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NATURE

The survey was hailed as probably the most
comprehensive national survey, worldwide.
Its contents indicated that South Africa can
hold its head up when it comes to e ective
wildlife management.

The 10 critically endangered species include
one of our three sub-species of the black
rhinoceros. The black rhino population as a
whole is holding steady in South Africa. At last
count they probably numbered 700, of which
230 were in Kruger Park and 463 in Zululand
(Hluhluwe/Umfolozi and Mkuzi).

The ‘Red List’ of the IUCN (International Union
for the Conservation of Nature) deemed the
black rhino to be ‘critically endangered’ in
its global context. But the EWT’s Red Data
Book showed it is, in fact, increasing in this
country and in our national context can be
rated as ‘vulnerable’ - two categories more
optimistic than ‘CE’.

Fifty years ago, the white rhinoceros would
have been deemed ‘critically endangered’,
just like the black. Only a few score were left,
nearly all of them in Zululand. Zululand’s
e orts in the mid-century to protect the Forest-dwelling samango – now 'endangered'
white rhino brought numbers up into the
thousands. The campaign, probably the most mountain zebra, one of two sub-species of Africa there are fewer than 2 500 of which
successful conservation (preservation!) e ort Samango monkey, the blue whale, Southern about 2 000 are shared by Kruger Park and
in the world at the time, enabled South Africa elephant seal, a migratory sub-population of its abutting reserves. Because the Chinese
to repopulate areas in Africa where the rhino the Indian Ocean bottle-nosed dolphin, eight believe the lion’s powdered bones have
had been extinguished. And that included in rodents and two bats. medicinal powers, lions are being poached at
Kruger Park where not one rhino – black or a steady rate in southern Africa.
white – existed in 1950. The Kruger Park is The 29 species declared ‘VU’ (vulnerable)
now Africa’s biggest repository of rhinos. include the black rhino (embracing all And on the ‘EX’ list?
three sub-species), lion, cheetah, blue The report listed four mammals: Quagga
Alas, most of those redistributed north of duiker, bontebok, suni, roan, sable, Cape (extinguished between 1875 and 1883); blue
us have now been poached by well-armed mountain zebra, sperm whale, Bryde’s whale, antelope (belonging to the sable family –
gangs sponsored by Far Eastern crime humpback dolphin, bottle-nosed dolphin (as extinguished 1799 - 1800); Cape warthog
syndicates. This is why Kruger Park and a species regardless of the sub-population (around 1900) and Burchell’s zebra (extinction
the KwaZulu wildlife authorities no longer that appears on the ‘EN’ list), pangolin, two date unknown). The common zebra (now
divulge their rhino population gures. They di erent sub-populations of Samango, tree called ‘plains zebra’) is plentiful.
fear the poaching gangs will step up their hyrax (tree dassie), four moles, six bats, one
activities in South Africa. shrew and the giant rat. Surprisingly, the Cape lion has not been
featured on the ‘EX’ list – it was a sub-species
The riverine rabbit, found only in South The inclusion of the lion as ‘vulnerable’ last seen near Colesberg in 1836. BV
Africa, is deemed ‘CR’ – critically endangered. might surprise many. In the wild in South
Its category implies it is “50 percent likely to
become extinct within 100 years”. Although
land management has greatly improved, the
rabbit’s population continues to decline.

The other seven ‘CR‘ mammals involve ve
species of moles, two bats and the Ongoye
red squirrel. The potential loss of such species
might not excite public interest, but their
loss should concern us because any loss of
a species reduces biodiversity and therefore
threatens the whole.

South Africa has not, as far as is known, had
a species extinction for well over a century. It
is possible that some smaller species might
have been extinguished before they were
even discovered. Look at the various kinds of
shrews, some the size of beetles.

Among the 18 species classi ed as being
on the brink of ‘EN’ - endangered - one third
are unique to South Africa. Those are the
African wild dog, oribi, tsessebe, Hartmann’s

BLUE VALLEY NEWS • Issue 3 2020 • 21