Conservation Articles

Written by Prof Gerhard Verdoorn | 29 September 2009

Wild- en beesboere se goedkoopste dipstof

Die boswêreld het ‘n paar goed wat die boere se humeure goed laat opvlam: rooijakkalse, wilddiewe en bosluise. Vir eersgenoemde is daar min raad want alles wat al probeer is het tot dusvêr net die rooijakkalse meer professioneel gemaak en vir wilddiewe is daar ook nie veel raad nie. Ongelukkig vir die bosluise het die boere hulle sonder enige moeite al amper gewen net omdat Moeder Natuur ‘n bondgenoot beskikbaar gestel het: renostervoëltjies. Hierdie klein wonderwerkies het al menige wild en beesboer se aanslag teen die bosluise ondersteun en in so ‘n mate dat sommige boere amper nooit hulle diere hoef te behandel teen bosluise nie.

Written by Prof Gerhard Verdoorn | 12 November 2008

The last of the Great Pachyderms

There is so much that one could say about elephants that a few hundred words in an article can hardly do justice to these great animals. People have strong feelings and beliefs about elephants, maybe because they are the last of the great pachyderms and have suffered some of the worst slaughters that a species has ever had to endure on Earth. Vivid memories of pictures of hundreds of tusks being carried by hunting guides in the American gun magazines that I read in my youth, left me with troublesome thoughts. Why did those people hunt hundreds of elephants? Was it because of the sheer numbers that once roamed in central Africa or was it simply that ivory was a valuable commodity on offer to those who cold harvest it by the ton?

Written by Prof Gerhard Verdoorn | 12 November 2008

The horses of witches

A small sliver of moon peeps through the dense leaf cover. Somewhere a shadow moves, stops, moves again and then emits a haunting whooooooop. Alone in the night amongst the mopane trees, the waterbuck bull freezes in his tracks when he smells the rancid scent of the ghostly beast. Is it really danger or is it mockery? Better to move to open space where the moonlight protects the prey against the predator. Whooooooop! It becomes too much for the curved-horned antelope and it trots off to the open pan where water is a safe haven. The horse of witches has once again instilled a ghostly fear in the creatures of the wilderness….

Written by Prof Gerhard Verdoorn | 12 November 2008

Kobus is a great buck

The white ring on the buttocks of the waterbuck gives it the descriptive Afrikaans name of kringgat. It is indeed a beautiful and graceful antelope that sticks to the denser woodlands of Africa and it is always associated with water. Waterbuck are not aquatic animals but tend to keep very close to water and will take refuge in deep water when threatened by predators. Food is mostly guaranteed around water and provides the waterbuck with the succulent grass that it feeds on. Herds of waterbuck include cows, calves, young bulls and often a couple of real trophy bulls.