
GPS tracking collars normally make our life a lot easier. As seen above, we can track leopards via Google Earth maps and then follow this up with ground
surveillance. GPS collars may be more expensive than the old fashioned radio
collars, but they're worth their weight in gold.
Of-course it isn't always good news. This week we have received worrying data from one collar, where the uploaded data has remained in one position for seven days! Obviously the leopard wouldn't be glued to one spot unless something is wrong. Either she has shed the collar (which can happen if he has been in a fight or mating), or she has died.
The team are combing the area on foot, but so far no leopard and no collar, but it is dense bush with high grass and hundreds of game trails, making life difficult. Hopefully we'll find the collar lying on the ground and not a dead leopard.
Written by Will Fox

One hidden aspect of the economic slowdown is the adverse affect on wildlife. Of-course tourism and donations/sponsorship for wildlife projects have suffered. But more than that, unemployment has lead to more guys returning to the old ways.
We have several large mines about 70kms away. Mines that attracted labourers and their families from all over Africa. 8,000 of those labourers are now out of work with no source of income and some are now poaching wildlife.
However much sympathy one has for their plight, lets not forget that poaching indiscriminately kills, it is cruel and illegal.
The photo above was taken a few years ago, but I've added it to emphasise my point. The leopard shown (FS 6 one of our study animals), is carrying a poachers snare around her abdomen. Sadly she died a few days after this photograph was taken.
The other morning two of our volunteers (Alan and Steven) were out tracking leopards when they came across five guys with dogs in the bush. You may ask so what? But these guys were dragging a dead Kudu bull. Thankfully Alan and Steve did the right thing. They kept walking and reported the incident. Any confrontation would in all likelihood have ended badly.
Of-course poaching is a worldwide problem and not just in Africa. When I was in the UK, I had many problems. Although we worked closely with the police, we only ever moved the problem away for a short period. Africa is no different.
The truth is that poachers and wildlife managers generally maintain an uneasy truce. With both sides avoiding confrontation. Of-course things sometimes flares up, but there are no winners.
For now, we have increased our anti-poaching patrols and local law enforcement officers have stepped up their presence. Local papers are also running articles to emphasise that poachers will be prosecuted.
Poaching is a complicated, cultural and economic issue that won't be solved easily or in the near future. At a local level we can only attempt to manage the issue using a mixture of prosecution and education, but we can not ignore the problem.
Written by Will Fox
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In case you might have missed it, I've seekpointed updates and info on 3 n e w Lions in the area for you and Karen from the AM drive today. It runs from the seekpoint all the way to the very, very end of the 08:00 time slot.
Sharon
I just found this information on the Ulusaba Bush Telegraph:
Other great sightings included the Othawa pride and one Mapogo having killed an adult giraffe, which they fed on for more than a week. The young Sand River male also joined them at the kill, but as those of you who saw him would remember, he was in a really poor state, and could hardly muster the energy to feed, and unfortunately was found lying dead next to the carcass.
So very sad news while not unexpected, the young Sand River Male has passed away ... the last one of the pride! This happened sometime within the last 2 weeks.
Positive is the information in the same time frame the sighting of the Eyerfield Pride, all of them (7 sub adults + Solo + 3 females + Rollercoaster Male) have been spotted by the Ulusaba Rangers alive and doing well.
Regards
Peter
really bad news from Mala Mala, the Styx drama of the last couple of month somehow reminds me of what happened to the Nkuhumas more than a year ago.
Have you got any information on the Nkuhumas, the Sandy Patch Female or the surviving Sand River Male. I have not heard of them for almost 2 month now.
Best regards
Peter
that is what I found today in the latest Arathusa Diary, some more news on the Styx ... and again some bad news. But that explains why we have recently only seen 4 females with 5 cubs. But I think there are still at least 1 female and some cubs "missing" (with the 2 females and the 2 small cubs down at Mala Mala:
We have still been very lucky with our lion sightings over the past two weeks, seeing both the Styx pride and the Mapogo’s on a regular basis. One sighting that stands out was seeing the 4 of the Styx lionesses with 6 of the cubs killing and fighting over a male warthog. We didn’t get there until just after they had caught it, but it was still alive and we watched as two of the lionesses finished it off. The audio was brilliant, first of the squealing and killing and then of the pride fighting over the kill. Unfortunately since then they have lost another cub and there are only 4 young females and a young male left. News on the other two missing lionesses is that they are doing okay for the moment with their two smaller cubs, but they need to join up with the rest of the pride soon for extra protection. The Mapogo males move in every now and then for a day or two, just to make sure that everything is still the way they like it and that no competition has tried to move in and take over.
Best regards from Germany
Peter
Thanks
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