Perhaps it is fitting that the portraits of the “Big 5” animals are featured on South Africa’s banknotes because there is a price on their heads, as well as a price on their severed tails, feet, horns, and other dismembered body parts… writes Ingrid Newkirk, president and founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of […]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a statement recently (29 January 2021) arguing that the hunting industry is key to South Africa’s economic growth, and accusing conservation pressure groups of “cultural imperialism”. The statement appeared on the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa’s website. Here is the full transcript: HUNTING INDUSTRY KEY TO ECONOMIC GROWTH […]

A safari park tracker in Limpopo, South Africa, was tragically attacked and mauled to death by two lions on Sunday morning, 7 March 2021, while he was following the tracks of a pair of cheetahs. Malibongwe Mfila, 27, had seen the spoor divert off the dirt road he was following in his jeep, and stopped […]

It was war time for some monkeys in La Lucia, Durban, last week. Patricia Read captured the passionate turf war on video, with monkeys from two different troops running at each other, fighting, jumping off the roof for the surprise element (and running to the bushes for cover!). Both gangs were intent on making the […]

Devastating photos have emerged in South Africa of the bones of 27 once majestic lions that have been slaughtered. The lions’ bones, discovered at a home in Johannesburg, are in demand in the Far East for use in traditional medicines and to be made into trinkets. South African police swooped on a house in Kempton […]

An enchanting documentary by well known South African filmmakers – Bonné de Bod and Susan Scott – has been nominated for the Best Feature Film category at the International Wildlife Film Festival in the US. The documentary – ‘Kingdoms of Fire, Ice & Fairy Tales’ – charts the award-winning filmmakers’ epic journey from Yellowstone National […]

If you’re missing SA, here’s a behind-the-scenes weekend at Manyoni Private Game Reserve… packed with exquisite panoramic and aerial views of the reserve in the heart of Zululand, South Africa. Filmmaker Anthony George Kirkwood gives viewers a glimpse of Etienne Gerber’s life as the reserve’s Head of Law Enforcement, running the anti-poaching unit. It’s a […]

As the world marked World Pangolin Day yesterday (20 February), pangolins tragically remain the most trafficked mammal in the world… surpassing elephants and rhinos. They are poached for their scales and meat for use in traditional medicines, even though there is no scientific proof that their body parts have any medicinal value.   According to […]

The Swellendam SPCA went above and beyond in a response to a woman in South Africa who called the police because she was frightened of the rain spider in her bedroom. Here is the report from the SPCA, in full, written with the same care, dedication, professionalism and good humour as that used by the […]

Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Animal Defenders International (ADI) has released a different kind of love story – between two lions called Tarzan and Tanya. The lions, now living at the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS) in South Africa, spent seven years in a Guatemalan circus, in a small, barren cage the size of a queen-size bed. […]

South Africa represents the biggest percentage of hunting outfitter exhibitors at the Dallas Safari Club (DSC) annual convention, according to the Humane Society International (HSI). The DSC, a Texas-based trophy hunting industry organisation, hosts the USA’s biggest industry hunting event, which is being held online this year. Based on research conducted by both the HSI […]

A dedicated anti-poaching ranger – who was out on rhino patrol with his dog – was tragically mauled to death on Sunday morning, after being ambushed by a rogue lion in Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. Respected Kobus Marais, 46, – described as a “wildlife warrior” by his distraught colleagues – fell victim to […]

South African National Parks (SANParks) today, 04 February 2021, says it welcomes the decision by the Constitutional Court – dated 1 February 2021 – to dismiss the application for leave to appeal a High Court decision allowing for the Skukuza Regional Court to continue operating inside the Kruger National Park (KNP). The application for leave […]

Ezemvelo staff have allegedly received death threats from local community members, and the breakdown in relations has “directly” lead to the recent culling of at least three elephants, according to alarming information given to the Democratic Alliance (DA). The death threats apparently took place when staff were trying to repair the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (HIP) fence. […]

While conservationists have responded with major concern to SANParks’ latest rhino figures which reveal less than 4,000 rhino left in the park, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has painted a different picture, today publishing a glowing report on its fight against rhino poaching. SANParks has kept quiet about its figures in the last […]

Award-winning Western Cape photographer Rob Tarr enjoyed an incredibly special photo session with Cape Town (and now South Africa’s) most famous baboon, Kataza, before the animal was packed up and moved across the country to Limpopo. Here are Rob’s thoughts, and amazing photos. Kataza’s ‘Great Trek’ to his new home is featured on Carte Blanche […]

The Namibian government will put 170 wild elephants up for sale today, 29 January, justified by false population statistics and disputed claims of human-elephant conflict. More than 100,000 people have signed a petition condemning the action… writes Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick. See petition here. The Namibian government says it has too many elephants and that […]

Listen below to the amazing sounds of a killer whale visiting Fish Hoek in the Western Cape yesterday morning, 26 January 2021… in an extremely rare capture of a killer whale’s vocalizations in South Africa. Search Research & Conservation, which posted a video with the acoustics on YouTube, said this is the “first confirmed Killer […]

US-based charity Animal Defenders International (ADI) is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the arrival of 12 lions and 5 tigers at their sanctuary in South Africa, following an extraordinary rescue mission that saw the animals rescued from circuses and airlifted from Guatemala. The photos say it all – from cruelty and cages to the freedom […]

There has been an incredibly special sighting of a female Cheetah with three new cubs in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP). The sighting  of the cubs, believed to be around two-and-a-half months old, was made recently by The Wildlife ACT monitoring team on the iMfolozi section of the Park. This female Cheetah, known as CF23 (Cheetah Female […]

A Save Our Seas Foundation shark researcher has captured an incredible photo of a crocodile catching a shark in the recently opened St Lucia Estuary in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. The picture, taken by Ryan Daly, is captioned: “When a predator becomes prey”. Save Our Seas told SAPeople “the image has been extremely well […]

Armed men have killed at least six rangers and wounded several others in an ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Virunga national park. This park is a sanctuary for endangered mountain gorillas. Staff working in the park have often come under attack. Judith Verweijen and Esther Marijnen – experts on armed mobilisation and […]

A South African family was surprised to discover a pride of lions has made itself at home on their patio near Hoedspruit! Although probably not as surprised as the comfortable lions were when they spotted the human intruders! Watch the video below to see the moment the lions scatter when they see the humans enter. […]

The City of Cape Town says that the male chacma baboon, known locally as ‘Kataza’ (or SK11 by the authorities), will need to be relocated to Limpopo if he has not integrated with the Tokai baboon community by Monday, 11 January 2021. Kataza (which means ‘troublesome’ in isiXhosa) has sadly not integrated with his natal […]

Captain Jaco Mol, South African National Parks (SANParks) Chief Pilot, on Sunday night posted a message to the SANParks Kruger National Park group on Facebook, addressing rumours about the SANParks helicopter accident on Saturday morning. The accident, which damaged the Airbus AS350B-3+ (Squirrel) helicopter, occurred during take-off from Cape Town International Airport. SANParks said the […]