Caption: Flames leap high as a fire sweeps through the dry, matted vegetation of South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

Chacma baboon sitting on a termite mound
in a burnt section of the park.

On a visit to the Kruger National Park last week, we drove through large areas that had recently been burnt. The park is very dry and seems to have had very little Spring rain.

Everywhere we went, from Lower Sabie in the south to Letaba further north, the vegetation was brown and parched, with swathes of black where fires had passed through.

Some areas were still smouldering and on one of the days we watched an intense fire rapaciously devouring the tinder-dry vegetation in its path. The flames leapt around like marionettes in the hands of a crazed puppeteer as a hot, blustery wind gusted and subsided.

Even though our vehicle, with windows closed, was some distance away, we could feel the intense heat from the flames.

In Kruger, fire is an important natural force in maintaining the savanna, allowing the co-existence of trees and grass. Kruger’s managers are facing tough choices about how to preserve ecosystems in the face of a changing climate and the resultant enroachment of brush on the grasslands.

While some fires occur naturally in the park, others are controlled fires set by the park authorities.

The Sanparks’ website explains:
“Fires in Kruger are managed using the patch mosaic fire philosophy whereby fires are ignited at selected localities and left to burn creating a natural patch mosaic of burnt and unburned patches.

The extent of all fires in the Kruger National Park is mapped on a monthly basis using satellite imagery and information gathered by Rangers.”

In September this year a fire set by park managers elicited widespread criticism after animals were injured, including a rhino that died as a result of the blaze. Sanparks has defended its actions, saying the fires are necessary to open up areas and maintain the grasslands.

(Please Note: If you’re not reading this post on Wildlife Photography Blog from Wildlife Pictures Online, then you’re not seeing the original version. Please go to Fires in the Kruger Park to read the original.)

If you’re interested in wild animals and want to know more about the fascinating creatures that inhabit our planet, then Nathan’s blog, Wild Facts, is the place to visit.

Nathan, a habitat biologist based in Canada, is on a mission to provide readers with 1000 Animal Facts.

Each week-day he posts a fresh and comprehensive animal profile, together with relevant pictures, with the aim of educating young and old about the interesting adaptations of the animal kingdom …. “As well, I am hoping people will gain a greater appreciation of the animals we share earth with.”

Researching and writing 1000 original posts is a huge undertaking and Nathan must be commended for his commitment to the conservation cause. So please do visit Wild Facts and browse around – you’re sure to learn something new and unusual.

A page from the Encyclopedia of Endangered Animals highlighting the plight of the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)

As part of their effort to help the environment, Konica Minolta have launched a website for children to inform them about endangered animal species.

The site is presented in the form of an Illustrated Encyclopedia of Endangered Animals and provides a comprehensive list of endangered species, together with illustrations, maps, and easy-to-follow facts and information about each endangered animal.

A quick browse through the site suggests it will be extremely useful for both parents and teachers who’d like to keep youngsters informed about threats to our dwindling animal populations and the danger of extinction of animal species due to environmental destruction.

See Illustrated Encyclopedia of Endangered Animals for more.

White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum) ... 210 rhino have already been illegally slaughtered in South Africa this year.

Africa is experiencing a ferocious resurgence in rhino poaching, caused by growing demand for rhino horn from Asia. South Africa, the stronghold of Africa’s rhino population with more than 80% of the 24 000 rhinos left in Africa, has been losing more than 20 rhinos a month.

This year, poachers have already killed 210 rhinos in South Africa, compared to 122 rhinos poached in 2009.

If the trend continues, rhino conservation gains of the past decade will be wiped out.

WWF has organised a worldwide Rhino Month campaign in support of the rhino warriors on the frontline in the fight against poaching. These intrepid men and women have to face well-armed and often military-trained poachers in their bid to protect the animals.

You can help them by helping WWF provide the support, equipment and training they need to keep themselves and our rhinos safe. Donations to WWF’s Rhino Month fund can be made at wwf.org.za.

Money raised will be used directly to buy anti-poaching patrol equipment (such as binoculars, body armor, radios) and to provide essential training for anti-poaching patrols. It will also be used for emergency veterinary treatments for injured rhino and to improve monitoring of rhino populations.

In South Africa, Rhino Month culminates in Rhino Day on Wednesday 22 September 2010. At 1pm on Rhino Day, people around the world are being asked to dust off their vuvuzelas and make some noise in a symbolic call for effective international action against rhino poaching.

“We’re using one African horn to call for help for another. It doesn’t have to be a vuvuzela … you can also blow didgeridoos or alpine horns or toot your car hooters or anything else that makes a big noise in support of rhinos,” says WWF .

The illegal trade in rhino horn is run by sophisticated international criminal organisations that use modern technology, including unmarked helicopters, to locate and kill suitable “targets”. This is too big for single governments or NGOs to deal with.

“We must all help to protect the iconic African rhino”, is the urgent plea from WWF.

So what can YOU do?

* Make a noise for rhinos at 1pm on Rhino Day, Wednesday 22 September 2010.
* Spread the word. Tell your friends and families to support Rhino Day.
* Challenge others to take part.
* Raise money and make a donation to help save Africa’s rhinos.
* Send pictures of your Rhino Day and Rhino Month activities to rhino@wwf.org.za.
* Ask friends from Asia to spread the word about how buying rhino horn is illegal and poaching for rhino horn is hurting a precious African resource and icon.

For more information visit www.wwf.org.za.

Safari guide Roddy Smith, when taking guests for a bush walk in “Big Five” country, says he’s often asked “What would you do if ….?” His usual answer: “Panic!”



Roddy says guests think he’s joking, but adds that it’s a reasonable question.

After all, the term Big Five was originally coined by hunters to refer to the five African game species most likely to kill you if you messed up.

Two of the big five – lion and leopard – are shown here as one would not want to encounter them when out on a bush walk.

The others are the African elephant, African buffalo, and black rhino, although nowdays the less agressive but bigger white rhino is also regarded as one of the Big Five.

Roddy goes on to say that there’s no definitive answer to the “what if..” question because every situation is different, but there are a few basic principles to observe when faced by dangerous animals.

See his full article, Africa’s Dangerous Animals … What If? for more – and to find out which of Africa’s animals he fears most.

On Monday 14 June I leave with four companions to travel by road from South Africa to Tanzania in East Africa.

The main objective of the trip is to see the great wildebeest migration in the Serengeti area of Tanzania, and also to experience the vast open plains with their abundance of wildlife that are such a renowned feature of East Africa.

To reach our destination, we will travel through Botswana and Zambia, staying overnight at campsites along the way. Our party is not in the luxury lodge league, so we’ll be roughing it most the time, keeping to a tight budget, particularly as entry to national parks in Tanzania is expensive, payable only in US dollars.

In addition to Serengeti National Park, we plan to visit Ruaha National Park and possibly also Tangarire and Lake Manyara Parks in Tanzania, plus South Luanga in Zambia, depending on the time available.

The trip will take from four to five weeks, during which time we’ll have no or limted internet access, so it’s unlikely I’ll be able to add any posts to the blog before I get back.