UKZN PhD student Jonah Gula aimed to find and trap four Marabou Storks and fit them with tracking devices as part of his PhD project, but first, he needed to find a site with large numbers of Marabous. The Marabous proved to be much more wily birds than we initially gave them credit for and it was quite the adventure!
Cycads are ancient seed plants (or gymnosperms) that date back to the Jurassic period. The illegal harvesting of wild plants and habitat destruction severely threaten these prehistoric plants. Worryingly, many cycads are Critically Endangered, and others are extinct in the wild, meaning none are left within their natural range.
Golf Days are a ton of work, but the reward is worth it. The new friendships that are formed and the relationships built are what I live for. We smashed all previous fundraising records at our two annual golf days held in May, and this is all thanks to our loyal supporters, who, like me, believe in our incredible staff and the amazing conservation work that the EWT achieves day in and day out.
I stepped around a bush to find a little brown and grey snake with tortoiseshell scallops on its back at my feet. The excitement was so great that we almost missed the snake making a “run” for it! We had rediscovered South Africa’s most threatened snake. Number 13 in history! Finding the Albany Adder was sheer enchantment.
Darren Pietersen has joined the EWT’s Soutpansberg Protected Area Programme (SPA) as Reserve and Ecology Manager at Medike Nature Reserve. Here is a little bit about Darren’s journey to a career in conservation with the EWT.