Man Killed by Elephant in Balule Nature Reserve

Yesterday around 9am a man was tragically killed in a vicious attack by an elephant bull.

The incident occurred on the Balule region of York (not too far from our Railway gate). Arriving on the gruesome scene I was able to ascertain with reasonable accuracy that the attack was unprovoked. The men were laying a water pipe when two elephant came up on them, one of which charged chasing down one of the men and killing him. I

n light of this and other recent aggressive behaviour from bulls particularly those in musth, we appeal to members to be extra cautious when viewing elephant. And under no circumstances should you walk on the reserve.

Shareholders are warned of the dangers elephants, especially those in musth. Please familiarise yourself, your authorised users, and guests of the hints given below. Shareholders are reminded that walking and cycling on the farm are not permitted.

Hints for safer viewing of elephant

1. If the circumstances permit, always reverse into a sighting. This way if things turn nasty, you can always drive away in your forward gears.

2. Never allow any of the passengers to stand up in the vehicle. There won’t be time to go back and collect them once they have fallen out when you “popped the clutch” getting away from a charging elephant.

3. Only switch off your engine if you are reasonably sure your vehicle will start again easily, otherwise leave it running.

Dear Shareholders,

You may be aware of the increased intensity of rhino poaching and petty crime in the Hoedspruit area. In the past week alone there have been several incidents of rhino poaching and security breaches on neighbouring properties in the area and as many as 7 rhino have been shot. These poachers are no longer rag tag bush meat hunters but well organised and well-armed groups that in most cases consist of trained ex-soldiers and they are likely to be extremely dangerous when confronted.

The Board and Manager, together with our neighbours, are looking at ways in which we can be proactive on the reserve to protect our fauna and property from such unauthorised incursions of this nature and we are currently in the process of obtaining a quotation from a security company to act as a reaction force should we come across any spoor or have an incident. One of the first indications that there are unauthorised people on the farm is the presence of strange spoor – (all our staff wear specific and identifiable footwear). On finding such spoor the manager and his tracking staff will immediately take steps to follow the spoor whilst at the same time calling in professional assistance from specifically trained security backup personnel and air surveillance. Our staff are currently not authorised to apprehend intruders forcibly and we want to ensure that they are also protected in the event of an incident.

CAPE TOWN 29 AUGUST 2012, at 18H30

CHRIS AND MONIQUE FALLOWS
The Cape's unexpected visitors: when orcas come to call

Chris Fallows specializes in shark conservation and marine wildlife photography. His main focus of work is at Seal Island in False Bay South Africa, which has become famous for the breaching Great White Sharks.

Chris and a colleague discovered the unique breaching behaviour here in 1996 and since then has completed just over 1400 trips to Seal Island. His work has appeared in over 35 international natural history documentaries and on the covers of many of the world's most prestigious magazines and newspapers.

He is also passionate about all forms of wildlife and whilst not working with great white sharks at Seal Island, he and his wife travel extensively to photograph and spend time with a large variety of other wildlife, both on land and at sea.

Cape Union Mart Adventure Centre, Canal Walk
RSVP: www.capeunionmart/co.za/events

PRETORIA 15 AUGUST 2012, at 18H30

ALBIE VENTER
Kenya through the lens

A qualified conservationist and registered safari guide for both southern and Wast Africa, Albie has been involved in conservation, tourism and guide development for the past 15 years. 

After living in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve for several years he recently returned to his native Lowveld, and now runs specialised tours to East Africa. Albie is a regular contributor to Africa Geographic where his photographic skills inspire admiration and envy.

Find out how he captures such wonderful images at this evening's behind-the-scenes look at photographing in the home of the safari: Kenya.

Cape Union Mart, Woodlands Mall
RSVP: www.capeunionmart/co.za/events

Hoedspruit has been chosen as the LIMPOPO finalist in the Rapport/Kwela – 2012 SA Town of the Year competition. It will mean a great deal to the Hoedspruit people and have a massive impact on our local economy should we be successful and be voted SA Town of the Year for 2012. See attached jpeg

The winning town will receive R1 Million Rand in TV advertising from KYKNET as well as an additional R1 Million Rand in advertising from Rapport.

We NEED YOUR HELP to do the following;

1.       SMS your VOTE FOR HOEDSPRUIT (SMS HOEDSPRUIT to 33157)

2.       Forward this email to your database of friends and people you know who have an interest in Hoedspruit so that they can do the same.

3.       Make a donation for SIM CARDS to enable the less fortunate to vote for their town.

FUNDRAISING DONATIONS:

·         All donations for the SIM cards can be paid into the following account number:

Hoedspruit Training Trust (Hlokomela)

ABSA Branch: 632005

Account Number: 405 505 1951

Although the farm is open, certain roads will continue to remain closed and will be for some time to come. The field staff will continue to repair fences, and are unavailable to undertake road repairs at this stage. Please be aware of the following concerning the roads:

• Closed roads will be clearly marked with red and white danger tape.
• You are urged not to ignore the danger tape barriers closing the roads.
• Some of the roads that remain open are in a bad state which makes for uncomfortable driving.
• Nearly all of the roads will be blocked off at some stage or another, either to do repairs or to re-design/re-site if necessary.
• Be aware that there are certain roads linking up specific routes that are closed, requiring that you back track in the direction you came from.

Progress report: On the 8'th February 2012 work began on the opening up of Roller-coaster dip and Steve’s pan crossing (contingent on water levels). The finishing touches are to be completed at Henshaws Dam.

Thank You: The Board, Glen and his team thank you one and all for your understanding and patience. Your ongoing support is deeply appreciated. Glen and his team have made tremendous progress and we congratulate and thank them sincerely for all their hard work.

Blyde Brug

Rain Jan 2012