Kruger National Park – आवारा मुसाफिर

Hotel in a 100 year old train, suspended on a bridge over forest river

March 5, 2022736 Views

South African hotel train defies lockdown odds with number of guests picking up Back in 2020 when South Africa went into a strict COVID-19 lockdown, a local company pressed on with opening a hotel with a difference in a tourism hotspot - and two years later that gamble is paying off. Guests are seen relaxing at an outdoor pool and sun terrace, of a hotel in a near 100-year-old train, that sits on the Selati suspension bridge, which spans a river in the heart of the iconic Kruger National Park, in Skukuza, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, February 9, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko The hotel is a near 100-year-old train that sits on the Selati suspension bridge, which spans a river in the heart of the Kruger National Park. Lovingly restored, it offers 24 full-carriage rooms agai...

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Rhino poachers are back after South Africa eases lockdown restrictions

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

May 4, 20211122 Views

Rhino poaching is on the rise again in South Africa since the government loosened coronavirus restrictions, following a year-long lull due to the pandemic, wildlife parks say. The strict limits on travel, including international travel, imposed in March last year had the happy side effect of keeping poachers at bay. In 2020, 394 rhinos were poached, 30% fewer than the year before and the lowest yearly tally since 2011. But then South Africa began easing international travel restrictions in November. Veterinarians attend to a tranquillised rhino before it is dehorned, amid mounting fears of a rebound in rhino poaching, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) travel restrictions ease, at the Balule Nature Reserve in Hoedspruit, Limpopo province, South Africa April 26, 2021. REUTERS/S...

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‘Virtual rangers’ help South African reserve keep poachers away

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

March 29, 2021955 Views

The animals that roam South Africa’s Balule Nature Reserve have a new ally in the battle to keep them safe from poachers - camera phones mounted in protective cases that stream images of their activities to thousands of “virtual rangers” worldwide. With reserves across Africa cutting back on anti-poaching patrols amid a coronavirus-induced tourism lull that has hit funding, Balule has teamed up with handset manufacturer Samsung and tech pioneer Africam to supplement staff numbers with eyes and ears online. Over 55,000 people have become virtual rangers since the project, Wildlife Watch, went live this month. “We need more eyes; we need more people helping us,” said Leitah Mkhabela, a member of the park’s all-female anti-poaching unit known as the Black Mambas. “They can be...