Asendle Trust

To view the trailer of the movie ‘BABOON WOMAN’ featuring Karin Saks to to http://www.firecrackerfilms.com/Broadcast/Projects/BaboonWoman/

A little miracle has been peculating down in Plettenberg Bay and it culminated in the showing of ‘Baboon Woman’, an hour long documentary made by a foreign crew with our own Karin Saks.  It had two showings in the UK on Channel 5 and reached more than 1 million viewers.  Not bad for ‘home grown’.  So what is it with us South Africans, why aren’t we interested in our own baboons, no actually, why are we so disinterested in our own baboons?  We’d shoot or ignore them rather than look into their eyes or their souls.

So why not go and check out the movie (or at least the trailer) and just for a moment try and catch a glimpse of baboons through her eyes.  Oh, and while you’re about it, why not give her a donation towards the orphaned Ververt monkeys which she takes care of.  They come to her because they have no where else to go, because they’ve been maimed, beaten, abused or abandoned.  Sounds awful when you put it that way, doesn’t it.  So common, please…. step up to it and make contact with her at  imfene@xnets.co.za and GIVE A LITTLE.

Following a plea for help from the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources to assist in saving the lives of 129 oiled African penguins off the coast of Luderitz in Namibia, internationally recognized seabird rehabilitater, SANCCOB mobilized its team of experts and volunteers to move the penguins 1 300km to their centre in Cape Town for essential treatment.
African penguins are listed as ‘vulnerable’ to extinction on the Red Data list and there are only 27 000 breeding pairs of these charismatic birds left, down from 4 million within the last century.
The oiled penguins are the result of an oil spill from an unknown source around the Mercury, Ichaboe, Halifax and Possession islands just off the coast of Luderitz. Poor visibility, heavy mists and high swell have made it impossible to determine the cause of the oiling, but according to Jessica Kemper, seabird biologist at the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, ‘the water around Mercury Island was frothy with foam’ on Thursday last week and ‘our island technician based there could smell the oil’.
Jessica Kemper and SANCCOB CEO, Venessa Strauss, monitored the situation as it developed and on Thursday 16 April 2009 last week they reached a joint decision to move the birds to SANCCOB rehabilitation centre in Cape Town which is equipped to handle up to 2 000 oiled birds.
On Monday 20 April Venesssa flew up to spearhead the evacuation and to assist Jessica to assess the situation and drove back in the truck with the penguins. Jessica was working from the Ministry’s small seabird rehabilitation station and a shed which had been turned into a makeshift holding pen and was working around the clock with a handful of staff and volunteers to stabilize the penguins in readiness for their epic journey to Cape Town. Due to the working relationship between SANCCOB and the Namibian government, Jessica had essential medication available to perform the initial treatment to save the penguins.
After 19 hours of non-strop travelling Venessa arrived at SANCCOB triumphant where she immediately joined her colleagues to get the ‘Namibian patients’ admitted and to begin the treatment, hydration and the much needed feeding.
To contribute towards the cost of the rehabilitation, you can “Adopt” one of the Namibian penguins!
Please remember that EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS. Visit www.sanccob.co.za to donate and to track the rehabilitation of these charismatic creatures back into the wild.

This is Marcell, he is an orphaned, Kinda baboon - presently in the D.R.Congo who desperately needs a

sanctuary/rehab centre to help him. If any of you have any contacts in the Congo who could help,

please contact Kaz at Darwin Primate Group or email margaretroestorf@gmail.com.

Sputnik is a teenager herself, but she has adopted Monki and is doing an amazing job of mothering the adopted Sputnik.

Surrogate monkey mother - MONKI -  although only a sub-adult herself is doing a wonderful job nurturing a new infant who joined the Group on 23rd October.

For more…. go to http://darwinprimategroup.blogspot.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpTIQwfncSs

SYDNEY, Australia - Marine scientists have discovered hundreds of new animal species on reefs in Australian waters, including brilliant soft corals and tiny crustaceans, according to findings released Thursday.
The creatures were found during expeditions run by the Australian chapter of CReefs, a global census of coral reefs that is one of several projects of the Census of Marine Life, an international effort to catalog all life in the oceans.
“People have been working at these places for a long time and still there are literally hundreds and hundreds of new species that no one has ever collected or described,” said Julian Caley, a scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Science who is helping to lead the research.

Thousands of new plant and animal species were discovered in 2007. We give you the coolest, weirdest and deadliest.
The 10-year census, scheduled for final publication in 2010, is supported by governments, divisions of the United Nations and private conservation organizations.

Expeditions
The Australian researchers conducted three expeditions, one each in the waters off the Great Barrier Reef’s Lizard and Heron islands, and one in the Ningaloo Reef, on Australia’s northwest coast. Thousands of samples were collected during the three-week research trips, which took place between April and September.
Researchers plan to explore the three sites annually for the next six years to learn more about soft corals, which are poorly understood, despite making up a large part of the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists are also looking to catalog how many animal species live on Australia’s coral reefs, how many are unique to the reefs and how they respond to human disturbance.

Researcher Neil Bruce studies specimens in a lighted aquarium on Australia’s Lizard Island Reef, in this 2008 photo provided by the Queensland Museum.
Researchers also pegged 36 plastic houselike structures to the ocean floor in various locations around the three sites. Animals are likely to be attracted to the structures and make them their home. Researchers will go back and study the life inside each house over the next few years.The structures will also be placed in reefs in other parts of the world, providing a standardized method for studying marine life internationally, Caley said.

Benefits for humans
“The project marks the first time any group has made a concerted effort to understand the biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef, “said Ron Johnstone, a marine science professor at the University of Queensland, who is familiar with the research.
“The scientists’ findings could have direct benefits for humans” Johnstone said. “Marine life is used in medicines, and the creatures could also provide clues as to how they cope with climate change and pollution — issues people wrangle with as well.”
“Some people say, ‘Going out and collecting samples — of what value is that?’” he said. “It’s a bit like saying we don’t know what we have in the shop so we don’t know what we can use to survive, and at the same time we don’t know what bits of the machine fit together to make it work.”Letter to the Editor,
I’ve just returned from the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where nearly 3,000 scientists, conservationists, and government officials met to strategize solutions to coral reef destruction.

The bad news: Ocean acidification has joined climate change, over-fishing, and coastal development as an urgent and major threat to coral reef health around the world.
The good news: CORAL’s targeted method of creating effectively managed marine protected areas (MPAs) was identified as the best way to protect coral reefs.
Like taking vitamins to fortify your immune system, CORAL gives reefs a fighting chance against the major threats caused by human activities. Working within existing MPAs and identifying opportunities to create new MPAs, CORAL builds reef resilience by reducing the damage caused by such factors as marine recreation, unsustainable fishing, and lack of local capacity for conservation.
Less than one third of roughly 1,200 MPAs worldwide have the resources and knowledge to manage and enforce their protected status. Although approximately 18% of coral reefs are located in MPAs, only 2% of these MPAs have adequate conservation capacity.
While these statistics may sound daunting, they prove that our Coral Reef Sustainable Destination approach—which focuses on creating strong and effective MPA management—is the best chance we have to save coral reefs. Admittedly, the news about coral reefs is alarming, but it is by no means too late to save them if we act immediately.
CORAL’s recent successes speak for themselves:

Five years ago, the biggest local threat to the Namena Marine Reserve in Fiji was anchor damage from marine recreation operators. With CORAL’s help, Namena will become a completely anchor-free zone this summer.

In 2007, CORAL and its conservation partners facilitated the pubVoluntary-Standards-MAR.jpglication of the first voluntary standards for sustainable marine recreation along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. With CORAL’s help, the government of Belize is pushing to transform the standards into law.
Last week, CORAL joined with their colleagues at ICRS to issue a worldwide call to action:
To save coral reefs, we must focus on improving the management of existing MPAs and creating new MPAs as quickly and effectively as possible.
CORAL is answering this call in the field on a daily basis. With your generous support, and CORAL’s strategic plan to expand their program sites from seven to seventeen in the next five years will make real and proven impacts on the health of our planet’s coral reefs.
This tremendous validation of our work was a major victory for CORAL and all of its donors. A big Thank you from CORAL for believing in them—and for helping them make people’s lives better by protecting coral reefs.

Please call Rick MacPherson, Director of Conservation Programs at (415-834-0900) if you’d like to learn more about The Coral Reef Alliance’s work and ways to get involved.

Letter to the Editor

From:  Rick MacPherson
Director of Conservation Programs
The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL)

Coral Reef Alliance footprint

I’ve just returned from the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where nearly 3,000 scientists, conservationists, and government officials met to strategize solutions to coral reef destruction.

The bad news: Ocean acidification has joined climate change, over fishing, and coastal development as an urgent and major threat to coral reef health around the world.

The good news: CORAL’s targeted method of creating effectively managed marine protected areas (MPAs) was identified as the best way to protect coral reefs.

Like taking vitamins to fortify your immune system, CORAL gives reefs a fighting chance against the major threats caused by human activities. Working within existing MPAs and identifying opportunities to create new MPAs, CORAL builds reef resilience by reducing the damage caused by such factors as marine recreation, unsustainable fishing, and lack of local capacity for conservation.

Less than one third of roughly 1,200 MPAs worldwide have the resources and knowledge to manage and enforce their protected status. Although approximately 18% of coral reefs are located in MPAs, only 2% of these MPAs have adequate conservation capacity.

While these statistics may sound daunting, they prove that our Coral Reef Sustainable Destination approach—which focuses on creating strong and effective MPA management—is the best chance we have to save coral reefs. Admittedly, the news about coral reefs is alarming, but it is by no means too late to save them if we act immediately.

CORAL’s recent successes speak for themselves:

Five years ago, the biggest local threat to the Namena Marine Reserve in Fiji was anchor damage from marine recreation operators. With CORAL’s help, Namena will become a completely anchor-free zone this summer.

In 2007, CORAL and its conservation partners facilitated the first voluntary standards for sustainable marine recreation along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala. With CORAL’s help, the government of Belize is pushing to transform the standards into law.

Last week, we joined with our colleagues at ICRS to issue a worldwide call to action:

To save coral reefs, we must focus on improving the management of existing MPAs and creating new MPAs as quickly and effectively as possible.

CORAL is answering this call in the field on a daily basis. With your generous support, our strategic plan to expand our program sites from seven to seventeen in the next five years will make real and proven impacts on the health of our planet’s coral reefs.

This tremendous validation of our work was a major victory for CORAL and all of its donors. Thank you for believing in us—and for helping us make people’s lives better by protecting coral reefs.

Please call (US code415-834-0900) or email if you’d like to learn more about our work and ways to get involved.

Written by Jenni of Baboon Matters

It has been a tough year for Baboon Management as restrictive budgets have led to various labour relation problems. But this appeal is not about baboons or budgets. This is about the baboon monitors.

I am watching this team struggle – extremely limited wages; the extreme cold and abundant rain this year, ever increasing food prices, as well as personal family crisis.

This week it was fires.

Last weekend one monitor lost his home and clothes to fire and today another 3 men lost ALL THEIR WORDLY POSSESSIONS when a fire raged through Masiphumelele.

When I arrived with food and some financial support for the affected men, the scene was chaotic – furniture everywhere as people had tried to save whatever they could. I was deeply saddened by what I saw –
imagine living it…

This is Vuyisile Mayedwa

When we heard of the fire, Marlei dropped what she was doing and dashed through to Tokai to take Vuyisile home to Masiphumelele. He was a nervous wreck as he contemplated his cardboard shack, with wife Sylvia and their young family inside, and the huge fire approaching. Sylvia has recently given birth to extremely premature twins, the one has a heart condition and problem on his tiny leg – this involves heart surgery and trips to Groote Schuur and Red Cross – travelling costs alone are crippling this little family.
Vuyisile’s relief at finding his wife and children safe was palpable.

Mzwakhe Vanga was not so lucky. Last week in the middle of those incredible downpours he lost his home, and everything he owns, as a result of a neighbour’s electric fire.
This is the second time he has lost everything to fire.
Mzwakhe’s year has been tragic – his much loved oldest sister died as a result of a stroke. Mzwakhe assumed responsibility for his sister’s stepson, and this poor young man was involved in a terrible car accident in which both his legs were badly broken – this has involved many operations and much time in hospital for the youngster.
Mzwakhe’s young daughter lost all her clothes in the fire, she was in Masiphumelele on
school holiday and lost everything!
Yet Mzwakhe retains his easy going disposition, always a cheerful smile and hello – I am sure that many residents will recognise him as he has been with the project for 10 years now.

Aaron Dlokolo is a tall, quiet man who battles with a bad stutter. He has recently been promoted to supervisor and he is a diligent worker. When I found Aaron this afternoon, he was covered in ash and his hands full of mud – his wardrobe was too big to fit through the door of his shack, as the fire approached he frantically tried to pull the door apart and get his furniture out – but ended up losing everything.

Matshawandile Mjempu – has had a difficult past and late last year ended up in Pollsmoor Prison for four months – as a result of a mistake!! There was no charge against the young man but none of the authorities allowed him a phone call or lawyer…. He emerged from Pollsmoor looking like a ghost. Today he lost everything he owns –apart from the clothes he was wearing.

Steve Khumbulani Ndlebe – what a character! Full of nonsense as some young men are – but fast! Quick and efficient with the baboons – as well as quick with a comment! How sad to see him shaking and looking beaten by life today, his eyes fill of tears – no comments this time, just a quiet thanks for the food and cash I brought. I hope to see Khumbulani full of talk again soon…

If you are prepared to help, we urgently need the following:

* Money to purchase building materials
* Bedding – especially blankets
* Clothing – all ages from babies to men
* Kitchen utensils
* Any items that may no longer be of service to you

Cash can be deposited into the Baboon Matter Trust account – marked “monitors – fire”. The account details are:
Baboon Matters Trust
Standard Bank
Blue Route
Account No - 270040080
Branch code – 025609

I know I make many appeals – normally for the baboons, but today it is the monitors who need your support.
Please help where you can.

Thank you!
Jenni and the Baboon Matters Team