BEGGING FOR BUNNIES
Esther Matthew, Drylands Conservation Programme Specialist Field Officer, estherm@ewt.org.za . With Easter coming up, we know you will be on the hunt for the Easter bunny, and if you see him or anyone resembling him, we want proof! The EWT’s Drylands Conservation Programme is trying to gather more information on all the South African lagomorph species (that’s rabbits and hares!). We are specifically looking at their distributions within the Northern, Western, and Eastern Cape provinces and the potential overlap of different species’ distributions in these areas. Have you seen one of our furry friends? We are looking for photos that you have taken or any camera trap images of rabbits and hares in South Africa. Become a citizen scientist by contributing your images to the study of rabbits and hares in the country. We will happily accept any images, with or without species identification, as long as it is submitted with a location, preferably a GPS point.
In the process, of course, we hope to get a few photos of our elusive Riverine Rabbits in areas where we don’t have recent records. Riverine Rabbits are Critically Endangered and very difficult to find, and we encourage the public to assist us in gathering more information on the distribution of this mysterious species. However, please note, we do not, under any circumstances, encourage the handling or capturing of any wild rabbit or hares. Please send all of your bunny photos and locations to estherm@ewt.org.za. The locations you submit will not be made available to the public to prevent poaching, but the locations will add value to datasets for research and the conservation of the species. We will use the images to identify the species and contribute to updating the distribution maps!This initiative is sponsored by The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and Rand Merchant Bank.
SCIENCE SNIPPETS: SUCCESSFULLY REARING ORPHANED CHEETAH IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT
Adaptation from the article: Warmenhove C, Canning G, Davidson-Phillips S, van der Merwe V, Burger A, Davidson-Phillips P, Naude VN. 2020. Successful in situ supplementary feeding leads to the independence of orphaned cheetah cubs. Conservation Science and Practice. e353: 1-3. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.353
This paper provides evidence that orphaned Cheetah cubs can successfully, under certain conditions, be left in the wild with supplementary feeding from at least 7.5 months of age, and they will learn how to hunt and otherwise fend for themselves. The decision to take this approach was influenced by the low densities of other large carnivores, including Lion, Leopard, and Spotted Hyaena, and reduced predator visibility due to the terrain. While these species are present on Welgevonden Game Reserve, the low risk of interspecies competition was considered acceptable. This study reveals a credible alternative strategy for supporting orphaned cheetah in their natural habitat instead of removing them and placing them in captive facilities.
SNAPSHOTS FROM THE ROAD
Siboniso Thela is researching rail mortalities and animal avoidance/behaviour adjacent to the railway in Balule. Here are some of the images that he has found of wildlife crossing the railway line safely using the culverts under the line. This project is supervised by Dr Lourens Swanepoel (UNIVEN) and co-supervised by Dr Mansiha Bhardwaj (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden), Dr Gabi Teren, Paul Allin (Transfrontier Africa-Balule), and Wendy Collinson from the EWT’s Wildlife and Transport Programme.
I WOULDN’T TRADE YOU FOR THE WORLD
Dr Andrew Taylor, EWT’s Wildlife in Trade Programme Manager, andrewt@ewt.org.za and Ashleigh Dore, Wildlife and Law Project Manager, ashleighd@ewt.org.za On 20 February, the EWT celebrated World Pangolin Day. There are eight species of pangolins worldwide, and all are threatened with extinction and listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The biggest threat to pangolins is illegal trade – they are the most traded mammal globally, highly prized for their scales, which are used in traditional medicine practices across Africa and Asia. Pangolins are also a source of food, as bushmeat in Africa and as a delicacy in parts of Asia. Although pangolins are shy and hard to find, they are easy to catch once discovered, making them particularly vulnerable to poachers. Add to this the fact that pangolins are uncommon, do not often survive in captivity, and have a slow reproductive rate, and we have a recipe for extinction.
The pangolin species that occurs in South Africa, Temminck’s Ground Pangolin, is currently listed as Vulnerable. We do not know the extent to which Temminck’s Ground Pangolin is trafficked out of South Africa, but there does appear to be an increasing trend in illegal catching and attempting to sell pangolins within the country because of the high prices they fetch. Pangolins and products derived from them are often trafficked around the world in air cargo or shipping containers, and these modes of transport provide an opportunity to intercept pangolin contraband. In collaboration with other conservation partners, the EWT is trying to reduce this illegal trade by placing detection dogs (aka Conservation Canines), trained to detect pangolins and their scales, in strategic sites that traffickers are likely to pass through. But they are not the only ones hot on the trail!
African Giant Pouched Rats have been used to detect landmines and even sniff out tuberculosis. Now APOPO, in partnership with the EWT, is training rats to detect pangolins. This Pangolin Day, we are incredibly excited to showcase this work through a feature film done by Waterbear. Subscribe now to watch how these African Giant Pouched Rats are doing their bit to protect forever, together.This work could not be possible without funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Combating Wildlife Trafficking Strategy and Partnerships Branch, the UK Government through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, and the Wildlife Conservation Network Pangolin Crisis Fund.
This work could not be possible without funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Combating Wildlife Trafficking Strategy and Partnerships Branch, the UK Government through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, and the Wildlife Conservation Network Pangolin Crisis Fund.
A LEGACY FOR LIFE
We were sincerely grateful to receive a moving tribute from a long-time supporter of the EWT, Greg Bond.
“I have been in communication with EWT for at least the past 20 years. This includes email education, updates on projects, donation requests, interesting presentations and their beautiful Vision editions. I have been contributing to their donation requests as they are all for a good cause as well as buying time for the future.
The continual habitat loss, stress on species and extinctions really sadden me. It is uplifting to read about the positive work and successes that EWT does and have achieved. It has been a pleasure to have helped some projects in the form of small contributions.
In this light, I have decided to leave a considerable portion of my estate to EWT, which is mentioned in my latest will.
I sincerely hope that more of your supporters do the same to help preserve and protect the environment for future generations.
Best regards, Greg.
If you too yearn for a better future for your children, leave a Legacy for Life by remembering the EWT in your will, and help us secure the health of our planet and its wildlife beyond your lifetime.
All bequests made to the EWT create legacies for life that are immeasurable and remembered through the survival of our endangered species and spaces.
