Endangered Wildlife Trust

The 2016 Mammal Red List for South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho details over 340 species and highlights that close to 60 species are threatened with extinction. The EWT and SANBI are currently underway revising this list which will be released in 2025. This list is an essential tool for understanding and addressing the threats facing our wildlife. Discover which other mammals need our protection and find out how you can support conservation efforts here: https://lnkd.in/gSRkuMch  #EndangeredWildlifeTrust #Conservation #WildlifeProtection #NatureConservation #Biodiversity #EcoConservation #SaveWildlife #EnvironmentalProtection #NatureLovers #EndangeredSpecies #WildlifeResearch #Frog #SaveTheFrog

The EWT’s Soutpansberg Rangers are all members of the Game Rangers Association of Africa. The GRAA, in partnership with Jim Green Footwear, have an initiative to donate boots to rangers. The Jim Green ranger boots are built for rangers, designed by rangers. Our rangers spend most of their time in the field and on their feet, and good, strong boots are critical for their work. Thank you to GRAA and Jim Green for providing our rangers with high-quality boots! #Conservation #ProtectingAnimals #EndangeredWildlife #SavingSpecies #Footwear #JimGreen #Partnership #Rangers

Join us for a fun-filled day of golf and fundraising on the 8th of August at the beautiful Simbithi Golf Club in Ballito. Fourball and hole sponsorship is still available. Thank you to all our sponsors including Risk Sure Insurance Brokers who is sponsoring a hole-in-one prize of R25,000. This event is proudly sponsored by The Ford Motor Company Wildlife Foundation. www.braai365.com/golfday #EndangeredWildlifeTrust #Conservation #WildlifeProtection #NatureConservation #Biodiversity #EcoConservation #SaveWildlife #EnvironmentalProtection #NatureLovers #EndangeredSpecies #WildlifeResearch #GolfDay #FordWildlifeFoundation

Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) inhabit oceans south of the Equator and are no stranger to the South African shoreline where they calf during winter. The species is one of the greatest conservation success stories - recovering from a suspected low of only 300 animals in the 1920s to over 14,000 today, resulting in the IUCN categorizing it’s extinction risk as Least Concern. Although EWT’s focus is conservation on land, our Drone Unit has been working with the Whale Unit of the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institutefor the last three years identifying and assessing the body condition of individuals during calving season. While the species is no longer threatened by hunting, it could be facing a new threat in the form of climate change: As Antarctic ice sheets retract, whales have to travel further to feed on the krill depending on them as part of their life cycle  and the longer journey back to their calving grounds can lead to some cow’s body condition being too poor to successfully calf. #EndangeredWildlifeTrust #Conservation #WildlifeProtection #NatureConservation #Biodiversity #EcoConservation #SaveWildlife #EnvironmentalProtection #NatureLovers #EndangeredSpecies #WildlifeResearch

Conservation Canines assist rangers with snare detection efforts The success of a pilot project and proof of concept to determine whether anti-poaching dogs can be used for snare detection may be a new technique of combating poaching. Thanks to funding from the Taronga Zoological Society in Sydney, Australia, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Canine Conservation unit spent several days this month testing novel techniques to detect snares in a farming and conservation area in Limpopo. Two EWT tracking canines, Ruger and Kisha, were specifically trained in order to field test this idea. Using a combination of tracking and article detection training, the dogs would first track the human scent trail left by poachers, and then indicate on scent pools left by poachers as they set snares in a specific area, as well as any articles (including snares) which carry the same scent. In order to prove the concept, two assistants mimicked poaching behavior and set snare lines in the field, walking through the veld and setting snares as poachers would realistically do. The canines and handler team would then set off, tracking the scent left by the assistants. When the dog indicated on a scent pool, and the snares the two accompanying rangers would search that immediate area. The same area was then searched by two rangers without the assistance of canines, enabling direct comparison of the results. The trial was repeated several times across different terrain including hard/rocky surfaces, sandy river beds and dense bush. In all cases, the dogs successfully tracked the scent of the person who had planted the snares and other items, finding 70-100% of the snares placed in each case, compared to the 10%-20% of snares located b ranger teams without a dog. As further proof that this technique works, the dogs were taken on a routine patrol on a neigbouring farm that has problems with poachers using snares to trap wildlife. During this patrol, Ruger discovered a snare that had been planted by a real-life poacher. Judging by slash marks in the surrounding vegetation, the snare was estimated to be between 2 and 4 days old. While there is a lot more work that needs to be done, this is proof that the concept works – an extra tool in the arsenal to combat poaching. #ConservationCanines #AntiPoaching #WildlifeProtection #EndangeredWildlifeTrust #ProtectingWildlife #Poachers

Conservation Canines assist rangers with snare detection efforts The success of a pilot project and proof of concept to determine whether anti-poaching dogs can be used for snare detection may be a new technique of combating poaching. Thanks to funding from the Taronga Zoological Society in Sydney, Australia, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Canine Conservation unit spent several days this month testing novel techniques to detect snares in a farming and conservation area in Limpopo. Two EWT tracking canines, Ruger and Kisha, were specifically trained in order to field test this idea. Using a combination of tracking and article detection training, the dogs would first track the human scent trail left by poachers, and then indicate on scent pools left by poachers as they set snares in a specific area, as well as any articles (including snares) which carry the same scent. In order to prove the concept, two assistants mimicked poaching behavior and set snare lines in the field, walking through the veld and setting snares as poachers would realistically do. The canines and handler team would then set off, tracking the scent left by the assistants. When the dog indicated on a scent pool, and the snares the two accompanying rangers would search that immediate area. The same area was then searched by two rangers without the assistance of canines, enabling direct comparison of the results. The trial was repeated several times across different terrain including hard/rocky surfaces, sandy river beds and dense bush. In all cases, the dogs successfully tracked the scent of the person who had planted the snares and other items, finding 70-100% of the snares placed in each case, compared to the 10%-20% of snares located b ranger teams without a dog. As further proof that this technique works, the dogs were taken on a routine patrol on a neigbouring farm that has problems with poachers using snares to trap wildlife. During this patrol, Ruger discovered a snare that had been planted by a real-life poacher. Judging by slash marks in the surrounding vegetation, the snare was estimated to be between 2 and 4 days old. While there is a lot more work that needs to be done, this is proof that the concept works – an extra tool in the arsenal to combat poaching. #ConservationCanines #AntiPoaching #WildlifeProtection #EndangeredWildlifeTrust #ProtectingWildlife #Poachers

Last month I presented the preliminary findings of the first chapter of my PhD at the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Bird's of Prey Conference. I was so nervous but the attendees were some of the nicest people you could meet. It wasn't just interesting talks, there was a joint demonstration by Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and the Endangered Wild Life Trust putting bird flappers on powerlines via a drone, a wonderful opportunity to watch wild vultures feed at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre's  vulture restaurant and I managed to pick up my own copy of the "vulture Bible" (Vultures of Africa by Peter Mundy et al.) I urge all students, if you can get to conferences - go, if you're too intimidated to ask a question in front of a room full of people - find the presenter during the break and ask. It might fell like your heart is about to explode but honestly, you'll feel so pleased you did afterwards.

Endangered Wildlife Trust welcomes the appointment of new Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister The Endangered Wildlife Trust welcomes the appointment of Dr Dion George as the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. We look forward to continuing a strong working relationship with the Ministry and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and to working with the new Deputy Ministers, Mr Narend Singh and Ms Bernice Swartz. The EWT wishes the outgoing Minister, Barbara Creecy, well in her future position as the Minister of Transport. We would like to thank Minister Creecy for her support and willingness to work with stakeholders and NGOs during her tenure as Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. To read the complete statement, click on the following link: https://lnkd.in/dajFM8rV

As part of our Drylands Conservation Programme’s efforts to conserve South Africa’s most endangered tortoise species, this EWT programme has an extra special team member to help with surveys. Delta, a brown Border collie, is a certified detection dog trained to search for specific tortoises (while ignoring some of the most common species). Delta indicates the presence of a target tortoise with a passive indication (lying down). She has been assisting the EWT-DCP team for more than 6-months in searching for two of the most elusive tortoise species in the Northern Cape Province. The two species are Karoo Dwarf Tortoise (Chersobius boulengeri) and Speckled Dwarf Tortoise (Chersobius signatus), representing the world’s smallest tortoise species, with a maximum size of approximately 10 cm. With tortoises so small, one can understand why we need a secret weapon to help us find the species so we know where to protect them. For both species, we are observing a concerning trend of population declines, with our human teams struggling to find these tortoise… Even at locations where they have been recorded before. The EWT- DCP team hopes, with the help of Delta, to find more extant populations and implement threat mitigation measures to insure the survival of the species. This work is made possible by Turtle Conservancy, Dwarf Tortoise Conservation, and our dog sponsors. With special thanks to Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Rural Development and Land Reform. #EWT #DCP #dwarftortoises #tortoiseconservation #scentdetectiondog #conservationcanines #deltathedetectiondog #endangeredspecies #royalcanin

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), one of the largest Biodiversity Conservation NGOs in South Africa is seeking a motivated and professional individual to manage the finances of various conservation programs as well as assist with certain financial accounting functions for the Head Office team. The role will cover monthly and annual reporting, including producing donor reports, assisting with donor audits as well as supporting the finance team with the annual financial audit. The role is a key governance role to ensure projects and procurement spend is in line with budget and according to donor requirements. Closing Date: 22 July 2024 For more information please visit https://lnkd.in/dkk557je #vacancy #jobs #EWT #conservation