Baobab Trees

May 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Baobabs are very distinctive and there is little chance of ever mistaking any other tree for a baobab. The bark is smooth, the wood if fibrous with a high water content. Leaves are produced only during the wet season, starting as early as late October and persisting until approximately April. The adult leaves are digitately compound. There are usually 5-11 leaflets whose margins are entire in all species except Adansonia rubrostipa in which they are serrate. All species set fruits in the late dry season or early wet season. Flowers are large and sturdy and produce nectar only one night. The fruit is a dry berry or an indehiscent capsule. The seeds are numerous, large, kidney shaped and have a very thick testa. Enveloping the seeds is a cream-colored pulp or tartar, the texture of which varies from chalky to spongy depending on the species and the age of the fruit.

Baobab Tree

Baobabs are very difficult to kill. They can be burnt or stripped of their bark, and will simply form new bark and carry on growing. When they do die, they rot from the inside and collapse suddenly, leaving behind a heap of fibres, resulting in the belief that they do not die at all, but simply disappear. In the wet months water is stored in their thick, corky, fire-resistant trunks for the nine dry months ahead. A mature Baobab can store more than 120,000 litres of water. click here to read more…

Elephants

May 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Conservation on the Agenda, as 17 African Nations meet to talk Elephants

06 February 2008 — IFAW

(Bamako, Mali – 06 February 2008) Delegates from 17 African elephant range states will hold meetings for two days in Bamako to work towards pro-elephant conservation and anti- ivory trade initiatives. From this meeting, there is potential for the formation of a coalition of like-minded states that will work towards strengthening elephant conservation. click here to continue reading…

The Debate on Elephant Culling in South Africa

IFAW

Sometime in the next few months a life or death decision will be taken on the future of thousands of elephants in South Africa’s world famous Kruger National Park (KNP). The Kruger National Park (KNP) is a flagship wildlife reserve. For years, it has represented much of what is good in wildlife conservation. It is kept and run well, its animal husbandry is considered world-class, and the park even stopped culling elephants (killing them as a means of population control) in 1995, mostly because of international and local pressure. click here to continue reading…

African nations join forces to form anti-ivory trade coalition

07 February 2008 — IFAW

Delegates gathered in the West African country of Mali’s capital for a two-day meeting to discuss how they will pave the way forward for elephants following decisions at the 14th Conference of the Parties of CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) to allow huge ivory stock sales, which will take place before commencement of a nine-year trade suspension. There is a great concern by range states that huge tons of ivory being released into the markets will only stimulate demand and prompt poachers to kill more elephants.click here to continue reading…

Honey Badgers

May 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Honey badgers are fierce carnivores with an extremely keen sense of smell. They are well known for their snake killing abilities, by which they will grab a snake behind the head in its jaws and kill it. Honey badgers can devour an entire snake (150 cm/5ft or less) in 15 minutes.The Honey Badger is among the fiercest hunters of the desert, with prey including earthworms, termites, scorpions, porcupines, hares, and even larger prey such as tortoises, crocodiles up to one metre in size, and snakes. Its ferocious reputation extends to attacks on animals much larger than itself. Several African tribes report that the honey badger attacks the scrotum of larger mammals if provoked and has even castrated humans.

Honey Badger — In the news

The Honey badger or ratel is a tenacious small carnivore that has a reputation for being, pound for pound, Africa’s most fearless animal despite its small size. It is even listed as the “most fearless animal in the world” in the 2002 Guinness Book of Records. Tales of their fondness for honey and the foraging association between the Greater Honeyguide and honey badgers have reached almost legendary proportions. click here to read more…