Think big, start small, but act now
DR MARKUS Hofmeyr, chief vet for SA National Parks (San Parks), became an instant media sensation on October 13, 2010 when he was attacked by a hippo while darting the animal in a pool at the Kruger National Park (KNP), where he is based.
Although the hippo had one of his legs in its mouth he survived, thanks to the rapid action of fellow vet Dr Nico de Bruyn.
Hofmeyr, like Courtenay, knows that a multi-pronged strategy is needed to eradicate the scourge of poaching and create a climate where wild animals in parks can co-exist with man in challenged ecosystems.
“The bottom line is, if we don’t get every South African wanting wildlife parks, we won’t have them in 10 years’ time. We have 19 national parks and we’re involved in transfrontier conservation area expansion. We believe in learning by doing and the maxim ‘Think Big. Start Small. But Act Now.’”
Hofmeyr and his team are changing established mindsets and are adamant that rhinos and other animals will always be a feature in our parks. To this end they are focusing on moving rhinos from areas of the KNP hardest hit by poaching and establishing breeding herds in other reserves and neighbouring countries.
The vet and his team have been pioneering new methods of transporting rhinos from areas of the park where they are vulnerable to poaching, but can’t be reached by vehicle due to inaccessible terrain. A new technique that is working seamlessly involves drugging the rhinos, lashing their legs together and then hoisting them, upside down, by helicopter to a landing field where they can then be transported to their destination in a C130 aeroplane.
Another conservation strategy involves the relocation of diseasefree herds of buffalo to ensure that bovine TB, prevalent in the KNP, does not destroy the species; 400 have already been established in another of its reserves.
But the best efforts of conservationists, said the vet, would come to nothing without a hardline approach to crime on the part of the government.
“We need to ensure rhinos are worth more alive than dead. Ee can only do that if we institute game-changing interventions to combat global organised crime. Governments need to step up and eradicate the market for rhino horn by crushing the syndicates.”
Hofmeyr said SanParks was also focusing resources and effort on getting buy-in from surrounding communities, so that local people assumed a sense of ownership of the animals, and had a vested interest in protecting them.
“Benefits from the parks must flow to all sectors of society; not just in terms of money but a sense of well-being through the provision of services and a secure, sustainable lifestyle as a spin-off of conservation.”
Other challenges to the perpetuation of endangered species were climate change and unpredictable environmental disasters, he said.
“The KNP used to develop watering holes but these had a negative effect on the landscape and on the survival of certain species. Now we are trying to naturalise water distribution but that, too, poses problems when water courses are contaminated through negligence or unlawful action.
“We have had a series of wakeup calls due to pollution in the rivers in the KNP recently. We lost 300 adult crocodiles when there were mine spills on our boundary. It had a huge impact. We won our court case against the mining company involved but we need to be vigilant so other businesses don’t get away with devastating acts of environmental terrorism.”