WE are looking forward to another great time around the fire, hope you can join us!
Please feel free to send in General Questions you would like to ask to: fire@wildearth.tv
WE'll see you there... it's in our nature!
WE are looking forward to another great time around the fire, hope you can join us!
Please feel free to send in General Questions you would like to ask to: fire@wildearth.tv
WE'll see you there... it's in our nature!
Join the WE crew around the fireside as WE celebrates our 2nd Birthday. April 27th is the day WE first broadcast our LIVE game drive in 2007.
WE would love it if our viewers would help us in celebrating this event by sending in a small sound byte...
WE are looking forward to another great time around the fire, hope you can join us!
Please feel free to send in General Questions you would like to ask to: fire@wildearth.tv
WE'll see you there... it's in our nature!
WE are looking forward to another great time around the fire, hope you can join us!
Please feel free to send in General Questions you would like to ask to: fire@wildearth.tv
WE'll see you there... it's in our nature!
WE are looking forward to another great time around the fire, hope you can join us!
Please feel free to send in General Questions you would like to ask to: fire@wildearth.tv
WE'll see you there... it's in our nature!
WE are looking forward to another great time around the fire, hope you can join us!
Please feel free to send in General Questions you would like to ask to: fire@wildearth.tv
WE'll see you there... it's in our nature!
Thanks for the kind welcome, Ruth! I, too, am from The South - grew up in Texas and Virginia, but have lived more than half my life now in Austria... should say, freezing cold, old Austria! I live at the edge of a small village in the Weinviertel (Vineyard Quarter), just North of Vienna in an area called the Leiser Berge (Quiet Mountains). The Vineyard Quarter is quite beautiful with its landscape of gently rolling hills and a continuous patchwork of fields and forests ...and, of course, vineyards! On clear days from my house, one can see the White Carpathian mountain range over in Slovakia. I love this location, because it is just close enough to the big city for cultural activities, shopping, etc., but just far enough away from it to be able to escape the hectic and poluted air and stay in touch with nature. Despite the global warming, we have been having an unusually bitter cold, white December and January this year - something I have never been able to completely adjust to, even after so many decades of this being my home base!
Live in the state of Georgia in USA. Took early retirement. Avid gardener, bird watcher, amatuer naturalist and photographer. Totally enthralled by the South African wildlife and amazed at the technology that allows me to watch live from my own home.
Some great questions have been raised by University students during my recent lecture tour in the UK, which have focused our thoughts on the direction of the ILP for the next years. Sure, we’re growing rapidly but it’s important to ensure that we focus on our core aims first and foremost. The object of our research is to gather data on the density and behaviour of leopards (and other carnivores) outside of formally protected areas. And why? Well it is in these areas (the largest land mass of South Africa) that leopards are in conflict with humans and in these areas where they are the last of the big five remaining truly wild. So how can we conserve the dwindling leopard population. As said, first we need data, but also we need to develop wildlife management methods and techniques. Within this we need to become more than a pure research project and tackle some of the other issues. Education is undoubtedly a major factor. We need to get the message across in the right way. But we also need to develop and employ pragmatic management solutions. We will need a holding facility to temporarily detain problem animals, sufficient to give us time to ensure that any relocation does not compromise the genetic dynamics of an area and importantly that we do not create a problem in that area. Whether that be with local livestock, people, or other leopards. All of this will mean we need more staff. Dedicated people who have a passion for wildlife conservation. We’ll also need more funding. But here is where we can offer something a little different. We want to create an ILP membership scheme (say$8 annual fee). However rather then just ask for a membership fee, in return we want to offer something more than a badge or membership card. Membership will then entitle folks to a 10% discount off an African Conservation Safari. As with everything we do, we look to our friends to give us their input and feedback, so if you have any thoughts on this concept then I'd love to hear from you. Written by Will Fox
Finally we have some news on our Honey Badger project. As you may know we have been holding two troublesome honey badgers, that were killing Geese on a farm and removed before they could get into even deeper trouble. Of-course we have been waiting for permits but (in this case), that is no bad thing. It has provided time for the badgers to loose their homing instinct to that farm (otherwise they would just head home and into more trouble). It's also given us time to arrange for tracking equipment. In this regard, we took lots of advice from badger specialists before deciding on a two pronged approach to tracking these animals that roam in very large areas. Firstly, one of the badgers had a radio transceiver implant yesterday (unobtrusive low range device placed under the skin by a vet), and second they will each be given VHF collars before release. Of-course with such tenacious animals the collars won't last long before the badgers have destroyed and discarded them, but by that time we hope to have logged their new home range and have an idea of where to find them. Thereafter the implant (which has only a small range) will help us to monitor the badgers for the next year or so and gather much needed data on Honey Badgers living outside of formally protected area's. You've heard it before, but these are the area's where all carnivores at the biggest and imminent risk from human conflict. So we very much hope that these two will be only the first of many, so that our study results can hep formulate pragmatic conservation policies. For now, the badgers will be monitored at Moholoholo wildlife rehabilitation centre for another twelve days and then we'll release them into a wild area. Where we hope they'll stay out of trouble. Yea I know, fat chance of that. Badgers just seem to look for trouble. I have to be honest, it's why I love them.
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Merry ChristmasHave a great day..Patty
Thank you for welcome Jim
Thank you, I am glad to be part of the WE communtiy/family
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