Africa Geographic 2012-07.pdf by Joey Bravo

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NOVEMBER 2010 vol. 18 no. 10

C O N T E N T S J U LY 2 0 1 2 VO L . 2 0 N O. 6

FEATURES

OUR COVER

38 A BRAVE NEW WORLD

Adventurer Mike Horn’s Young Explorers Program is intended to inspire youngsters to become the earth’s caretakers.

STONES, BONES & TEETH Big, bold and quite bizarre, dinosaurs ruled the earth millions of years ago – and Africa had its fair share of them, including the Mega Five.

Judge its success from these participants’ accounts.

43 A WOLF IN JACKAL’S CLOTHING Golden jackals have loped across North Africa for centuries. Some, though, have long legs and dark coats, and now DNA tells us they aren’t jackals at all.

50 LARGER THAN LIFE Belying the notion that everything about Africa is big, a single flower, its insect visitors and the predators that lurk in wait for them can encompass the drama of a waterhole, as this photographic study shows.

Heterodontosaurus Illustration: Luis V. Rey/Famous Dinosaurs of Africa

58 JOURNEY TO THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD

TRAVEL WITH US 23 NOW’S YOUR LAST CHANCE TO

It’s old enough to have presided over the birth of our species, yet is still very much alive, pouring forth lava at regular intervals. Little wonder, then, that the Maasai worship Ol Doinyo Lengai.

JOIN THIS YEAR’S TRIP TO THE MASAI MARA MIGRATION.

66 MOREISH MAPUTO The top 10 things to do in Mozambique’s capital, an exotic fusion of Latino, Mediterranean and Afro living.

PAINT YOUR OWN CANVAS ON A CREATIVE ART SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA’S MADIKWE GAME RESERVE.

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14 A DIFFERENT KENYA Northern Kenya’s Laikipia District brings a new dimension to going on safari.

16 LIONSPOTTING It’s not just a lion’s power and presence that make it memorable, but its propensity for doing the unexpected.

18 HIPPO DIARIES Science editor Tim Jackson takes a look at what hippo researchers have been getting up to.

20 READY TO ROLL Any pangolin encounter is unusual, but one with a tree pangolin goes off the rarity scale.

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2 FOUNDER’S NOTE 4 EDITORIAL & CONTRIBUTORS

larger than life, page 50

6 VIEWPOINT 8 INTERACTIVE Keep up to date with our digital world. 10 AFRICA AT A GLANCE 12 ROUNDUP & ASK US! 22 IAN MICHLER’S DIARY Whatever happened to the sable antelopes being held in Zambia?

24 RHINO WATCH Keeping abreast of the latest news, views, updates and debates. 72 ON ASSIGNMENT A photography column with Greg du Toit. 75 52 ARTWORKS A year has passed and wildlife artist Noel Ashton brings to a close his undertaking to produce an artwork a week.

77 SIGNING OFF The importance of pathways to elephants and other species, humans included.

88 TRACKING BACK An explorer reaches the end of his tether.

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W W W. A F R I C A G E O G R A P H I C . C O M

FOUNDER’S NOTE opefully Africa Geographic is the sort of magazine that consistently gives readers what they want and what they expect. But equally I hope that we are not so predictable that we don’t sometimes push the boundaries a bit and sally forth into places and times that are delightfully unexpected. We are so concerned with trying to prevent the flora and fauna of the Anthropocene skidding down the slope towards extinction that we perhaps forget that the landscapes of an ancient Africa were once home to very different creatures and plants – life forms that existed without the complication of Homo sapiens and our earlier iterations as co-dwellers on earth. Such a time was when the ‘terrible lizards’ reigned supreme; from a distant 250 million years before the present to the comparative yesterday in geological time of 65 million years ago when, for reasons that are not entirely clear, they disappeared. When Carcharodontosaurus, Stomatosuchus, Massospondylus and countless other dinosaurs roamed the continent there were no Canons or Nikons to capture them in pixels, so we have to rely on the skills of scientists and artists to reconstruct their likenesses. Drawing on Luis V. Rey’s vivid illustrations for visual impact, September this year will Tim Jackson takes us behind the scenes into a fearsome, fascinatsee the beginning of an ing world with some of the greatest exciting new chapter palaeontologists to have worked in in the proud history of Africa. It’s enough to stir the imaour company, with the gination of the child lurking in re-launch of Africa every one of us. While talking of the unexpected, Geographic as a bigger, I have some other important news even better journal to share with you. September this year will see the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the proud history of our company, with the re-launch of Africa Geographic as a bigger, even better journal that will incorporate the content of our associate magazine Africa – Birds & Birding. As a result of this decision, August 2012 will see the final issues of both Africa Geographic and Africa – Birds & Birding in their present form. Then, in September, a fresh, ‘new’ Africa Geographic magazine will emerge. In addition to the exceptional articles and photographs that our readers have come to expect, the new-look publication will include extensive, visually rich birding content for the enjoyment of everyone, but especially our wide and passionate community of birders. In the August issue of Africa Geographic we will whet your appetite with more information about the scope and range of features we plan to share with you in the months to come. Rest assured that the standards of editorial and production excellence with which the Africa Geographic brand has been synonymous for almost two decades will remain the cornerstones of our offering to you. But now the combination of additional pages and a much larger reach into the world will give us an even more powerful platform to tell the story of Africa’s unparalleled wealth of wild creatures and places. Watch this space!

Founder Peter Borchert Editorial, Design & Production Editor Sarah Borchert; Consulting editor Eve Gracie; Assistant editor Leni Martin; Scientific editor Tim Jackson; Chief sub-editor Judy Beyer; Senior designer Tamaryn Stipinovich; Designer & social media co-ordinator Cindy Armstrong; Events manager & assistant to the founder Shelley Prince; Editorial assistant Barbara Breytenbach; Production & human resources administrator Ruegshana Ederies; Production assistant Rachel Lang Safari interactive magazine Editor Paul Steyn; Assistant editor Holly Meadows; Art director Alessandro Bonora; Flash designer Roger Landman; Graphic designer Gareth Campbell; Digital marketer Robyn Bowden Advertising & Marketing General enquiries adsales@africageographic.com Commercial director Simon Borchert National sales manager Tracy Bennett, tracy@africageographic.com Johannesburg Adie Ceruti, cell +27 (0)83 601 2291, adie.ceruti@africageographic.com Production & distribution manager Neriza Heeger Advertising admin. assistant Janine van Eeden Marketing manager Carole Lowen Subscription Services Subscriptions service supervisor Wiedaad Ariefdien Customer service consultant Nicolette Nicolls Subscription Enquiries Tel. +27 (0)21 762 2180; fax +27 (0)21 762 2246/ 086 541 6127 (South Africa only) E-mail subscriptions@africageographic.com Web www.africageographic.com Freepost CB 0566, P O Box 44223, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa Tollfree hotline (South Africa only) 0800 00 4464 Administration Financial director Mark Bray; Accounts supervisor Wedaad Isaacs; Accounts assistant Gadija Galant; Despatch clerk Selina Pato; Admin. assistant Ismail Sitole; Receptionist Phaldielah Young; Office assistant Olive Nkomo Travel General manager Christian Boix Publisher Africa Geographic is published by Africa Geographic (Pty) Ltd (Directors: Peter Borchert, Murray Jackson, Mark Bray, Sarah Borchert, Eve Gracie) under licence from Africa Geographic Holdings (Pty) Ltd (Directors: Simon Espley, Johann van Zyl, Chairman (nonexecutive) Peter Borchert). Africa Geographic (Pty) Ltd (Reg. No. 1992/005883/07), First Floor, Devonshire Court, 20 Devonshire Road, Wynberg 7800, Cape Town, South Africa. Postal address: P O Box 44223, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa. Tel. +27 (0)21 762 2180; fax +27 (0)21 762 2246/086 541 6127 (South Africa only) www.africageographic.com Editorial Submissions Unsolicited material will not be accepted, acknowledged or returned. However short synopses (+/- 200 words maximum) can be e-mailed to sarah@africageographic.com Copyright Copyright © 2012. All copyright for material appearing in this magazine belongs to Africa Geographic (Pty) Ltd and/or the individual contributors. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Reproduction & Print Reproduction: Resolution Colour, Cape Town Printing: Paarl Media, Paarl

Africa Geographic is editorially and financially independent. It enjoys the support and endorsement of several nongovernment organisations, but it is not affiliated in any way to these bodies or to any other publishing, environmental or political interest group. Africa Geographic strives to foster an awareness of wildlife, conservation, ecotravel, indigenous cultures and the general environment. It consistently advocates the wisest use of natural resources in a manner that involves and is of real benefit to the people of Africa. Africa Geographic is published 12 times a year.

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US Mailing Africa Geographic (USPS No. 020-603) is published monthly by Africa Geographic (Pty) Ltd of 20 Devonshire Road, Wynberg 7800, Cape Town, South Africa, and is distributed in the USA by SPP, 95 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA. Periodicals postage is paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER Send address changes to Africa Geographic, P O Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.

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EDITORIAL

he future’s totally overrated, prehistory’s where it’s at. No, it’s not some nostalgic longing for a bygone era that prompts me to write those words, but rather the excitement that comes from reading scientific editor Tim Jackson’s cover story on Africa’s dinosaurs. Populated with vivid illustrations by Luis V. Rey (drawn from palaeo-biologist Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan’s fantastic Famous Dinosaurs of Africa), Stones, bones & teeth (page 28) celebrates the mega-reptiles that roamed the ancient continents of Pangaea and later Gondwana. (Fossil fiends in Jozi are in luck – the topic of our reader event on 26 July is ‘Our future depends on the past’ by palaeontologist Bruce Rubidge. Visit www.capeunionmart.co.za/events for more info.) The old world, albeit the relatively ‘recent’ era of Ancient Egypt, crops up again in ‘A wolf in jackal’s clothing’ (page 43), Cheryl Lyn Dybas’s account of Africa’s ‘newest’ canid. Well, it’s hardly new – the Egyptians knew it was a wolf (in fact their gods Anubis and Wepwawet may well have been wolves), but we’ve spent the better part of a century believing that Canis aureus lupaster was a golden jackal. It’s not often that we talk about Pangaea, but in this issue it features once more, this time on the other side of the geological timeline in Rachel Lang’s interview with some of Mike Horn’s Young Explorers. Horn, an explorer and teacher, has been selecting promising youngsters to accompany him on expeditions aboard the vessel Pangaea in the hope of opening their eyes to the needs of the natural world. In ‘A brave new world’ (page 38), the enthusiasm of five of his ‘graduates’ is so infectious I find myself believing wholeheartedly in the future again.

WISH YOU WERE THERE Farm 215

he primary purpose of the retreat Farm 215 in South Africa’s Overberg is the conservation of a unique piece of the Cape Floral Kingdom. The 800-hectare private reserve is an important local catchment area, a sanctuary for hundreds of common, endangered and endemic fynbos species and a rare meeting point of different vegetation types. The guesthouse operations have been made compatible with their surroundings and visitors are gently alerted to the importance of safeguarding the integrity of our natural heritage. All of the new guest buildings are powered by solar energy, and produce for the restaurant comes from the farm or the immediate surrounding area. Farm 215 is home to the Centre for Appropriate Rural Technology (CART), a laboratory for sustainable living and nature-compatible agriculture that provides courses in relevant techniques. It is also the reforestation pilot site of the Trees for Tourism programme of Forest Trust Africa and in the past two years more than 13 000 indigenous trees have been planted. There is an extensive system of hiking trails throughout the estate and rides and multi-day horse treks ‘in harmony with nature’ are offered by the African Horse Company, which is based on the premises.

CONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH

fter reading anthropology at university in London, working for a political activist filmmaker in India and doing a short stint under the bright lights of Bollywood, Holly Meadows decided it was time to return to her mother’s birthplace: Zululand in South Africa. ‘To earn a crust in the name of wanderlust,’ she says, ‘I completed a postgrad in media and hotfooted around South Africa as a freelance travel journalist. Now I’ve landed up in the hallways of Africa Geographic, working as the assistant editor of our sister publication Safari.’ (This interactive travel magazine about Africa is available to view as an app on your iPad or online at www.agsafari. com.) Meadows’s most recent journey was to the Mozambican capital, Maputo. ‘It was steamy, the late-night jazz cafés were sultry and I had outrageous fun,’ she says. She shares the hottest of the city’s hotspots in ‘Moreish Maputo’.

WIN a two-night stay for two people at Farm 215. Find out how to enter and get to grips with Fair Trade in Tourism at www.fairtourism.org.za. For more information about the retreat farm, tel. +27 (0)28 388 0920 or go to www.farm215.co.za

rom whales to insects, US-based nature photographer Ronan Donovan enjoys capturing all forms of wildlife with his camera. ‘For me, it’s about documenting an ecosystem as best I can through high-quality photographs,’ he says. ‘Spending an entire year on a different continent with thousands of unfamiliar wildlife species is a complete thrill for me. A week or even a few months isn’t nearly enough time to fully immerse oneself.’ Ronan spent 2011 in Uganda’s Kibale National Park, working on an independent research project with chimpanzees for Harvard University. In ‘Ready to roll’, he shares his encounter with a tree pangolin, a rarely seen species. You’ll find more of Donovan’s work at www.ronandonovan.com

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VIEW POINT

The more, the merrier

hile visiting Makalali Private Game Lodge in South Africa’s Limpopo Province recently, we were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a lioness with no fewer than seven cubs. We had stopped at a small dam to look at birds when our tracker spotted the lioness in tall grass 50 metres away. We drove a little closer and to our delight counted seven cubs running around her, some of which became very interested in our vehicle. To add to the excitement, a water monitor lizard scurried into the reeds by the dam, attracting the lioness’s attention, and she spent five minutes searching for it before returning to the cubs. Robin Cook, Johannesburg, South Africa ROBIN COOK

Snakes & rhinos I

n ‘Discovering Matilda’ on page 16 of the March issue, I found the proposed solution to the danger posed by ‘the illegal trade in wild-caught reptiles’ revealing. If I read it correctly, the scientists are establishing a parallel scheme to one that could be applied to the rhino poaching dilemma: a controlled trade in captive-bred snakes. Apart from reducing the demand for wild snakes, some of the funds thus derived would be put into a community project, possibly gaining the support of the local people and at the same time expanding the snakes’ habitat. While I accept that there may be differences in scale between the trade in wild animals for pets and that in rhino horn and elephant ivory, the concept of providing the pet trade with sufficient snakes to reduce winning letter the demand on wild animals is essentially the same as that proposed for For his letter about trade in snakes and rhino horn commerce. Neither will satisfy a demand based on belief, ego or recreation rhino horn, David Peddie wins an Africa rather than on science, but they may slow things down and provide the financial means Geographic fleece. to help put a stop to poaching. We know that control at all stages is critical if trade is to work, and that is a tall order in the supplying and buying countries. But adapting the legal system, implementing laws through the justice system, establishing adequate law enforcement and executing a massive education programme in both source and demand markets are all part of the solution. The trade may help with funds and buy the time for what needs to be done. Rhinos or vipers – the escalation of both issues is symptomatic of the overcrowded world we now inhabit. If we are to find ways to ensure these threatened species’ survival, we need to be innovative and courageous. Somehow we have to overcome personal bias, intolerance and vested interests and cooperate to find conservation and socio-economic solutions to their predicaments. David Peddie, via e-mail

WRITE TO US

The rhino issue

uge congratulations to the Africa Geographic team on the incredible April issue devoted to Africa’s wild rhinos. Suffice to say it should be published in hard cover and made a set work for anyone studying wildlife conservation. It will certainly be a permanent feature in my library. David Shreeve, via e-mail

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Africa Geographic, P O Box 44223, Claremont 7735, Cape Town. Fax +27 (0)21 762 2246/086 541 6127 (South Africa only); e-mail leni@africageographic.com You are welcome to submit your contribution to ‘Viewpoint’, restricting it to no more than 200 words. Submissions may be edited for reasons of space. We are not able to acknowledge the receipt of submissions, nor to reply in each instance. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Publisher.

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INTER ACTIVE

TRUE OR FALSE?

VA N E S S A B R I S T O W

The boy with the sapphire eyes

DIRK VENTER

ED’S PICTURE OF THE MONTH Autumn sunrise at Ezemvelo Nature Reserve. ‘OK, so I’m a sucker for sky and this near-perfect shot by Dirk Venter had me coming back to it over and over again, just to drink in the beauty of the background, the crispness of the trees and the sun’s first golden rays catching individual blades of grass. The whole photograph simply sighs tranquillity and renewal, and its atmospheric power pushed it ahead of some strong competition.’

This image was recently entered into our Safari interactive magazine’s Readers’ Gallery. The photographer, Vanessa Bristow, called it The Boy with the Sapphire Eyes. Within minutes of posting this magical picture, there was an enormous flood of comment and feedback. Amongst much of the rumpus was a fair degree of suspicion, doubting and downright slander about the picture’s authenticity. Whoops of ‘blatant Photoshopping’ were amongst the commotion, as many people immediately assumed that the photo was a fake. Setting the record straight, Bristow stated that an ophthalmologist friend had this to say about the young boy’s unusual eyes: ‘The picture of the little boy with the blue eyes and dark skin probably represents ocular albinism or Nettleship-Falls albinism, or juvenile uveitis. Both conditions cause the pigment of the iris to be less dense.’

To see the top 10 picture of the day entries, visit http://bit.ly/ Nm9pNx

You can read the full story here: http://blog.africageographic. com/safari-blog/cultural/the-boy-with-the-sapphire-eyes/

YOU LIKED THIS

Croc takeaway Imagine spotting THIS on your drive through South Africa’s Kruger National Park! It is the stuff of legends. This picture of a crocodile crossing a road with its warthog kill was taken by Bernard Steele at Sunset Dam in the Kruger, back in 2004. The image has been spoken about, debated over and shared widely on the Internet, and the photographer and his wife have finally laid all doubts as to its authenticity to rest. View the video clip of this amazing sighting here: http://bit.ly/ KO6hIS BERNARD STEELE

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