“FLYING OUR RHINOS TO SAFETY” FYI from Independent newspapers (RSA): Time is running out. “There is a battle for African wildlife going on right now and it involves three key species that will make or break the future of all wildlife on this continent,” say the wildlife film-makers, who have photographed, researched and explored Africa for more than 30 years. Consider that elephants are being killed at a rate of five an hour; lions at five a day and rhinos at a rate of one every seven hours. “All three are connected and if we want to preserve large African landscapes we now need to focus on securing the large iconic species. By doing that, a whole lot of things fall into place that eventually trickle down to benefits to all species, and by default we protect pangolins and other critical and endangered species.” In January, the Jouberts will airlift 100 rhinos from South Africa, releasing them in their new home in Botswana – the safest country in Africa for rhino. There, they will be tracked by an anti-poaching team using the latest technology… Botswana has one of the lowest poaching rates in Africa – largely because of the country’s shoot-to-kill policy. The last remaining wetland wilderness on the continent, the Okavango Delta is inaccessible to poachers and “we know they’re going to have a high chance of survival and breeding”. Botswana will not only be a modern-day Noah’s Ark for “rhino genes” but a safe haven for South Africa’s rhino. Through their Great Plains Conservation, and in partnership with the tourism venture, and Beyond, they plan to airlift the remainder over the next 18 months. “The flight itself (to Botswana) is a few hours. Driving would be much longer,” says Joubert. Their mission is urgent. So far this year poachers have slaughtered more than 900 rhino. “We have already lost 100 more rhinos than this time last year,” he says. “That is our entire quota for the Rhinos Without Borders project. Scientists are projecting extinctions of wild rhinos in five years, and the numbers show they may be right. An Africa without rhinos will be a substantially different and lesser place.” Botswana may boast the lowest poaching rates in Africa, however, “unless we stop the trade in ivory and rhino horn and lion bones, poaching all over Africa will increase to a potential point of catastrophic collapse, which is why we need to come up with policies that may seem extreme and unnecessary now, to future-proof against that date. “Botswana is simply one of the places with good leadership, great political will and resources to keep ahead of it.” Full article @ iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/flying-our-rhinos-to-safety-1.1773697#.VFYkcxbUjSg
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 13:23:18 +0000