COMING UP TOPS
Top Trumps has teamed up with the EWT to produce a bespoke pack of Top Trumps to help bring awareness to some of our most endangered wildlife.
Top Trumps packs have been in existence since the late 1970s and were reintroduced to South Africa in 2015. The EWT pack was launched in December 2019 and was the number one selling pack at major toy retailers that month, beating the likes of titles such as Frozen 2, Toy Story, and the Lion King. For every sale, the EWT is paid a royalty.
To order yours, or find your nearest retailer, visit www.epicgames.co.za. If you would like to stock these cards, please contact David Sommer.
FARMERS FOR VULTURES
Dr Gareth Tate, Manager, EWT Birds of Prey Programme
GarethT@ewt.org.za
Many of us view the Karoo as one of the last conservation frontiers of South Africa. Vast, wild landscapes that boast rugged mountain ranges, dry riverbeds and wide-open spaces that have stood relatively undisturbed and untransformed for centuries. It is also home to an extraordinary array of large birds of prey, including Verreaux’s Eagles, Martial Eagles as well as White-backed and Cape Vultures. In many areas however, vultures have disappeared from large tracts of the Karoo landscape. Although a variety of threats occur across the Karoo, vultures’ most pertinent threat is indirect poisoning, whereby they become the unintended victims of poisons left out to exterminate predators that may feed on livestock. It is here, within South Africa’s arid heart, that the EWT’s Birds of Prey Programme has been incubating and hatching a conservation initiative to make the Great Karoo a safer place for these birds, and other wildlife, to live and thrive. At the project’s core, are the Karoo farmers themselves. A new wave of farmers that are driven to correct the mistakes of their forefathers. The farmers have teamed up with the EWT, as well as SANParks, the Mountain Zebra Camdeboo Protected Environment (MZCPE) and the SANParks Honorary Rangers, to create a Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) in the Great Karoo. The Karoo VSZ spans across approximately 23,000 square kilometres in and around three major protected areas: namely the Karoo, Camdeboo and Mountain Zebra National Parks as well as the MZCPE. Over ninety percent of this area is privately owned. We have a unique opportunity to work with landowners to achieve the project’s long-term goal, which is to encourage Cape Vultures back to their historical ranges throughout the Great Karoo, and ultimately recover this population through the establishment of a VSZ that connects key protected areas. Importantly, Cape Vultures function as flagships for the conservation of many other species, and by removing their key threats, we also benefit other wildlife within our Vulture Safe Zone. During the first phase, the project team will conduct an assessment of current threats in cooperation with over 400 farmers, game breeders and private reserves in the area. Working actively with committed landowners, the threats will be addressed in the second phase. The Karoo VSZ Initiative can be regarded as one of the largest conservation initiatives with farmers partnering with conservation organisations like the EWT, SANParks, SANParks Honorary Rangers, and the MZCPE.
This work is made possible by Rupert Nature Foundation, Rand Merchant Bank, Puy du Fou, Charl van der Merwe Trust, and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
AN ARTFUL APPROACH TO CONSERVATION
Grant Beverley, Lowveld Regional Coordinator, EWT Carnivore Conservation Programme
grantb@ewt.org.za
Rowan Ferreira and Hoedspruit SPAR have partnered with the Endangered Wildlife Trust to raise funds and increase awareness around the conservation of endangered species. Wild Dogs are currently the second most endangered canid in Africa, after the Ethiopian Wolf, and the most endangered carnivore in South Africa. Their behaviour is rather unique among canid species. They form incredibly strong social bonds with one another and are highly intelligent animals. Operating as a single unit, Wild Dog packs are some of the most successful predators in the world, but they need our help. Hoedspruit SPAR has encouraged customers to add R1,00 to their shopping to raise much needed funds towards the collaring of Wild Dogs in the Greater Hoedspruit area.
Hoedspruit SPAR has also launched a colouring competition for kids, where they stand the chance to win a fluffy toy and a SPAR voucher. Kulani Nyakane from the EWT recently visited Mgidi Primary School to launch the project. One hundred and ten learners from Mgidi made their voices heard through animal art, and winners were judged on the best solution to fight poaching as well as their creativity. Congratulations boys and girls!
“Rhinos are special and need to be protected in order to ensure that future generations may have the privilege to see rhinos in the wild. I think there should be programmes that teach us about the importance of rhinos because the more we understand the better equipped we are to protect them.” Mnisi Mvuselelo, age 12 (grade 6)
More schools are signing up to take part, and if you would like your school to participate, please get in touch.
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
Annie Dupre-Reynolds, Manager, EWT Wildlife in Trade Programme
AnnieD@ewt.org.za
The EWT Conservation Canines are sniffing and tracking their way into a busy 2020! From screening vehicles for wildlife products, to tracking in game reserves, to anti-poaching initiatives, our canines support the conservation sector in well-structured security plans.
This January, Annie DuPre-Reynolds, the new Wildlife in Trade Programme Manager, got a chance to visit some of our canines in the field. Her first stop was to see Conservation Canine Annie (see photo). Annie (a Belgian Malinois) works in the lowveld where she is an integral part of an anti-poaching unit. One of our other canines, Fury, does detection work in KZN with his handler, Shay. Since their deployment in early January, Shay and Fury have screened over 375 vehicles.
We have big plans for our Conservation Canines. Our beautiful new kennels are up and running at the new EWT Conservation Campus in Midrand. We train our canines on-site and our detection dogs can identify key wildlife products, including rhino horn, elephant ivory, and pangolin scales, among others. Our Conservation Canines Hitsch and Pirate (in training), can also identify arms and ammunition. Our Conservation Canines are strategically placed across South Africa’s private, provincial and national parks, where they can have the most impact on anti-poaching and anti-smuggling operations.
This work is made possible by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tourvest, Royal Canin, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Relate Trust and Platinum Life.
CONSERVATION GETS ITS AHA MOMENT IN 2020!
Belinda Glenn, EWT Marketing and Communications Manager
belindag@ewt.org.za
The EWT and aha Hotels and Lodges have kick-started 2020 with an exciting new venture that will boost the important work being done by the EWT to save wildlife, habitats and people around Africa.
Both the EWT and aha Hotels and Lodges (aha), a division of Tourvest Holdings, share a passion for the African wilderness and our unique natural heritage, and borne out of this shared value is a new collaboration that will raise much needed funding to support conservation and community projects across Africa.
Both organisations are driven by conservation and strongly believe in the power of the tourism sector to play an instrumental role in conserving African wildlife to the benefit of all. The overlap in the organisations’ operational areas, as well as their strategic focus on flagship species and their habitats, further makes this partnership a natural fit.
Constant Hoogstad, EWT Senior Manager: Industry Partnerships, says, “We have always known that there is a strong link between conservation and tourism. People come from all over the world to Africa, to see some of the most iconic species and habitats on the planet. The EWT has a strong focus on working with communities in areas that are home to some of our most threatened species. And stimulating local economies, particularly through the jobs that tourism operations create, which are extremely valuable to the economy.”
Graeme Edmond, CEO of aha Hotels & Lodges, added, “Conservation is the thread that binds so many of our properties together, and contributing to the protection of our ecosystem is a responsibility we can’t ignore. In getting involved, there’s also an opportunity for us to give local communities a lift. The EWT does amazing work all over the continent. We’re grateful that we are able to boost their noble efforts and honoured to be in such good company. We hope that this collaboration will make a lasting impact on the landscape and wildlife that is so important to us, and leave a lasting impression for generations to come.”
The partnership began in February 2020 and will run for an initial period of five years. During this time, aha will contribute a monthly percentage of their turnover towards projects and activities undertaken by the EWT, and strategically identified by both partners, which will benefit from a sustainable income stream. Said Yolan Friedmann, EWT CEO, “the EWT has a robust monitoring framework for all projects to measure their impact and we expect significant conservation benefit to stem from this exciting partnership. Our relationship with aha thus far has been positive and rewarding and we have already seen some of our most threatened carnivores benefit from their successful tourism services and we are eager to see how many other species will soon benefit from their input.”
At a time when conservation needs strong and committed partners, aha has stepped up and given the EWT much needed support to ensure that we keep protecting forever, together.
BALWIN GIVES BACK
Tammy Baker, EWT Business Development Officer
TammyB@ewt.org.za
Thank you to Balwin Properties for nominating the EWT as a beneficiary at their 2019 Balwin Charity Hat Walk. We commend them for doing end of year staff functions differently – instead of another year-end party, staff and suppliers donate to and attend a charity walk at the end of every year and raise funds for charity. This is the second year that we have been beneficiaries of this exciting day out, and we were thrilled to accept a cheque for R100,000.
