The Lion and Elephant Monitoring Programme at Tembe Elephant Park is in desperate need of funding to continue operations.

If you or your Company are able to assist with funding towards conservation as either a once off donation, or monthly grant towards the project costs it will be an enormous help.

Please note: This is a Non Profit initiative. All funds raised go towards various projects as part of conservation in Tembe Elephant Park!

A little about Tembe Elephant Park
It is a 30 000 hectare (300 square km) park on the Mozambique border;
Promulgated Game Reserve in 1983 at the request of the Tembe people;
Administered by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife;
Big 5 including black and white rhino populations;
Home to the biggest tuskers in Southern Africa;
Introduction of wild dog in 2011;
Protects unique and endangered tropical sand forest;
Only KZN park which is home to Suni antelope;
At the heart of the proposed Usutu Tembe Futi Trans Frontier Park;
Approx 450 kilometres of beach sand roads;
All animals are disease free (Bovine or feline TB, Corridor sickness, feline aids, Anthrax, Foot and Mouth).

Elephant Monitoring
There are over 220 indigenous elephant in Tembe Elephant Park (which currently has a carrying capacity of 160 Elephant) which due to their high numbers, are destroying the sand forest habitat.
Solutions to the Elephant population dilemma are as follows:
• Increase the size of the park – Minimum of 2 years before this comes into effect;
• Contraceptive dart the breeding females – Phase I and II helicopter darting complete for 2008, intensive monitoring of breeding herds now required to monitor breeding herd behaviour. We desperately need funds to continue with this project.
The Elephant Monitor is required to:
• Maintain identikits of ID’d elephant and create new ones for newly identified animals;
• Record movement and behaviour of ID’d animals and build up database;
• Monitor the “Big Tuskers”;
• Monitor the breeding herds for any specific change in behaviour once no new calves are born.
Again, we need funding for this.

Lion Monitoring
Monitoring occurs daily using Radio Telemetry methods. There are currently over 35 Lions in Tembe Elephant Park. 2 Males and 2 Females were introduced in 2002. Cubs are darted and collared when they reach sub-adult age.
The Lion Monitor is required to:
• “Sweep” the main camp daily (using the radio receiver set to unique collar frequency) to determine the presence of lions due to the related danger to staff and Lodge guests;
• “Sweep” the swamp reed beds in the East of the park to establish if lions are present in order to allow local communities access to the swamps to harvest reeds;
• Patrol the fence line to monitor activity;
• Record the movement and behaviour of the prides;
• Make positive contact with every lion at least once a week.
Funding is necessary to continue the monitoring and the possibility of introducting contraception as we do with the elephant.

Any and all contributions are welcomed and can be communicated to:
Natalie Knibbs (Secretary Tembe Ndumo Honorary Officer Group)
e-mail: info@hitecplumbing.co.za
Cluster Box 5034, Augusta Country Estate, Hillcrest, 3650

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