Two slain black-backed jackals. This picture was taken near Graaff Reinet on 28 July 2008.
Is this the "proud display" of South African DEAD biodiversity??!!
Please consider your farm-reared meats or animal fibre (wool and mohair) purchases next time you are at the supermarket, as your choices may make you part of this barbarism.
The Landmark Foundation is developing wildlife-friendly products that will be launched under the Fair Game™ brand in the next few months, so do look out for these.
STOP THIS SLAUGHTER OF OUR PREDATORS
Is this the "proud display" of South African DEAD biodiversity??!!
Please consider your farm-reared meats or animal fibre (wool and mohair) purchases next time you are at the supermarket, as your choices may make you part of this barbarism.
The Landmark Foundation is developing wildlife-friendly products that will be launched under the Fair Game™ brand in the next few months, so do look out for these.
STOP THIS SLAUGHTER OF OUR PREDATORS
We remain resolute in our position and efforts to promote non-lethal predator controls on livestock farms. We consider leg-hold traps (gin traps), indiscriminate poisons and hunting dog packs to be barbaric methods that need to be outlawed and that consumers should resist. Please contact us if you would like of copy of our non-lethal predator management guide, Predators on Livestock Farms.
This is not unlike the controversy of the 10/80 poison, where a conservation entity reportedly received R400 000 to promote this poison to kill predators.
In a perverse turn of events we are informed that some conservation entities and academics are pushing to soften the positions taken on gin traps. They are trying to euphemistically call these barbaric tools "leg-hold devices" (and even more sickening "soft gin traps") and claim that they are safe and acceptable. They are not. Some conservation entities even use these devices in their research methodologies and hand them out to farmers as an item they promote in production practises! Such positions contradict basic facts and knowledge of the pathology caused by these barbaric devices. These devices cause distal limb gangrene as they occlude blood supply, fracture limbs, injure ligament and tendons and other soft tissues and often breach the skin (resulting in compound and lethal fractures). Never mind the fact that the animals suffer and often die of dehydration. What more do you expect when the limbs of wild animals are held anchored to a chain?! These traps are indiscriminate, in humane and thus any form of "control" is merely a delusion and a "green-washing" effort. How can conservation entities promote such barbarism?!
This is not unlike the controversy of the 10/80 poison, where a conservation entity reportedly received R400 000 to promote this poison to kill predators.
We have even been subjected to attempts of bribery to get us to soften our position on gin traps. Has the world gone mad?!
We had further bad news on 5 August 2008, when an old female leopard was captured in one of our live traps on a farm in the Baviaanskloof. The veterinarian darted and treated the animal which showed evidence of some dehydration. She was a very old female judging by her worn down teeth and her condition. During the recovery after the darting and fitting of the GPS collar, she collapsed and died. A full autopsy is being conducted as the cause of death is not clear although stress and possible underlying illness have been suspected by the veterinarian.
Leopards Died: 25 since November 2002 - these are the confirmed and known cases in the Addo National Park areas and the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve surrounds, most as the result of gin traps. We believe that this may be only the tip of the iceberg of the cases in the wider region.
Leopards Rescued: 17 since April 2004 (7 translocated to Addo Elephant National Park, and 10 released on site).
Thus, of the 42 leopard incidents since 2002 that we have been involved with, 40% were saved. (The initial 15 all died with a success rate of 0%, now that percentage has increased to 63% since 2004 - so we are heading in the right direction.) Eight percent (2 cats) of the deaths have been the unintended result of us trying to save the cats. These events are clearly regrettable, and 8% to high, and we will continually strive to avoid these distressing results.
Everyone in our team and all the collaborating entities deeply regret this outcome and we are gutted by it. Firstly we take responsibility for this, and although with the evidence currently at hand we do not believe that human error caused this outcome, we will nevertheless fully investigate it through a post mortem investigation and take the lessons from it to heart. So we must gather the lessons learnt, pick ourselves up and continue to improve our results.
We remain resolute that non-lethal controls are the way to go and have proven resoundingly successful.
This is not unlike the controversy of the 10/80 poison, where a conservation entity reportedly received R400 000 to promote this poison to kill predators.
In a perverse turn of events we are informed that some conservation entities and academics are pushing to soften the positions taken on gin traps. They are trying to euphemistically call these barbaric tools "leg-hold devices" (and even more sickening "soft gin traps") and claim that they are safe and acceptable. They are not. Some conservation entities even use these devices in their research methodologies and hand them out to farmers as an item they promote in production practises! Such positions contradict basic facts and knowledge of the pathology caused by these barbaric devices. These devices cause distal limb gangrene as they occlude blood supply, fracture limbs, injure ligament and tendons and other soft tissues and often breach the skin (resulting in compound and lethal fractures). Never mind the fact that the animals suffer and often die of dehydration. What more do you expect when the limbs of wild animals are held anchored to a chain?! These traps are indiscriminate, in humane and thus any form of "control" is merely a delusion and a "green-washing" effort. How can conservation entities promote such barbarism?!
This is not unlike the controversy of the 10/80 poison, where a conservation entity reportedly received R400 000 to promote this poison to kill predators.
We have even been subjected to attempts of bribery to get us to soften our position on gin traps. Has the world gone mad?!
We had further bad news on 5 August 2008, when an old female leopard was captured in one of our live traps on a farm in the Baviaanskloof. The veterinarian darted and treated the animal which showed evidence of some dehydration. She was a very old female judging by her worn down teeth and her condition. During the recovery after the darting and fitting of the GPS collar, she collapsed and died. A full autopsy is being conducted as the cause of death is not clear although stress and possible underlying illness have been suspected by the veterinarian.
Leopards Died: 25 since November 2002 - these are the confirmed and known cases in the Addo National Park areas and the Baviaanskloof Mega-Reserve surrounds, most as the result of gin traps. We believe that this may be only the tip of the iceberg of the cases in the wider region.
Leopards Rescued: 17 since April 2004 (7 translocated to Addo Elephant National Park, and 10 released on site).
Thus, of the 42 leopard incidents since 2002 that we have been involved with, 40% were saved. (The initial 15 all died with a success rate of 0%, now that percentage has increased to 63% since 2004 - so we are heading in the right direction.) Eight percent (2 cats) of the deaths have been the unintended result of us trying to save the cats. These events are clearly regrettable, and 8% to high, and we will continually strive to avoid these distressing results.
Everyone in our team and all the collaborating entities deeply regret this outcome and we are gutted by it. Firstly we take responsibility for this, and although with the evidence currently at hand we do not believe that human error caused this outcome, we will nevertheless fully investigate it through a post mortem investigation and take the lessons from it to heart. So we must gather the lessons learnt, pick ourselves up and continue to improve our results.
We remain resolute that non-lethal controls are the way to go and have proven resoundingly successful.
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