Pangolins are also being poached!

Hi blog readers!

Quite correctly, the world has focused on rhino horns and elephant tusks as the rallying point for the battle against poachers in Africa.  But, quietly, the weird-looking pangolin sometimes called 'spiny anteater', is being shipped-out live and killed on-site for its hard scaly (keratin, like our fingernails) skin covering.  It seems that few are screaming loud enough about this to be heard.  The pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal. An estimated 100,000 of these shy creatures are removed from the wild each year.

When on safari in the national parks here in Namibia, I've only seen a live pangolin once.  They remind me of the armadillos in the Southwest USA.  They roll up in a ball when they are threatened, allowing their hard outer shells to protect their soft inner parts.  It's like a hedgehog in this.

The common pangolin weighs 30 to 40 lb. and is about 12 to 39 in. long depending on the species.  These shy guys live about 20 years (if left alone by humans!) and they live in a dense forest to forested savannas.  In Namibia, they are in Etosha national park, but mostly they seem to be in the former Caprivi region (now called the Zambezi) in the more forested parks there, rather than in the dunes and more arid South of the country.  

They eat ants, termites, beetles, grasshoppers, locusts, etc..  The pangolin uses its keen sense of smell to locate termite and ant nests. It digs the insects from mounds using its claws and eats them with its extremely long and sticky tongue (which can be up to 16 inches). 

Pangolins are in the natural circle of life and are in turn eaten by leopards and hyenas. 

Pangolins are pregnant for about five months.  They typically only give birth to a single little one at a time. When born, the baby weighs as much as a pound (16 ounces or less depending on the species). The little ones have soft scales that harden fairly rapidly and are usually weaned at around three months of age.

Increasingly, the scaly mammal is hunted for its meat and scales which are in high demand in some Asian countries. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy while its scales are used in traditional medicine.  

In September 2016, all commercial trade in pangolin was banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).  The third Saturday in February is World Pangolin Day.

Check out www.awf.org and www.pangolins.org for more info.
Plan your trip to Namibia for a great holiday and tell them Jackie sent you!

Strange little owl - can you see it?

Hi blog readers!

My hubby told me that in many African cultures, the owl is seen as a harbinger of negative things.  Of course, being raised in the urban America, the owl is seen as wise and knowledgeable. 

In the wild, here in Namibia, owls can range in sizes from as small as my size 9 1/2 shoe (toe to heel) to as long as my Labrador (wing span) with talons and beaks that make you feel like perhaps you are not at the top of the food chain afterall.  Shudder-shudder....

But, they do eat the nasty snakes, yucky grasshoppers, cute field mice, and sometimes other smaller animals like frogs, rock dossies, etc...

Check out this little guy.

He looks how I feel when I have to get up too early in the morning. I just want to blend in and be left alone.

Come for a holiday in Namibia.  Enjoy yourself safely.

Lodges in Namibia are fantastic! Visit us and see for yourself!

There is something to be said about sleeping in a lodge with a thatched roof and where you can hear the sounds of the African night and let evening honks and roars lull you to sleep.  I love tented lodges with wide open walls and huge windows.

Of course, for me to fall asleep in that much open space, I need to have that lodge up on stilts and behind a perimeter fence with screens in place to keep the buggies out (my bed must be under nets too.)  But, it is quite safe really and what an adventure!  Imagine being with the one you love in a bed like that under a clear Namibian starry night.  Sigh....  Of course being in that same bed with your BFF giggling and laughing and remembering fun times as you talk all night and catch up on each other's lives is also a blast.

Let me burst your bubble a bit though...when a lion roars and that deep, unearthly coughing sound shakes the walls of your comfortable bungalow, you may rethink this wide open deluxe sleeping model for a second or two, but that is the thrill of the African safari isn't it?

It ain't no Simba and Lion King cast singing Hacuna Matata; it is the real deal in Etosha National Park in Namibia and other private game reserves where hundreds of Simbas live.  And it is fantastic! You will love it.

As a middle ager with grown kids, I am no longer into camping in tents, using sleeping bags, going 'au naturel' with bodily needs and 'roughing' it, though I can and will do that if the situation calls for it for a night or two.  I like a comfortable bed, warm blankets and hot water when I shower.  And I love the idea of watching the sunrise from my huge, warm bed.

I don't need Master Chef level food, but I need something that isn't poured out of a can. The lodges in Namibia have good eating.  The game meat is particularly tastey and local traditional food needs to at least be sampled.

Game lodges in great locations in Namibia have a range of prices N$800 or so per person, per night (pp/pn)with dinner, bed and breakfast included up to five star lodges that can run $3000 per person, per night.  Needless to say, the higher the price, the more the benefits, services and luxuries.  You have to choose what you can afford and what level of comfort you (and your aching knees) want.

I enjoy the unique designs and styling in Namibia's lodges.  I have visited quite a few lodges and resorts and can confirm that the photos aren't just those marketing, photo-shopped things, they really do look like that when you first walk into the room. and what a WOW! factor that is.

Google lodges in Namibia and get more photos that you can choose from when you decide to come visit us.  I can tell you that the Gondwana Chain, Namibia Wildlife Resorts and (if you want the more 5 star level service and 'stuff') Ongava and any of the Wilderness Safaris properties and Wolvedans are absolutely great.

Check out the communal conservancies with lodges too!  You can get a great accommodation and tourism experience (game drives, activities, etc...) AND help local people who are members of the conservancies earn a living from their traditional lands. Check out my all time favourite the Grootberg Lodge in the //Khoadi Hoas conservancy (those // punctuation marks means that is from the 'click' languages.)

Come see for yourself and enjoy the great lodges in Namibia.  Our wildlife and fantastic foods, cultural dress, songs and dances will give you a holiday here a trip of a lifetime!

Africa makes a great travel destination - check us out!

Hi there,

I came across some old, but useful stats on travel to Africa that may be useful as you decide to travel here.The article also had a GREAT photo of a lion being viewed by tourists in a safari vehicle that I thought was spot on.  In my journeys around Namibia, I have viewed this kind of scene countless times and it NEVER gets old!

Why millions chose Africa as their safari destination

 More than 30 million tourists visit Africa every year. Over half of the international arrivals are for business purposes, and may partake in tourist activities as well, while 15% travel for pure tourism and 30% visit friends and family.

Tourists select the continent as a destination for wildlife viewing and to enjoy the sunny skies. Africa is the world’s number one destination for safaris which range from the exotic to the very simple.

The tourism industry is one of the most important for the continent: it provided 12.8 million people with jobs, directly and indirectly, in 2011. Tourism in 2012 contributed over US$36 billion or 2.8% of the continent’s GDP.

theconversation.com

Tourism rising in Namibia - now is the time for your visit

Hello to any of my remaining readers!



I took a two year break from blogging, but now I am trying to get back into it.  

I am now one of the editors of a weekly newspaper called the Windhoek Observer and that kept me busy during my blog haitus! (www.observer.com.na).  

The exchange rate is low right now, 1 US Dollar = 12.99 South African Rand, making your trip here a bit less expensive if you are coming from a hard currency country.  Book your travel now, as our peak season (roughly July - November) is usually fully booked at the best sites around the country. My friends in the industry are reporting that they are quickly filling up with pre-bookings!  

These days, lots of airlines are flying into Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia.  Check Air Namibia first to support the country's economy, but you can also price shop for your ticket with British Air, South African Airways, KLM, Qatar Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines.  A trip here is glorious!

Check out an article I just did for World Wildlife Day which was March 3rd. 
www.observer.com.na/index.php/national/7732-
wildlife-thriving-in-namibia-on-world-wildlife-day-and-beyond.  Hugs and thanks to
my friend Chris Weaver, the director of WWF in Namibia for giving me an interview.



Here is the first paragraph of that piece:

"World Wildlife Day is celebrated on March 3, 2017.  Nowhere should there be more recognition of this day and its importance than here in Namibia, home of one of the greatest wildlife success stories ever told. With 18% of Namibia’s land under environmental protection, 82 communal conservancies formed to protect the flora and fauna of the land where they live and 1.4 million tourists arriving each year (most of whom visit National Parks), World Wildlife Day in Namibia has a special significance."



Enjoy these photos provided by my friends at ONGAVA GAME RESERVE!  Their place is beautiful and eco friendly.  My friend Rob Moffett is the manager and those of you planning a trip to Namibia, need to check them out!  Their facilities are right next door to the Etosha National Park!  You can hear the lions roar in the early morning and it can really make your entire bungalow tremble! www.ongava.com.

Until next blog!  Bye from Jackie!
jw.asheeke@gmail.com

Sorry, I've been blog lazy, but I'm back to SHOUT about POACHING!!

Dear Reader!

I am a sista' from the 'hood now living in Namibia, with an attitude on this issue of poaching. If we don't get a handle on this now, our children will know rhinos, lions and elephants only from photos and movies and not in the wild anymore.  That cannot be; it cannot be allowed to happen quietly...we must rage and scream about this until we move the mountain, even just a little bit.  We cannot destroy nature in this way and not expect a negative backlash that destroys a part of our own humanity.

We hear a lot about Rhino horn and elephant tusks, but it's wider than that, including the poaching of the big cats, crocs, snakes, birds, and other animals.

Since the end of 2014 and through June 2015, there have been over 60 Rhino carcasses found in Etosha National Park in Namibia.  From 2012, when poaching seems to have relatively speaking, exploded in Namibia (including all species, not just rhino), Namibia has been waking up slowly, but waking up to implementing preventative measure, organizing and mobilizing all parts of the society, and taking judicial as well as painful punitive actions on-the-ground when people are caught red-handed.  

Photo taken by my friends, Scott and Judy Hurd, WHK, Namibia
These guys were enjoying a sunset in Etosha National Park

Poaching of any animal is a horrendous crime against Nature and the people of Namibia to whom all wildlife within its sovereign borders belong.  It is an outrage and a rape of Namibian Natural Resources and must be handled as a crime of the highest degree.  Right now (as of June 2015), there are four Chinese nationals under arrest in Namibia, one of whom is accused of being a 'kingpin' of the cartel responsible for the export of the poached rhino and elephant horns and tusks to the Asian markets.   These guys actually put rhino horns and a lion skin in their luggage and attempted to just walk through the security check-in areas with their carry-on luggage and easily catch a plane and leave the country!  What arrogant gall; they did it so blatantly and carelessly that one could speculate that they (and their criminal colleagues) have done it before many times and gotten away with it, so no subterfuge was needed.

Needless to say, these particular criminals' disdain for the professionalism of Namibian airport and customs officials led to their immediate arrest and incarceration in the horrid jail cells and prisons with nasty conditions, here in Namibia.  The slow turning of the wheels of justice in Namibia mean that their trials will take years to finalize and these accused (caught red-handed!) will stay in jail until the process is complete.  No bail has been granted and the Chinese Embassy in Namibia is helping Namibian officials in the handling of this open-and-shut case against its nationals.  I don't advocate poor prison conditions and I believe that anyone arrested and accused must be innocent until proven guilty, but I make no apologies for my hypocrisy in this case.

Recently, a South African newspaper reported that the amount paid for a Rhino horn is as much as USD$600,000 PER POUND!  With the exchange rate currently somewhere around 12 to 1 (USD to South African Rand), this is serious money.  This level of money flowing from this illicit trade and that of other animal species around the world, means that poaching, like the international drug trade, will never end - too many people at too many levels are making too much money and getting away with it.

HOWEVER, the risk and cost of poaching can be raised to such a level that it is highly discouraged with high casualties on the ground, frequent incarceration of those caught, confiscation of assets and belongings of those convicted, international sanctions against countries with shops selling products of poaching, and other innovative and painful prods.

photo from Save the Rhino website, 2013

I did an article for Insight Magazine last year on poaching and there is an interview I just did with the Minister of Environment and Tourism (MET) in Namibia, Hon. Pohamba Shifeta, where we talked of various topics, including this major one.  Google Insight Magazine, Namibia and take a look at these pieces for more information.

I've been doing tourism stuff in Namibia for 10 years now.  People making money by destroying something glorious, beautiful and irreplaceable that belongs to everyone, are the most selfish and mean-spirited people in the world from my point of view.  I cast my anger on the entire illegal poaching food chain, from the small, ignorant Namibian who is assisting the poaching cartels, to the big fish making tons of money selling the ground horn internationally to the gullible people buying the product who think it is a Viagra-cancer cure-magic medicine and including all customs, shipping and other officials everywhere colluding with this illicit trade.

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/White-Square-Lipped-Rhino-Namibia-Posters_i3676635_.htm

Now is the time to come to Namibia and SUPPORT our world class efforts for conservation and wildlife management.

Namibia is one of the top 10 best destinations in the world for vacation and holiday travel.  Go to the Namibia Tourism Board's website for the listing of all of our awards and accolades.  Our communal conservancies and community based tourism programs have received honors for a reason:  We are smokin' good on conservation issues in Namibia.  Are we perfect?  Of course not, who is?  But, we've got it goin' on here and you need to plan your Namibian holiday NOW... to check us out!

The piece below is done by my friends at Wilderness Safaris and the Save the Rhino Trust here in Namibia.  Read and learn some great stuff. Contact Tarryn at Wilderness for more info:

TARRYN GIBSON

WILDERNESS SAFARIS

P O Box 5219, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa

373 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, South Africa

T + 27 (0)11 257 5241 (Direct) 

T + 27 (0)11 807 1800 

*By the way... Wilderness leads the way in conservation friendly tours and safaris all over Africa and in Namibia.  I've worked with them for years and recommend them HIGHLY!!!  

Desert Rhino Camp Secures a Future for Critically-Endangered Black Rhino in Namibia

May 2015 – Wilderness Safaris’ Desert Rhino Camp, situated within the 580 000-hectare (1.4 million-acre) Palmwag Concession in Namibia’s remote and rugged north-west Kunene Region, remains a prime example of how the private sector, NGOs and local communities can work together to ensure a future for Africa’s most threatened wildlife.

  Tracking black rhino on foot with experienced Save the Rhino Trust guides from Desert Rhino Camp.

The camp, which opened in 2003, is a joint venture between Africa’s leading ecotourism company, Wilderness Safaris; conservation NGO, Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) Namibia; and the local conservancies of Torra, Sesfontein and Anabeb. Here, guests have the opportunity of not only tracking rhino on foot or by vehicle with SRT trackers, but also of playing a meaningful role in the ongoing preservation of this Critically-Endangered species. A portion of guests’ nightly rates directly funds black rhino monitoring and various other conservation activities in the region.

--Until next time,  Jackie

A trip up North is another great thing to do in Namibia!

Hey there!

My daughter recently visited us in Namibia and we went up North to a small village about 90 kms south of the Angolan Border called Omafo.  It is in uuKwambi.  My husband is from that village and his 102+ (?) year old Mother still lives there with a passel of grand and great-grand children, nieces and nephews.  My husband's 76 year old brother also lives on an adjacent farm.

My daughter is named after her grandmother.  They are both Mweneni Emilia.  My husband's mother is Mweneni Emilia Kalenga and my daughter is Mweneni Emilia Asheeke. 

 

 

From my perspective as a foreigner married to a Namibian, the North is the heartland of the country, no disrespect for the other areas intended.  The vast majority of Namibia's sparse population (only 2.1 million people on nearly 900,000 sq kms of land!), lives in the Northern areas.  My husband is from the Kwambi ethnic group, a part of the Owambo people.  He speaks Oshikwambi as his mother tongue, but of course understands and speaks the other Oshiwambo languages of Oshikwanyana, Oshindonga, Oshiherero, and a few others. 

 

During the struggle for liberation from apartheid and colonialism, the people living in the North caught hell from the South African army busy with war in Angola and most particularly, they were regularly terrorized by the paramilitary 'security' forces supporting South Africa called, Koevoet.  Times back then were horrible for all Namibians, but particularly those in the North.

 

My mother-in-law told me of a tale from the early 1980's where the Boers came to their homestead in the dead of night looking for SWAPO fighters in order to capture or kill them.  Of course, her son (my husband!) was a SWAPO fighter, but she and her neighbors had to keep that very secret lest they arrest, torture, or even kill them in retaliation.  Those were the bad 'ol days indeed. 

 

My husband could not, for her safety and that of his whole family, and village, see or communicate with his mother at all.  From 1976 when he left for the guerilla war until independence in 1990, he (like tens of thousands of others who fought the war for Independence) never saw his mother or anyone else from his family.  He could send letters every so often via third parties, but other than that, no communication at all.  Relatives died, even his own sister, and he could only 'hear' about it years later.

 

Well, that night when the Boers came looking for SWAPO, my mother-in-law told me that the 'loud people with guns' roused all the people in the village and herded all them  (including her!) into one hut.  That means maybe 25 people in a hut for about 5 or 6 people.  They were told they would be shot if they came out. 

 

So, the villagers had to stand in a crouch (those particular huts are not made high enough to stand erect;  they were sleeping huts) with bodies pressed together like cattle.  If you had to go to the bathroom, then, that had to be done right there in the hut; no eating, no talking, no light, no water, nothing but terror.  There were women with babies who were also locked in there.  They had to stay there all night long.  Stories like these were 'normal' under the illegal occupation of Namibia by South Africa.

 

The top of one of the huts at my mother-in-law's farm

This was one of the hundreds of reasons why so many, like my husband, joined the war against the Boers and WON!

 

My spry, healthy and saucy mother-in-law is presumed to be 102, but she is probably older!  She told me that in those days, there were no hospital births for 'natives', and the children were usually only recorded when they came for baptism at the mission churches.  Those baptismal cards doubled as birth certificates for many decades (and are still accepted!) in Namibia. Babies were rarely baptized back then; small children were because they were old enough to walk several kilometers just to get to the church.  therefore, the baptismal date is not necessarily the birthdate. 

 

My mother-in-law has an ancient ID card written in both German and Afrikaans that says she was born in 1912.  Likely, that is the year she was baptized.  She only knows that she was born in the same year as the "Old Chief's second son, just before the small rains in the same year her father sold the largest bull the village ever saw."  The verbal 'calendar' was kept based on the weather or other notable events and handed down.

 

sunset at the farm's back fence

Namibia has been free, safe and peaceful for nearly 25 years and many tourists (1.3 million in 2013) come to enjoy the beauties and bounties of the present day in the Land of the Brave.  You should come too and hear more stories just like my mother-in-law's! 

 

When you do, tell'em,

 

Jackie sent ya'