Let’s get tough on rhino poaching and preserve our heritage
R 100 000 will be paid to members of the public who provide information leading to the successful arrest of a suspected rhino poacher and R 1 million per kingpin
Verity and Dean Cherry had an African dream in 1999 and started Nhongo Safaris® to eliminate the logistical challenges of international visitors on safari. We provide a once in a lifetime experience for wildlife enthusiast that demand quality overnight safaris in South Africa and most particularly the Kruger National Park. We want to enrich our visitors’ experience by providing Luxury Safari Packages or African Safari Holidays and maintain our position as leader in Kruger Park Safaris.
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Some of Nhongo Safaris Fleet of Open Safari Vehicles
The photo shows some of our fleet of Open Safari Vehicles used while on safari in the Kruger National and Hwange National Parks. These ve...
Friday, 10 January 2014
Rhino Alive
Send anonymous tip-offs to SMS 32211 or CALL 08600 10111
Let’s get tough on rhino poaching and preserve our heritage
R 100 000 will be paid to members of the public who provide information leading to the successful arrest of a suspected rhino poacher and R 1 million per kingpin
Let’s get tough on rhino poaching and preserve our heritage
R 100 000 will be paid to members of the public who provide information leading to the successful arrest of a suspected rhino poacher and R 1 million per kingpin
Invasive Species Eradication Group
Invasive species introduced through human activity is the single biggest threat to the health of our ecosystems. Invasive species thrive in new areas because of a lack of natural limiting factors, such as species utilising them for food and pathogens causing sickness, which would have been found in their natural environment. Because of this, and if they find th...e new environment conducive, they will out compete the species which occur naturally in that area.
The other animal and insect species which occur in the area are not adapted to this new species. These invasive species will not be utilised as part of the natural system. This is how alien plant species can cause large areas to loose their ecological health and become green deserts.
The control of alien invasive species is a huge challenge and often it is impossible to remove such species from the environment after they have taken hold. In such cases the problem can at best be managed to try and prevent severe impacts.
Problem plants offer the biggest challenge in our National Parks. Plant species such as prickly pear, hakea, lantana, red sesbania, queen of the night, spanish reed, water lettuce and water hyacinth, all have a severe impact on the environment.
Control measures are in place to try and stop the spread of these species. Legislation demands the eradication of certain species and controls the propagation and use of other species. Control programs remove invasives through manual clearing, chemical control and through biological control measures.
The SANParks Honorary Rangers are active supporters of control programs based in our National Parks. Hack parties participate in the physical control of such species. We also support projects by providing funding. Education on this subject is important and we are involved in displays and talks aimed at informing the public on this issue.
The Invasive Species Eradication Group is headed by Grant Coleman - grant@honoraryrangers.org
For more information: http://sanparksvolunteers.org/
The other animal and insect species which occur in the area are not adapted to this new species. These invasive species will not be utilised as part of the natural system. This is how alien plant species can cause large areas to loose their ecological health and become green deserts.
The control of alien invasive species is a huge challenge and often it is impossible to remove such species from the environment after they have taken hold. In such cases the problem can at best be managed to try and prevent severe impacts.
Problem plants offer the biggest challenge in our National Parks. Plant species such as prickly pear, hakea, lantana, red sesbania, queen of the night, spanish reed, water lettuce and water hyacinth, all have a severe impact on the environment.
Control measures are in place to try and stop the spread of these species. Legislation demands the eradication of certain species and controls the propagation and use of other species. Control programs remove invasives through manual clearing, chemical control and through biological control measures.
The SANParks Honorary Rangers are active supporters of control programs based in our National Parks. Hack parties participate in the physical control of such species. We also support projects by providing funding. Education on this subject is important and we are involved in displays and talks aimed at informing the public on this issue.
The Invasive Species Eradication Group is headed by Grant Coleman - grant@honoraryrangers.org
For more information: http://sanparksvolunteers.org/
Thursday, 9 January 2014
Winners Announced For Sasol and Nikon Wetlands Competition
Wetlands are among our most threatened ecosystems. Threats include habitat transformation and degradation through damming, draining, development, mining, pollution, inappropriate burning and grazing, and climate change.
Waterbirds are at the greatest risk from mining. Huge quantities of coal lie below ecologically sensitive wetlands, par...ticularly in Mpumalanga. Thankfully this mind-set is changing and many people are working to rehabilitate and protect our wetlands.
Sasol and BirdLife South Africa ran a competition where participants were encouraged to do their bit for avian conservation. Participants were encouraged to spot one of five threatened wetland species in Mpumalanga or Limpopo to win. Five winners have been announced for their spectacular photographs who will each receive state of the art Nikon Sporter EX 8x42 binoculars worth R2000 each. The competition ran from January to October.
Peter Zietsman, Chairperson for the SANParks Honorary Rangers: West Rand region said, “The SANParks Honorary Rangers of the West Rand Region are delighted with the kind of information that has been supplied. Five winners were chosen not only for the photographs but for the useful information supplied with the photographs. Entries included photographs of the Pel’s Fishing Owl, White-backed Night Heron, African Finfoot, Pygmy Goose and Black Stork.”
According to Dr Hanneline Smit-Robinson, BirdLife South Africa’s Conservation Manager, many water resources are polluted by industrial effluents, domestic and commercial sewage, acid mine drainage, agricultural runoff and litter, which has a direct effect on the well-being of birds.
The information and photographs supplied of the five rarely seen and threatened wetland bird species in Mpumalanga and Limpopo will assist BirdLife South Africa and SANParks Honorary Rangers: West Rand Region to conserve wetland birds.
“Such information will contribute to our understanding of the distribution and numbers of these species. The sightings will be included in the Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 (SABAP2), one of the largest citizen science projects worldwide,” added Smit-Robinson.
Sasol is one of the role players in the conservation of indigenous wildlife, and has partnered with BirdLife South Africa and SANParks Honorary Rangers: West Rand Region to support bird conservation through the SANParks Honorary Ranger birding weekends, which allow birders to contribute to ‘citizen science’ by recording the threatened birds they sight on their game drives.
Sasol also sponsors the annual Sasol Bird Fair, supports the training of BirdLife South Africa’s bird guides, the Sasol Vaal Dam Big Birding Day, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of Prey Vulture Monitoring Programme, and the Mabula Ground-Hornbill Project, amongst others.
Richard Hughes, Sasol’s Sponsorship Manager said, “Sasol is committed to sponsoring a variety of bird-related projects. At Sasol, we aim to foster enthusiasm for the preservation of our country’s birds while creating enthusiasm and preservation of our precious bird resource in South Africa.”
The winners of the competition were Alex Zaloumis from Blyde River for his photo of the African Finfoot, Adam Riley from Pietermaritzburg for the Black Stork, Francois du Plessis from Pretoria for the White-backed Night Heron, Chris and Tim Stockton from Alberton for the White-backed Night Heron and Catherine Rodel from Benoni for the African Pygmy Goose.
For more information: http://
Issued by:
Sasol Communications
Waterbirds are at the greatest risk from mining. Huge quantities of coal lie below ecologically sensitive wetlands, par...ticularly in Mpumalanga. Thankfully this mind-set is changing and many people are working to rehabilitate and protect our wetlands.
Sasol and BirdLife South Africa ran a competition where participants were encouraged to do their bit for avian conservation. Participants were encouraged to spot one of five threatened wetland species in Mpumalanga or Limpopo to win. Five winners have been announced for their spectacular photographs who will each receive state of the art Nikon Sporter EX 8x42 binoculars worth R2000 each. The competition ran from January to October.
Peter Zietsman, Chairperson for the SANParks Honorary Rangers: West Rand region said, “The SANParks Honorary Rangers of the West Rand Region are delighted with the kind of information that has been supplied. Five winners were chosen not only for the photographs but for the useful information supplied with the photographs. Entries included photographs of the Pel’s Fishing Owl, White-backed Night Heron, African Finfoot, Pygmy Goose and Black Stork.”
According to Dr Hanneline Smit-Robinson, BirdLife South Africa’s Conservation Manager, many water resources are polluted by industrial effluents, domestic and commercial sewage, acid mine drainage, agricultural runoff and litter, which has a direct effect on the well-being of birds.
The information and photographs supplied of the five rarely seen and threatened wetland bird species in Mpumalanga and Limpopo will assist BirdLife South Africa and SANParks Honorary Rangers: West Rand Region to conserve wetland birds.
“Such information will contribute to our understanding of the distribution and numbers of these species. The sightings will be included in the Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 (SABAP2), one of the largest citizen science projects worldwide,” added Smit-Robinson.
Sasol is one of the role players in the conservation of indigenous wildlife, and has partnered with BirdLife South Africa and SANParks Honorary Rangers: West Rand Region to support bird conservation through the SANParks Honorary Ranger birding weekends, which allow birders to contribute to ‘citizen science’ by recording the threatened birds they sight on their game drives.
Sasol also sponsors the annual Sasol Bird Fair, supports the training of BirdLife South Africa’s bird guides, the Sasol Vaal Dam Big Birding Day, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of Prey Vulture Monitoring Programme, and the Mabula Ground-Hornbill Project, amongst others.
Richard Hughes, Sasol’s Sponsorship Manager said, “Sasol is committed to sponsoring a variety of bird-related projects. At Sasol, we aim to foster enthusiasm for the preservation of our country’s birds while creating enthusiasm and preservation of our precious bird resource in South Africa.”
The winners of the competition were Alex Zaloumis from Blyde River for his photo of the African Finfoot, Adam Riley from Pietermaritzburg for the Black Stork, Francois du Plessis from Pretoria for the White-backed Night Heron, Chris and Tim Stockton from Alberton for the White-backed Night Heron and Catherine Rodel from Benoni for the African Pygmy Goose.
For more information: http://
Issued by:
Sasol Communications
Wednesday, 8 January 2014
Poachers Update
MEDIA RELEASE
Pollution affects the Olifants River in Kruger National Park
The South African National Parks (SANParks) today announced that there has been spillage of polluted water from a tailings dam at Bosveld Phosphate, a mining operation, into the Selati River near Phalaborwa. The incident was detected by Kruger National Park (KNP) staff, after a tip off by a local fisherman on 30 December 2013, who had witnessed a massive fish kill.
Heavy rains in Phalaborwa over the weekend of 28 to 29 December 2013 contributed to the overflow of the tailings dam. This resulted in highly acidic water being discharged directly into the Selati River just upstream of its confluence with the Olifants River. The Selati River is an important tributary of the Olifants River, arguably the most environmentally stressed major river system in South Africa and an important shared watercourse with Mozambique.
Investigations into the environmental impact of the spillage are continuing and will be made public once they have been concluded. There is also continuous monitoring of the rivers affected to assess their condition.
SANParks took immediate precautions to ensure safe water supply to tourist camps in the park. Currently those camps dependent on water from the Olifants River have been switched onto back-up borehole water, with associated water use restrictions to ensure that the water demand can be met. Water quality is thus unaffected in KNP tourist camps.
The Department of Water Affairs and South African National Parks are cooperating closely on investigations into this incident and are conducting in-depth investigations into the associated environmental impacts. Intensive monitoring of the environmental conditions are on-going to evaluate the scale of the degradation.
Issued by: South African National Parks (SANParks) Kruger National Parks Communications Tel: 013 735 4300/ Cell: 082 908 4328 / Email: lerato.mathole@sanparks.org.
Enquiries: Nigel Adams, Director: Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Department of Water Affairs. Cell: 082 806 5306.
Ike Phaahla, Media Specialist, SANParks. Cell: 083 673 6974; or email: isaac.phaahla@sanparks.org.
Dr Eddie Riddell, Manager: Water Resources, Kruger National Park, SANParks. Cell: 072 337 1274.
Dr Stefanie Freitag-Ronaldson, General Manager: Savanna Research Unit, Scientific Services, SANParks. Cell: 082 908 2678.
The South African National Parks (SANParks) today announced that there has been spillage of polluted water from a tailings dam at Bosveld Phosphate, a mining operation, into the Selati River near Phalaborwa. The incident was detected by Kruger National Park (KNP) staff, after a tip off by a local fisherman on 30 December 2013, who had witnessed a massive fish kill.
Heavy rains in Phalaborwa over the weekend of 28 to 29 December 2013 contributed to the overflow of the tailings dam. This resulted in highly acidic water being discharged directly into the Selati River just upstream of its confluence with the Olifants River. The Selati River is an important tributary of the Olifants River, arguably the most environmentally stressed major river system in South Africa and an important shared watercourse with Mozambique.
Investigations into the environmental impact of the spillage are continuing and will be made public once they have been concluded. There is also continuous monitoring of the rivers affected to assess their condition.
SANParks took immediate precautions to ensure safe water supply to tourist camps in the park. Currently those camps dependent on water from the Olifants River have been switched onto back-up borehole water, with associated water use restrictions to ensure that the water demand can be met. Water quality is thus unaffected in KNP tourist camps.
The Department of Water Affairs and South African National Parks are cooperating closely on investigations into this incident and are conducting in-depth investigations into the associated environmental impacts. Intensive monitoring of the environmental conditions are on-going to evaluate the scale of the degradation.
Issued by: South African National Parks (SANParks) Kruger National Parks Communications Tel: 013 735 4300/ Cell: 082 908 4328 / Email: lerato.mathole@sanparks.org.
Enquiries: Nigel Adams, Director: Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Department of Water Affairs. Cell: 082 806 5306.
Ike Phaahla, Media Specialist, SANParks. Cell: 083 673 6974; or email: isaac.phaahla@sanparks.org.
Dr Eddie Riddell, Manager: Water Resources, Kruger National Park, SANParks. Cell: 072 337 1274.
Dr Stefanie Freitag-Ronaldson, General Manager: Savanna Research Unit, Scientific Services, SANParks. Cell: 082 908 2678.
Rhino Carcasses Found
SANParks can confirm that in the past six days, six (6) carcasses were discovered by rangers on patrol in Nwanetsi and Satara. It is a mix of old and fresh carcasses. Investigations are ongoing and an update will be issued once finalised.
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