There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
--- Peter Broekhuijsen ---

  • 2 Vote(s) - 4.5 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
John Varty & Tiger Canyon

Michael Offline
Regular Member
***

Is he trying to create a wild tiger population in South Africa ?

That seems like a terrible idea
1 user Likes Michael's post
Reply

United States Pckts Offline
Bigcat Enthusiast
******

(11-03-2017, 12:10 AM)Michael Wrote: Is he trying to create a wild tiger population in South Africa ?

That seems like a terrible idea

The short answer is Yes.
2 users Like Pckts's post
Reply

Michael Offline
Regular Member
***
( This post was last modified: 11-03-2017, 01:13 AM by Michael )

Why ?

That would change the predator dynamics specially if they were to be introduced in an area with leopards, tigers would probably take the leopards place in the predator chain and probably cause their extinction in that area.

Also the impact in the herbivore species like Nyala and Waterbuck.

I can see why he is not a very popular figure
1 user Likes Michael's post
Reply

United Kingdom Spalea Offline
Wildanimal Lover
******

(11-03-2017, 01:00 AM)Pckts Wrote:
(11-03-2017, 12:10 AM)Michael Wrote: Is he trying to create a wild tiger population in South Africa ?

That seems like a terrible idea

The short answer is Yes.

What does mean the word "terrible" for you ? In the french language it often means incredibly good. For you, incredibly bad ? Horrible or brilliant ?
2 users Like Spalea's post
Reply

United States Pckts Offline
Bigcat Enthusiast
******
( This post was last modified: 11-03-2017, 01:37 AM by Pckts )

(11-03-2017, 01:10 AM)Michael Wrote: Why ?

That would change the predator dynamics specially if they were to be introduced in an area with leopards, tigers would probably take the leopards place in the predator chain and probably cause their extinction in that area.

Also the impact in the herbivore species like Nyala and Waterbuck.

I can see why he is not a very popular figure

A few things to note...
They only live in an enclosed area, most of the prey animals there have been introduced.
In regards to where a Tiger would fit in Africa, that is a different dilemma all together. They would need to inhabit more forested areas to thrive, the open plains would not suit them well since they are too big to climb trees and a coalition or pride would surely cause a lone Tiger trouble.
Impact on prey is a non concern, no predator can survive more than a prey population can support, Tigers preferred prey would be the same as Lions and if numbers shot too low, Tiger population would fall right there with it. The apex predator is the last number that increases, the more apex predators the better the ecosystem.

Now, if you were to ask Varty what is the purpose of this experiment I think that he'd say the following: In no specific Order

His goal is to create a reserve of wild tigers that could be used as a translocated species to be sent to any area that would be in need if a wild population were lost.
He want's to create public awareness of the plight of the Tiger, he also want's to teach Africans about the Tiger.
He want's to generate profits for himself and his causes, through eco tourism he hopes to stimulate the economy surrounding his reserve.
Last but not least I think he truly believes the Tiger can survive in Africa, whether they can or not is something else.


My personal opinion is this, I think it's fine. At this point trying to get rid of all captive cats is a losing battle, it's just not going to happen. If these Tigers can live as close to wild as possible, be healthy, hunt and generate revenue for the people who need it, then I'm all for it. I'd rather see unmolested natural landscape with wild animals surviving there over concrete streets and tall buildings.
2 users Like Pckts's post
Reply

Sri Lanka Apollo Away
Bigcat Enthusiast
*****

I don't think JV''s tigers were hunting any of the introduced preys. If so there would be tons of videos of them.
I guess these tigers were human fed or prey animals were forced to move towards tigers by artificial means.
I think the introduction of prey animals like zebra, wildbeest etc, is just a show or drama to attract people.
If this money minded fool thinks he is creating a population of wild tigers, let him first make them hunt by themselves without any external help.
I personally think this guy is a con man (its just my opinion).
It would be nice to see full hunt videos of tigers taking down zebras, wildbeests, Cape buffaloes etc.
3 users Like Apollo's post
Reply

United States Pckts Offline
Bigcat Enthusiast
******

Tiger Canyons Safaris


Hello Friends
“The only constant in life is change”
Bertrand Russel.
After 18 years of doing tiger conservation, I am stepping down as head of Tiger Canyons. The day to day running of Tiger Canyons will be in the capable hands of Rodney Drew.
I will continue to do a limited amount of exclusive & big cat safaris including the Nine Lives Safari.
Nine Lives Safari
Itinerary:
1. The Nine Lives Safari starts at Tiger Canyons: 4 nights.
Visit the den site where JV put the lion cub Savannah into Julie’s litter.
Visit the den site where JV lay under Tigress Julie while the cubs suckled.
Visit the place where Ron swam across the Gariep River & mauled the cow.
Visit the tree where the monkey jumped out of the tree & tried to swim across the Gariep river.
Visit the site where Corbett attacked JV & relive the bravery of Julianne Reid, Julie Brown & Phumlani Mchunu.
Visit Tigress Julie’s grave where Tibo lay on the grave after Julie was buried.
2. Travel to Londolozi: 4 nights
Visit Shingalana camp from where Gill & JV rehabbed Shingalana.
Visit the site where Elmon Mhlongo stalked the rhino with Shingalana on his back.
Visit the site where the hyenas robbed Shingalana of her duiker kill.
Visit the Mashabene where the mother Leopard buried her cub in the sand after lions had killed it.
Visit Python rocks where a Python swallowed Manana’s cub & later re-gorged it after Manana attacked the Python.
3. Fly to Luangwa Valley: 4 nights
Visit Shingalana camp & Shingalana’s grave.
Visit Leopard island where Little Boy & Little Girl were released.
Visit the Luangwa River where JV addressed the Zambian Cabinet on privatization of the parks while Shingalana sat in the audience.
Visit the camp site on Leopard island where the camp burned down after Little Boy had bitten the gas pipe.
Visit the helicopter crash site & relive the incredible flying skills of Rob Parson & bravery of Karin Slater, John Knowles & Lloyd Gumede
Hear the story of Nelson Mandela visiting JV in the hospital at Milpark after the crash.
Visit the site of where the hippo knocked JV out of the banana boat.
Visit the site where a tuskless elephant cow chased JV for 3 kilometres.
Visit the Luangwa River where a fisherman rescued JV off the island after he was surrounded by crocs as told in the book Nine Lives.
4. Fly to Masai Mara: 4 nights
Visit the site where JV & Warren Samuels got the perfect Cheetah kill & later calculated her running speed at 58 miles per hour.
Visit the site at paradise crossing where 19 gazelles were taken by the crocs as they crossed the Mara river.
Visit the site of the famous Lion hunt where Ngotoi lost his life & Nanga lost his fingers & Sopia got mauled.
Visit the site where Half Tail got shot in mouth by an arrow from Oligashan’s bow & the Vet later removed the arrow.
Visit Sopia’s boma where Half Tail the Leopard got caught in the snare & then died as she jumped out of a tree.
Meet JV’s partners Lekakeny, Sopia and Cordylla & Karino.
Visit the site where the buffalo chased Karino & Elmon Mhlongo into a tree & JV was left on the ground.
Nine Lives Safari is an old style adventure with singing, dancing & story telling around the campfire. Accommodation in Luangwa & Masai Mara is under canvas.
Various people will join the Safari to relive the experiences including Julie Brown, Julieanne Reid, Elmon Mhlongo, Lekakany Sukuli, Karino Sukuli, Beatrice Ndutu, Gulam Patel, Yusuf Patel, Karin Slater, John Knowles, Lloyd Gumede, Warren & Heather Samuels, Andries Druksak.
The sixteen day Safari will be led by JV & Gillian van Houten.
If anyone is interested in going on this safari, then please contact Sunette: [email protected]
Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV
3 users Like Pckts's post
Reply

United States Pckts Offline
Bigcat Enthusiast
******

Newsletter 155
11/11/17

*This image is copyright of its original author

Tigress Panna and cubs - picture JV
Hello Friends 
The Indian Connection:
"A sparkling diamond
A fragile life
Through the trees
A shaft of light
Your coat so white
As fallen snow
Your eyes so blue
Like rivers when they flow"

From the song - Shine a Light
I have just spent 8 fascinating days with some of India’s leading conservationists. 
Nikhil Nagle is a businessman who has a passion for wild life photography. Nikhil has established The Last Wilderness Foundation which works in and around where tigers still exist. The Foundation works with communities & in the area of tiger & human conflict. 
Vidya Venkatesh works for the Foundation & is at the cutting edge of the tiger human conflict. She is constantly engaging with people that live alongside the tigers, lecturing, negotiating & educating the people to find ways of reducing conflict between people and tigers. 
Dr Harbhajan Pabla has been warden of the some of the most famous Tiger Reserves in India, including Kanha & Panna. Dr Pabla has been one of most progressive creative conservationists in India for the last 40 years. 
Greatly inspired by the film "Living with Tigers", Dr Pabla has reintroduced Tigers into Panna Reserve, after they became locally extinct. Dr Pabla has engaged the help of South African conservationists, Les Carlise, Geoff Cook & Dr Dave Cooper to help him move tigers & gaur into parks where they previously existed. 
In short Dr Pabla has pioneered the birth of the wildlife animal capture industry in India.

*This image is copyright of its original author
After seeing Tibo in the wild at Tiger Canyons, Dr Pabla is determined that the white tiger will return to Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve where the last white tiger, Mohan, was removed from the wilds in the early 1950’s (There are nearly 100 white tigers in  zoos in India) 
Doctor Pabla who is a world expert on tigers, is not too concerned with inbreeding of big cats. His theory is that a certain amount of inbreeding occurs in the wild & over years of evolution, the strongest genes survived and the weak genes perished. 
All tigers have a narrow genetic base proving they once experienced a evolutionary bottleneck (that is a small population of tigers survived an evolutionary crisis). 
Dr Pabla believes that the white tigers presently in captivity in India, are healthy & strong enough to return to the wilds, should the Indian government give the green light. I would tend to agree with him.
I am thrilled that Dr Pabla could see both Londolozi & Tiger Canyons working under a private enterprise system. 
I would like to congratulate "andBeyond" (previously known as Conservation Corporation) on their brave investment into India some years ago. 
"andBeyond" have not only introduced to India the concept of private enterprise working in government parks, but they have brought a new standard of lodges to India. 
After a talk by Vidya Venkatesh, I was fascinated to learn that around the city of Mumbai, some 40 leopards thrive & survive. Scientists have studied this population of Leopards as they survive by feeding off stray dogs & cats which live in the city of Mumbai.  
I couldn’t help thinking that in a hundred years from now, when the world's human population is 15 billion, (that’s if it ever reaches that high) towns like Nelspruit, White River, Hoedspruit, Phalaborwa & Nelspruit may have populations of Leopards living off their cities, just like occurs in Mumbai today. 
Unfortunately for tigers, needing larger prey & more dangerous to humans, it is not as easy for the tiger to adapt to living off a big city. 
One of the biggest advantages that India has, is that the Indian people like and admire the tiger. Indeed, some of them worship the tiger. This gives conservationists a huge advantage in solving tiger / human conflicts. 
However, when the Tiger has killed one of your family or eaten your entire flock of goats, it becomes a competitor to be exterminated by whatever means possible. 
The huge challenge for Indian conservationists is, how do you conserve the tiger & still meet the needs of the people. India’s population is already 1.2 billion. By 2020 they may exceed China as the most populated country on the planet. The challenge is enormous & it will need creative thinking of conservationists around the world to solve the problem. 
I believe the answer lies in the Londolozi Model. If India pursues the concept of private enterprise working in government parks & in investing in rural people who benefit from the eco-tourism which the tigers brings, they could save & even expand the tiger home range.  
If India pursues a policy of the government will do everything & will own everything,  they will doom the tiger to extinction. 
Indeed, I would like to see the Indian government privatize some, but not all of their parks & even privatize a few of their tiger populations. 
Some years ago, the Indian government supported an idea to ban tourism from the parks in India. Fortunately this has been reversed. India needs to open up restricted areas to tourism so you get a Londolozi scenario of 3 vehicles at a sighting (At times surrounding a tiger in an Indian park, can be 70 vehicles all jostling for position)  
India needs to grow the cake and bring in the unknown parks to help take the load.
They need to invest in colleges where guides are trained. This will lift the standard of guiding and make it a lucrative career.
Above all, they need to invest in the "Elmon Mhlongo Scenario" where they make the tiger more valuable alive to the rural people then dead. (Elmon Mhlongo used to kill Leopards for their skins, then he got a job at Londolozi as a tracker. Now it’s more lucrative to keep the Leopard alive because Elmon can make more money from a Leopard that’s alive than dead.)
The Last Wilderness Foundation
http://thelastwilderness.org/
Tread lightly on the Earth
JV
3 users Like Pckts's post
Reply

United States Pckts Offline
Bigcat Enthusiast
******
( This post was last modified: 11-15-2017, 03:01 AM by Pckts )

Tiger Canyons Safaris

At Tiger Canyons, Bird arrived while Ussuri was removing a warthog from an Acasia tree. Bird hooked Ussuri out of the tree and then climbed into the tree, but was unable to get the warthog out.
Video credit: Stella de Chalain Photography
Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV





Bird has got some good size on him and he has a very light coat, I wonder if that is an adaption to the African landscape.
2 users Like Pckts's post
Reply

United States paul cooper Offline
Banned

Isnt this that crazy dude who posts cringry videos of him singing??
2 users Like paul cooper's post
Reply

United States Pckts Offline
Bigcat Enthusiast
******

A few more

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author
4 users Like Pckts's post
Reply

India sanjay Offline
Co-owner of Wildfact
*****

Safari Club International Bans Canned Lion Hunting


Hello Friends

The decision by Safari Club International to ban canned lion hunting, has sent shock waves through the hunting community in South Africa.

Canned lion hunting exists in virtually every province in South Africa and was born in the province of the Free State, where Tiger Canyons is situated.

Safari Club International is by far the biggest hunting organization in the world. It has no less that 180 chapters with over 50,000 members.

Most of the hunters that sustained the canned lion industry year after year, were from the USA. Hunters from Europe and elsewhere, also came to do canned lion hunts, but the USA is the main source of hunters.

The Safari Club International decision does a number of things. Firstly, it prevents any advertising of canned lion hunting at its conventions. Secondly it sends out a powerful message to its hunters that a canned lion hunt is not be recognized as a sporting hunt.

The ban cuts to the very psyche of the hunter. In shooting your lion in a canned lion hunt, you have taken no personal risk, you have exposed yourself to no danger, you have not entered a “Fair Chase” with the lion.

This is the equivalent of saying to an Olympic athlete you won the gold medal at the Olympics, but you took drugs, you cheated, I am stripping you of your title.

In South Africa there are between 7000 and 8000 lions in captivity, mostly males being bred for the canned lion industry. In the Free State there are 6 lion breeding operations that have many lions at their facility.

The feeding costs to support these lions is extremely high. If the major supply of hunters from the USA dries up, these lion breeders will not be able to sustain.

There is no emotion attached to these lions, they are purely commodities to be shot when heir manes are at their peak.

If there are no hunters forthcoming to the lion breeders, they will have few options:

a. Look for other markets. This will be time consuming and costly.
b. Sell lion hunts to South African hunters at discounted prices. This will not be viable.
c. Euthanize their lions and sell the body parts to China. (These body parts will be relabeled Tiger Body parts when they arrive in China)

I predict that the lion breeders will go for the third option and cash in.

This means the body parts of several thousand lions may be flowing to China (It is still legal to export lion body parts from South Africa).

I have filmed and photographed the lions in captivity in the Free State. Some of the most magnificent specimens are in cages, waiting to be shipped out to be hunted in canned hunts.

Male lion with belly manes stretching halfway down their bodies, are pacing up in down in cages. (Hunters pay more for a belly mane)

If these lions were reintroduced into the wilds, they would make the most fabulous tourist attractions. People would flock to photograph and film them.

To the south of Tiger Canyons exists an area of 36,000 hectares. This area already has a predator proof fence around it. Call this area A. The habitat is entirely suitable for a cooperative predator like a lion to operate successfully. (Large prides of lions existed in the area before the advent of sheep farming).

The area to the north of Tiger Canyons is 15,000 hectares, also with a predator proof fence enclosing it. Call this area B.

If area A and area B were added onto Tiger Canyons (area C), then a block of 65,000 hectares could be established.

Some 100 lions that will perish when canned hunting goes bankrupt, can be relocated to this park. Leopards can be introduced into the park. Tiger and cheetah populations already exist. In short we have a chance of achieving a park where lion, leopard, tiger and cheetah all co-exist. This is identical to the mission statement that I wrote in 2000.

I’m appealing to photographers, conservationists, filmmakers, businessmen, musicians and philanthropists around the world to help me make the mission statement become a reality.

A park with tiger (listed as highly endangered), cheetah (listed as threatened), lion (greatly reduced) and leopard, all co-existing, would surely be worthy of a world heritage site.

Safari Club International has given us a massive opportunity, let’s use it!

If anyone is able to assist in this bold project, please contact me:
[email protected]

Tread Lightly on the Earth
JV
4 users Like sanjay's post
Reply

Matias Offline
Regular Member
***
( This post was last modified: 02-14-2018, 07:26 PM by Matias )



The SCI recognizing as a non-ethical hunting product as JV said will have many consequences on the demand for lion hunting in SA. Edna Molewa recently authorized the annual export of only 800 lions (by-products of lions that totaled this individual quantitative) imposing a barrier, a limit since in the last years the export had numbers greater. Disabling this industry that has emerged as a byproduct of the success of South African wild animal breeding will be very difficult. Imagine about 8,000 lions (this number is a projection, since no one is sure its totality) to be allocated to sanctuaries. The economic cost would be astronomical and impractical, and giving conservation value to captive lions who do not know how to live like wild lions is even more problematic. JV has this dream ..... whose practice of creating a huge park where all these cats can live does not depend at all on the course that the trophy hunting captive lions will take. There are a huge number of wild lions that are intensively managed in about 40 private reserves, where JV can acquire lions with a minimum of logistical, tailored and self-sufficient problems. The dismantling of canned hunting for lions needs to be determined through a medium-term institutional policy that contemplate economically target breeders and ethically target all of these lions, and imposing quotas is an unmistakable sign that SA's government now has the political will to intervene in this industry. It seems that the siege is closing, where it all started with the movie Blood Lions, and the fruits of public opinion hit an institution (SCI) that has always passed far off animal ethics.


JV forgot to mention that SCI partner hunters will not receive any punctuation in their ranking. As SCI will identify the type of hunting that its members will do, that is, to prove that these hunts have targeted wild lions, such as Niassa or Selous will be a very interesting point to observe.



2 users Like Matias's post
Reply

United States Pckts Offline
Bigcat Enthusiast
******

My understanding is that all the SCI has done is to say that any Lion hunted via a canned hunt will not be recognized in their data base for records. I still fail to see how much actual impact that is going to have on the industry as a whole.
2 users Like Pckts's post
Reply

Rishi Offline
Moderator
*****
Moderators
Shocked  ( This post was last modified: 02-14-2018, 11:06 PM by Rishi )

Is this supposed to be a good news?

All i see is that there are now several THOUSANDS not-wild lions, who have no conservation value whatsoever due to unregistered breeding... & not one less of those sorry excuse for people who'd now simply switch to killing wild lions instead.

Hunting of wild lions is what should have been banned!

If they wanna kill lions for fun, don't let them say they're doing it because they care! Let them kill farmed lions selectively bred for it (with belly mane/white coat). They go home feeling better about themselves... The money is generated... That wild lion lives... Win-win-win!

With nowhere to put them, nothing to feed them, the next few years would see a vast majority of those lions being killed & sold off in black market, as more & more wild lions get "conserved" every year.

Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist; but i strongly suspect this might be a plot of the hunting lobby to malign the anti-hunting activism, thus paving way for future smear campaigns.
If things turn out the way i think it might, then for rest of this century the conservationists-with-guns can keep pointing to the fiasco that happened after canned hunting was banned & say, "we told you so"...
2 users Like Rishi's post
Reply






Users browsing this thread:
1 Guest(s)

About Us
Go Social     Subscribe  

Welcome to WILDFACT forum, a website that focuses on sharing the joy that wildlife has on offer. We welcome all wildlife lovers to join us in sharing that joy. As a member you can share your research, knowledge and experience on animals with the community.
wildfact.com is intended to serve as an online resource for wildlife lovers of all skill levels from beginners to professionals and from all fields that belong to wildlife anyhow. Our focus area is wild animals from all over world. Content generated here will help showcase the work of wildlife experts and lovers to the world. We believe by the help of your informative article and content we will succeed to educate the world, how these beautiful animals are important to survival of all man kind.
Many thanks for visiting wildfact.com. We hope you will keep visiting wildfact regularly and will refer other members who have passion for wildlife.

Forum software by © MyBB