of the Kunene region. The Cabinet reportedly gave permission to capture elephant herds and sell them to neighboring countries. The possibility of using the elephants for trophy hunting, will allegedly also be looked into.

Minister Malima said conflict between elephants and people is not limited to the Kunene, but also occurs in the Kavango and Caprivi areas.

For more information or to share your thoughts on the subject contact the Namibian Ministry of Environment & Tourism at pwt@dea.met.gov.na

Incredible Flower Season for Western Cape, September 2 2001

Travelers are flocking to the Cape West Coast as Namaqualand is experiencing its best flower season in six years. The season started in July and more flowers were expected to bloom until the third week of September.

Animals Die in Zimbabwe Park Fire, September 2 2001

A fire has broken out in the Matopos National Park in Zimbabwe, which lies just 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Bulawayo.

Park officials are battling to put out the fire which started on August 29, 200 an has killed hundreds of wild animals. Safari tour operators have suspended all programs in the park.

Xigera Tented Camp July Report, September 2 2001

Please find the July camp report from Xigera Tented Camp in Botswana's Okavango Delta below:

Hyenas are still a nightly sight crossing the bridge between the village and the camp and we also saw one lioness crossing this month. As far as wildlife goes, the highlight was 2 lionesses killing an adult zebra, only to have it stolen by 14 hyena's and a load of vulture activity.

We also had 2 male lions having a territorial battle at the airstrip. Quite a few herds of elephants around at the moment.

The new game drive Island has been producing good wildlife with 2 lionesses and 3 two month old cubs being seen fairly regularly. We see giraffe on almost every drive and sometimes in herds as large as 24. There are also elephant in the Mopani veld on the island.

Pels fishing owl is still being found regularly but only 1 sighting of sitatunga for the month. This will improve when the water starts dropping.

The first 8 African Skimmers arrived at Xigera Lagoon on July 31 which is earlier than in the previous two years.

The water in the channel has only dropped about half a foot since it peaked over two months ago. The floodplains are drying up a bit faster than the channel though.

Pom Pom Tented Camp August Report, September 2001

Please find the August camp report from Pom Pom Tented Camp in Botswana's Okavango Delta below:

Pom Pom is a magical place! We can't keep up with all the exciting stuff happening here! Leopards dragging kills up trees in camp, lions in camp, the incredible view over the water where guests are able to watch as fisheagles swoop down to seize a fish....searching for wild dog den sights, dogs spotted on a mekoro trip. Guests a couple of days ago saw leopard kill, lion kill and a wild dog kill all on one mornings drive!!

The staff here are enthusiastic and there is a great vibe! Guests all seem to be picking it up.

Water levels are dropping slowly and access to more areas will become open by mid September. The habitats are outstanding. The floodplains to the north and northwest are the bottom end of the Xo flats, with large tracts of shallowly flooded, sedge melapo, dotted about with termitaria islands covered in Phoenix palm with the odd Garcinia or Karoo acacia. Added to this are the presence of Phragmites reed banks and in the larger channels to the north east are large clusters of Papyrus. Further to the south, southeast, and southwest the area more resembles an annual flooded area with the islands being slightly larger than the termitaria and feature the normal Diospyros, Ficus, Garcinia fringe. There are also more Baobab trees here than any other inner Okavango area I have encountered. It appears that this area has a major role in the precipitation of chemical deposits from the Xo flats scarp which runs exactly through the concession.

The presence of many, many strangler and sycamore figs along with the diospyros trees added to all the waterways, lagoons and floodplains, dry grasslands, and the two macro habitats, mean that Pom Pom can rival birdwatching anywhere else in the Delta. For instance guides have already located a Pels fishing owl on the island and isolated several greater swamp warblers from the Phragmites bed in front of the camp. Also a martial eagle and skids of Pygmy geese in lily fields. The reed bank in front of the camp is a roosting area for several tens of thousands of Burchells starlings along with all the egrets and herons. The fish eagle population appears to be slightly above average density as the area has a number of melapo distributaries featuring open shallow water teeming with bream and barbel.

When the floods recede there is going major movement of buffalo and other mammals into the area - about mid September.

Sightings for the first two days of August 2001:

August 1, 2001 - We managed to locate the local lion pride. They are led by a magnificent male who is a real chauvinist and does not tolerate much from any of the females and sub-adult young who walk around masquerading as his pride. They have killed an adult male giraffe in the water to the north of the camp and he completely disallows any other member anywhere near it.

August 1, 2001 - An adult female leopard created much excitement amongst the camp baboons and impala during the early morning and proceeded to kill and consume a bobo in the Mokutchumo tree which is two meters in front of tent number 7. Warren Becker, an overland guide who was occupying the tent at the time has had rather above average leopard viewing.This was good fun as some of the guests were able to view leopard on foot, which, as you well know is an uncommon occurrence. She has now finished here meal and left the camp, but not after a last defiant stroll right through the entire camp.

August 1, 2001 - A breeding herd of 12 elephant is utilizing the mopane woodland in the north of the concession. One female with a skewed tusk appears very close to birthing.

August 1, 2001 - The two bull elephant who live to the south have started moving from Mokolwane palm cluster to Mokolwane cluster after the fruits.

August 1, 2001 - Mekoro poler Player has just returned with Mr. David Sawyer from Scotland and his grandson Chris from an outing which included locating and viewing 6 or 7 wild dog on the island to the northeast on the edge of the flats. They were relaxed and only made off when approached too close. Because of the time of year they must be close to the young and den. We have no clients on Friday afternoon and will take a walk with Trevor and see what we can locate.

August 2, 2001- The juvenile male from the pride and two females walked through the camp towards the airstrip after a half hearted attempt at hunting those self same camp impala (who would want to be one of them) I had a good look at them as they were a short distance behind my tent.

Latest News from Wilderness Safaris in Namibia, September 2 2001

The three lodges in the Kulala Wilderness Reserve are all running at full steam. Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp boasts a new dedicated star-viewing platform, away from any distractions of light from the lodge. Tinted windows have been installed to reduce glare and heat for the oncoming summer months. An extra optional activity recently available to guests at SWC is horse riding.

New additions at Kulala Tented Camp are an elevated plunge pool with a large partially shaded deck with breathtaking desert vistas. Wooden raised walkways have been installed around the main thatched area encompassing the dining, bar and outdoor verandah. Tinted windows have been installed and overhead fans in each tent.

The elephant sightings at Damaraland Camp continue to amaze with eles being seen on virtually every drive to find them. The wildlife in the area is in as good a condition as anyone can remember in recent years. Black rhino are being seen by adventurous guests prepared to spend a day attempting to track them by vehicle in some of the most beautiful northern reaches of Damaraland.

The highlight for the past few months at Ongava was the successful release of five female black rhino onto the property. This has been a great honor as it was done in conjunction with the Namibian Government on a custodianship basis and the animals were relocated from the world famous Etosha National Park. The rhinos were all radio tagged in their rear horns for follow up monitoring and the results have been very positive with one of the females having already calved since release. Ongava Reserve now has 11 black and 15 white rhino.

Game viewing again has been superb both on the Ongava Reserve as well as in Etosha. All the water points have become a focal point for game in the mid morning heat. A near fatal territorial fight between two male oryx at the tented camp keep guests enthralled for half an hour as they thrashed each other and destroyed much of the décor near one of the tents!

At Skeleton Coast Camp a new fly camp which is located about 2 kilometers upstream and out of sight from the main camp is up and running.

The exciting news was the first sightings of lions for 12 years in the eastern section of the Skeleton Coast Park at the end of June. Three young male lions and one lioness (all collared) from the Palmwag district set up temporary residence around Leyland's Drift were the camp staff draws its daily water supply. The lioness has since moved back to her home range, but the males have stuck around and we are seeing their tracks on a regular basis in the clay castles region of the concession.

The solar eclipse on June 21, 2001 was a great spectacle. The vast majority of Namibia was unfortunately not on the direct path for totality. We did however get to see 68% totality in Windhoek, and we look forward to the December 4, 2002 eclipse when the north eastern region of Namibia falls directly in the path of totality!

On July 4, 2001 a cold front from the Cape engulfed southern Namibia. It was so cold that it snowed on the dunes of Sossusvlei. I was fortunate to be there leading a group of amazed guests and saw the contrast of fresh snow on red dunes! Unbelievable stuff.

Update: South African Airways Flights to Resume, September 12 2001

South African Airlines will, subject to FAA approval, resume outbound flights from both New York and Atlanta to South Africa on Thursday, September 13, 2001. Passengers booked on these flights should have priority over travelers who were booked to depart aboard previously cancelled flights.

Nationwide Airlines to Offer New Flights, September 9 2001

South Africa's Nationwide Airlines will be introducing several new flights between June and August 2002. They will offer a direct service linking east Africa with Victoria Falls and South Africa (flying Johannesburg-Livingstone-Kilimanjaro- Dar es Salaam-Zanzibar). They will also offer services from Cape Town to Kruger via Johannesburg, from Kruger direct to Victoria Falls, and from Kruger direct to Maun, Botswana!!! These new routes will offer travelers an incredible new array of travel options!

Female Crew Takes to the Skies, September 9 2001

The first all-female South African flight crew recently flew from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth and back. The captain, first officer and all four cabin crew members on board the Boeing 737-200 were all women. Flight commander on this historic South African Airways (SAA) flight was Captain Jane Trembath (36). Trembath has 19 years' flying experience and 10,000 flying hours to her name. She was appointed captain two weeks ago, becoming only the second woman to be appointed a captain in the history of SAA. She said yesterday she was honored to have been a member of South Africa's first all-female crew. "Women have arrived in aviation and I hope this will serve as an inspiration to women considering flying as a career," she said.

Flight attendant Ms Josslyn Visser (23) said it had been a real fun flight. "I'm glad I had the opportunity to fly with Jane and the girls. Hopefully it won't be the last time we have an all-female crew," she said. Another flight attendant Ms Emma Nel (33) said it had been the most enjoyable flight she had ever been on. "Women are taking their place in a man's world," she said.

President and chief executive officer of SAA, Mr Andre Viljoen, said he was proud of the achievements of the airline's women captains and flight crew.

Trembath said there were not yet enough women in the skies, even though SAA had a training scheme that was particularly aimed at attracting more women to become airline pilots. The training that SAA offers to suitable candidates takes five years.

For more information on the training scheme, visit the SAA's website at http://www.saapilots.com

US Agency Funds Rhino Monitoring Project in Ndumo Reserve, September 9 2001

An 18-month rhino monitoring program in Ndumo Game Reserve in northern Zululand, South Africa, adjacent to the Mozambique border, has revealed that the reserve has 22 black rhino and 42 white rhino.

This is a significant population of these endangered mammals. The monitoring program was conducted by ecologist Kirsten Bond, who was contracted by the Wildlands Trust under the auspices of KZN Wildlife. The Wildlands Trust obtained sponsorship for the study from the US Fish and Wildlife Foundation to the value of US $10,400.

Wildlands Trust CEO Dr Andrew Venter is quoted as saying the following: "There were two reasons for this study. Firstly we wanted to find out how many rhino there were in the reserve and develop a rhino-monitoring program for future use. We need to continue to improve our knowledge and understanding of both black and white rhino. And secondly we are monitoring the rhino population as part of our greater scheme of incorporating Ndumo into a Big Five 'superpark' comprising Ndumo, Tembe Elephant Park, the Usuthu Gorge, the Mbangweni Corridor and eventually as far as Lake St Lucia."

Bond's research will join the existing information about rhino in the province, and will form the groundwork for a possible further rhino research project in Mkuze Game Reserve.

The Wildlands Trust is an independent fund-raising and project management organization concerned with conservation-based community development in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

Toxic Threat off Cape Town Coast from Stricken Vessel, September 9 2001

A massive 17meter wave, the biggest ever recorded off South Africa's Cape Peninsula, was measured last Wednesday, hours after the cargo ship Ikan Tanda had run aground in one of the most violent storms ever to have hit the Cape.

The ship is carrying a 15,500 ton cargo of potassium nitrate, creating a potentially serious environmental risk. Now that the sea is calmer, the biggest problem is to find the safest way to remove the 230 tons of fuel from the stricken vessel, which is still aground at Scarborough about 300 meters from the shore.

The owners are reportedly also investigating whether they could get the vessel afloat and off the rocks, which may require dumping some of the potassium nitrate into the sea to make the ship lighter.

The South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is investigating the environmental implications of dumping the chemicals.

Duma Tau Tented Camp August Report, September 9 2001

As can be expected, elephants dominated the mammal scene at Duma Tau with the elephant bulls in camp just about every day and lots of breeding herds along the river front. Fantastic sundowners were had by all while witnessing many a breeding herd crossing over from the hazy skies of Namibia.

One elephant bull graced visitors with a full view down his throat while he tried to pull a mangosteen tree down over the camp's bar, and the same bull almost buried the office in Kalahari Sand when Deborah disturbed his morning camel thorn pod feed.

The lions have been breeding like bunnies and there are lots of fur balls cubs to get the guests cooing. The Savuti pride is now 21 lions all told. A little concerning was an injury inflicted to the adult male either by a hyena or another male. He has spent the better part of this month dragging his leg behind him, seemingly in a lot of pain. However, he seems to be on the mend.

Quite a few wild dog sightings this month, including Arnold the killer dog who dragged down an adult kudu all on his own! Attracted to the commotion a hyena came loping in and guests were treated to the rare sight of wild dog and hyena feeding on the same carcass. Unfortunately for them both a crocodile came and stole the kill.

Sitatungas are breeding in the reeds! There have been many sightings of a family with four youngsters, one adult male and two females...?

Duba Plains Tented Camp August Report, September 9 2001

Yet again Duba has had a fantastic month with the lions. This area must have one of the highest lion concentrations in all of Africa - 30,000 hectares and only 6 rooms with no one else around. Its paradise!! Each month seems to get better and better, with the average lions seen per day going up to 19. In total there were 79 different pride sightings, shared between 5 groups of lions. Unfortunately the Pantry pride of five females seem to have lost their cubs before we even got to see them. Two females were seen to be lactating for three weeks and keeping very much to themselves, only to later join up with the pride without any cubs. We are expecting cubs from the other female in October, we'll be keeping our fingers crossed ! For the first time the pride was seen attempting to catch an elephant, but fortunately for the little elephant they are inexperienced at this form of hunting. The experience was a little much for one lady who decided to take room service to recover from the emotional ordeal.

The stars of the month were definitely the Tsaro pride of fourteen lions. They were seen on twenty seven days of the month. The highlight had to be their buffalo hunting. Over the month of August they killed a total of twenty buffalo that we know of, of which we saw them make seventeen of the kills out in the open flood plains. One group of guests, visiting for three nights, watched the Tsaro pride catch six buffalo and a warthog. With the water dropping fast, guests are now able to follow the lion to all corners of their territory. Most times the lions are making multiple kills in order to feed the ten rapidly growing cubs (two years old). The buffalo seem to be putting up with the continual harassment for the time being and don't even move away from the lions anymore. Often the lions and buffalo were seen lying only ten meters apart, both ignoring each other.

The leopards have gone into hiding for the last couple of months, most likely because of all the lion activity. A young male did move into camp for a couple of days, which was on obvious highlight for newly arrived guests whose first animal was this relaxed young leopard. A follow on from last month was a troop of baboons who this time succeeded in cornering and attacking an adult male leopard. It seemed they were intent on killing the leopard, however the baboons were briefly distracted by something, allowing the leopard its hasty escape, not to be seen again.

Birding was fantastic as usual, with the first sighting in the area of Greater Flamingos, as well as the arrival of the first Carmine Bee- eaters of the season. With the water drying up, all the fish eating birds are having a feast. Hopefully this month guests will be able to reach the last few places cut off by the water.

Elephants Released into Angolan National Park, September 9 2001

Eight elephants have been translocated from Botswana to the Quicama National Park in Angola. The elephants were airlifted to Angola, using a Russian Illyushin cargo plane. One eyewitness made the following comments:

"One of the elephants, a big bull, had lain down in his crate and could not stand up. Fortunately, he was lying on his side (lying on the chest is fatal for elephants). Nevertheless, it was a worrying situation. To make matters worse, the truck carrying this elephant got stuck repeatedly in the soft sand on the road to the release site. Fortunately, a back-actor was available to provide the necessary towing power. The release of all the elephants went smoothly until it was the turn of this elephant. Bars inside the crate had to be sawn off to enable him to stand up, but there was still the possibility that he may not be able to after several hours on his side. Despite his position, he possessed plenty of spirit, and took every opportunity to try to reach his captors with his powerful trunk. After one nasty incident in which one of the team members was caught inside the crate in a potentially disastrous position, the time came to give him a last prod. To everyone's relief he stood up and extracted himself from the crate. Not content with just walking off, he made sure that everyone knew who was the boss by giving the people in a nearby vehicle a scare. So, despite the mishaps, delays and problems, today has seen the successful release of eight Tuli elephants into the Quicama National Park.

Elephant Hills Hotel Refurbishment on Track after Fire, September 9 2001

Refurbishment of Zimbabwe's Elephant Hills Continental Hotel in Victoria Falls is set to begin in earnest after a fire gutted much of the hotel earlier this year. Zimbabwe Sun chief executive John Smith confirmed that preparatory work had been completed and refurbishment worth an estimated US $1.6 million would begin early next month. The hotel is expected to reopen by May 2002. The hotel's 350 employees have been deployed to other Zimbabwe Sun hotels, with some assigned to a retraining program.

Kenya Wildlife Service Drives away Destructive Elephants, September 9 2001

An estimated 200 elephants that have destroyed crops in Narok, Nairobi have been driven out of the area. Using a helicopter and 30 rangers, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) personnel forced the elephants from Olopito in Ilmasharian and Seyabei across the Narok-Nairobi road towards Mosiro. They had destroyed more than 200 acres of maize and wheat in the past two months.

Mr Joakim Kagiri, the KWS community service assistant director, said the elephants had terrorized the locals and wreaked havoc on their farms for three months. Mr Kagiri, accompanied by the elephants program co-ordinator, Mr Patrick Omondi, said the operation was aimed at protecting residents and their crops.

Update: South African Airways Flights Resumed, September 14 2001

Following the US aviation authorities decision to lift airspace restrictions, South African Airways resumed scheduled flights to New York and Atlanta on Friday night. "We are pleased with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA's) decision. After complying with all the FAA regulations, we are now ready to fly our passengers to the USA," said Victor Nosi, Executive Vice-President Marketing and Communications.

"We would like to thank the public, particularly those who offered accommodation to those who were stranded during the past three days. The help we received from the media is also greatly appreciated," said Nosi.

For all SAA flight inquiries please call SAA toll free at 1 800 722 9675.

Delta Airlines Update, September 14 2001

Delta Airlines continues to restart its worldwide operations. From 12:01 AM EDT September 14, through 2:30 PM EDT, Delta has operated 551 flights. During that time, more than 44,000 customers have flown on Delta aircraft. Of these flights, 70% arrived within 45 minutes of schedule.

Delta's goal is to serve its customers by operating as much of its schedule as possible under current circumstances. Operations today will continue to be affected by Federal Aviation Administration authorizations, security issues, continued airport closures and operational and crew constraints. This could result in last-minute schedule changes. Delta appreciates continued patience and understanding as operations resume.

Prior to leaving for the airport, passengers are asked to check the status of their flight at http://www.delta.com, or by calling toll free 800 3251999 within the USA.

Due to increased passenger and baggage security screenings at all airports; passengers are encouraged to minimize baggage (including carry-on baggage) to the extent possible and arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to departure.

Delta expects the return of a full schedule of service to take a number of days.

American Airlines Update, September 14 2001

American Airlines plans to operate approximately one-third of its normal schedule this Friday and its regional affiliate, American Eagle, plans to operate approximately 50% of its normal schedule. TWA, an American Airlines company, plans to operate approximately 65% of its normal schedule this Friday.

American Airlines plans to resume flights gradually until it reaches approximately 80% of its normal schedule. The FAA's new security measures, which all airlines are implementing, necessitate a reduced schedule in order to minimize delays and customer inconvenience.

Customers are urged to confirm flight status before proceeding to the airport and should arrive two hours prior to scheduled departure time for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.

For current American Airlines and American Eagle flight information please contact AA Reservations in the USA toll free 1 800 433 7300.

Botswana's Bushmen Score Huge Victory, September 16 2001

There has been a stunning victory for the Bushmen of Botswana, and for indigenous people worldwide. After years of persecution, a tiny group of hunter gatherers is about to be given usage rights over an area bigger than Israel or Rwanda.

In a radical about-turn, the San and BaKgalagadi people of Botswana are set to be given usage rights over 24,000 square kilometers of the Central Kalahari and Khutse game reserves. That's an area 5,000 square kilometers bigger than the Kruger National Park, and constitutes more than 46% of the two reserves. They will be allowed to carry out subsistence hunting on a quota system, will be free to gather food, will be actively involved in environmental monitoring of the sensitive Kalahari ecosystem and will be encouraged to launch cultural tourism initiatives.

This follows years of attempts to dispossess them of their land, which have included forced removals, assaults and the denial of basic services and human rights.

Nearly 2,200 San and BaKgalagadi people have been removed from the two reserves and resettled in bleak camps at New Xade and Kaudwane, miles from their traditional hunting grounds. An estimated 700 people, mainly San from the settlements of Molapo and Metsiamanong, have resisted removal and stayed inside the reserves.

European Union representatives in Botswana have offered substantial funding for the development of cultural tourism. The EU has also offered to take over the provision of basic services to the San and Ba-Kgalagadi, like water, health, poverty relief and orphan care.

The document that outlines the deal has been described as "revolutionary" by sources within the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), the authors of the document. It gives the San - or Basarwa, as they are called in Botswana - and BaKgalagadi use rights over an area bigger than Israel or Rwanda, and only slightly smaller than Lesotho.

In terms of the agreement - hammered out over several years between the DWNP and lawyers acting for the residents - the San and BaKgalagadi will have traditional hunting, residence and resource utilisation rights within the reserve. Jan Broekhuis, Deputy Director of the DWNP, confirmed the existence of the "Third Draft Management Plan for the Central Kalahari and Khutse game reserves".

The breakthrough - a draft form of which has been on the table since April this year - comes on the eve of the United Nations World Conference against Racism.

Lawyers for the San and BaKgalagadi, Chennels Albertyn, have been involved in several years of negotiation with the Botswana government over the fate of the people of the Central Kalahari. Sources close to the negotiations say that the latest agreement is a huge breakthrough and is binding in law.

Approached for comment, lawyer for the San, Glyn Williams, said: "The DWNP have made undertakings which constitute a very major breakthrough, a historic breakthrough. The way forward now is to find development funding. That is urgently needed. We need to find funding to institute the imminent implementation of a management program for the community use zones, and we need to fund the establishment of a representative residents' association."

Acknowledged is the valuable role cultural tourism could play in bringing income to the San and Ba-Kgalagadi: "Cultural tourism would add significantly to the reserves' appeal by offering alternatives to ordinary wildlife viewing. The affected communities are well positioned along the tourist routes."

Through joint ventures with tour operators, the document proposes, new wildlife viewing areas in the proposed community-use zones could be opened up to tourism, including "many pans where wildlife gathers which tourists never see at present".

In addition, a "beautiful fossil river valley" is mentioned as having "excellent scope for guided walking safaris organized through joint ventures with tour operators" led by San and BaKgalagadi "Community Escort Guides". In the Molapo community use zone, "a campsite could be created, modeled on a traditional San village (and) in the longer term the communities could establish an information center or museum".

The document recognizes the ecological knowledge of the San and BaKgalagadi, saying this could be "incorporated into the future monitoring of the condition of the reserve. If there is a change in the environment, the residents are the first to feel it as their survival depends on the availability of resources."

But the key issue of land ownership and land claims has been set aside for the moment. The DWNP has made it clear to the residents that the department has no legal standing when it comes to deciding on land claims - it is merely the agency which administers the parks.

Management Plan for Mt Kenya, September 16 2001

The Kenya Wildlife Service and the Forestry Department have developed a five-year management plan for Mt Kenya's ecosystem. The plan includes community participation, forest rehabilitation and beefing up of security for wildlife, the Mount Kenya National Park chief game warden Bongo Woodley reportedly said.

The plan comes at a time when Camphor, an endangered indigenous hardwood, faces extinction in Chehe Forest. Mathira division residents accused poachers of using power-saws to indiscriminately harvest the tree, in great demand in the furniture industry. They said they suspected collusion between the loggers and foresters.

Mr. Woodley complained that non-deterrent sentences handed out to poachers by courts thwart conservation efforts.

Uganda Buys Rhinos from Kenya, September 16 2001

The Uganda Wildlife Education Center in Entebbe has bought two rhinos from Kenya as the animals have become extinct in the country.

The Sheraton Kampala Hotel and Sudhir Ruparelia investments each paid US $10,000 for the two southern white rhino from Solio Ranch in Kenya. Petra Schaefer from the Rhino Fund Uganda reportedly said that Uganda's indigenous black and northern white rhinos have been extinct for the past 20 years because of rampant poaching.

Uganda Assures Tourists, September 16 2001

Ugandan army spokesman Lt. Col. Phinehas Katirima has assured tourists and other visitors to western Uganda that the army has taken all necessary measures to ensure their security there. "In the Bwindi area, there is no security threat at all. Even in Mgahinga sector, the recent small incursions by the Interahamwe are not a threat because we are adequately present there," Katirima said.

The US has been warning its citizens against touring western Uganda. Meanwhile, the Minister for Tourism, Prof. Edward Rugumayo, has described as 'unfortunate and unfair' a statement from the US State Department barring its nationals from travelling to gorilla parks in Uganda. Rugumayo said the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Mgahinga Gorilla Park in south-western Uganda were safe and well protected. "The place is packed with tourists, so I wonder why America is barring its nationals from visiting the places," he said.

Ultimate Africa note: Keep in mind the above statements come from peoples and groups with a vested interest in Uganda's tourism industry.Due to safety concerns Ultimate Africa will not arrange safaris to Uganda.

Communities to Help Protect Kilimanjaro, September 16 2001

The United Nations is this month expected to launch a new initiative to promote the conservation of Mt Kilimanjaro as a World Natural Heritage Site. The project is expected to benefit at least 20,000 Tanzanians directly and 200,000 indirectly. The project, to be known as the Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation Project (COMPACT), is intended to involve the communities who live and derive their livelihood around Mt Kilimanjaro much more closely in conserving the mountain.

Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, is a globally important protected area, hosting at least 1,800 species of flowering plants and 35 species of mammals. The mountain also has major socio-economic significance, with up to one million people using the rich volcanic soils and water of Kilimanjaro for agriculture, or earning their living through the growing tourist industry.

Encroachments around mountain resources - through farming, grazing, gathering of fodder and commercial logging - have resulted in increased levels of poverty for resident communities, according to Nehemiah Murusuri of UNDP Tanzania. Other major threats to Kilimanjaro include land degradation due to soil erosion, littering by tourists and guides, the shrinkage of water resources, and the melting of the ice cap through global climatic warming.

The new sustainable conservation project will offer financial support for irrigation farming, afforestation and agro-forestry, zero grazing, strengthening of extension services, renewable energy technologies, beekeeping, the prevention of bush fires and cultural tourism.

For more details please visit http://www.tz.undp.org

World Wilderness Congress will support Millennium Africa Plan, September 16 2001

The 7th World Wilderness Congress (WWC) may help lay foundations on which South African President Thabo Mbeki's Millennium African Recovery Program (Map) will be built, according to internationally renowned environmentalist, Dr Ian Player.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa, will host the congress from November 2 to 8 this year. Delegates from more than 50 countries are expected to attend the Congress. In a media release issued by the WWC recently, Dr. Player is quoted as saying: "It is fitting that the Congress, which was first held in South Africa and then traveled the world, has returned to Africa during the launch of the African recovery program."

Dr Player reportedly said that Map, which is being supported by both African and industrialized nations, places great emphasis on Africa's natural heritage while recognizing the need for growth.

Many of the presentations and workshops during the Congress will focus on the challenge of finding ways of preserving nature while improving the lives of the people living in and around wilderness areas. "One of the many things that make Wilderness Congresses different to other conferences is that they produce results. Things happen after a Wilderness Congress," explained Dr Player. "We believe that the 7th WWC, which is a unique meeting place for business, politicians and environmentalists, will provide guidance and support to the Map initiative," he said.

Topics to be covered during the congress include the role of the private sector in saving African wildlands, Wilderness and Human Communities, Tribal and Communal Wilderness, the Public Sector and Wilderness, Working with Local Communities and the Ecological, Social and Personal Aspects of Wilderness. "These all complement the goals of the Map program," says Dr Player.

Black Leopard in Mpumalanga, September 16 2001

South Africa's Mpumalanga may be home to the first black leopard spotted in sub-Saharan Africa in 40 years. Mpumalanga Parks Board spokesman Gary Sutter said that two confirmed sightings of a rare black leopard had been reported in mountains in Lydenburg in January and again in May. "It's an ordinary leopard, but it has a recessive gene that makes it come out completely black," explained Sutter. "It's known as melanistic form."

Sutter said a professor in wildlife management at the University of Pretoria, Prof. Koos Bothma, was particularly excited by the sighting, because as far as he knew, the last black leopard was sighted on Mount Kenya in the 1960s.

Sutter said MPB research scientist Gerrie Camacho planned to catch the leopard and put a radio collar on it as part of the Ingwe Leopard Project. The project is the first to conduct scientific research on leopards that live in the Lydenburg area. "Game farmers and hunters have always said there's a healthy leopard population in the area, but we've never collected scientific data," Sutter said. Black leopards are common in Malaysia.

Ongava Lodge Report for July, September 16 2001

Wildlife viewing in the Ongava / Etosha area in Namibia has been very good, mainly due to the fact that most of the wildlife is concentrating around the waterholes. Elephant have moved in with force and daily sightings of groups of around 30 or so is very common. Black rhino have also been sighted fairly frequently, mainly in the area between Olifantsbad and Gemsbokvlakte. Lion sightings have also been good in Etosha, and the bonus of one very good leopard sighting drinking was excellent. General wildlife is still very good, with big herds of zebra, springbok, oryx and wildebeest is most areas of the park.

Wildlife viewing drives on the property itself have been unbelievably good this month. Most of the White Rhino population is down in the western sector of the reserve, making it quite a trek to get to them, however the drives there have been all worth it, as sightings of between 11 and 13 at one time are very common. Most of them seem to be drinking at Leopard Dam from about 5:30 PM, and thus sitting and waiting for them has proven to be very fruitful. The mother with the 3 month old calf has been seen often and her tiny calf has been a highlight for many guests.

Black Rhino sightings have also increased during the month. Bull #2, being the largest on the Ongava property drinks every second or third day at the lodge waterhole, normally around dinnertime.

Lions have been seen very often this month, especially in the lodge area and in the eastern part of the reserve. The collared female with her two cubs has become more and more relaxed with the vehicles, and sightings of them with one or two of the males have been excellent.

The highlight must be the birth of a new black rhino. The cow and new-born calf were spotted by the chopper not far from Margo area. She and her calf were seen a couple of times by the chopper in the same area and conditions of the calf and cow were recorded by the reserve manager. The cow has been seen every second day or so drinking at the Margo waterhole, but she has not yet brought her calf with her. We look forward to good sightings of the two of them in the next couple of months.

Another few highlights were the sightings of brown hyena near Allan Dam, Cape foxes on Bell Way, and a couple of aardwolf sightings.

Netherlands Halts Funding for Kenya's Environment Projects, September 23 2001

The Netherlands government has suspended funding to environmental development programs in Kenya following the Kenyan parliaments rejection of contentious anti-corruption measures.

The officer in charge of environmental affairs at the Dutch embassy in Nairobi, Jantinus Smacenbroek, said that the Netherlands government had initially planned to fund environmental projects in Kenya for a period of 10 years, but had been surprised by the rejection in August of the Kenya Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Bill.

Smacenbroek reportedly said that the Netherlands had already spent 111 million Kenyan shillings (US $1.4 million) on environmental projects in Kenya over the last two and a half years. He said the Netherlands would soon establish an environmental affairs office in Uganda to streamline its activities in the region. Although the International Monetary Fund had tied the release of an estimated US $317 million of funding to the passing of the Bill and the re-establishment of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority (KACA), MPs refused to deliver the 65% majority needed for approval.

Cairo Airport Officials Drown Baby Gorilla, September 23 2001

Veterinarians drowned a four-month-old gorilla from Nigeria that arrived at Egypt's Cairo airport without the necessary papers for an endangered species. Airport veterinarians said they killed the gorilla for fear that it might have carried diseases that could spread to Egyptian animals. A local wildlife expert condemned the killing as "absolutely appalling".

The baby gorilla flew in from Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday with its owner, an Egyptian-Nigerian woman, who did not have a license for taking an endangered species across international borders, airport officials said.

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, permits are required for the import, export and trade in gorillas and other endangered species.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the airport vets said they opted to drown the primate in a container filled with chemicals because of the risk contaminated blood could be spilled if they chose another method.

"I'm quite shaken," said Richard Hoath, a local wildlife expert. "It could have been put down humanely by injection as happens with a sick dog or cat."

Airport officials argued over what to do with the gorilla, with veterinarians wanting to kill it and wildlife officers wanting to give it the Giza zoo. However, the zoo does not have an enclosure for gorillas. "They could have kept it in quarantine until they found another zoo or country prepared to accept it," Hoath reportedly said. He said that the baby gorilla had been captured by poachers and that its mother had probably been killed for bush meat.

Squatters Worry Namibian Tourism Officials, September 23 2001

The Namibia Environment and Tourism Ministry and Namibia Wildlife Resorts plan to count and move hundreds of people who are illegally staying at several Government-owned resorts in prime tourism areas. In 1998, Government created Namibia Wildlife Resorts to run tourism resorts at Popa Falls, Khaudum, Namutoni, Halali, Okaukuejo, Terrace Bay, Torra Bay, Von Bach Dam, Reho Spa, Hardap Dam, Sesriem, and Ai-Ais among others. But hundreds of squatters, who claim to be relatives of Namibia Wildlife Resorts employees, have flocked to the resorts. Three of the worst affected resorts - Halali, Namutoni and Okaukuejo - are within the world-renowned Etosha National Park, one of Namibia's main drawcards for tourists.

Kazenambo Kazenambo, General Manager for Corporate Affairs and Public Relations at Namibia Wildlife Resorts, said, "The parks and resorts have been turned into villages. It (squatting) affects our image...it is a sore on our flesh. It affects the image of the country, it affects tourism."

Some of the squatters who claim they are related to workers at the resorts, said Kazenambo, while "some of them claim to be the indigenous people in those parks". On the looming expulsions of unauthorized residents, Kazenambo said: "We are going to address the issue of squatters. It is a very sensitive issue ... there are various interests, it is not going to be easy (to evict the squatters)."

"Discipline has also become a problem at the resorts because some employees are running cuca shops that sell liquor and groceries. There is also the possibility that with so many people at the resorts there could be an upsurge in crime, though Kazenambo was emphatic that "we are not crime-riddled". "The Ministry of Environment and Tourism and Namibia Wildlife Resorts is doing a survey to determine the number (of squatters) before action can be taken within the ambit of the law," he said.

Survivor Story from TV Guide Magazine, September 30 2001

Even from the air, before you are jabbed by the thorns, bitten by the flies and baked by the intense heat, the Shaba National Reserve, more than 100 square miles of unpopulated African wilderness, looks less than hospitable. This part of north central Kenya, nearly 40 miles north of the equator, is neither jungle nor pure savannah. There are, instead, wide desolate stretches of dry scrubland, barren cliffs and black volcanic rocks that look like gigantic charcoal briquettes.

Somewhere out there, closer to the mountains and the muddy brown water of the crocodile-laden Ewaso Nyiro River, the cast of "Survivor: Africa" - 16 Americans broken into two groups called Samburu and Boran (named after two prominent local tribes) are setting up separate but similar makeshift camps near the base of umbrella-shaped acacia trees. They are working frantically to construct ramshackle circular fences called bomas out of thorny shrubs, the only things that will separate them from the area's lions, leopards and hyenas. Not to mention the ever-present scorpions, stinging centipedes and poisonous snakes. It will be, at best, a long, unsettling, sleepless night.

Certainly there were perils during the first two "Survivors" in Australia there were plenty of spiders and snakes, in Malaysia the possibility that someone would be blinded by the sight of Richard Hatch's naked body. But executive producer Mark Burnett promises that "Survivor: Africa" is filled with hazards beyond whether anyone will choke on a Dorito or get sucker-punched by a kangaroo. "The difference between this and the previous locations," says Burnett, whose hyping skills put Don King to shame, "is that no one was really in danger of being eaten." There are armed Kenyan game wardens secretly positioned all over the place. Still, says Burnett, "I've made it very clear to all (the Survivors) what the risks are." His warnings are given more weight by reports that two local men were injured by a lion shortly before shooting began.

But now, after last month's terrorist attacks on the United States, it remains to be seen whether viewers, having witnessed true horror played on their TV screens, will still have an appetite for "reality" fare in which contestants claw their way to $1 million. CBS officials would not comment on the outlook for future shows, but spokesman Chris Ender says, "I think viewers watch "Survivor" to be entertained and can separate an entertainment show from the events that happened." Burnett continues to scout locations for "Survivor IV".

"Survivor: Africa" may already be hard-pressed to match the ratings dominance of its predecessors, simply because some of the novelty has worn off. (Remember those innocent days before we took it for granted that people will eat pretty much anything for money, no matter how much it squirms?)

But in many ways, Burnett thinks of the first two "Survivors" as mere warm-ups for this one. In fact, he says, when he first thought about pitching the show to network executives, it was Africa he had in mind. With its vast backdrops of sunset-silhouetted acacia trees, giraffes, zebras and elephants, the setting evokes adventure and romance in a way that Queensland or Pulau Tiga never could. "Africa was third on my list, only because I thought we'd have to lure (the networks) in a little bit and that Malaysia was easier (to sell)," Burnett says. Also, "I didn't want to do the first one here because I thought we'd have to go through a rather large learning curve."

"When Mark first contacted me, he told me, 'I want "Out of Africa", says location manager Robin Hollister, a native Kenyan and engineer. Hollister zeroed in on Shaba, best known as the setting for the film "Born Free", yet far away from most of Kenya's well-worn safari circuits. Anxious for income (producers paid a US $230,000 location fee) and the chance to showcase the area for millions of potential American tourists, local authorities agreed to shut down public access to most of the reserve during the "Survivor" shoot. Even the cumbersome government procedures usually required to bring in tons of equipment - 28 container trucks filled with everything from editing bays to refrigeration units and power generators - were streamlined.

In return, the "Survivor" production team hired about 50 daily local workers (mostly as drivers) and set up elaborate environmental protection procedures to guarantee that once the taping was over there would be no trace of the massive tent city base camp erected for the production crew - a sprawling compound of air-conditioned trailers, Internet cafés, a helicopter pad, full-service bar and even swimming pool, all of which is surrounded by electrified fence.

There was one more condition, which could profoundly affect the course of the game. Because Shaba is a protected wildlife reserve, harming, much less eating, any wild animal is punishable by imprisonment. There won't be any stray piglets this time around, no fire-roasted rats.

There probably won't be much fishing, either, because the few natural springs that will be accessible from the campsites don't contain anything bigger than minnows. And the river is off-limits, not just because of the crocodiles, but because the water is potentially teeming with nasty little worms that can enter your bloodstream and cause serious illness.

Which means that, more than ever, the tribes' ability to manage their food rations - this time it's cornmeal instead of rice - will be critical to their success. And if any protein comes their way, it's likely to reflect the diet of local tribespeople, who herd goats and cattle and often enjoy warm milk mixed with fresh cow's blood. "Food is going to be a huge issue out here," says host, inquisitor and ceremonial fire-giver Jeff Probst, who is sitting, freshly showered, in the shaded comfort of the base-camp mess hall. Even more than in past years, he says, food will be the prize for Reward Challenges. He won't go so far as to say the Survivors may be competing for the honor of slaughtering goats for dinner but..."As always, we'll use the environment and the local traditions as part of the reward," he says, intentionally evasive. "So if they're smart, they did a little research on what it's like to live here. And then they may have an idea of what's in store for them."

"Survivor: Africa" debuts Thursday, October 11, at 8:00 PM (ET) on CBS. To read the rest of Joe Rhodes's article and cast bios, pick up this week's issue of TV Guide magazine. This story was written by Joe Rhodes.

Yellow Fever Requirement for South African Transfers, September 30 2001

Due to new security precautions at South African Airports, travelers who arrive in South Africa only as a transfer point en route to a final destination are now asked to clear immigration and customs so that their bags may be inspected before transferring to their onward flight. Prior to this travelers could check their bags at their stating point and simply go through the transfer area without immigration and customs formalities in South Africa.

This poses a problem for travelers who are arriving from Yellow Fever endemic countries such as Kenya, Tanzania and others as they will not be allowed through immigration without proof of a Yellow Fever vaccination.

This vaccination is not required for transit passengers as travelers in transit are not actually leaving the airport and entering South Africa. However with the new security procedures you will not be allowed to pass through immigration regardless, if you cannot produce a Yellow Fever certificate. This means you will be unable to retrieve your luggage and connect onto your next flight!

Please ensure that if you are traveling from a Yellow Fever infected or endemic country that you have the appropriate documentation.

Yellow Fever endemic countries in Africa include: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zaire, and Zambia. Some countries outside of South Africa are considered Yellow Fever endemic as well. Please visit the Center for Disease Control's website for further details at http://www.cdc.gov

ICAA Dictates Increased South African Airport Security, September 30 2001

The strict security measures in force at South African airports have been dictated by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA). Airport security measures have been increased to Level Four of ICAA regulations. These provide for more airport security, increased patrols and the legal right to search all passenger baggage including hand luggage. Level Four provides for the removal of all sharp objects (including knives, scissors, knitting needles, nail files, razors) from passengers before departure (with the option of booking them in and collecting them on their return). Curbside and hotel check-in facilities have been suspended and travelers must use the main airport counters.

Most passengers had welcomed the move because they felt safer.

Wildebeest Migration Update, September 30 2001

The great east African wildebeest migration has once again decided to not follow its "normal" clockwise pattern through Tanzania and Kenya. During early December 2000 the migration should have been moving southwards into Tanzania's southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. However due to lack of rains in the region the migration traveled in reverse from Kenya's Masai Mara back across the Mara River into Tanzania's western corridor where some rains had fallen. By late December 2000 rains began to fall in the southern Serengeti and the wildebeest made their way in reverse to their normal location.

This September finds the migration having finally arrived into the Masai Mara approximately two months later than the usual July / August arrival. And even more interesting is the fact that only about 200,000 wildebeest out of over 1 million, crossed the Mara River into the Mara. Then on September 23, 2001 the wildebeest began crossing back into Tanzania in reverse!!! Many guests are enjoying seeing the wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River however in the opposite direction!!!

Only time will tell where the wildebeest will head next…too bad for the Mara this year as the wildebeest migration never really materialized - good thing there are about 80,000 resident wildebeest in the Mara.

Kenya Wildlife Service to Drive Away Rogue Elephants, September 30 2001

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) will embark on a three-day operation to drive away elephants that have been harassing residents of Narok Town and other villages, killing two people and destroying wheat and maize fields.

The acting district warden, Mr Keneth Nashuu, reportedly said that the operation will be carried out using a helicopter and more than 100 rangers.

Kenya Moves Black Rhinos to Safer Home, September 30 2001

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is moving four black rhinos from Solio Ranch in Laikipia District to Meru National Park to prevent them from being killed by poachers.

A fence has already been erected around the sanctuary where the four rhinos will be kept and KWS plans to translocate ten more black rhinos to the same park by June next year.

Duba Plains Tented Camp September Report, September 30 2001

Situated in Botswana's Okavango Delta, Duba's floodplains have finally dried up resulting in short, green grassed plains very popular with the grazing animals. Hundreds of lechwe have remained on the dry plains, making them easy picking for the predators. The buffalo herd of about three to four thousand is trying to join up again, but continue to be constantly harassed by both the lions and hyaenas. The resident leopards made themselves more visible this month.

The wildlife highlight of the month must have been of an adult male leopard with a porcupine kill, perched in a fallen, dead knob thorn tree with eight hyenas lying around underneath. To the north of this leopard, you could see the large herd of buffalo mixed with a herd of elephants; to the west was the Skimmer pride of eleven lions sleeping and to the south another herd of elephants with the Tsaro pride of fourteen lions strolling by on their way to the buffalo. Of course this was with the sun setting, making for one awesome sighting.

The lions again proved to be a huge hit, averaging twenty different lions everyday, with a total of sixty nine pride sightings over the month. The Tsaro pride was seen on all but three days of the month and were once again the main pride. Guests were fortunate enough to witness fifteen buffalo being killed by this pride alone in the month. All of the kills were out in the open plains and usually before 9:00 AM, making for great photographic opportunities. Duba was honored to have Art Wolff, the renowned photographer and author, for four nights. Obviously he was keen to photograph these kills. Well, as luck would have it, the Duba Plains guides succeeded in showing him three full buffalo kills during his stay. He seemed well satisfied with the shots taken. The buffalo seem to be standing up to the lions more, making for three to four hour episodes of buffaloes and lions running backwards and forwards after each other. On several occasions the two year old cubs were seen getting a trampling from the buffalo, fortunately no long lasting injuries were received. Each and every time the lions have hunted the buffalo, they have succeeded in bringing down one to three buffalo. Many guests initially turn their noses at seeing a kill, but after having been part of the hunt, they all seem to call for an encore.

The Pantry pride has taken advantage of the water receding and has taken to wandering far and wide to all corners of their territory which they have been cut off from with the high Okavango water levels. A couple of the lionesses are pregnant and should have their cubs in another two weeks. Hopefully they will have a better success rate than the last time. We expect them to bring the cubs out towards the beginning of November. The Skimmer pride is doing well, feeding mainly on the adult male buffalo resident in their territory. The pride has however started taking chances and pushing well into the Tsaro pride's territory, seemingly in search of the buffalo herd. Luckily there have been no conflicts yet. The two four year old males are showing interest in mating with their mother and "aunts", which does not go down too well with the others. However, they should soon be on their way in search of their own territory.

September saw the arrival of many of the migratory birds, such as carmine bee-eaters and yellow-billed kites. The water birds are enjoying an easy meal as fish are exposed in the small isolated pools. Groups of 100 to 200 elephant are being seen, with many young calves. At long last Duba guides have been able to drive to Paradise, a most popular coffee stop with many hippos, crocodiles, lechwe, birds and buffalo. They now have access to about 80% of their concession (some areas were cut off by seasonal high waters).

Savuti Tented Camp September Report, September 30 2001

Situated in Botswana's Linyanti / Savuti area Savuti Camp has been pumping with elephant! The waterhole in front of camp has been crazy. There were times where the elephant almost drank all the water. Guests, watching in awe, don't even move from their porches during the siesta time and the bar (which overlooks the waterhole) has been the happening place. There has been a lack of other game in front of camp, purely because the elephants don't allow them to get close to the water.

The regular Savuti lion pride hasn't been seen as much as usual, due to the fact that two new males (which moved into immediate area last month) have been patrolling, roaring and scent marking all over the channel, up to Rock Pan. The Savuti male (injured last month) is looking strong and fully recovered, and maybe now he will start pursuing the other intruding males.

There have been various herds of buffalo between camp and Zibaliandja Lagoon and they have been a great treat, as there are not normally many buffalo in the immediate area.

The channel delivered a few rarities again this month, ie. serval, aardvark, aardwolf porcupine, and honey badger.

Jao Camp September Report, September 30 2001

Jao Camp (actually a lodge) is set in Botswana's Okavango Delta. During September nature provided Jao guests with a magic display of wildlife. The leopards are back on Jao and Pupa Islands and some guests would see three leopards on one drive. The lion activity is incredible, with males fighting viciously the last few days, and Hannibal The Cannibal has been spotted to the east of Jao Island.

The hyena's at Hunda island taught the Pupa boys something about hunting lechwe! Then, one hyena hunted a lechwe, in the water, right in front of the main unit at Jao, while guests were having early morning tea! The birding has been equally astounding, and as per normal.

Activities are slowly changing at Jao as the water drops and more and more savannah opens up. In a few weeks time there will be a two to three week interim period where Jao Camp will have no boating available, until they can get vehicles through to Kubu Island, so guests can board the boats there.

Xigera Tented Camp September Report, September 30 2001

September was quite exciting as Xigera had roaring lions crossing over the bridge and right into camp several times in a week, usually during dinner enthralling the guests and staff. Hyenas crossed every night and leopard, crossed over and through camp at least once a week.

The guests have been consistently kind hearted and very easy to entertain. Xigera staff and management were truly blessed with some amazing individuals during the hell that unfolded in America. They witnessed humanity at its best as the international guests embraced each other. In the first few nights it was not uncommon to find all the guests huddled on the office floor, drinking wine, holding hands and praying as they listened intently to the BBC world news over the HF radio.

On the 24th Xigera had an extraordinary situation as we had lion wars on the islands next to camp all afternoon. Three big males shouting threats to one another. After several hours of roaring during dinner, the guests eventually gathered around the fire in time to witness a lioness bolt across the bridge right in front of camp, only to be followed by an enormous male. The male couldn't quite work out how to follow the female across so he walked just below the deck...directly below where the guests were all sitting. He felt slightly trapped and became a bit agitated and started to rattle off a very low but discerning growl underneath the guests as they sat by the fire on the deck. He then retreated back into the palms roaring and everyone sat in silence. Due to the desperate call for the toilet, Britt (one of the managers) began to waltz across the upper deck - right then the male leapt onto the lower walk way and found his way across the bridge glancing back with a suspicious glare. As he crossed everyone sat in amazement as you could see that his massive back was taller than the railing.

The activities have varied through out the month - combining water activities with a lot of walks and game drives. Just about every game drive featured an adrenaline rush with oncoming matriarch herds of elephant! The water excursions were phenomenal with the elephants crossing the river, Pel's fishing owls, and skimmers (20 pairs) skimming at sunset on Xigera Lagoon. The highlight of the mekoros was unbelievable sightings of sitatunga. Several mothers with their newborns have been spotted at amazingly close range. The baboons continue to be a hassle, yet guest love to take pictures of them.

Elephants Translocated to Gaza / Kruger / Gonarezhou Park, September 30 2001

The world's largest conservation area will come into being on October 4, 2001, when the first of 40 of an estimated 1,000 elephants are relocated to the Mozambican side of the Gaza / Kruger / Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park. The park will link South Africa's world-renowned Kruger National Park with Mozambique's Gaza Province and Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou conservation area.

Professor Willem van Riet, head of the Peace Parks Foundation, has given full credit to Environmental Affairs and Tourism minister, Mohammed Valli Moosa. He said the minister had sorted out the bureaucracy and signed the necessary documentation that will help establish a tourist infrastructure in the huge area that will not impinge on the environment, yet will bring work opportunities for people on both sides of the border.

A combined Mozambican / South African team is now in place to run the operation without government interference and a budget of 50 million Rand (US $5.56 million) has been donated by a German bank.

The first 30km of fencing separating the Kruger National Park from Mozambique is being cut and early next years visitors to Kruger will be allowed to cross into the "new" section.

According to Van Riet, the training of rangers and other staff had already started. About 75 trainees are attending the Southern African Wildlife College near Hoedspruit and a further 300 Mozambican staffers will be trained there later.

Upgrades Made to South Africa's Bushmans Kloof, September 30 2001

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, a Relais & Chateaux property, has completed upgrades to its facilities recently. Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, situated in the Cedarberg Mountain range near Clanwilliam in the Western Cape, has added four new suites to accommodate a total of 32 guests. Furthermore, the Homestead dining room and billiard room have been refurbished and expanded, while the Riverside suite has been redecorated in the style of a Manor House.

"Meditation is the Path to Peace", September 30 2001

Former Marxist guerrilla turned president Joaquim Alberto Chissano of Mozambique is one of Africa's more enlightened leaders.Twice a day he tries to attain pure consciousness through transcendental meditation (TM).

The president discovered TM, the teaching of the Beatles' guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in 1992, shortly before the end of Mozambique's 16-year guerrilla war. It was no coincidence. "First I started the practice of transcendental meditation myself, then introduced the practice to my close family, my Cabinet of ministers, my government officers and my military," Chissano, a former Marxist guerrilla, is on record as saying in literature published by Maharishi devotees. "The result has been political peace and balance in nature in my country."

Said to originate in India's ancient Vedic tradition, TM is based on the theory that stress is the cause of all evil. Yogic flyers, its most advanced practitioners, decrease environmental stress by tapping into pure, or universal, consciousness; thus righting the balance in natural law. Essentially, this involves moving in a series of supposedly gravity-defying, cross-legged bounds while meditating. Best results are seen when about 8,000 yogic flyers gather in one place. This produces "the Maharishi effect", described as an "upsurge in harmony and social coherence enveloping the Earth".

Disciples claim that when such "coherence-building groups" have met in the past, often in California where the Maharishi was based for a long time, conflicts in Africa and the Middle East died down measurably.

Maharishi's theory of invincible defense is related to this. Once a "prevention wing" of yogic flyers is formed within an army, Maharishi says, "military power is brought in alliance with the invincible power of natural law, which spontaneously provides safety and security to the government of the universe and eternally defends the sovereign domain of every galaxy and solar system". The attractions of this to Chissano and his generals seemed clear. From the end of 1994 all military and police recruits were ordered to meditate for 20 minutes, twice a day. More than 16,000 soldiers were taught yogic flying and TM, according to Mozambique's defense minister. So were 30,000 Mozambicans, according to the Maharishi movement.

In October 1994 the deputy defense minister of the day, Antonio Hama Thay, wrote to the national military school ordering that, "transcendental meditation must be an integral part of the curriculum of the cadets in the school, as a requirement for them to become officers".

According to the current Minister of Defense, Tobias Dai, the effect was overwhelming. Crime levels dropped; a drought was averted and economic growth, predicted at 6%, soared to 19%. But in the past two months, for what the Maharishi Center in Maputo describes as "administrative reasons", TM has been withdrawn from public life. The new Deputy Minister of Defense, Henrique Banze, confirms that TM is no longer compulsory in the army, although the practice continues in some units. "My personal opinion is that transcendental meditation and yogic flying did not end the war," he said. "But then I never tried it."

Chissano said this week: "For me it is very relaxing and very simple, I just keep quiet and chant the mantras. The results have been scientifically proven. Many of my ministers find it enhances their capacity to work."

The Minister of Trade, Carlos Morgado, is not one of them. "I'm afraid I'm too greedy for all that," he said. But the visible effect of TM on the 62-year-old president was striking, Morgado admitted. "He emerges from each session looking like a strongman, charged up for another 10 hours' work."

Jacob Hermansen, a Norwegian instructor at the Maharishi Center, claims to have put down an insurrection in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province last year by leading 200 army officers in yogic flying. He predicts more countries will follow Mozambique's example.

Hermansen maintained that Chissano was a highly skilled yogic flyer, though the president has never said as much himself, and had shown the way.

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