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Burchell's Zebra back at the Canyon - 23.08.06
Gondwana bought a total of 50 Burchell's zebra and 24
red hartebeest in July and released them in its nature
reserves in the Kalahari and at the Fish River Canyon.
Furthermore, the annual game count in Gondwana Cañon
Park showed that game numbers continue to rise. |
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25
Burchell’s zebra were released in Gondwana
Kalahari Park northeast of Mariental. Regrettably
two of them died the next day as a result of stress
suffered earlier. On the way from NamibRand Nature
Reserve the truck with the animals broke down
at Tsaris Pass at the escarpment. Even though
a replacement vehicle was immediately dispatched
and the zebra were reloaded without delay, they
still had to endure a two-day journey. After exploring
their new home the remainder of the herd seems
to have settled in well. Following this year’s
generous rains there are also many young among
the gemsbok, springbok, ostriches and bat-eared
foxes in the park.
In Gondwana Cañon Park the game release
went smoothly. All of the 25 Burchell’s
zebra arrived in good condition and sauntered
from the truck into the wild. Each animal was
photographed to form a unique identikit for long-term
monitoring |
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A Burchell's zebra from the Namib steps onto the
red sand of the Kalahari.
Photo: Gondwana Kalahari Park |
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and research. Like the fingerprints of
people, each zebra has a unique pattern, so can be individually
identified. A week later 24 red hartebeest arrived.
While they spent time in the boma, park manager Otto
von Kaschke and his team determined the gender and age
of the animals: 16 adults and 7 calves, 21 females and
2 males. One calf died from a wound sustained through
the horn of another animal. Some of the new arrivals
were soon seen grazing together with other hartebeest
which had been released three years ago. |
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Red
hartebeest leap into the wild. Photo: Gondwana Cañon
Park |
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| Gondwana’s
game programme aims at reintroducing animal species
which used to roam these areas in previous times.
It is financed with the income generated by the
accommodation facilities and activities available
in the four nature reserves of the Gondwana Desert
Collection. Progress is continually monitored
by the parks’ staff and during annual game
counts. At the same time strict attention is paid
to the viability of the arid land, and every precaution
is taken to stay within the carrying capacity,
which changes each year depending on the highly
variable rainfall. |
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Game count at the canyon.
Photo: Gondwana Cañon Park |
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The game count
in Gondwana Cañon Park took place in the middle
of August – this time together with representatives
of the neighbouring /Ai-/Ais National Park, representatives
from the /Ai-/Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, the
Klein Karas Community and the private Canyon Nature
Park on the western side of the Canyon. The numbers
of gemsbok, springbok, kudu, steenbok and ostrich have
again increased over last year’s figures (see
chart). |
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Diagram:
Jo Tagg |
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The fact that
fewer mountain zebra were recorded in the park is explained
by the experts as part of the zebra’s nomadic
and migratory patterns to optimise food and water resources.
After good rains the animals move westwards into the
canyons and mountains where plenty of grazing is once
again available. As conditions become dryer, the animals
move eastwards. Since internal fences as well as the
fences alongside the road have mostly been dismantled,
game can once again move about unhampered, and start
to regain their historic nomadic and migratory patterns.
This ability to move in response to changing climatic
conditions is one of the most important evolutionary
survival strategies of wildlife in arid areas.
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| Migratory
movements can only be effectively re-established,
of course, if open landscapes of sufficient size
can be secured. This is a goal which the private
and national nature reserves in the region have
committed to and are actively working towards.
The day before the game count, a meeting was held
in the Gondwana Cañon Park at which it
was agreed to establish the Greater Fish River
Canyon Complex Association (GFRCCA). This is the
starting point of a nature conservation area which
in the not too distant future could extend from
the Sperrgebiet to the Klein Karas Mountains and
from the tar road between Keetmanshoop and Aus
to the Gariep/Orange River on the southern border
and across into the Richtersveld in South Africa... |
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Satellite picture of Gondwana Cañon Park with the standardised routes sketched in.
Source: Jo Tagg |
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