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LOCAL CONSERVATIONIST COMES TO ROBBEN ISLAND’S RESCUE

5 May 2008 - Searl Derman owner of Aquila Private Game Reserve just outside Cape Town and trustee of ARC, Aquila Animal Rescue and Conservation Centre based at Aquila, has pledged R250 000 worth of assistance to Robben Island as a result of his recent visit and the critical situation facing the islands’ wildlife and vegetation.

Derman stated “It might seem like a lot of money and effort to some, as the total value of the 2 Bontebok and 20 spring buck is under R20 000, but I’d be honoured to be involved in saving the original bloodlines of these historic and endangered animals, and limit any further bloodshed, at a world heritage site of such great significance right on my doorstep

Upon reading in a Cape newspaper of the conservation emergency with regards to the wildlife on Robben Island, Derman realised that the situation was critical, and met the manager of the conservation unit on the island, Shaun Davis to offer assistance.

Derman who was instrumental in the capture of the elusive Rondevlei hippo a couple of years ago and so no stranger to wildlife issues hence him donating his boats, conservation expertise, game capture staff and equipment, helicopters, animal feed, vitamin blocks, veterinary services, medicines, etc.

Derman called in his specialist staff from the Aquila Animal Rehabilitation Centre (ARC), based at Aquila Private Game Reserve and dedicated to the conservation of endangered species involved in various research projects, funded by Aquila.

By Wednesday evening, 30 April 2008, Derman of ARC and Simon Trickey arrived with approximately R10 000 worth of fresh produce and various vitamin and energy licks for the animals, donated by Aquila. Trickey has extensive experience in the capture, handling, and quarantining of wildlife. He has been involved in training the Botswana Problem Animal Control Units and has lectured as far a field as Brazil.

The intention was to take the food to Robben Island on Thursday morning but due to near gale force winds preventing Derman from using his own boat and Thursday also happened to be the only day of the year when the normal ferry’s were not running.

Derman arranged with the islands management to use the normal ferry to transport the produce on Friday morning at 06h00. On arrival, they assessed the situation and possible alternatives to rescue the animals. Staff reported of animals raiding houses and dustbins and eating anything they could find, including paper.

As experienced conservationists, both Derman and Trickey were shocked at the state of the devastated vegetation on the island. A distinct browse-line was visible on all trees, at a height of four feet. Rabbits were seen in abundance and it is these rabbits that have completely destroyed whatever grazing the island ever had.

The springbok that were seen were largely in stage two of starvation, whilst the fallow deer were varying between stages two and three of starvation. The only antelope that seem to be largely unaffected by the situation were the steenbok. This is due to the fact that they need only small territories, are not voluminous eaters, and are not reliant on surface water.

Several sites were chosen for placing game licks, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and highly concentrated vitamin and molasses concentrates. Immediately all the antelope downwind from the site came running - at one point, between 200 and 300 hundred fallow deer were crowding around a single feeding site.

Unfortunately, the highly endangered bontebok was not seen yet staff informed Derman that two weeks ago there had been four bontebok left and that lately they had only seen two. Staff later called Derman on the ferry en route to Cape Town, saying they had seen them eating at one of the sites. This is critical, as earlier attempts to entice them to eat foreign food had failed, and the loss of these last two animals would be a tragedy for the gene-pool of bontebok in South Africa.

Having assessed the circumstances first hand, Derman is confident that the situation can be rescued and he is currently compiling a rescue plan to take care of the immediate problems and provide a long-term solution.

Due to the extremely stressed state of the animals, it is critical to boost their condition, before attempting to capture them. Capturing them in their current state, the death of animals due to capture myopothy would be excessive. Capture myopothy is caused by the stress of being captured and handled by humans. This results in the breakdown of internal organs in the animals, and inevitably leads to death.

Derman’s intention is to continue feeding the animals at several set sites which will be used to passive capture over a period of time. Already the animals are readily approaching the sites and after several days, poles will be erected in a square shape format until a curtained boma structure is created in order to capture them and transfer the animals to a more permanent holding facility. During this time the animals will be able to eat and boost their condition.

After this first phase the rabbits can then be captured. It is essential to remove all the rabbits from the island, as if two or more are left, the situation will repeat itself in a few years. There are no natural predators for the rabbits, and due to the short gestation period, it would not take long for numbers to regenerate.

Once all the animals have been removed from the veldt, a comprehensive programme to restore the conditions in the veldt can commence. The recovery of the veldt will take a considerable period of time, and the animals will therefore have to be fed during this entire period. Obviously very costly, and although Aquila is sponsoring animal feed, medical and energy ‘game licks’ etc, any donations from the public for the purchase of fresh produce, bread, lucerne and teff grass would be greatly appreciated.

The good news is that if action is taken quickly, the situation can be rescued but the rehabilitation of the island’s environment will take a long time with no short-cuts. However, Aquila Private Game Reserve and the Aquila Animal Rehabilitation Centre are prepared to donate time, labour, expertise and finances to ensure that this aspect of the jewel in our national crown is not lost to us forever.

Derman is still waiting for a copy of the Robben Island Management Plan while he prepares his short, medium and long term proposal, in order to get control of the game and minimise suffering, casualties as well as minimise the impact on the fragile vegetation.

“First prize” would be that the remaining small quantities of steenbok, springbuck, bontebok, and a hand-full of fallow deer remain on the island and that we can regenerate the land to its prime condition that will sustain the animals.

Draft proposal which includes but is not limited to:

• Establishing feed and water points


• Intense feeding of highly nutritional and medical feeds to boost the animals condition at specific locations


• Implementing a kitchen policy to separate left over fresh produce that can be fed at these feeding points (already implemented)


• Establishing the existing irrigation on the island, (such as golf courses, gardens etc) that can be used to intensely irrigate and fertilise areas as a short term high energy option


• Erect passive caption bomas and traps to capture excess fallow deer and rabbits


• Derman has identified several outdoor prison camps, which would act as excellent temporary bomas for  excess game that ‘permit pending’ could be relocated from the island


• Catch excess fallow deer and rabbits and relocate to existing outdoor prison camps, which can be used as temporary boma facilities where we can; improve their condition, remove the impact on the land and increase our control of the animals for medical and other purposes i.e. de-ticking and de-worming will increase their condition and limit fatalities


• In an attempt to minimise culling; Derman has offered to donate veterinary expertise to sterilise the fallow deer in order to negotiate export permits with Nature Conservation, we are also sourcing farms or small holdings that would offer a sanctuary for these animals


• The introduction of indigenous supplement feed vegetation to selected areas
  “Camping off” 50% of the Island by means of 2.4m electrified fences, in order to rest the veldt and get maximum value from the winter rain fall. This will be a very costly exercise

As the implementation of the above could cost in excess of R2 million, Derman invites “Friends of Robben Island”, animal lovers, conservationists, echo-enthusiasts, proud Capetonians and the like, to visit Aquila’s conservation page at: www.aquilasafari.com  where they can monitor the situation and pledge donations whether it be; cash, vegetables and bread, animal feed,  medical supplies, veterinary services, fuel for boats and vehicles, building and fencing materials, a much needed quad bike and trailer, steel wire, canvas and poles for capture boma materials, water pipes, water pumps and tanks, salaries for conservationists and game capture staff.
 
Derman can also be reached at Searl@aquilasafari.com.