Dogged determination to save SA’s most precious predators
NGO relies on volunteers for funding, but volunteerism has ground to a halt due to Covid-19. You can help, though, writes Sharlene Versfeld
“Yessss!” yelled Marumo Nene as she fist-pumped the air, dived back into the driver’s seat of the game vehicle, dropped the clutch and drove with dogged determination.
Her excitement was contagious. Goosebumps all round for us on the benches at the back.
We were on the hunt for wild dogs — and we were within minutes of finding them.
Marumo was not going to let the opportunity slip by.
“Does she always get this excited?” I shout over the roar of the engine and wind at one of the French volunteers sitting behind me.
“Oh yes. Every time. It’s as if it’s the first time she has seen the dogs,” says the volunteer.
I was in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park for a few days to experience Wildlife ACT’s wild dog monitoring and volunteer programme, based in the northern KwaZulu-Natal game reserve.
We were hosted by Marumo, the no-nonsense and passionately dedicated Wildlife ACT priority species monitor.
The day before, we had tracked the collared dogs for 10 hours using telemetry (radio) equipment, sitting patiently in wind and driving rain as the radio beep-beeped at us in the same spot for an hour.
The dogs were resting and we had not had sight of them. The frustration of getting so close was starting to weigh heavily on the volunteers.
This was our second day and Marumo, who has been working in the reserve for 12 years, was still bubbling with unrivalled energy and enthusiasm.
According to the four international volunteers, who had been there for more than three weeks, this was Marumo, constantly animated and enthused by the work she does.
Then, exactly where she said they would be, an impala darted out of the bush with a dog in hot pursuit. Half expecting a big pack to be following, I was a little confused that no more emerged.
“Ah there they are,” said Marumo, pointing to the back of the vehicle as two other dogs ambled casually down the road and off into the bush.
It was a poignant moment for me. My first experience of wild dogs was on a family holiday in the Kruger National Park when I was about 12. We saw a pack of more than 20 dogs meeting and greeting, and yelping ahead of a hunt. We followed them. Their quarry, an impala, dashed into the bush and the dogs veered off. Spectacular stuff!
This sighting, however, felt sad. These are pack animals and the last time I checked, three does not a pack make.
In the beautiful reserve, and many others around the country, large packs are rare. The population has been decimated, with only about 3,000 to 5,000 still existing in the wild, placing them on the endangered species list.
With their numbers dwindling comes the tricky job of not only ensuring their survival and containment in reserves, but also genetic diversity across the small packs scattered across the country. No small task for those who monitor and help to conserve the species.
Wildlife ACT is one of SA’s conservation success stories. Using a simple funding model, the organisation offers opportunities for volunteers, for a fee, to experience the African bush in all its glory by contributing their time to help monitor endangered and priority wildlife species. These opportunities are available in a number of reserves in KwaZulu-Natal.
The teams track, monitor and research African wild dogs, cheetah, black rhino and vultures. Elephant, lion, leopard and white rhino are monitored by teams within the reserves.
It’s a human resource-intense job. Most reserves in Southern Africa don’t have the budget or staff to monitor endangered species effectively. With encroaching human settlements around reserves and the constant threat of poaching, these species are under pressure.
Wild dogs, for example, can travel up to 50km a day and need distance and space to feed, as well as move out of their packs to ensure genetic dispersal. Being self-funded, Wildlife ACT is able to offer a practical, win-win solution to these reserves with its volunteers, who are happy to pay for an authentic, meaningful African experience. The work done by Wildlife ACT is entirely funded through this programme.
The volunteers on our foray into the bush hailed from France, England and the US, and had already developed a “relationship” with the packs.
A typical day saw us rise at 3.30am, grab a cup of coffee and a rusk, and head off on the back of the game truck — rain, wind or shine — at 4am. At about 10.30am we would head back to the research centre — the bush goes to sleep in the midday heat. We’d devour brunch, kick off our shoes and enjoy a nap. At about 3pm we ’ d take off again, returning at about 7pm.
The volunteers brimmed with excitement about what each day would offer — the monitoring and tracking, collecting of SD cards from camera traps, logging information for researchers, asking endless questions and falling in love with the African bush in a different way than they would have had they gone to a luxury lodge. Here they got their hands dirty and their hearts filled.
They could feel the ticking time bomb conservationists deal with on a daily basis. Most of all, they helped by being present to undertake the tasks assigned to them.
Sadly, in the time of Covid-19, volunteerism has come to a grinding halt. But Wildlife ACT’s work continues.
Marumo and her many colleagues dotted around KZN reserves are still up and at it every day, their work intensified by there being fewer eyes and ears on the ground. Little doubt the volunteers perform an invaluable role, but talk to them and it ’ s clear they take home way more than they brought.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
As the organisation relies on volunteer-tourism for its survival, Wildlife ACT has made a global appeal for donations via GivenGain (www.givengain.com/cc/covid19-keepwildlifeactive/). In return for recurring donations, donors can opt to become a virtual volunteer by being given access to one or more of Wildlife ACT’s WhatsApp groups.
These groups are providing a slice of African bush life as field staff go about their work, providing direct bush footage and insights into the everyday life of a wildlife monitor.
In the beautiful reserve, and many others around the country, large packs are rare. The population has been decimated, with only about 3,000 to 5,000 still existing in the wild, placing them on the endangered species list