Rod Prodgers Tourist Guide

10/09/2020

TABLE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK REOPENS LIONS HEAD SUMMIT

South African National Parks (SANParks) today announced that the Lions Head summit situated within the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) will reopen on the 9th of September 2020.

The following protocols have been put in place:

• Rangers will be positioned at various entry points to check that users are compliant with Covid 19 regulations stipulated by the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC).

• Limitations of user numbers may be imposed at the sergeant ranger’s discretion.

• Maintain social distancing by at least 1.5m at all times.

• Users accessing the summit must wear their masks at all times. No mask no entry.

• Users are to sanitize their hands before and after making use of the staples/ladder and or chain area of Lions Head.

• Picnicking and gathering in social groups is not allowed.

We encourage all users to adhere to the regulations imposed by the NCC and SANParks to avoid possible re-closure of the iconic summit.

09/08/2020

Nineteen-year-old Justin Waddy had a close encounter with a majestic caracal or 'rooikat' on Wednesday, August 5. He had made his way along the Pipe Track overlooking Camps Bay with some new friends.

04/08/2020

South African National Parks (SANParks) announced that accommodation in majority of parks will be open as of August 14 2020.

07/07/2020

Caracals on the Cape Peninsula, like other top predators, are considered "umbrella" species. They have large territories and resource needs, and are vulnerable to pesticide and disease exposure. So if we understand and protect umbrella species such as the Cape caracal, many other species benefit. This is why it's important to !

This amazing drawing illustrates caracals as an umbrella species for many other species of animals and plants! It was created by Amy Novella following a request from us for an illustration to show caracals as an umbrella conservation species. Follow her on Instagram () and share this post!

18/06/2020

While many of the Hangberg residents are mired in poverty, Brent Thomas believes the rich diversity of his community warrants more exposure.

12/06/2020

The North West Parks Board has confirmed that Pilanesberg will open tomorrow [Friday, 12 June]. Under Level 3 restrictions, only day visitors are allowed.

12/06/2020

09/06/2020

29/05/2020

Londolozi Private Game Reserve recently welcomed a litter of no less than 10 beautiful pups, the first newborns to the reserve since 2010.

21/05/2020

What are some of the costs to wildlife that live near urban areas?
Most people immediately think of the impacts habitat loss and fragmentation. But issues such as disease and pollution are often overlooked because their effects can be much harder to see and measure.

As part of our work on the Urban Caracal Project, we have been investigating some of these frequently overlooked consequences of urban development. We've already documented that 95% of caracals are exposed to rat poisons... now looking deeper into infections that may be linked with domestic animals, our team recently published a scientific paper showing that caracals in the Cape Peninsula have much higher infection rates from tick-borne blood parasites compared with caracals in rural areas such as the Central Karoo and Namaqualand!
We believe that this points to potential consequences of living in an environment with so many domestic dogs! Because domestic dogs and other wild carnivores are so closely related, disease can be easily transmitted between them.
So for caracals that live in urban areas, they are vulnerable to the many diseases that are carried not only by domestic cats, but also by domestic dogs! While this study documented infections, and not the health effects of the infections (which is much harder to do), the findings highlight the importance of being more conscientious about how our many activities can impact wildlife. This is just one reason why we always recommend that when walking your dog in wildlife habitat, it's best to keep them on leash! So what can you do? Walk your dog on leash, and if you don't have a dog yourself, don't be afraid to tell others of this "best wildlife practice!"

Congrats to Storme Viljoen and our sponsoring Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa for this collaborative effort! If you'd like to read this or other publications from the project, go to our website (http://www.urbancaracal.org/publications)

20/05/2020

The Kruger National Park is being encircled by a ring of human hunger triggered in part by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Mozambican and Zimbabwean regions that border the park on the north and east are suffering acute food shortages. Meanwhile, the labour-intensive tourism sector on the South African s...

01/05/2020

Caracal hunting cormorants at 🌿

With the project now in the analysis phase we are looking at how decide where to move and find food 🐱 These might seem like basic questions but can be quite tricky to answer. Two important factors influencing where wild animals go to eat include where the food is (like this colony), and importantly, how risky it is to get that food. Near urban areas, the risks are obvious - roads and cars, hikers, domestic dogs, and poachers to name a few 🏙 Unexpectedly, Cape Point caracals are teaching us a lot about how caracals make decisions when they have the option to avoid these risks! Clumsy cormorants are easy prey for caracals and so not surprisingly, caracals in the southern Peninsula are choosing to spend a lot of time hunting prey in Cape Point away from urban areas! 🐦🌊 Surprisingly for us, caracals that live in the northern sections of , that can’t avoid some interface with people, roads, and urban areas (because of how fragmented the landscape is), choose instead to hunt very close to urban areas! 🌆 The reason is that there is likely that they become as young caracals to dealing with risky environments where there are tons of people, cars, and roads, and learn that there is a lot of easy prey close to urban areas­ ­­– such as abundant Guinea fowl and Egyptian geese.

Analysing all these factors together is a lengthy process but we are starting to get some really interesting results 😸📈📄 Hopefully we can share some details of findings with you all soon!

Photo by Anya Adendorff (2016)

01/05/2020

Killer whales killer whales killer whales. Multiple reports of animals from around the Cape over the last few weeks (from fishermen and shore based observers). We don't have photos from most of them so its hard to know how many of the sightings are the same groups. Why are photos (and matching them carefully) important? Well for research anyway :). Because it is very hard to count animals in the field, especially if they're spread out.

What we thought was 7 killer whales in the False Bay sighting on Sunday with Simon's Town Boat Company was actually 12 (or maybe even 14! We couldn't match the left and right sides of a few poorly marked ones). Here's the "contact sheet" of IDs. We're working towards building a collaborative 'national' catalogue of animals to start answering some of these questions better.

25/04/2020

On Thursday 23 April, Cape Town Tourism launched a campaign which aims to keep potential visitors interested in the Mother City.

24/04/2020

In the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park, SANParks rangers suspect an elephant has damaged a hut on the Outeniqua hiking trail.

23/04/2020

Afrika will always be awaiting your return

If you are looking for some of the last true wilderness in Africa then Botswana is the place to go. Enjoy this aerial cinematic celebration of the Okavango Delta…

22/04/2020

Today is Earth Day and the theme is Climate action. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable. We all have a role to play to fight against climate change and take care of our planet. We need to learn to live in harmony with nature and preserve our natural resources for future generation.

22/04/2020

07/04/2020

One thing I’ve noticed is that since social distancing began, people are reaching out virtually to make up for the contact they are missing physically. We in...

05/04/2020

01/04/2020

safari in the time of corona virus

23/03/2020

18/03/2020

Official Website. Experience the beauty and diversity of South African National Parks, Travel and explore South Africa! Nature Conservation, Accommodation, Activities, Reservations

16/03/2020

Fire-fighting operations continue along Table Mountain National Park

The unpredictable weather conditions which led to the rapid spread of the Tafelberg Road fire yesterday (15 March 2020), made it necessary for the fire management team of SANParks Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) to request emergency reinforcements. The fire which started along Tafelberg Road below the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway precinct, burnt approximately 60 hectares of vegetation thus far, which includes fynbos and old pine stands is largely contained at this stage. SANParks has appointed Enviro Wildfire Services to do an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire, which will be announced at a later stage.

As of this morning, TMNP dispatched three (3) Huey Helicopters and one (1) fixed wing Spotter plane to wet down actively burning areas. Crews working throughout the evening will be replaced with fresh crews later on today and in addition, 30 TMNP contracted firefighters (NCC Wildfires), 60 Working on Fire firefighters as well as staff from the Cape Peninsula Fire Protection Association will be fighting the fire on the ground. This amounts to 100 firefighters that will remain on scene through the day. Volunteers from the Volunteer Wildfire Services will be activated this evening to monitor the area and continue with mop up operations.

The plan for today is to secure the perimeter as well as hot spots in priority areas which include Kloof road; Nettleton road; below and above Tafelberg road and Kloofnek Forrest in TMNP.

Due to adverse and unpredictable weather conditions expected for today, TMNP and all fire agencies request that the public exercises extreme caution during the remainder of the fire season. Please be advised that entire Lions Head and the Glen footpaths vicinity has been closed. No hiking or mountain biking activities is permitted in these areas.

The general public is requested to immediately report all fires within TMNP on 0861 106 417 or the City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services on 021 480 7700 and 107 (from a landline).

South African National Parks
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11/03/2020

Supporting environmental and cultural conservation through ethical photography and filmmaking.

03/03/2020

In December 2013, at the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly, a motion was passed that designated March 3rd as World Wildlife Day. This was done to commemorate the signing of the CITES agreement in 1973. The day is for all to become aware of all the flora and fauna and how they impact us humans, our environment and mental wellness.
The theme for 2020 is "Sustaining all life on Earth", to celebrate the world’s biodiversity (both on land and in all our oceans) and the role that humans play to sustain and maintain the growth and protection of all species.
There are approximately 8.7 million species on earth, 1-2m of which are animals and we here at the Southern tip of the vast African continent are in a unique position as our country(and continent) is home to 1000 mammals species, 2600 bird species, and 100000 insect species.
As far as our oceans are concerned, the Indian and Atlantic that flow past South Africa are home to a combination of 11300 species of mammals and plants. 2200 species (15%) of the worldwide number of fish species live in these waters and 270 (83%) of all known fish families worldwide frequent this environment. Add to that approximately 150 fresh-water fish species that live in our dames, lakes, rivers, and streams and you will quickly realize that our country plays an enormous role in the conservation of wildlife of all shapes, sizes, and descriptions.
The time that we spend in the bush or oceans is important for our health and mental well-being. However due to our ongoing disdain for those that we see as less ‘important’ than ourselves, we are slowly destroying a variety of natural habitats and about 25% of species currently on the planet are headed for extinction, should we continue to treat our world as a dumping ground and the animals as merely a food source.
We, specifically those living in countries that depend on wildlife for tourism, need to become guardians of the species that bring wealth to these countries and we, therefore, need to use not only March 3rd, but every day of every year to promote the well-being of those 8.7 million species with whom we share the tiny planet we call home.
Using the 2020 theme, “Sustaining all life on Earth", let us use March 3rd to celebrate all those who work in the guiding industry and who are at the forefront of both conservation and protection. To those who grow indigenous plants in urban gardens that encourage insects and wildlife to return, we the people thank you. And lastly, but by no means least, those who have bravely paid the ultimate sacrifice to try to stop wildlife poaching in whatever form, we the people are eternally grateful.

03/03/2020

What better way to mark World Wildlife Day 2020 than by celebrating the arrival of a new Cape Mountain Zebra foal born at Gamkaberg Nature Reserve recently? Read more here: http://bit.ly/32NucEo

01/03/2020

Want to learn more about our , the Southern Ground-Hornbill? Check out the first fact-file produced by Caitlin Judge about this iconic bird.

These free resources will be available on our website at https://www.birdlife.org.za/bird-of-the-year-2020. We are proud to be partnering with the BirdLife Species Guardians for the Southern Ground-Hornbill the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project and we are grateful to the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust for their support of this campaign.