“Painting for pelicans”, West Coast National Park The “Pelican Watch” project is a seabird conservation project undertaken by members of the SHR on Jutten and Malgas islands every summer. The buildings on these islands are used by both members of the SHR and visiting scientists and researchers. However, they needed essential maintenance and upgrades to render them more fit for purpose. The members of West Coast Region took on the significant challenge of transporting material and workers by boat to the islands, completing the upgrades successfully and within the required timeframe. Project leader: Michiel Moll. Research and publication of a book on the Meerkat National Park The establishment of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project in the Northern Cape necessitated the expropriation of 31 farms by the South African Government. The 131 000 ha was later proclaimed as the Meerkat National Park in the Government Gazette. The SHR identified a need to record the heritage, history and stories of these farms, and the people who lived on them, for future generations. After three years of dedicated research and writing, the 190-page “The Lost Tales of the Meerkat National Park” was published. Funds raised from the sale of the book are allocated to SANParks wish lists. The work has been acknowledged by the SKA, Vernacular Society of SA, Bo-Karoo Farmers Association and the Carnarvon Municipality. Project leaders: Beth and Willie Engelbrecht, Arid Region. Tracking collars for karoo lions – Karoo NP In recent years, lion escapes from the Karoo National Park were well documented. Fitting the lions with radio collars is one way of tracking the animals and ensuring their speedy return. However, this is a costly exercise. The Boland and Karoo Regions initiated a project whereby paying guests could witness the collaring exercise while being hosted at the Mountain View bush camp. This initiative raised sufficient funds to purchase a collar and paves the way for future collaring exercises, thus safeguarding lions in the Karoo National Park. Project leaders: Hennie Serdyn and Christo van Zyl. Car boot sale fundraiser in the UK Dedicated members of the Virtual Region, who reside in the United Kingdom, raise funds for the SHR through selling donated items at car boot sales. In the very cold winters, it is an early 04h00 start, four times per week. Not only is this an excellent fundraiser, but it also raises awareness of the SHR in the UK. Over R142 000 was raised during the 2023/2024 financial year. Project leaders: Carol and Richard Veitch. SANParks Honorary Rangers 2024 159
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTI0MzQ=