Rugby and Roadkill.

Earlier this year I listened to a very interesting talk on the radio about the plight of the Riverine Rabbit. I then decided to join the very worthwhile 'Endangered Wildlife Trust' or EWT, hoping that my small contribution would help in some way. I receive their newsletter via email and each time I read it I see words like 'extinct', 'global warming' and 'endangered species' and I shudder. But, this month (apart from the doom and gloom), I read with interest that EWT is proud to announce a partnership with the Gauteng based Golden Lions Rugby Union, which is putting its force behind carnivore conservation (what else??) by running a competition in which a signed Golden Lions jersey is up for grabs! They are the very well deserving 2011 winners of the Currie Cup. (I am and always shall be a Province supporter, but I must admit that we did not play to the best of our ability this year!)

As you know by now, we live in a small village, we are a mere 12 kms from our nearest shops and schools. Every time we drive to town we see dead animals on the road and I could weep. These range from gulls and owls, to mongoose, jackals, hares, buck, mole snakes, tortoises, moles and striped polecats. This carnage is but a drop in the ocean as this excerpt from the latest EWT news shows:

'Reports show that at least a million animals are killed each day on highways in the United States alone. While South African roadkill data are still very limited, the EWT’s Wendy Collinson counted 374 roadkills from 81 different species on a 67 km stretch of road over 30 days in northern Limpopo in March 2011, including Brown Hyaena, Black-Backed Jackal and African Civet. In another survey, five Cheetahs were killed on roads next to the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area between January 2006 and June 2009, and three African Wild Dogs were killed in the course of six months in 2006. The EWT has now developed the first standardised rapid assessment protocol for the detection of roadkill on South African roads, which will be piloted to collect baseline roadkill measures in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, so identifying factors that might affect roadkill. It will also provide the basis for implementing actions to reduce the impact that roads have on wildlife, and contribute towards national norms and standards for future road design, maintenance and improvement.' Thanks to EWT news.

As the problem of poaching continues, a shipment of rhino horn was found in Hong Kong recently, worth several million rand, but priceless to the rhino. How did it get there? Nobody is saying, but somebody has a lot of questions to answer! Are the 'good guys' winning the battle? I doubt it, read below:

'As poaching continues to impact upon South Africa's Southern White Rhino Ceratotherium simum simum and Black Rhino Diceros bicornis, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared Africa's Western Black Rhino Diceros bicornis longipes extinct. The IUCN furthermore says that the Northern White Rhino Ceratotherium simum cottoni could soon become extinct and a subspecies of Asia's Javan Rhino Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus is probably extinct. Despite this gloomy news, the IUCN is positive that conservation action is making a difference for some species, including the once Critically Endangered Przewalski’s Horse Equus ferus, which has been downlisted to Endangered.' Thanks to EWT news.

This month, the world population reached the 7 billion mark, and is rising as I type.

I ask you with tears in my eyes, what hope is there for the animals that 'share' the planet with us?