Conservation News
2/2/2017
Jewels for Anti-Poaching
Mulberry Mongoose has raised over $60,000 for anti-snare patrols through the sale of their creative and beautiful snare wire jewelry. From the bold chunky snare necklace to the graceful hammered snare line, these pieces see brutal snare wire turned into beautiful jewelry that help conserve the South Luangwa's iconic wildlife. To learn more or order online (worldwide shipping available), click here.
US Bans Lion Trophies from Captive-Bred Lions
South Africa's captive lions are raised to be hunted within confined spaces, a practice experts consider cruel and unrelated to conservation. Some 8,000 lions bred for the sole purpose of being hunted are kept on game ranches in South Africa. Every year thousands of hunters—mostly Americans—pay handsomely to kill these lions within the confines of walls and fences, a practice known as "canned lion hunting."
But, effective immediately, it is now illegal to import the heads, skins, claws, teeth, and other lion parts from those kills as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a ban on the import of trophies taken from captive-bred lions in South Africa.
Conservationists, animal welfare advocates, and many ethical hunters are cheering the decision. "This is huge," says Ian Michler, a conservationist and the narrator of Blood Lions, a documentary released last year that exposed the canned lion industry. "If we can start seriously clamping down on the demand side, then it will impact things here in South Africa." Watch the official trailer here.
Ban the Bottle Campaign
By issuing guests with re-usable, biodegradable bottles to fill with filtered water (or pure, tested, well water) from dispensers, the Bushcamp Company has reduced its consumption of bottled drinking water by over 17,000 bottles per year. Their aim in 2017 is to increase this number to over 20,000. Bushcamp's initiative is shared by many safari properties across southern and East Africa and we encourage you to avail yourselves of this sustainable option for drinking water, when offered.
This is why...
- Of the 50 billion bottles of water purchased each year, 80% are not recycled and end up in landfill sites.
- Plastic water bottles take over 1,000 years to break down and their incineration produces toxic fumes.
- Plastic bottles account for a large percentage of the world's litter, which often ends up in the seas and on beaches. A recent study predicts that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans.
- The equivalent of 50 million barrels of oil is used for the processing, transport, and refrigeration of bottled water every year.
Assessing the Habitat Quality on North Island for the Seychelles Magpie Robin
North Island's Environment Team has recently established a long-term study, with the aim of assessing the Island's food availability for the potential re-introduction of the Seychelles Magpie Robin. This endemic species is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is currently found on only five islands in the Seychelles. It is hoped that North Island will become the sixth and that guests at this spectacular "barefoot luxury" private island will soon have the opportunity to view the Magpie Robin in its native habitat.