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A decade of frogging keeps us leaping for joy

Jeanne Tarrant, EWT Threatened Amphibian Programme Manager

In 2012, volunteer and Public Relations expert Carmen Curtayne and I wanted to do something to highlight both the importance of amphibians in South Africa and the severe threats they face. After much brainstorming, we devised the ‘Leap Day for Frogs’ campaign.

The idea was to create an annual national awareness day on 28 February – tying together the themes of Leap Year, leaping frogs, and taking a leap of faith (doing something demonstrable for frog conservation). We wanted to bring much-needed attention to frogs and their extinction threat. We also wanted to have fun in the name of frogs, encourage the public to get involved in science (citizen science), and celebrate South Africa’s incredible variety of frog species. With almost half of the world’s amphibian species experiencing some level of decline, bringing as much attention to frogs as possible has never been more important. South Africa is home to over 130 species – from the Giant Bullfrog (the size of a dinner plate!) to the Micro Frog (the size of your thumbnail), and all shapes and sizes in between. This enormous diversity is mirrored in the wide range of landscapes that frogs inhabit – from coastal wetlands to montane grasslands, gardens, forests, and even deserts.

Frogs are not just long-limbed, leapers. These water-loving amphibians play important roles in our ecosystems by feeding a wide array of other animals and eating vast quantities of insects – i.e. incredible free pest control! They are also important bio-indicators due to their sensitive skins and bi-phasic lifestyles. In other words, if they are around, our environment is healthy. These barometers of life are now the most threatened group of species on Earth, surely a sign of a planet in trouble.

To bring awareness to these very important and beautiful yet threatened creatures, we have devised annual themes over the past ten years for Leap Day for Frogs.

Ten years celebrating Leap Day for Frogs

We celebrated the 10th Leap Day for Frogs this year, which coincides with EWT’s 50th anniversary. As part of the latter, EWT will share a fun frog fact each Friday throughout the year.

Our theme this February was #CelebrateFrogs, and we reached over 3,000 people directly through over 15 events and outings, with over 165,000 people engaged through the social media campaign. Once again, we partnered with Kloof Conservancy and Iphithi Nature Reserve in Gillitts KZN, where over 150 people participated in various fun learning activities, despite very soggy conditions. We also gave lessons on the importance of wetlands to school learners based close to some project sites, receiving pledges from over 220 children to reduce impacts on frogs and freshwater. We also enjoyed a peaceful evening at the Mount Moreland wetlands, home to the Endangered Pickersgill’s Reed Frog, with several nature lovers, and a talk and walk at Simbithi Eco-Estate. uShaka Marine World, Joburg Zoo and the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria hosted educational stands and activities over the weekend of 25 February, engaging over 1,800 people. Other events were held in Bloemfontein, Plettenberg Bay and Howick.

We’ve designed social media filters and run citizen science observation projects, and in total, reached well over 16,000 people directly through events run either by the EWT or through several partnering organisations, including SANBI, uShaka SeaWorld, North-West University, various KZN Conservancies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein Botanical Garden and Johannesburg Zoo Amphibian Research Project. Occasionally, we have even had international events – from Wales to Zambia! Our online reach through social media exceeded hundreds of thousands of people and hopefully inspires the next generation of amphibian conservation biologists – or at the very least, highlights some simple behaviour changes that can benefit frogs and freshwater habitats.

Check out our Leap Day for Frogs page to catch up with your Froggie Facts!

Earthly Eating: Lentils Kasha

EARTHLY EATING: Lentils Kasha

Green Lentils with Kasha (Roasted Buckwheat)

Each month, we bring you delicious, nutritious, and eco-friendly recipes that our staff members or followers love! Here is a Earthly Eating: Lentils Kasha from Emily Taylor, the EWT’s Communications Manager

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients

1 ¹/₂ cups uncooked French green lentils
³/₄ cup uncooked kasha
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup unsalted crushed tomatoes
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about two lemons)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ¹/₂ teaspoons dried oregano
¹/₄ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 cups fresh parsley, chopped
¹/₂ cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
¹/₂ cup feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a pot, add the green lentils, and simmer on medium-low heat with the lid on until the lentils are tender (but not mushy). This should take about 15 minutes. Be sure to taste the lentils for doneness. If you need more water, add some during the cooking process. Once the lentils are finished cooking, drain the water from the pot and set aside.
In a pot, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil, add the kasha, and simmer on low heat with the lid on the pot for about ten minutes until the kasha is finished cooking. Set aside.
Place a large sauté pan on the stove. Over low heat, add the lentils and kasha to the pan and mix. Mix in the raw garlic, tomatoes, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and most of the chopped parsley.
Sprinkle the remaining parsley atop the lentils and kasha mixture, and then pour the olive oil all over the mixture. Do not skimp on the olive oil; it adds necessary flavour to the dish.
Sprinkle a generous amount of feta cheese and drizzle additional olive oil atop the individual servings.

A word from the CEO March 2023

Word from the CEO

Yolan Friedmann

When Clive Walker, Neville Anderson, and James Clarke registered the Endangered Wildlife Trust in 1973 with the sole intention, at that time, of addressing the unsustainable trade in Cheetah skins and reversing the decline in this species. They had no idea where it would go or what it would do; they just knew they had to do something to save Cheetahs. 18,250 Days later, give or take a few, the EWT now works across southern and east Africa on more than 50 species of wild animals and plants threatened with extinction and, most important, has successfully reversed the decline in Cheetah across South Africa, which is now the ONLY country in the world with an increasing population size of Cheetah.

This year the Endangered Wildlife Trust commemorates 50 years of conservation excellence. The EWT has achieved remarkable gains for many species, where downward trends in the local populations of Wattled and Grey Crowned Cranes, Piggersgill’s Frogs, the Amathole Toad, and the Riverine Rabbit have joined the Cheetah as species on a pathway to recovery. Not satisfied with just doing this well, the EWT has further trailblazed by developing a range of technologies to safeguard powerlines against bird collisions and electrocutions, to deploy drones for safe and effective conservation-based activities, and to introduce the first wildlife detection dogs for rhino horn in many points of entry and exit in South Africa. These are just the tip of the iceberg, and throughout our Golden Anniversary year, we will share many stories of success and tales of triumph.

With more than 110 staff members working across 13 countries in Africa, the EWT is arguably one of the most effective and impactful conservation organisations in the region, and we certainly work across the widest diversity of species, habitats and issues. Often recognised for our role in safeguarding charismatic species like the Wild Dog and Cheetah, the EWT was one of the first organisations to galvanise serious conservation action for the entire range of vultures found in our region, and our 50 years of working with this group of eco-cleaning scavengers have taken a continental direction where our impact has been felt in almost every range state for African vultures and across the most significant threats such as poisoning and illegal trade. Less known to many people is the key role that the EWT played in preventing the extinction of the Brenton Blue Butterfly and safeguarding the future of one of the region’s most important centres of endemism: the Soutpansberg Mountain range. In recent years we have taken on the plight of reptiles and even some highly threatened plants. Just as important are the thousands of human lives improved by the work of the EWT through job creation, education, empowerment, resource protection and provision, livelihood creation and empowerment to take control of their environment and their futures.

There is a lot to celebrate, but no time to waste. What would you do if you were Clive, James or Neville today? What species in peril would prompt YOU to start a movement and establish a giant that will, in 2073, be saving those species and so many more? Pop us a comment below or tell us on our socials what you would do for nature!

If this is what the EWT has achieved so far, imagine what we can STILL do and how much we can still achieve. This is the theme for commemorating the EWT’s five decades of conservation in action. We will reflect on our past successes as much as we imagine the world ahead and plan for the milestones we want to achieve in future celebrations. In many ways, our work has just begun, and with the world continuing to reduce wildlife populations and destroy wild places, the Endangered Wildlife Trust is needed more than ever.

With your support, we can achieve even greater things and protect all our futures together. We cannot wait to celebrate our birthday with you, so watch the EWT socials, publications, and website for all the details and ways YOU can be part of the story we write for the next fifty…..

Happy Birthday, EWT.

Yolan Friedmann

Donate to the EWT

Transporting wildlife? Here’s what you need to know!

Obeid Katumba, the EWT Wildlife in Trade Programme, Wildlife and Law Project Officer

Wildlife (including plants) faces many threats driven by human activities, including habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation, pollution, and the emerging threat posed by climate change. However, Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) remains one of the primary drivers of species decline. The consequences of IWT include the following:

The decline in species populations and species extinctions, as often rare, Endangered, threatened, and protected species are targeted and exploited, pushing them closer to extinction.
The spread of alien and invasive species (AIS) introduces species into habitats in which they do not naturally occur, and they threaten native species as they encroach on habitat and compete for resources.
Security concerns and wildlife trafficking have increasingly been linked to organised crime, corruption, money laundering activities, and the general undermining of the legal system.
Animal welfare concerns as the animals are often kept and transported in conditions that threaten their welfare.
The spread of Zoonosis, diseases that can be transmitted from animal to human, affects humans, wildlife, and agriculture.

IWT is an international concern and is known to be among the most lucrative criminal operations globally, alongside drug trafficking and human trafficking. As with other organised crime, IWT uses transport networks, both legal and illegal, for the movement of commodities, in this instance, wildlife.

Domestic pet transporters are increasingly used to transport wildlife illegally within South Africa. Sometimes these transporters do this unknowingly without understanding the relevant laws around transporting wildlife. In addition, these transporters might not verify the species of animal being transported, cannot accurately identify species, or might not know whether permits are required for possessing and transporting such species.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife in Trade Programme aims to raise awareness of wildlife laws in the domestic pet transporting industry and ensure that domestic pet transporters and other operators across South Africa understand the legal requirements for transporting wildlife. To achieve this, we are launching a comprehensive online and social media awareness-raising campaign that will present quick reference guides demonstrating the legal requirements for possessing and transporting wildlife. The campaign will also provide information on the consequences of non-compliance with applicable laws and contact information for the relevant authorities for obtaining permits to possess and transport wildlife. Key information presented through the campaign will include:

What are the relevant laws to become familiar with?
How do you know what you are transporting?
Do you need a permit to transport it?
How can you get a permit?
What if you don’t have a permit?

As a starting point, it is important for everyone to know that permits are needed for restricted activities involving living or dead, part or whole, legally protected indigenous species (species that occur naturally in South Africa). Examples of indigenous species include South African Hedgehogs, Leopard Tortoises, African Rock Pythons, Sungazers, and the Cape Parrot.

Top: South African Hedgehog (Atelerix frontalis) and bottom: Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis)
Sungazer Lizard (Smaug giganteus, syn. Cordylus giganteus), also known as the giant girdled lizard, at a burrow

Examples of restricted activities involving protected species include:

Moving or translocating such species
Selling, buying, or otherwise trading in these species
Receiving, giving, donating, or accepting such species
Having in possession or exercising physical control over such species.

Permits are also required for restricted activities involving listed alien and invasive species (AIS). Examples of AIS include Burmese Python, Mallard Duck, and Rose-ringed Parakeet.

Examples of restricted activities involving Alien and Invasive species include:

Possessing or exercising physical control over AIS
Moving or otherwise translocating AIS
Selling, buying, or otherwise trading in AIS
Acquiring, receiving, giving, donating, or accepting AIS

Being involved in a restricted activity without a permit means that you have committed an offence, and if found guilty, the penalties can be up to ten years imprisonment, a fine not exceeding 10 million rand, or both per charge. In addition to fines and imprisonment, the guilty person can be held liable for costs associated with any rehabilitation and restoration of the damage to the habitat caused by the release of the AIS.

Permits can be applied for in each of the nine provinces, at designated offices or through the national office for AIS species. If you would like more information on this issue, please contact the EWT, for attention Obeid Katumba.

This campaign is made possible through the generous support of the Lewis Foundation.

Addressing the impacts of power lines on Grey Crowned Cranes in Lwengo

Gilbert Tayebwa (Southcentral Uganda field officer and Sarah Kugonza (Conservation Intern)

Introduction

Any bird able to fly stands a chance of colliding with above-ground power lines and being killed or electrocuted when perching or nesting on electricity structures and cables. In Lwengo and possibly other regions of Uganda, power lines pose the greatest threat to the Endangered Grey Crowned Crane’s survival. Migrating birds at night, birds flying in groups, and fast-flying and large birds like storks and raptors are particularly vulnerable to power line collisions. Electrocution from power lines has also been reported.

Grey Crowned Crane mortality beneath a power line in Lwengo, Uganda

The percentage contribution of incidents by various electricity power line categories. The International Crane Foundation (ICF) and Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) Partnership’s African Crane Conservation Programme aims to find and implement preventative solutions to lessen the damage power lines have on cranes, other birds, and their surrounding ecosystems. In Lwengo, more than 21 cranes have died after flying into and perching on power wires over one year. Grey Crowned Cranes are the only crane species affected by electrocution because it is the only crane that perches and roosts in trees and on power line infrastructure. Some of these cranes are electrocuted or shocked, and as a result of the accident, they perish. To better understand the impacts of human-caused mortality on cranes in south-central Uganda, we are implementing a project to understand how power lines and associated infrastructure affects biodiversity in Lwengo. We are using various methods, including:

Mapping the distribution pattern of Grey Crowned Crane incidents caused by power line infrastructure (key emphasis and activities have been on mapping incidents and identifying incident hotspots)
Establishing transects for routine monitoring
Empowering key stakeholders (especially Crane Custodians, wetland management committees, and local government leaders to identify, handle, and ethically address crane-power line incidents.

Capacity Building

Crane Custodians are local community members who voluntarily care for cranes and their wetland habitats. Currently, the ACCP in southcentral Uganda has 15 custodians in Lwengo (eight females and seven males) and 15 in Rukiga who have been vetted for engagement in power line surveys. The selection was based on gender inclusiveness.

The custodians being taught how to collect data during power line surveys.

A crane custodian, after identifying an incident and recording it

Community engagement

Meetings and hands-on-field works are being held with other stakeholders, such as the communities that live in crane power line incident hotspots, to identify incidents, disseminate information on the presence of power line threats to cranes and other birds surveying critical hotspots for power line collisions. The project team has trained the groups on various aspects, such as:

The different ways to handle power line incident mortalities
How to report power line mortalities (currently, the project team, crane custodians, and nearby authorities are responsible for responding)
Power line incident identification (differentiating between a power line collision and electrocution and elaborating on the cause of the incident)
Adherence to safety guidelines when monitoring and handling power line-related mortalities.

Community members during a field-based powerline survey in Lwengo

Most of the communities engaged are helping to disseminate information to other local communities on how and when to report power line incidents. The trainees can now spread information about the possibility of zoonotic diseases spreading to people who handle dead wildlife, such as cranes below power lines, and mobilise community members to report power line-related incidents involving cranes.

Capacity building within the project team

In June 2022, the Uganda team received one week of skills-building and enhancement sessions (in-house and field-based training). The team engaged in planning and developing powerline incidents data collection protocols and the setup of scientifically robust methods in crane mortality incidents data collection, including developing a risk assessment tool.

The EWT’s Christie Craig from South Africa training the Uganda team in Power lines

Hot on the heels of strong women working in conservation

Precious Malapane, Conservation K9 handler and anti-poaching ranger

The South African government’s theme in celebration of Women’s Day/month 2022 is “Women’s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment: Building Back Better for Women’s Improved Resilience”. The theme focused on strategically advancing women’s socio-economic empowerment agenda towards achieving gender equality by 2030.

Precious and EWT Conservation K9 Ruger

The resilience of South African women has been recognised throughout our country’s history but assigned social and professional roles have often hindered women from raising their social and economic status. I am one of many women who have not let anything stand in their way. My name is Precious and I am a Conservation K9 Handler working with Ruger and Bekha, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Conservation K9s and strong females themselves. I am the only woman in a team of 12 rangers. I am also the only Dog Handler in the team. You might be wondering how I ended up here. This is my tale.

I grew up in a remote village off the north-eastern border of the Kruger National Park border. I was a very quiet and rather shy child. I came out of my shell when I joined a girl’s traditional dancing group at age ten, where I learned to be confident and comfortable in my skin. Attending practice every day and dancing in front of people helped me build my confidence.

I sadly lost my mother when I was just two years shy of matriculating. She was our only parent, and when we lost her, my three siblings and I started doing odd jobs around the village to survive. However, we did not let our situation get in the way of our education. I matriculated in 2014 and enrolled in the Southern African Wildlife College, where I trained as a field ranger. I was lucky enough to get an internship in the college’s K9 unit. I started working with Conservation K9s under the guidance of renowned Dog Master – Johan van Straaten, from whom I learned much. I know everything I know today because of his teachings.

My love for dogs began at a very young age when my family got one as a pet. I knew then how great dogs are. I didn’t know that they could do so much!

Precious with EWT Conservation K9 Bekah

I love working with dogs because they are always eager to go out and work. With them, there is no politics, social roles, or discrimination. I am just their beloved handler and trainer. I also love how they are not biased or easily swayed by external forces. Their job is to help their handler find what they are looking for, and they will not stop until they find it. And when they do, they will not leave it until the handler arrives. They have taught me to be honest and dedicated in my work.

Although I am mostly surrounded by men in my line of work, I have been fortunate to know and learn from strong women who have shaped my life and career. They have empowered me and improved my resilience both socially and economically. These are some of them:

My mother: That woman is my hero, my pillar and strength, even now in her absence. She played a huge role and did a great job as a single parent. I really love how she raised me and my siblings. I am where I am today because of her.

Theresa Sowry: The CEO of the Southern African Wildlife College. I love how involved she is on every level. You can tell she is passionate about conservation from her interaction with all students and the team at the college.

Shadi Henrico: Shadi is the Conservation Canine Project Coordinator at the Endangered Wildlife Trust. She assisted me in qualifying as a Dog Handler and trained Ruger – the dog I work with at the reserve. She also shared with me this great life I get to live now because of her willingness to help me whenever I reach out to her.

Anitjie Mkhansi: She is also a Conservation Canine handler at another private reserve. I always go to her when I face work-related challenges, and she is always keen to sit down with me and come up with solutions. Navigating work and inspiring each other as young women of the same age and in the same field makes everything easier.

Having come across all these amazing women, and in celebration of women’s month in South Africa, I encourage other women and young girls to pursue careers in conservation and dog handling because why not?

I personally believe that, as women, we can do anything we put our minds to. We are all human, after all.

With all that being said, I hope we find ways to continue liberating women from cycles of poverty and assigned social roles and giving them the resources to improve their social and economic opportunities.

We will play out of this with my favourite song – Master KG’s I am a superstar.

Keep your eyes on the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Wild Diaries for my and Ruger’s tracking adventures.

Ruger has been sponsored by IUCN Save Our Species and co-funded by the European Union and Bekah by Global Conservation Force

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