Saturday, December 18, 2010
Knysna Elephants Will Be Seen Worldwide
I am delighted to inform you that the documentary, The Search for the Knysna Elephants, is currently screening in many countries world-wide on Animal Planet. For dates and times, please check your schedules.Wonderful time for it to be screened and unprecedented public awareness for these extraordinary elephants.Here in South Africa it is to be screened again as a part of a Animal Planet's Christmas Marathon' of favourite nature programmes between December 27 and January 2nd. The Search for the Knysna Elephants will be shown on January 2nd.Wishing you all a lovely Christmas and the very best for 2011.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Search for the Knysna Elephants documentary
I have just been informed that our documentary, The Search for the Knysna Elephants, will premiere in South Africa on Animal Planet (DSTV) this coming Wednesday, 10/11/2010 at 19:10.Wonderful that the documentary is being screened here at home in Africa! Enjoy it! The film has also been screened recently in France, as well as once again on Animal Planet UK.
Regards,Gareth.
Regards,Gareth.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Story of Knysna Elephants on 50/50
Watch 50/50 on Monday 28 June @ 9pm on SABC2 when startling new findings which suggest there is still a herd of wild elephants roaming the Knysna forests will be shown.A story relating to these findings, titled "Chasing Phantoms" by Gareth Patterson, was published in the June 2010 issue of Africa Geographic.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Alan Paton Literary Award
The Secret Elephants has been long listed for The Sunday Times Alan Paton
Literary Award, Africa's premier literary award.
Literary Award, Africa's premier literary award.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Forest Walks
Over the past ten weeks, I have done ten consecutive Secret Elephant Forest experiences. What a privilege it is to introduce local and international nature lovers into the Knysna elephants wild and magical world. Enjoy the array of photos here taken by people who have participated on the forest experience. During the walks, we are uncovering "new" elephant paths that I had not noticed in the past. The forest experience normally takes three hours, sometimes four, and on two consecutive weekends, stretched out somehow to five hours. Neither the participants, nor I, can work out where the time goes when in the forest...(Thanks to Rob Sedgwick and Cathy Reck for the use of your photos.)
In this coming months (June) edition of Africa Geographic, there is an extensive interview style article by Tim Jackson on our findings here on the Knysna elephants. Also there was a very nice story in Cape Unplugged, a publication distributed to all international and domestic arrivals at Cape Town International. Great that over this coming World Cup month, with the international visitors pouring into the country, that this little elephant population is receiving upbeat and positive exposure. Also, in June there will be a 10 minute insert on the elephants story on South Africa's favourite wildlife/environment TV programme, 50/50.
Tuli is doing well and accompanies me every time I check the remote cameras. I saw something large and swaggering pass my cabin the other day. When I went outside to have another look, I saw it was a huge male baboon with little Tuli trailing very happily behind him. The baboon totally ignored Tuli while she was fascinated by him. She had never seen a baboon so close up before. Despite popular thought, baboons are normally quite tolerant of dogs - unless, of course, when being attacked.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Help End the Export of Wild Elephants
Message from Gareth Patterson:
I and many others involved with the preservation of African wildlife, are encouraging people to signify their support for the campaign set up by The Born Free Foundation to help end the export of wild elephants and other animals. For details please go to www.bornfree.org.uk/ark
Read related article below:
Zimbabwe to give North Korea baby elephants
By ANGUS SHAW, Associated Press
May 13, 2010
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Two baby elephants intended as a gift to North Korea are unlikely to survive the journey by air, Zimbabwean conservationists said Thursday.
The independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said the 18-month-old elephants were being held in pens in the western Hwange National Park, along with pairs of most of the park's other animal species bound for North Korea. The country is a longtime ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Johnny Rodgrigues, head of the task force, said elephant experts do not think the young elephants will survive the trip separated from their mothers.
No comment was immediately available from Zimbabwe's state parks and wildlife department.
Rodrigues, whose task force is an alliance of conservation groups, said all the animals — including zebra, giraffe and a range of antelope — were captured at the president's order to be given to North Korea. He cited witnesses and officials in the park.
Witnesses reported seeing capture and spotting teams, government vehicles towing cages and armed men at key watering holes with radios to call in the capture teams. The animals were being kept in quarantine in holding pens at Umtshibi camp in the park.
Rodrigues said officials in the department opposed to the captures leaked details to conservationists. They even reported some areas of the 5,500 square mile (14,000 square kilometer) Hwange National Park, the biggest in Zimbabwe, being closed to tourists and photographic safari groups.
"We fear a pair of endangered rhino in Hwange will also be included," Rodrigues said.
He said conservation groups were trying to find out from civil aviation authorities when the airlift will begin and were lobbying for support from international animal welfare groups to stop it.
Zoo conditions in North Korea, isolated by most world nations, did not meet international standards, he said.
Two rhino, a male known as Zimbo and a female called Zimba, given to the North Korean leader in the 1980s by Mugabe died only a few months after their relocation.
At the same time, other rhino given to the Belgrade zoo in the former Yugoslavia died after contracting foot rot in damp and snowy winter conditions there.
"This new exercise has to be stopped. People under orders to do it are too scared to speak out," said Rodrigues.
Last month, the government said the North Korean soccer team was headed to a training camp in Zimbabwe ahead of the FIFA World Cup in neighboring South Africa June 11 - July 11.
Opposition groups vowed to demonstrate against their presence. Troops loyal to Mugabe trained by North Koreans crushed an armed rebellion in the western Matabeleland province — where Hwange is located — and massacred tens of thousands of civilians in the 1980s.
The team's visit to Zimbabwe was in doubt. North Korea soccer officials refused to confirm their itinerary when they left Pyongyang for training in Switzerland on May 8.
I and many others involved with the preservation of African wildlife, are encouraging people to signify their support for the campaign set up by The Born Free Foundation to help end the export of wild elephants and other animals. For details please go to www.bornfree.org.uk/ark
Read related article below:
Zimbabwe to give North Korea baby elephants
By ANGUS SHAW, Associated Press
May 13, 2010
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Two baby elephants intended as a gift to North Korea are unlikely to survive the journey by air, Zimbabwean conservationists said Thursday.
The independent Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said the 18-month-old elephants were being held in pens in the western Hwange National Park, along with pairs of most of the park's other animal species bound for North Korea. The country is a longtime ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Johnny Rodgrigues, head of the task force, said elephant experts do not think the young elephants will survive the trip separated from their mothers.
No comment was immediately available from Zimbabwe's state parks and wildlife department.
Rodrigues, whose task force is an alliance of conservation groups, said all the animals — including zebra, giraffe and a range of antelope — were captured at the president's order to be given to North Korea. He cited witnesses and officials in the park.
Witnesses reported seeing capture and spotting teams, government vehicles towing cages and armed men at key watering holes with radios to call in the capture teams. The animals were being kept in quarantine in holding pens at Umtshibi camp in the park.
Rodrigues said officials in the department opposed to the captures leaked details to conservationists. They even reported some areas of the 5,500 square mile (14,000 square kilometer) Hwange National Park, the biggest in Zimbabwe, being closed to tourists and photographic safari groups.
"We fear a pair of endangered rhino in Hwange will also be included," Rodrigues said.
He said conservation groups were trying to find out from civil aviation authorities when the airlift will begin and were lobbying for support from international animal welfare groups to stop it.
Zoo conditions in North Korea, isolated by most world nations, did not meet international standards, he said.
Two rhino, a male known as Zimbo and a female called Zimba, given to the North Korean leader in the 1980s by Mugabe died only a few months after their relocation.
At the same time, other rhino given to the Belgrade zoo in the former Yugoslavia died after contracting foot rot in damp and snowy winter conditions there.
"This new exercise has to be stopped. People under orders to do it are too scared to speak out," said Rodrigues.
Last month, the government said the North Korean soccer team was headed to a training camp in Zimbabwe ahead of the FIFA World Cup in neighboring South Africa June 11 - July 11.
Opposition groups vowed to demonstrate against their presence. Troops loyal to Mugabe trained by North Koreans crushed an armed rebellion in the western Matabeleland province — where Hwange is located — and massacred tens of thousands of civilians in the 1980s.
The team's visit to Zimbabwe was in doubt. North Korea soccer officials refused to confirm their itinerary when they left Pyongyang for training in Switzerland on May 8.
Monday, March 22, 2010
HUGE SUCCESS AT CITES!
STE Field Diary entry by Lucy King - Huge Success at CITES
HUGE SUCCESS AT CITES!!!
Lucy King at Doha, Qatar
March 22, 2010
"HUGE SUCCESS AT CITES!!! We are delighted to email you from the conference center in Doha to spread the news that both the Zambian and Tanzania elephant proposals to downlist their elephants from Appendix I to Appendix II and to sell their ivory have been DEFEATED at CITES CoP15 with important support from many countries from around the world. The tension in the room was incredible and there was some seriously upset delegates who were not allowed to talk etc etc but in the end the vote has gone our way and we are all elated. I was literally shaking from head to foot after the Tanzania vote, the high significance of the vote was not lost on anyone and I almost felt physically sick that we were about to see the opening of the ivory trade once and for all. The Kenya delegation has worked so hard and for many, many months to get this result and they should all be applauded for their efforts. The Kenya amended proposition to try to change the CoP14 wording of the agreement to stop any more proposals being submitted to down list was, however, rejected. This is a small disappointment as it means we could well be back here in 3 years with another down-listing proposal to battle but for now, it is a something that we are able to live with knowing that the ivory trade has not been opened again. We hope that the African Range States will follow the spirit of the agreement and remain with the 9 year proposed moratorium but I'm afraid that may be too much to hope for. Special credit must go to Iain, Joyce Poole and Sam Wasser who gave a very well attended presentation yesterday lunchtime to 350 delegates explaining the data problems behind the proposals, the consequence of poaching on elephant society and the DNA proof that Zambia and Tanzania were heavily implicated in multiple ivory seizures from around the world. This talk from such well respected scientists was an eye opener to many delegates who had not yet made up their mind on the vote. This should be seen as a major achievement by Save the Elephants to contribute science and years of data to the discussion within the largest international forum that there is for the trade and conservation of the African Elephant. Well done to all members of STE who have contributed to the data that Iain was able to present so clearly to the world. Best wishes from Qatar, Lucy"
Article at the following link:
http://www.savetheelephants.org/diary-reader/items/huge-success-at-cites.html
------------------------------------
Melissa Groo
Save the Elephants News Service Researcher
For further information on elephants please see Save the Elephants' web site
at http://www.savetheelephants.org
-------------------------------------
This Save the Elephants project is supported by the International Elephant Foundation. http://www.elephantconservation.org
-------------------------------------
Disclaimer:
Please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any news story. In addition, we do not endorse any of the views expressed therein. We simply try to represent fairly what is in the media on elephants. If a reader finds inaccuracies in an article, we are happy to circulate corrections, if these can be verified.
HUGE SUCCESS AT CITES!!!
Lucy King at Doha, Qatar
March 22, 2010
"HUGE SUCCESS AT CITES!!! We are delighted to email you from the conference center in Doha to spread the news that both the Zambian and Tanzania elephant proposals to downlist their elephants from Appendix I to Appendix II and to sell their ivory have been DEFEATED at CITES CoP15 with important support from many countries from around the world. The tension in the room was incredible and there was some seriously upset delegates who were not allowed to talk etc etc but in the end the vote has gone our way and we are all elated. I was literally shaking from head to foot after the Tanzania vote, the high significance of the vote was not lost on anyone and I almost felt physically sick that we were about to see the opening of the ivory trade once and for all. The Kenya delegation has worked so hard and for many, many months to get this result and they should all be applauded for their efforts. The Kenya amended proposition to try to change the CoP14 wording of the agreement to stop any more proposals being submitted to down list was, however, rejected. This is a small disappointment as it means we could well be back here in 3 years with another down-listing proposal to battle but for now, it is a something that we are able to live with knowing that the ivory trade has not been opened again. We hope that the African Range States will follow the spirit of the agreement and remain with the 9 year proposed moratorium but I'm afraid that may be too much to hope for. Special credit must go to Iain, Joyce Poole and Sam Wasser who gave a very well attended presentation yesterday lunchtime to 350 delegates explaining the data problems behind the proposals, the consequence of poaching on elephant society and the DNA proof that Zambia and Tanzania were heavily implicated in multiple ivory seizures from around the world. This talk from such well respected scientists was an eye opener to many delegates who had not yet made up their mind on the vote. This should be seen as a major achievement by Save the Elephants to contribute science and years of data to the discussion within the largest international forum that there is for the trade and conservation of the African Elephant. Well done to all members of STE who have contributed to the data that Iain was able to present so clearly to the world. Best wishes from Qatar, Lucy"
Article at the following link:
http://www.savetheelephants.org/diary-reader/items/huge-success-at-cites.html
------------------------------------
Melissa Groo
Save the Elephants News Service Researcher
For further information on elephants please see Save the Elephants' web site
at http://www.savetheelephants.org
-------------------------------------
This Save the Elephants project is supported by the International Elephant Foundation. http://www.elephantconservation.org
-------------------------------------
Disclaimer:
Please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any news story. In addition, we do not endorse any of the views expressed therein. We simply try to represent fairly what is in the media on elephants. If a reader finds inaccuracies in an article, we are happy to circulate corrections, if these can be verified.
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