Our ancestors probably went out of Africa as early as 130,000 years ago, new research has proved. The researchers have also found these anatomically modern humans spread from Africa to Asia and Europe in several migratory movements.
Early humans left Africa earlier than thought
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New steps in conservation mountain gorilla
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The three countries home to mountain gorillas have agreed on new measures to conserve the critically endangered animals. They also made decisions to maximize the economic benefits these great apes bring to local communities.
Bushmen Botswana can’t hunt, tourists can
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Botswana banned hunting for Bushmen, but not for wealthy tourists. Even if the San people, as their official name is, feed their families with it, they are not permitted to hunt anymore. Without it they are at risk of starvation and part of their culture is lost.
Largest elephant census on its way
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Elephants Without Borders will lead the Great Elephant Census, the largest pan-Africa aerial survey that will generate data critical to the species’ survival. Responding to the highest rate of elephant mortality in history, investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen is advancing a major elephant conservation initiative in Africa to provide new information.
Kabok is built on rhino poaching
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Kabok is a ‘rhino town’. The hidden village on the western border of Mozambique is one of the strongholds for rhino poachers. They earn hundreds of thousands euro’s with the trade in horns of killed rhino’s in South Africa. They are almost untouchable. Nor the army, nor the police can arrest the gang leaders.
Addo Elephant Park
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The Addo Elephant National Park was proclaimed in 1931 to save the Eastern Cape Elephant and Cape Buffalo from extinction. From only 16 elephants, the park is now home to over 550, and offers an unbeatable opportunity to view these animals in their natural habitat.
The park is also home to the Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.
Stretching from the semi-arid karoo area in the north around Darlington Dam, over the rugged Zuurberg Mountains, through the Sundays River valley and south to the coast between Sundays River mouth and Bushman’s river mouth, Addo covers about 180 000 hectares (444 700 acres) and includes the Bird and St Croix Island groups.The Addo bush also offers sanctuary to a large variety of birds (185 species) and is situated 72km north of Port Elizabeth near the Zuurberg Mountain Range and offers guided or self-drive options and accommodation.
The park plans include the proposed proclamation of a 120 000 ha (296 500 acre) marine reserve that includes islands that are home to the world’s largest breeding populations of Cape gannets and the second largest breeding population of African penguins.
The park contributes to the conservation of the endangered black rhino with over 48 of these animals occurring here. The over 400 Cape buffalo are now being seen more often during the day due to the influence of lion reintroduction. This is one of the largest disease-free herds in South Africa.
Six lions were introduced into the park in late 2003 and have adapted well to their new environment. Lions are most often seen in the early morning or on sunset and night drives. Spotted hyenas were also reintroduced in 2003, fulfilling the same role as lions in restoring the natural balance to the ecosystems in the park by controlling the numbers of herbivores. Leopard are very seldom seen, being shy and secretive animals, but do occur in most areas of the expanded park.
Antelope species abundant in the main game area of the park include red hartebeest, eland, kudu and bushbuck. The Burchell’s zebra, many with the pale rumps reminiscent of the extinct qwagga, occur in the park. Warthogs are abundant.
The rare flightless dung beetle is king of the road in Addo, with signs warning visitor that this recycling machine has right of way. The beetles are only seen when conditions are not too hot and not too cold and play an important role in recycling nutrients and helping the growth of thicket vegetation.
Addo Elephant National Park seeks to be fully integrated into the regional landscape, conserves and enhances the characteristic terrestrial and marine biodiversity, ecological processes and cultural, historical and scenic resources representative of the Eastern Cape region for the appreciation, and benefit of present and future generations.Read more:
http://www.portelizabeth.co/activities/places-of-interest/addo-elephant-national-park/
http://www.sanparks.org/parks/addo/
Black rhino’s killed in Malawi
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Wire snares and traps set by poachers have killed three endangerd black rhinos, they were re-introduced twenty years ago after this specie was declared extinct in Malawi.
The collapse of an electric solar-powered perimeter fence around a 14sq km sanctuary has created a loophole inside Liwonde National Park in the southern region. The lack of a fence allowed poachers to enter the sanctuary.
The black rhinos were reintroduced from South Africa’s Kruger National Park through the Care for the Rare wildlife species program.
Care for the Rare was an idea hatched following Malawi’s Black Rhino extinction after two of the last remaining animals were wiped out by armed poachers in Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve in 1991.
In an obituary statement following the loss of the three rhinos, Bentley Palmer, a lead member of the rhino monitoring team said the dead female together with the dead male were the original two rhinos brought back into Liwonde as part of Malawi’s Black Rhino re-introduction program. They arrived in 1993 from Kruger National Park. The first half of the twentieth century there were about 800.000 black rhino’s. Now there are less than 5000 of them alive in Southern Africa due to relentless hunting and poaching for fun and the horn.
Read more:
http://ens-newswire.com/2013/12/23/poachers-kill-three-of-malawis-rare-black-rhinos/
The life of Nelson Mandela
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Nelson Mandela struggled for freedom throughout his life. He took up arms in the Apartheid era, but united South Africa in peace after he got out of prison. ‘Madiba’ became an example and inspired people all over the world. Take a look at the life of Nelson Mandela, who made that world a better place.
Tanzania’s onontdekte schoonheid
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Iedere reiziger heeft wel eens gehoord van de Serengeti, de Kilimanjaro en de Ngorongoro krater. Prachtige gebieden in Tanzania met veel hotels en lodges, waar dan ook de meeste reizigers naartoe gaan. Maar er zijn andere accommodaties op plekken die meer de puurheid van het onbedorven Afrika in zich hebben. Charmante verblijfplaatsen, waar je onvergetelijke herinneringen kunt creëren.
Positive development children’s diseases Africa
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Children in sub-Saharan Africa are now less likely to die from diarrhea and pneumonia, but these illnesses are still the most common causes of childhood death and sickness in most African countries, according to a new report from The World Bank.
