Mabula Ground-Hornbill Project

Mabula Ground-Hornbill Project
Progress Report
Reporting Period:
March – August 2012
Summary: The cooler months have seen us busy with releases at both
Madikwe and Mabula. It is a joy to see these new birds out and getting
used to their new homes. They remain wild too which is the most
important part. Their shepherds, after training at Mabula, are also
collecting high quality foraging and behavioural data. The last few months
have seen much information sharing too – a hornbill first aid course
(which we have already put to use with success) and a meeting of all
researchers working on, or with an interest in, these birds. This
highlighted gaps in our understanding and we now know where to steer
students in the future. New staff, new areas of interest & new ideas.
Executant: Lucy Kemp
The Mabula Ground-Hornbill Research & Conservation Project
(016-183 NPO)
The following table outlines our commitments with regards to the Single Species Recovery Plan (available in full on our website), is the basis for all
our planning and fund-raising, and will be used as the basis for all reporting. In addition to these commitments, we assist wherever we can with
other objectives within the Action Plan. *The addition of a PhD student to assess the genetic health of the population has added an additional
emphasis to our previous objectives.
The five (of a
total of six)
objectives
within the
Species
Recovery
Plan where
the MGHP
plays a role.
Specific
objectives
for which
MGHP is
responsible
within each
objective.
SUMMARY
OF
OBJECTIVES
1. Generate an increase in
the SGH population by
expanding the population
into parts of its historic
range
2. Understand the genetic
relationships within family
groups and the
mechanisms behind
female and immature
dispersal.
3. Collect population data
and information on
threats and mortalities for
SGH to determine their
importance.
Create new nest sites;
check existing artificial
nests and alter if not used.
Attach transmitters to
females prior to dispersal
and leg rings; continue to
improve on the use of
scientific technology:
satellite tracking and use
of transmitters.
*NEW: Analyse genetic
structure and relatedness
across the entire range of
SGH populations &
compare individual
relatedness between and
within families using DNA
samples from family
groups.
Quantify the extent to
which human-induced
threats are negatively
affecting the population of
SGH (poisoning, trade, loss
of habitat); continue with
ground-truthing
throughout the SGH’s
range to calibrate existing
data.
EXPANDING RANGE
GENETICS & TRACKING
POPULATION &
THREAT DATA
4. Design and implement
in‐situ management and
conservation
interventions to increase
SGH populations in SA,
and neighbouring
countries that could
potentially act as a sink or
source for RSA birds.
Develop further and test
suitable methods used to
re-establish captivereleased birds successfully
back into the wild;
continue and expand the
programme of rescuing
redundant second
hatched chicks from wild
nests.
HARVEST &
REINTRODUCTION &
AUGMENTATION
5. Increase awareness of
the SGH and the threats
acting upon the species to
increase tolerance towards
the species and reduce
persecution
Continue to conduct
awareness and education
programs in areas where
SGH occur, occurred
recently, or that are still
suitable for reestablishment in the
future.
EDUCATION &
AWARENESS
SUMMARY OF
OBJECTIVES
EXPANDING RANGE
POPULATION &
THREAT DATA
GENETICS & TRACKING
HARVEST &
REINTRODUCTION &
AUGMENTATION
EDUCATION &
AWARENESS
MARCH
-
Ringing at Loskop Dam
Trial new Newcastle disease
vaccine
Hand-rearing workshop;
Madikwe Boma constructed;
release birds vaccinated;
monitoring of existing
releases.
Weekly Mabula guest talks;
weekly Mabula SGH safari;
Farmer’s meeting, Limpopo
Valley.
APRIL
Two birds released into
Mabula Group
Tail transmitters onto release
birds.
Cyber Tracker System
developed for monitoring
behaviour and tracking both
wild and release birds.
Release birds moved to
Mabula;
training Madikwe shepherd;
Madikwe boma complete;
monitoring of existing
releases.
Weekly guest talks;
weekly SGH safari;
Greater Mapungubwe Forum
(GMF) joined for access to
Limpopo valley;
WITS Bird Club talk.
-
Tail transmitters onto release
birds.
-
Release birds moved to
Madikwe;
Training new Loskop
shepherd;
monitoring of existing
releases.
Weekly guest talks;
weekly SGH safari;
article in GMF newsletter;
article in e-zine ‘The Birder’;
article in ‘Africa Wild’; SASOL
Birdlife Bird Fair Exhibition
Stand – launch of SGH
hornbill mascot uniform.
Two birds released into
Madikwe group;
habituated individual
removed.
-
Assist farmer with 50m of
Contravision in Limpopo
Valley to ensure safety of
that group.
Thaba Tholo and Loskop
release bomas’ under
construction;
monitoring of existing
releases.
Weekly guest talks;
weekly SGH safari;
GMF presentation;
presentation to all 33
Madikwe Lodges; talks to all
three schools in release area;
pamphlets distributed at
Farmers Meeting ;
Setswana pamphlets
distributed to all schools,
clinics, police stations etc. at
the Madikwe release site;
talk to Mabula Whole Owners
MAY
*Host Science
Colloquium
JUNE
SUMMARY OF
OBJECTIVES
HARVEST &
REINTRODUCTION &
AUGMENTATION
EDUCATION &
AWARENESS
GENETICS & TRACKING
Monitoring of released birds.
eKZN confirms support for
capture of groups for genetic
sampling in KZN
Proposal to ESKOM with
regards insulating all
transformer boxes in release
sites;
Field Trip to KZN to initiate
research into threats in
Zululand;
Post Mortem on dead SGH
from Limpopo Valley
confirms poisoning by
aldicarb.
Construction of Loskop and
Thaba Tholo bomas
continues;
monitoring of existing
releases.
Weekly guest talks;
Weekly SGH safari; article in
Blouberg News; WESSA
EcoSchools Newsletter,
EcoSchools article about
shepherd Thabo; article by
Peter Sullivan; YOUTUBE
video of Madikwe release by
Montecasino Bird Gardens;
Boom Newsletter; mention
on 50/50; 702 Walk the Talk.
Monitoring of released birds.
Assist with management of
DNA database.
Initiate study into
mechanism of dispersal of
individuals from groups.
Develop an MOU with handrearing facilities to expand
programme and ensure
collaboration with SANParks;
monitoring of existing
releases.
Weekly guest talks;
Weekly SGH safari; launch
Face book page; register as
charity bond for 94.7 Cycle
Challenge.
JULY
AUGUST
POPULATION &
THREAT DATA
EXPANDING RANGE
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST SIX MONTHS
•Reintroductions:
The greatest highlight has been to initiate the release programme for this year. The use of
birds that have been reared to be as wild as possible has made the release process much more
effective. It is still early in the release process but the released birds are doing well and we
continue, through our monitoring, to learn much about their daily trials and tribulations of
being a ground-hornbill. This increases our knowledge not only of released birds but also
contributes to our understanding of the wild populations.
With two more releases still on the cards for this year, we will continue the learning process
and make sure that more of the rescued chicks find their way out into the bush. The other
benefit of the reintroductions is the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the area speaking to
local communities, farmers, and lodge and reserve owners and managers.
•Training:
In-depth training of the shepherds for the current releases has ensured that their
understanding of the desired outcomes is also contributing to the success of these releases.
The joy of the release programme is that every group released creates one new job –
something of great value to the country in the current economic climate.
Charles Mphamo has risen to the challenge of training the new shepherds, including drafting a
handbook for their guidance, and is excellent at transferring all the knowledge he has acquired
with the Project over the last five years.
Godfree and Charles
Mandla and Charles
Thabo practicing CyberTracker
CyberTracker:
We have completed the design for the group-monitoring system, using the same CyberTracker
software that is used by the Kruger National Park field rangers. This techniqiue uses hand-held
computers and allows us to collect detailed behavioural data that is also geo-referenced. This
greatly increases our understanding of the habitat use by the birds over time and space. All the
shepherds have been trained in the use of the equipment and the data will form the basis of an
MSc thesis. This ensures that we are continuously analyzing data rather than having it just
gather dust for years.
•Hosting the Science Colloquium:
We hosted the first SGH Science Colloquium – an informal sharing of information amongst all
those researching any aspect of these birds. So many people are doing great work and it was
wonderful to enable everyone to share in the results so that we can all move forward together.
We had 13 speakers covering topics from DNA bar-coding to the psychology of the use of
hornbills in the traditional medicine trade, with studies from Limpopo, Kruger National Park, the
Associated Private Nature Reserves and even Zimbabwe. The talks highlighted how much we
have already learnt but also revealed many gaps in our knowledge and these the Action Group
as a whole will start to tackle over the next few years.
The gorgeous Mabula venue
Birthdays celebrated
Alan Kemp summing up
Kate Meares presenting APNR data
•APNR harvest of wild males: We finally have the go-ahead from the Timbavati area to harvest
two sub-adult males that can act as leaders for future release groups. This is a vital
experimental phase since it appears that the lack of a strong, wild leader has been the reason
for several release failures in the past. These birds will be carefully screened for disease and
parasites and will be carefully monitored throughout. The remaining groups will also be
carefully monitored to asses what difference, if any, this will have on the groups breeding
success. This is seen as assisted dispersal from an area that is at ,or close to, carrying capacity.
•Contravision: Word has spread about the efficacy of Contravision, the perforated transparent
film to stop hornbills breaking windows when they see their reflection. A farmer in the Limpopo
Valley bought an entire 50m roll to protect his hunting camp. We are thrilled that the idea is
spreading and will continue to develop ways of minimising the damage.
LOWLIGHTS:
•Poisoning: Very sadly, a hornbill carcass was picked up on a farm in the Limpopo Valley and
the autopsy showed poisoning by Temik or ‘two-step’. This is a regulated agricultural poison for
nematodes that is unfortunately freely available on the black market and used by farmers for
killing predators. The ring number on this bird identified it as the alpha female of the group and
thus we assume, due to the group structure and quick effectiveness of the poison, that the rest
of the group has been poisoned too. This shows how much conservation interventions and
awareness are required in the range areas that fall outside of Protected Areas (though in KwaZulu Natal it seems that even in Protected Areas conservation interventions may be required –
we are investigating further).
PLANS FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS: September 2012 – February 2013:
Release sites:
Thaba Tholo Release Site: The boma is under construction and the birds are ready to be moved.
Loskop Dam Release Site: The boma is under construction and the birds are ready to be moved.
Pongola Release Site: The lone female could not be found again – we will try to locate her again
in the breeding season since it appears that lone birds may not call during the off-season. The
land-owners are still very keen to be involved but we need to ensure that the single bird is still
there.
New sites: We currently have a number of potential release sites under review for prioritisation,
including provincial reserves in Limpopo and North-West.
Harvest season: We are mid-way with planning for the coming harvest season and we hope that
time and logistics will allow us to include harvests from some of the Limpopo Valley nests this
year.
GIS & Sighting Database: We have a volunteer for the next few months to assess and revamp
our sighting database; rebuilding it for ease of updating and analysis, and linking it to a matching
mapping database. This will make it easier for us to continually monitor the population and
show us which areas are in need of the most work in terms of education and awareness.
Biomimicry: We are starting a Project in collaboration with Biomimicry SA to find a solution to
the window breaking problem that will be cost effective and attractive to ensure uptake by
everyone from upmarket lodges to rural schools.
Training for the cycle challenge!
Education and awareness:
•Pre-harvest visit to the Limpopo Valley;
• Visit to all landowners around Mabula, Loskop and Thaba
Tholo. Follow-up on Madikwe;
•Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge to raise awareness and
funds;
•Lecture to Mabula for visiting Indian reserve managers;
•On-going lectures to FGASA (Field Guide Association of
South Africa) students;
•Presentation at the European Aquarium and Zoos (EAZA)
conference in Europe;
• Poster presentation at the Pan-African Ornithological
Conference in Tanzania;
•Development of our craft initiative as a way of increasing
awareness and raising funds, and;
• Any other opportunities that arise or are suggested to us.
Publicity in the last six months
•Musina ‘wildstudiegroep’ presentation;
•Joined the Greater Mapungubwe Forum;
•WITS bird club presentation;
•Article in the e-zine ‘The Birder’;
•Article in the Greater Mapungubwe Forum newsletter;
•A two-page article on Ann Turner and the Project was published in the e-zine ‘Africa Wild’;
•A complimentary stand at the SASOL Birdlife fair on the 26th and 27th June;
• Lucy attended the BirdLife SA/FitzPatrick Institute ornithology conference in Port Elisabeth;
•Natasha presented a talk to the Greater Mapungubwe Forum;
•Lucy presented to all 33 lodges in Madikwe prior to the release of the two new birds. We designed
posters for the offices of the lodges to ensure the right information is easily available should the
group be seen at the lodges. Posters in Setswana were also made available for lodge staff ;
•Charles presented to three schools in the Madikwe release area, reaching a total of 600 children;
• Pamphlets in Afrikaans were distributed at the local Farmers Meeting;
•Pamphlets in Setswana were distributed to all the schools, clinics, police stations etc. in the area;
•Modjadji Tea talks and Hornbill Drives on Mabula as usual;
•YouTube video of the Madikwe release produced by Montecasino Bird Gardens;
•The Project was presented at the Mabula Whole Owner meeting.
Learners excited to be learning about the Ground-Hornbills: notice the dark windows to keep the hornbills from breaking the
glass – now replaced with Contravision – bringing light to learning.
FINANCIAL STATE OF THE PROJECT
We are extremely grateful for all the sponsorship and support that we received in the last six
months and our audit for the financial year 2011/2012 is complete (see Table 2 for details).
Table 2: Details of monthly sponsorship and staff developments.
SPONSORSHIP
•Montecasino Bird Gardens (Loskop Boma) R50 000
•Mabula & Mokaikai Private Reserves Monthly Sponsorship
STAFF
-
APRIL
•Aurinia Motors sponsored a service of the Mazda.
•Mabula & Mokaikai Private Reserves Monthly Sponsorship
•Aquarian Church Cape Town – R2500.
•Vogelpark Avifauna money is paid R25000.00.
•North West University: R100 000
-
MAY
•Seaworld & Busch Gardens: R98 000
•TUT loaned us microscopes and other equipment.
•Mabula & Mokaikai Private Reserves Monthly Sponsorship.
All staff
completed Level
1 First Aid
course.
JUNE
•Honolulu Zoo - US$1000
•Mabula & Mokaikai Private Reserves Monthly Sponsorship
•We received US$200 in memoriam of a hornbill keeper at a
zoo in the States: Nicole Kehl – the donations come from a
request in her obituary in the Chicago Post.
•Tyre sponsorship from SupaQuick in Bela Bela –new tyres
for the Mazda and all punctures, wheel alignment and
balancing in the future.
•Graffiti Branding is covering half of the cost of the
ContraVision to protect windows from hornbill damage (up
to 20 x 50m rolls per year).
Charles
completed the
Shepherd
Training Manual.
Lucy formally
starts her PhD.
JULY
•Mabula & Mokaikai Private Reserves Monthly Sponsorship
• Virginia Zoological Park – R8000
• Natural Encounters – R40 000
-
AUGUST
•Mabula & Mokaikai Private Reserves Monthly Sponsorship
• Italian Association of African Experts (A.I.E.A.) & Limpopo
Field Guiding Academy sponsored Charles for his FGASA
Level 1 Training
Charles FGASA
training
MARCH
SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES BY OUR COLLABORATORS AND PARTNERS
National Zoological Gardens
Dr Emily Lane assisted with the poisoning case in
Limpopo. Tracy Rhese has been orchestrating
moves of hornbills to new enclosures. The genetics
lab has assisted with identifying the origin of birds
destined for the captive breeding programme.
Percy FitzPatrick Institute of Afr. Orn.
Kate Meares has started to check the status of the
APNR nests.
Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency Delecia Gunn has greatly assisted with the releases
since her reared birds are suitably wild. She has
also assisted Tracy with moving birds within the
captive programme.
Johannesburg Zoo
Dr Katja Koeppel continues to fine-tune the
Newcastle diseasse vaccine protocol together with
Deltammune, and is also working on the vet
protocols for the species. Elaine Bratt is starting an
MSc investigating group dynamics of captive birds
in an effort to increase productivity and ensure that
birds in captivity are living as naturally as possible.
North West University
Hendri Coetzee is currently in the write-up phase of
his PhD on the societal aspects of the SGH and we
look forward to his results.
Endangered Wildlife Fund
Scott Ronaldson was the star of a 50/50
programme about the greater hornbill programme
and the in-nest footage will assist the hand-rearers
greatly in the coming harvest.
Montecasino Bird Gardens
Montecasino is becoming increasingly involved in
the project and produced a short movie clip on the
Madikwe release. They have increased the
education and awareness material at the Bird
Gardens, reaching a great number of visitors.
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR CURRENT SPONSORS
PRIMARY SPONSORS:
CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS:
IN-KIND SPONSORSHIP: