​The lion farmers have employed a public relations firm to counter adverse publicity about canned lion hunting.  ‘Painting lipstick on a pig’ is the colloquial term for it.

The tactic decided upon was to convince the public that SA lion farmers are conservationists and animal lovers, and they looked for opportunities to convey that message.

SA has experienced severe drought in some parts of the country, and Leeuwspruit Nature Conservancy was hit, with animals including Rhino needing supplementary feeding.

Allison Fitzgerald is the organizer and feed coordinator for the Marloth Wildlife Fund, a volunteer-only NPO which campaigns and raises funds to buy food for wildlife at Marloth’s Leeuspruit nature conservancy near Kruger National Park. She received a phone call from a farmer who said his driver was en-route to Marloth with a bakkie load of feed for the rhino. “At no time did anyone identify themselves as representatives of SAPA or any predator association” Fitzgerald said.

After the feed had been delivered, and the bakkie had departed, she was later astonished to be notified of the claims on the lion farmers’ SAPA website, alleging its members and the Predators association had saved drought-stricken rhinos at Leeuspruit.

Most bizarre was the photoshopping of the SAPA banners and logos on to the delivery vehicle after the event.  See photo above.
​
Fitzgerald reacted strongly, stating on social media:
“We would like to distance ourselves from reports that we are assisted by SAPA (SA Predator Association) At no time did Ian Otto identify himself as having any connection to them. We were contacted by him to say they were bringing 29 bales donated from a Lucerne farmer who had read the story in the Beeld. The vehicle had no sign or identification of SAPA and we strongly deny the report that they claim to have saved the Rhino. It is nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt” Fitzgerald wrote.

Just a note on the Western Cape Wildlife Forum meeting in Cape Town on Friday 29th July 2016.  It is always well attended by the Cape Nature officials with whom I have to work regarding the Karoo Wildlife Centre.

Although other issues are included in the terms of reference, my overarching concern is always to get the use of gin traps banned, and I always ask that this issue be made number one on the agenda. CN officials and most on the Forum are behind me on this issue, but they say they get voted down at national level by other provinces, whose farmers say: 'give us a feasible alternative first if you value food security.'
There is politics involved too!

One suggestion from a senior CN official at the Forum was to offer incentives; eg for every two awful old gin traps handed in for destruction, one modern 'soft' trap (ie one with hard rubber to grip the leg) would be given in return. And we thought that if we could get sponsorship (Woolworths came to mind since Woolies exec Tom Mclaughlin sits on the Forum) we could also give a raffle ticket as well as the soft trap. At the end of each year, there could be a well publicised draw and the winning ticket would get, say, R50,000. Good publicity for Woolies too as well as raising public awareness.

Only thing is; our colleague at Landmark Foundation, Dr Bool Smuts, hates the 'soft' traps saying they also cause severe damage to the animal, whereas Quinton Martins of Cape Leopard Trust says that they are, at least,  a vast improvement.  I'll talk to Bool again next week and maybe we can take this idea forward, but there is a strong article by Fiona Macleod in the Mail and Guardian supporting Bool's stance.

mg.co.za/article/2008-09-25-try-traps-on-your-own-cojones

Anyway, that is how I spent Friday afternoon.  
Oh and I had a catch-up meeting with Toni Brockhoven of Beauty Without Cruelty afterwards, and drank far too much coffee which gave me a bad nights sleep!

Press release: 24/06/16

Title: Wildlife charity thanks corporate donor with quirky YouTube clip



​Source: SME Pals (http://smepals.com/strategy/how-use-csr-corporate-social-responsibility-marketing-strategy)
 
CACH (Campaign Against Canned Hunting), a wildlife non-profit organization dedicated to stamping out the practice of canned hunting in South Africa and around the world, was delighted when LUSH UK (a handmade cosmetics company), and their Australian counterparts LUSH Australia, offered to completely fund the purchase of an electric work vehicle for CACH’s headquarters (a wildlife rehab center and sanctuary).
 
According to SME Pals (http://smepals.com/strategy/how-use-csr-corporate-social-responsibility-marketing-strategy), Chris Mercer, the co-founder of CACH was so delighted with the generous support offered by Lush that “he decided to thank them in the most unusual way... by naming the vehicle the 'Lushmobile', and by making a YouTube clip to publicly thank Lush.”
 
‘CACH and the Lushmobile’ YouTube clip
 
The quirky, homemade video can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4a5Wpd6Rb0
 
In a heartwarming thank you message, Chris Mercer explains why an electric vehicle (otherwise prohibitively expensive for a non-profit organization that relies entirely on donations for funding) is so important for running an environmentally friendly wildlife rehab center - that simultaneously avoids carbon emissions and reduces stress on sick or injured wildlife.
 
 
About CACH
 
CACH's (http://www.cannedlion.org) main focus is to stamp out the terrible practice of canned lion hunting. The problem is that hunting industry is rich and powerful and not easy to fight. Death threats aren't uncommon in this line of work.
 
They also have a wildlife sanctuary (as their global headquarters, based in the Western Cape, South Africa) where injured and orphaned animals can be rehabbed and released back into the wild (if possible). The co-founders poured every cent they owned into starting the wildlife sanctuary and rely on donations to develop the infrastructure and keep it running.
 
Over the many years they have been fighting this battle they have (quite literally) faced off against the army, been to constitutional court (and various other courts), organized global marches, supported international rescue operations, helped fund other charities and non-profits, and won many awards.
 
The most recent being Gold at the World Responsible Tourism Awards in London for the Best Animal Welfare Initiative (http://www.responsibletravel.com/awards/categories/wildlife-and-habitats.htm).
 
 
Regards,
David
 
About SME Pals
 
SME Pals (http://smepals.com) is a preferred free entrepreneurial resource with many great universities like Duke, Cornell, Boston, Emory, and more, because it offers an innovative and creative approach to generating business ideas; along with guides and advice to turn those ideas into successful startups.
 
David Mercer
Founder
SME Pals
Smart Modern Entrepreneurs
http://smepals.com
​

Carte Blanche ran a strong expose last night on the sordid industry that is captive lion breeding and canned hunting. There are some facts that need to be laid out on the table:-

1. The hunt that was shown was a nine day one in which ten lions were slain. This was organised by Bob Vitro (True Life Taxidermy) who is a New York based agent.

2. Eight CAPTIVE BRED lionesses were released onto the farm “Wilzenau” which is owned by De Klerk Safaris. “Wilzenau” is situated in North West Province – a province that is commonly known as the Wild West due to the widespread corruption in conservation there. These 8 lionesses were all hunted over a period of four days.

3. Two CAPTIVE BRED male lions were released on the fourth day of the hunt and slain on days five and nine. This is totally illegal in terms of the province’s legislation governing release periods for captive bred hunts.

4. Stormberg Elangeni Safaris, a South African hunting outfitter, arranged for five professional hunters (PHs) to attend the slaughter. These PHs – James Quin, Harry Sparks, John Sparks,Paul Inman and David Birch – all knew that they were “hunting” captive bred lions.

5. Further adding to the unethical, immoral and illegal scenario, the American hunters were led to believe that they were hunting wild lion who roamed free in their own territory which they knew very well and thus were able to defend themselves and evade the hunters.

6. The truth? All the lions were CAPTIVE BRED and habituated to humans. They were drugged, completely confused and terrified. They climbed trees, hid in warthog burrows and under thick bush – trying whatever they could to hide from the bullets. Their terror is unimaginable. They were shot down where they hid. They stood absolutely no chance of escape.

Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH) calls upon:-

1. The Professional Hunters Association of South Africa (PHASA) to ban these so-called professional hunters.

2. The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to thoroughly and openly investigate the hunters, outfitter and game farm owners for illegal hunting of lion.
​
This entire industry brings shame to South Africa and the rest of the world cannot understand how it has been allowed to proliferate and continue.
Here is the Carte Blanche link:
http://carteblanche.dstv.com/player/1067054/

CHRIS MERCER & LINDA PARK : DIRECTORS

THE WAY OF NATURE  
 
Kruger Park and the sun rises on another day in the African bush. A story waiting to unfold. A story of hardship, strength, resilience and adaptation.
 
Kruger has been hard hit. Not only by the rhino poaching war but also by a severe drought which has left dams and water holes dry. Rivers are so low in places that you can see the sand at the bottom.
 
Driving along the road the smell of death catches my nose.  I pray it is not a poached rhino but instead a predators dinner. It is neither. A hippo has succumbed to the drought. One of a number that are found over a few days.
 
As sad as these sightings are, they are nevertheless testament to how amazing nature is when left to its own devices.  There were too many hippo in Kruger. The drought came and nature carries out its own cull. Those that survive will be the strongest. And so a new era will begin.
 
Many areas have no grazing left.
Finding some grazers now browsing was fascinating. Again the animals know best. Those that adapt will survive. Those that are unable to adapt will suffer.
 
The scales of nature come down in favour of the predators at this time. Food is plentiful. This is a time for them to also become stronger and for youngsters to thrive.
 
Nature has an innate intelligence. This intelligence, the way of the wilderness if you will, was acknowledged and worked with in days gone by. As the human species became technologically advanced, that knowledge and understanding has largely been lost and in our arrogant way we interfere because we think we know better. In our advance we have become poorer in many ways.
 
A trip to the bush, if you are open to it, allows time for introspection. It gives you the opportunity to connect with that wilderness that is inside all of us. It touches your soul in ways nothing else can. . 

Lush.com helps the Karoo Wildlife Centre to run on sunshine.

4 minute video of the scattering of Bev's ashes at Karoo Wildlife Centre on Saturday 20th May. Thirty friends and family there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJgycDYjfqM_

Bev
I felt lost when we moved from the Kalahari and did not know what to do with myself. As my arms began to heal I realised what a terrible mistake I had made in giving up the work at the KRC. But it was too late to go back and I was now stuck in suburbia where I did not want to be. I do not want to rehash all the reasons why we sold, just to tell you a little of what we have been up to since leaving the KRC and what our thoughts are for the future.

I tried to find animal welfare work around me and seemed to come up against a brick wall every time. The SPCA didn’t need, or have anything for me to do. The Penguin Sanctuary and Monkey sanctuary were both too far away for me to be of any help there. So what was I going to do? 
That year I was kept busy organising special and successful evenings for the donkeys. The next year I raised money for the Rita’s baboons in Limpopo and Francois Hugo’s seals in Cape Town.

With so much time on my hands I used to read a lot about the work done by Sea Shepherd. I loved Paul Watson’s aggressive and no- nonsense attitude and one day I asked Chris if he would mind if I went away for a month and volunteered for Sea Shepherd. (He unkindly claimed that he would be happy to get a rest from me for a month-I’ll get him for that!)   So I applied, was accepted as a volunteer and off I went. Here is that little story:-
The Sea Shepherd ship, named the ‘Steve Irwin’ after the famous Australian TV conservationist, was docked in Melbourne harbour and there the crew of volunteers was working hard to prepare her for her next campaign to stop the illegal whaling by the Japanese in Antarctica.
Volunteer work for Sea Shepherd was brutally hard work. Melbourne was cold and windy, with misty mornings and some rain during the month I was there, making working conditions very uncomfortable.

The crew was made up of young volunteers from all parts of the world. At the age of sixty, I was by far the oldest crew member. By comparison, the ship’s manager, Ben, was only 25 years old. So I was concerned that I might not be able to fit in. But I need not have worried. There was an initiation ceremony. This meant jumping off the high side of this 53-meter-long vessel into the icy cold, dark and dirty water of Melbourne harbour. I decided that, to prove myself to the younger generation, I had to enter into this madness. So off came the shoes and the jumper, and over I went, shouting “make way for granny”. The surprised look on the kids’ faces made it all worthwhile, even though I thought I was about to have a heart attack when I hit that freezing cold water. I swam to the side and got out but couldn’t stop my teeth from chattering. That leap bridged the age gap and from then on I was accepted as a fully initiated crew member.

The dedication of the permanent crew was an inspiration and I really felt that I was in the company of like-minded people. These young activists are not paid, and all their food comes by donation. We ate whatever was donated, so if no one donated, say, fruit for a week, we went without fruit. The onshore volunteers were people living and working in Melbourne who devote their time after work to come and help on the ship. We had carpenters, welders and even those who just came to do a late night watch for us, to give the ship volunteers a chance to get some sleep. The ship did tours, but only over the weekends. Visitors used to bring food with them.

Because this is a working ship it would be difficult to do tours with so much work going on during the week. On the weekends we tidied the ship a little and showed visitors around. We were given one and a half days off a week to go and do what we wanted. Because I am not so fond of cities I spent most of my days-off working on the ship.
Duties started at 9am after breakfast. They included, welding, carpentry, chipping rust, painting, cleaning, and sorting out the tools. Everyday chores included mopping the galley floor, scullery, sweeping and mopping the passage ways, garbage removal, and cleaning the heads (bathrooms).

Everyone had to do these chores at least four times a week over and above the other jobs. So every week we would put our names down on a schedule.

Out of compassion for animals, no animal products were consumed on this ship. Meals were all vegan, and Zin, the young lady who cooked for us, was wonderful. We often came down for lunch or dinner and there would be scones, muffins or chocolate chip cookies. Great treats. I have never tasted such wonderful choc chip cookies and I have never seen cookies disappear so quickly.

Watches were either four or six hour duties. The ship had to have someone on watch 24/7 and these were allocated to the volunteer crew every week.
My favourite watch was 8pm to midnight and the one I did not like was midnight to 4am. I never seemed to be able to sleep before or after that shift.

I was lucky enough to have animal welfare friends in Melbourne, Phil and Trix Wollen of the Winsome Constance Kindness Trust. Phil is a successful merchant banker who donates millions to deserving animal welfare groups all over the world. Kindness House in Melbourne is a multi-storey commercial development funded by the Trust and given free of charge to animal welfare groups. It was a privilege to meet and spend time with such a motivated philanthropist.

He and Trix very kindly took off a day to drive me out to the Healesville Sanctuary, where I saw some interesting and delightful Aussie wildlife. A lovely sanctuary, also run with volunteers, clean and spacious, and the animals looked very contented. I even got to tickle a kangaroo. Of course the Koalas only tucked their heads in deeper to their tummies when I told them that I wanted to take them home with me. I never got to see their little faces.

Melbourne city is very clean and has a great cosmopolitan feeling, with lots of restaurants with their outdoor tables and chairs. For a vegan it is wonderful. No matter where I went in Melbourne, I was able to get soy milk in my coffee or hot chocolate. The supermarkets cater to vegetarians and I could see it would be a pleasure shopping for vegetarian food in Australia.

It has been an incredible experience, truly wonderful to work with such dedicated young people and I am so proud to have been given the opportunity to be a shepherd even if it was for so short a time. May the Steve Irwin and her selfless crew go full steam ahead and help save all the whales now and in the future.

When I returned home I was all inspired by the dedication and upbeat attitude of the volunteers on the ship. I decided to continue with volunteer work. The next volunteer work I was to do was to help out at CROW, the Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife, in Durban. I knew they were always busy and needed help. I flew from George to Durban and spent two weeks there, working hands on with the birds and animals. Very interesting to see how other people run a rehab centre. I learnt a lot, even though my experience was with Kalahari wildlife, whereas most of CROW’s rescues are of garden birds and small mammals.

When I got home I told Chris that I no longer wanted to spend my life in suburbia and that I wondered if he would be interested in selling the house and moving to an area where we could set up another rehab centre. Having learnt a lot from my many mistakes I would do things differently the next time.

As always Chris was open to my suggestion and ready to back me once again and we put the house on the market. We spent a little time travelling around the Baviaanskloof looking around to see if we would be able to afford to buy a farm there once we sold our house. This is a wilderness area of outstanding natural beauty. See www.baviaanskloof.net   

What was great about the many trips up to the Baviaans was that I met a lot of the local people and went in to meet the practicing vets. The next thing I knew I was getting calls from the vets to fetch raptors that had come into their surgery. I rehabbed a jackal buzzard and two steppe buzzards which was so rewarding especially seeing them released and again seen many months later. I coloured the tip of the tail feathers with mercurochrome so that we could recognise them.

So to close off, we were fortunate enough to sell our house in these tough economic times, and buy a little piece of wilderness (175 ha) in the Klein Karoo near Ladismith, where we can rescue and help the wildlife in that area. I specifically want to start a vulture breeding program because all the Cape Vultures have, over the years, disappeared due to poisoning etc.

Chris was up in the Addo Elephant Park only to see rotting carcasses and no vultures. Time to help bring them back and if that is all I ever do with the rest of my life it will be worth it. So now my life’s ambition, if given a second chance, is to start a breeding program for the Cape Vulture and hopefully, in my life time, see them back flying in Addo Elephant Park and the areas they used to inhabit.