A fish disease, Epizootic Ulceritic Syndrome or EUS for short, was recently diagnosed by researchers from the Aquaculture Research Division of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in barbel from a farm dam near Stellenbosch and is threatening to affect most species.
It is a violent act to kill a defenseless, non-offending animal like a rhino. However we will never see the end to such violence if we do not deal with human poverty that exists within ourselves and on the edge of wildlife reserves.
Johannesburg - Three rhino poachers were sentenced to 25 years each by the Phalaborwa Regional Court on Tuesday, according to an SA National Parks (SANParks) spokesperson.
The police have busted a 40 year old man in Pretoria North on Tuesday after 3 rhino horns were found in his possession. No further arrests have yet been made in connection with the 11 de-horned rhino carcasses which were found in the Kruger National Park last week.
Last year 448 rhino deaths were recorded in South Africa – it was the highest number ever. With rhino poaching figures on the rise, will 2012 prove to deliver even higher digits?
Two weeks into the New Year and already 11 rhinos have been found dead and dehorned in the Kruger National Park (KNP).
South African National Parks (SANParks) revealed that yet another 8 rhinos were found shot and dehorned in the Kruger National Park (KNP) following an intensified patrol in various parts of the National Park on Tuesday, 10 January.
Four Paws International Animal Welfare Organization has successfully rescued a 5 year old brown bear named Rosa, after two days of careful negotiations with her owner, to release her from captive employment as a roadside entertainer in the Ukraine.
At a one-of-a-kind event in Johannesburg last month, 18 of the 25 South Africans who have summitted Mount Everest, and two non-South African summiteers now residing in this country, collaborated in support of conservation.
Seafood restaurants are a commodity all over the world. No matter the country you’re in, it is always a treat to sit in a restaurant by the water, in which a row of colourful fishing boats are anchored, enjoying a seafood platter and a glass of wine.
South African vultures are in serious trouble, especially the Cape Vulture, which is critically endangered, with only 2900 breeding pairs remaining. Reasons for their decline are varied, but include problems such as pylon injuries, malicious poisonings, muti killings and insufficient food sources.
We can never do enough for our rhinos, who are in danger of extinction. In 2009 there was a dramatic increase in rhino poaching, with 135 animals killed. In 2010, a staggering 333 animals were brutally slaughtered for their horns.
'The quota this year has been set for 85 000 baby seals that are still nursing from their mothers' teats. These are beaten to death with pick handles so that their fur pelts may be sold for US $7.00 A further 6 000 adult bull seals will be shot at point blank range so that their penises can be used to make an ineffective aphrodisiac,' said Pat Dickens, co-ordinator of Sea Shepherd South Africa, at a protest against seal clubbing in Namibia held at the V&A Waterfront recently.
Imagine you are a western leopard toad living in your snug little home under a pot plant for 11 months of the year, happily snacking on organic, 'pesticide free' cockroaches and crickets in your vegetable patch at night while your human sleeps.
By not supporting a moratorium on the on-going trapping and shooting of baboons in FSC-certified timber plantations in South Africa, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) International seems to place economic interests above ecological values.
The history of post-War economic growth has been one of unsustainable consumption: unsustainable for the planet's ecosystems, for its species diversity, and indeed, for the human race
There is a war going on in Antarctica, and South Africa's Rosie Kunneke is one of the soldiers fighting the good fight. She recently returned to the country after 94 days at sea, participating in the world famous reality television series Whale Wars.
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat has long been committed to saving the endangered Clanwilliam cedar tree (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) from extinction.
The United Nations proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) in Forests to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
Several international groups have joined forces and are calling for a consumer boycott of all Namibian produce, sport and tourism, which includes de Beers diamonds, The Rugby World Cup, Heineken and Guinness. The boycott has the backing of a number of South African celebrities, including Miss South Africa.
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf has become an Honorary Councillor of the World Future Council (WFC).
During the recent JoBerg2C mountain bike race, BirdLife South Africa's 'Fast and Featherless' team and their famous patron raised much needed funds and awareness for bird conservation in South Africa.
The United Nations designated 2011 ' 2020 as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. The word is dropped into conversations daily, but we don't know how much it actually means for South Africa.
Numbers of the African penguin, which is endemic to South Africa and Namibia, are rapidly declining. Perhaps most of us aren't aware of this, but African penguins are up against climate change, overfishing, oil pollution and penguin egg and guano collection.
South Africa's regulating authorities need to improve their measures to prevent alien species which can become pests in the agricultural sector from crossing our borders and causing damage.
The recent fire in the Somerset West area that destroyed ten homes and parts of the Helderberg Nature Reserve has put the spotlight on controlled fires once again.
With rhinos on the brink of extinction, it is no surprise that amazing conservation efforts are attempted in Africa to save them. Enough so to be noticed by an international panel of judges. Raoul du Toit, International Rhino Foundation's African Rhino Programme Coordinator, has received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize (Africa).
Last week three more rhinos died in the Kruger National Park. The demand for illegal rhino horn this time also claimed the life of a calf. Gunshots were heard and rangers went to investigate. Tragically, it was too late: The poachers were already sawing the horns off one of the rhinos.
Chimpanzees, the animals most similar to humans are severely abused in some parts of Africa. In October 2010 the Central Africa Expeditionary Force (as they were known as) set out on a mission to Central African Republic (CAR) to relocate four chimpanzees to the Jane Goodall Institute SA Chimpanzee Eden Sanctuary in Nelspruit as part of the All Afrika Expedition.
