South of the Pongola River, in the heart of Zululand, is the 16 000 hectare Somkhanda Game Reserve. The Gumbi Community made history in 2009 by signing an agreement to proclaim the magnificent tract of land as a Nature Reserve in one of the first efforts at achieving a community-owned nature reserve in South Africa. The management of the land is currently supervised jointly by the Gumbi community, Wildlands Conservation Trust and Zululand Hunters. The eLan Property Group also has a vested interest in the well-being of the game reserve having been involved since its inception. Together with the support of the Gumbi community, the Group has future plans for a low-density lodge and residential estate. And in an exciting rhino capture expedition last week (12-14 January), the Somkhanda Nature Reserve has now made history once again!
For the first time in Kwa-Zulu Natal the introduction of a specialised GPS unit, developed by a company called Protagtor, has been utilised in the plight to save the Somkhanda Rhino spurred by the two recent white rhino poaching incidents at the end of 2010. The unit is placed into the horn and relays information on the tagged animal every 60 seconds, the tracking technology is designed to give essential early warning on potential poaching occurrences by noting irregular movements of the animal.
To help finance this conservation endeavor and to ensure the long-term safety and security of these rhino, a number of paying volunteers where offered the opportunity to work alongside the professional conservation team to capture and insert the GPS units into the rhino’s horns. The eLan Property Group jumped at the opportunity to be able to offer this unique experience to its’ Investor Club members and found an overwhelming response – including two international volunteers from the United States.
The eLan Land and Conservation Manager, Pete Coulon, who co-hosted the expedition with Roelie Kloppers from Wildlands Conservation Trust, said that the game capture expedition was an overwhelming success. All seven adult white rhino’s were captured, tagged and fitted with a GPS unit in the 3 day long capture expedition. The ten volunteers were afforded the opportunity to get up close and personal with the rhino by completing hands-on tasks that they were given.
The process begins by helicopter with the vet and pilot trying to locate a rhino by air. Once they spot one, the pilot gently herds the animal to an opening to which the game vehicle can acquire easy access. From the air, metres above the animal, the vet darts the rhino and follows the animal until it drops to make sure that the animal causes no injury to itself. The rhino is then blindfolded and ear plugs inserted so not to cause the animal any discomfort or stress. Then the drilling can begin. The drill, powered by a battery pack on the back of the game vehicle, takes a good ten minutes to drill a sizeable hole into which the GPS device can be inserted. Throughout this process a volunteer was asked to wet down the animal to combat the raised body temperature from the chase and the heat of the day. Non-toxic epoxy resin is poured into the cavity and then the device is inserted. The vet wraps the horn with tape to keep the transmitter in place until the resin sets before he injects the animal with an antidote to reverse the affects of tranquiliser. The rhino is closely monitored by the vet while it wakes to ensure that the animal is unharmed and ready to go off on its own again.
The success of this proactive conservation effort displays the need for more interactive and experiential encounters with wildlife that could be leveraged to help support conservation endeavors by NGO’s or NPO’s. One volunteer, Riaan Botes, reflected after the expedition: “This was an incredible experience, firstly to be able to contribute to a conservation effort like this that is applying technology in a practical way to combat poaching, and secondly, to have had the opportunity to be involved and work up close with these magnificent animals. A truly unforgettable experience. I met some fantastic dedicated people and made some friends on this trip.”
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)