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Vultures have been much-maligned in popular culture as harbingers of death and disease. However quite the opposite is true. The very presence of vultures is the sign of a healthy ecosystem and the scavenging function they perform helps to prevent the spread of disease. Populations of vultures face a number of risks. The poisoning of … Continued
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What is desertification? It is not specifically the expansion of existing deserts. Rather, it refers to the degradation of dry-land ecosystems caused primarily by human overexploitation, overgrazing, inappropriate water extraction and climactic variations such as declines in rainfall. Why should we care? The arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas of the planet cover 42% of … Continued
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We have long known that leopard exist on and around Samara, having seen the occasional track and other signs of these elusive cats over the years. In 2014, we captured a photograph of a leopard in a camera trap, and Master Tracker Pokkie Benadie had found tracks of a large male in the hidden kloofs … Continued
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The Samara Team observed and filmed two female cheetahs, both with cubs, exhibiting what is known in scientific parlance as “allo-mothering” – when young are cared for by individuals other than their biological mother. This phenomenon is commonly seen in elephant herds, lion prides and among several bird species, but until now had only been … Continued
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1. They’re not actually wolves at all Aardwolves (Afrikaans for “earth wolves”) are not actually wolves. In fact, they are part of the hyaena family. That hasn’t stopped them from gaining a variety of less-than-accurate designations though. For example, they are nicknamed “maanhaar jackals” for their characteristic mane which grows from head to tail. This … Continued
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A long, long time ago there was a hunter who had gone out to find food for his family. It was hot and the hunter was a lazy character. He quickly tired in the heat and sat under a tree, observing a herd of impala that was grazing close by. He wished that there was … Continued
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With thanks to David Bristow for the title of this essay, borrowed from a chapter heading in his book Big Pharma, Dirty Lies, Busy Bees and Eco Activists – one of the best books I have read all year. Well, we made it. Finally, 2020 is behind us. A tumultuous year in which we have … Continued
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What is culture? The United Nations agency UNESCO defines this somewhat intangible concept as: the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a society or a social group, that encompasses not only art and literature, but lifestyles, ways of living together, values systems, traditions and beliefs. Put simply, culture makes us human … Continued
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The 2020 Heritage Day Cup could not go ahead due to COVID-19, so this year we replaced the sports tournament with a celebration of the written word and a feeding scheme in Graaff-Reinet’s communities most severely impacted by the pandemic.
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Samara is located in the Eastern Cape province, which routinely ranks as one of the poorest in South Africa. Unemployment in the province stood at 39.5% at the end of 2019, compared to 29.1% nationally, with 36% of households wholly dependent on social grants for survival (Stats SA). These rates will undoubtedly have been exacerbated … Continued
