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.
THE TABLE MOUNTAIN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS PROJECT – ONE YEAR ON
Joshua Weeber, Table Mountain Project Intern. EWT Threatened Amphibian Programme
joshuaw@ewt.org.za
The Table Mountain Freshwater Ecosystems Project has had an exciting first year, setting a strong foundation of data collection and crucial partnerships that will allow the project to continue to evolve in 2020. It has been a year filled with new discoveries, long but exciting days in the field, slightly longer days in the office and many meetings, presentations and interesting discussions in between.
While the majority of the work has centred around the iconic and Critically Endangered Table Mountain Ghost Frog, there has also been considerable work done on the threatened freshwater ecosystem that supports this species (and many others). The project began with a flurry of activity in January 2019, a race against the onset of the Cape Town winter to install permanent temperature loggers in nine streams, design and implement detailed habitat assessments, and identify key sites to monitor Table Mountain Ghost Frog tadpole occupancy, movement and habitat preference. All before the winter storms arrived to transform these tranquil headwater streams into gushing, unpredictable torrents. For the tadpoles, this dynamic seasonal change is something they are perfectly suited to deal with, utilising their elongate sucker mouths to anchor beneath boulders and cobbles during periods of strong flow. The project is beginning to reveal just how crucial this sub-cobble habitat is for these sensitive amphibians; areas of the stream that are impacted by sediments and silt or choked by invasive Australian Blackwood rarely hold ghost frog tadpoles. In contrast, pools and riffles with deep cobbled sections, uneroded banks and indigenous riparian vegetation hold a surprising abundance of these unique animals.
Unfortunately, many of the threats evident within this freshwater ecosystem directly impact tadpole habitat. Manipulation of flow from dams and weirs, invasive vegetation and erosion as a result of path use negatively affect stream health, changing the habitat structure of these sensitive streams. Detailed surveys over the last year have produced maps that identify the location and extent of each threat and together with extensive occupancy and habitat data are enabling the team, for the first time, to quantify the impacts of these threats to ghost frog habitat. This is a crucial step towards identifying and implementing conservation interventions and feeding this into park management decisions. The first year of the project was brought to an end with a stakeholder workshop to discuss the Table Mountain Ghost Frog Action Plan, a document that aims to galvanize research, management and awareness efforts together with all project partners to achieve a future with healthy, stable freshwater ecosystems.
A key management intervention – the removal of large clumps of Australian Blackwood in Disa Gorge – is scheduled to begin in April 2020. The team are also developing a ‘Citizen Assist’ follow up plan to provide support to Working on Fire during future clearing follow ups. Discussions are also ongoing with SANParks to address erosion issues in key habitat areas, potentially through the installations of boardwalks.
Given the novel nature of this research (almost nothing is known about the ghost frog’s biology or life history), a number of new and interesting findings have emerged during the first year. It was established that tadpoles have no upper elevation limit, occurring right at the top of the mountain (850 m above sea level) in suitable habitat. Their lower elevation limit appears to be a function of slope with tadpoles disappearing from pools when streams begin to flatten out slightly at around 250 m above sea level. The distribution of the species has also been extended to the southwest by roughly 10% with a citizen observation. This amazing record sparked a search of the kloof and confirmed the presence of ghost frogs in several pools, bringing the total number of streams in which the species occurs to eight!
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
The first ever record of Table Mountain Ghost Frog eggs was made when 47 white-centred eggs were found in a still, shallow pond in late December. The eggs developed into tiny tadpoles just before an out of season storm swept them away. Insights into where these tadpoles spend their time and how long they remain tadpoles for were also made this past year. A pilot Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) study showed that, in one section of a stream, tadpoles did not move between pools over several weeks of monitoring. This method also confirmed the widely accepted view that ghost frog tadpoles take several months to reach metamorphosis – a tagged tadpole was discovered in the same pool 10 months after the initial tagging event. Although the team has not as yet managed to record in situ calls, they have made amazing progress in identifying appropriate adult frog habitat, locating over 20 fully grown Table Mountain Ghost Frogs in the first year. This relatively high detection rate (for such a rare and elusive species) provides exciting new research opportunities such as individual identification through dorsal patterning and insights into adult range size and life span.
2020 has already got off to a frantic start with the summer fieldwork season commencing in February. It will be exciting to assess the presence of tadpoles, location of adult frogs and the integrity of the stream environment in relation to last year’s data. May 2020 prove to be another solid step towards ensuring the survival of this unique frog, and more importantly the freshwater ecosystem it relies upon, into the future.
This work is made possible by the Table Mountain Fund and done in collaboration with SANParks, SANBI, CapeNature, and UCT.
CELEBRATING A WORLD OF WILDLIFE IN THE CITY
Belinda Glenn, EWT Marketing and Communications Manager
BelindaG@ewt.org.za
Late last year, the EWT took the leap and made the move to our forever home in Midrand, in the heart of Giant Bullfrog country. It was only fitting that we would celebrate this exciting new chapter by launching our new home in the build up to Leap Day.
On 26 February 2020, close to 100 donors, partners, members of the media, and other important stakeholders joined us in celebrating the launch of the EWT Gauteng Conservation Campus. The glorious summer day was the perfect backdrop to showcase the six-hectare property, which features a protected wetland and is home to countless species of indigenous flora and fauna. Nestled in the heart of an urban wilderness, the EWT is building a permanent home for conservation on this campus. Yolan Friedmann, EWT CEO, opened the formalities by giving guests some insight into the work of the organisation, and the vision that prompted the journey to our new home in Midrand. While we have only just moved into our new home, and there are still many exciting developments in the pipeline, it was incredible to see how much has already been done to transform the property. Guests were also treated to a few words from Clive Walker, a conservation legend and one of the founders of the EWT, who described the early years of the organisation, and his pride in seeing how far the EWT has come since it began in 1973. Yvette Nowell, from Rand Merchant Bank, one of the key funders of the property, also shared some insight into why the vision of the EWT’s new home was so compelling.
The final formalities included Dirk Ackerman, Chairman of the EWT Board, taking on ribbon cutting duties to ceremonially declare the Gauteng Conservation Campus open, and the unveiling of a young baobab tree, which symbolises the connection between our home in Midrand, and the properties the EWT owns in the Soutpansberg, as well as the longevity of the EWT’s impact and the legacy of the Conservation Campus dream which will outlive us all. Guests were then able to discover the property at their leisure, and spend time at each specially set up EWT programme station, where the work of our field staff was showcased. Liquid refreshments courtesy of Painted Wolf Wines, Rare Gin, and Outliers Coffee were most welcome in the afternoon sunshine, as the guests lingered to enjoy the special atmosphere of this wonderful environment.
The Gauteng Conservation Campus is funded by the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust and Rand Merchant Bank. Several other partners have contributed significantly to making this dream a reality, including Standard Bank, SpeedSpace, Wiggett Architects, Tiletoria, Ryobi, Duram Paints and The Meter Man.
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.
UNRAVELLING THE MYSTERIES OF RIVERINE RABBIT FAMILIES
Esther Matthew, Specialist Conservation Officer, EWT Drylands Conservation Programme, EstherM@ewt.org.za
In another exciting first for conservation, the EWT has captured the first ever photographic evidence of Riverine Rabbit kits (babies) with their mother. This unbelievable image was captured on a camera trap near Loxton, and showed a mother Riverine Rabbit and two kits. This is in line with previous research that has suggested that these elusive rabbits, rather than breeding like the proverbial bunnies, tend to only have one or two kits.
To make this news even more exciting, the area where this image was captured was previously data deficient. This means that no sightings of Riverine Rabbit were previously recorded on this farm. The new discovery takes us one step closer to closing the gaps in our knowledge of the complete distribution range for the species and provides us with more information on their ecology.
The EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme significantly increased its camera trapping activities in 2019, in both the northern and southern populations of Riverine Rabbits. This has led to several exciting developments, such as the confirmation of the new Baviaanskloof population, and a far greater understanding of the species and their use of habitat.
We would like to thank our funders, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) and the Zoologischen Gesellschaft für Arten und Populationsschutz (ZGAP), for providing ongoing support for our innovative endeavours to uncover the secrets of the iconic Riverine Rabbit.
TO THE RESCUE
Ronelle Visagie, Coordinator: Platberg Karoo Raptor Project, EWT Birds of Prey Programme
RonelleV@ewt.org.za
Early on a Friday morning I received a call from Gavin Williams, who works for Vodacom. He was at a mast near De Aar and saw an injured Verreaux’s Eagle under a Sentech mast, but he could not reach the eagle as it was in the camp of the Sentech mast and the gates were locked. I called a contact who works for Sentech and he helped us to reach the injured bird. We discovered that it was the chick from the nest on the mast, and had probably fallen out of the nest and injured its leg.
After spending time with a falconer, who will help this special bird to get fit and train it to hunt, it will be released back into the wild. Well done to Gavin for going out of his way to save this eagle!
