Hot-trunk fence for ellies

Crop-raiding elephants are a big problem in many African countries where farmland borders game parks and reserves. Subsistence farming is the way most people get their food, so hungry pachyderms who favour bananas and mealies above even lush grass in the rainfall months are a serious pest.

Unfortunately, both elephants and people pay a heavy price for this. Every year in Zimbabwe nearly 200 people are crushed or gored, and many elephants are killed. Botswana, one of the few African countries to compensate farmers for elephant damage, pays out almost R11 million a year.

Fortunately, a solution has emerged for both elephants and farmers. Dr Ferrel Loki Osborne, a scientist and conservation biologist on the Mid Zambezi Elephant Project based in Harare in Zimbabwe, has invented an elephant repellent that can be made by rural farmers. He got the idea from farmers in North America who grow Chilies, and use an extract, capsicum, to repel bears, deer and skunks.

Experimenting with pepper spray contraption first, Osborne realized this would be dangerous to the operator it the wind changed – and it required getting rather too close to the elephant. He’s now devised a multi-layered defence, starting with a cleared section around the farm to help elephants distinguish between the forest and farmland. Because the shape of most farms is haphazard, it was thought that a cleared path would help elephants distinguish between the farm and their habitat.

A planted row of hot peppers and thorny thickets of sisal come next, because elephants tend to avoid unpalatable or thorny plants, according to Osborne. Then comes the cash crop, generally cotton, as “elephants do not enjoy this plant as much as corn and bananas”. The most desirable crops are planted in the middle of the field, surrounded by flimsy pepper-coated fence made of twine. This is smeared with a mixture of grease and an extremely concentrated extract of Habanero pepper, the hottest variety available.

“You’d see elephants looking with confusion at the tip of their trunks.” Says Osborne. “If they push through the fence, they get it on their sides and try to wipe it off with their trunks. Given elephants’ reliance on smell and taste, it must hurt them much more than it would a person.” The response to this is that elephant’s always move away in search of easier, less painful fare.

As the world demand for chilies in-creases, the new recruit in the war against elephant invaders may soon also become Africa’s hottest new ex-port. Farmers in the Mozambique. Zambia and Zimbabwe region have already started growing chilies as an alternative cash crop to cotton.

No More foreign fishers

In 1977, some 200 vessels were granted annual fishing permits for South African waters. More recently, this was reduced to 55 permits for Japanese and 12 for Taiwanese vessels. The bilateral agreement with Taiwan expires at the end of the year and Moosa has announced that the agreement with Japan will be phased out over a six-month period. During this time only 50 permits will be granted to Japanese ships. In order to be granted a permit, vessels will have to comply with regulations such as carrying an observer from Moosa’s department and being fitted with Inmarsat C (Satellite) vessel monitoring equipment that will report the ship’s position to the department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT).

However, South Africa does stand to lose the annual fees of about R9 million paid by the Japanese And Taiwanese to fish for tuna in the waters, the vessels have also benefited ports and harbors that supplies cold storage, refueling and repairing services. But DEAT doesn’t expect these ports to be effected by the decision because many foreign vessels in the Indian and Atlantic oceans still prefer South African ports. Moosa said: “Allowing foreign fishing fleets access to South African waters undermines the ability of coastal developments to create their own fisheries.

There are a number of South Africans who have the ability and knowledge to exploit this valuable resource on a sustainable basis.”

Bells toll for the dugong

Living quickly as they do off the coast of Mozambique, dugongs have always been unaware of the human trouble coming in with the tide.

Mozambique’s Two Mile Reef in the Bazaruto Archipelago has been a protected marine park since 1998. However, in a country as poor as Mozambique, money can turn the tide. Since Chinese fishermen moved to Mozambican waters to fish for sharks, a Chinese delicacy, dugongs are often caught in fixed mesh nets scouring the ocean.

South African dugong expert Paul Dutton, who worked for the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the South African Nature Foundation in Bazaruto for five years, estimated that there are n mere 40 dugongs left. This is far lower than the estimated of 110 dugongs recorded by the World Wildlife Found For Nature (WWF) in 1990. “Sadly, these optimistic reports make it difficult to find support and improve management,” said Dutton.

The demise of the dugongs has not been brought about through hunting though. According to Dutton, “they get entangled in nets licensed by fishing authorities and, if caught, for instance by port captain in Vilankulo, they are eaten.” Dutton tells of a time this particular port captain tried to serve a dugong to President Chissano at a luncheon in

Inhassoro. “Fortunately, I managed to forewarn the president, and he was able to berate the captain.

Dugongs do have one ally thought: tourists. Since the end of the civil war, Mozambique has realized the economic importance of tourism, and the entire archipelago has been declared a national park by Chissano. His government has also realized the importance of total ban on gill nets, and the need for ecotourism.

“If some of the tourist income in this area could be used to promote the dugong as a flagship species, perhaps they can be spared extinction,” said Dutton.

What is a bottlenose a rare tropical whale?

Professor Vic Cockcroft of the Centre for Dolphin Studies in Plettenberg Bay has identified a 4,5-metre beach marine mammal, found at Keurbooms beach near Plettenberg Bay, as a rare tropical bottlenose whale, also known as a Longman’s beaked whale. This is only the third animal of this kind ever found.

Professor Cockcroft, who mistakenly identified the first two finds as southern bottlenose dolphins, sent tissue samples to Tasmania for DNA analysis as the material is not yet available in South Africa.

An autopsy to determine the cause of the death and to obtain more information about the whale and its lifestyle confirmed that the animal had died of a parasitic infestation. Johnny Gibson of the Centre for Dolphin Studies said: “All its major organs where infested and unfortunately the stomach was empty for bile. Its main food source could not be determined.”

“The first two finds, in Natal and Tsitsikamma, were the first proof that this animal even existed. Before 1999, only three skulls had been found, so there was no conclusive proof that what we had was a beaked whale.”

“These three whale finds, and the three skulls found in Kenya, Tasmania and Somalia seem to sugest the animal favours the southern hemisphere and the Indian Ocean,” said Gibson. “Most beaked whales are squid eaters, so these animals also probably feed on squid. However, as this is such a rare species, nothing can be said for certain.”

Central Karoo

Journey to a place where more than 300-million years of history is recorded in stone. A place where the sound of pre-historic men and beasts is almost audible in the vast silence. Where mythology and magic co-exist in the legends and tales of an ancient people.

This is the Great Karoo. A place of pioneers and prophets. A place where winding passes stretch forever up the faces of majestic mountain ranges whose peaks pierce the perfectly blue skies in search of life-giving rain. Here the scars of millennia-old glaciers are etched into the now beautifully arid landscapes, and twisted rock formations tell tales of the movement of thousands of meters of ice across the planes as continent separated.

Be transported back in time to the larges San rock art site in the Karoo with its fascinating recollections of more than 30 000 years of history of the San and Khoi Khoi people who once called this religion home.

Lose yourself in the wide open spaces, or reveal in the simplicity of life in the many villages and small towns scattered throughout the area. Rediscover the colonial part of South Africa’s past at the uniquely British settlement of Matjiesfontien, with its London bus parked beneath the Union Jacks that adorn the entrance to the English country hotel.

Liberate your soul with a stay on a Karoo farm, and watch sheep graze lazily in the midday sun or cool off in the water reservoir fed by a squeaking windmill. Relive the life of one of South Africa’s greatest sons with n visit to the boyhood home of heart transplant pioneer Dr Chris Barnard and marvel at how far medicine has come with a tour of replica of the operating theater in which the first ever human heart transplant was performed.

Reconnect with an undiscovered world of scenic beauty and wonderful people. Surround yourself with open spaces, stretch out your arms, close your eyes, and feel the warmth of the Great Karoo wash over you.

Western Cape… Springboard into Africa

Although the allure of the Western Cape has the power to keep even the most time-constrained traveler enthralled for many weeks, some may wish to squeeze in a visit to an adjacent region or neighboring country. For this, the Western Cape Provides an ideal and convenient springboard, and, once you’re bid a warm (albeit sad!) farewell, you’re sped efficiently on your way to any one of several exciting destinations, via the transport mode that suites both your budget and traveling style. Be it few hours by aero plane or roughing it by overland safari.

Because our Africa surrounds provide similarly unforgettable travel experience, Routes Unlimited has compiled valuable travel information on how to reach your new destination, quickly and easily.

Overberg

To experience the Overberg is to reawaken to the joy of life. Small wonder, then, that this is the place to which Southern Right whales travel when it’s time to welcome their young into the world. Join in the celebration and follow the whale carrier to where you will be captivated by the sight of a mother showing off her new calf, so close to the shore that you feel as if you could almost reach out and touch them.

Or get even closer to nature’s awesome splendour by joining the majestic Great White sharks in their natural habitat as you drop below the surface of the clear blue ocean in a diving cage.

Taste nature’s goodness with a fresh-picked apple in the heart of the Cape’s apple country, or discover a world of traditional foods and preserves in one of the many roadside farm stalls. Here, the fantastic tastes and aromas of farm-cooked meals and treats are perfectly complemented by the hospitality and friendliness of the people of this beautiful region.

Release your stress and tension as you lie back in the healing, iron-rich waters of the Caledon hot springs. Flirt with lady luck at the Casino or explore the history and culture of this welcoming region at one of the many quaint towns, many of which boast traditional Cape Dutch architecture and all of which will lift your spirits with their peaceful and friendly approach to life.

Be mesmerized by the grace and beauty of the majestic blue cranes that flock to the farmlands in this area. Or stand at the foot of the African continent, where two oceans meet and the pure white beaches stretch on forever, interrupted only by the occasional lone fisherman patiently awaiting the day’s catch.

The Overberg is a place where wholesome enjoyment meets exceptional beauty. Where the people welcome you with open arms and the places have a way of creeping into your heart so that you never want to leave.