APRIL ­ JUNE

Environmental Education and Training Certificate Course for Industry, Local Government and Business. (29 June, 1998)
Rhodes University and the Gold Fields Environmental Education Service Centre are now offering a certificate course for Environmental Education and Training in industry, local government and business.

Conservationist up in Arms over "Squatter Crime". (29 June, 1998)
The dreams of Gem Valley Estates owner RK Stocks to develop a conservation area bordering the township of Mamelodi in Gauteng have been destroyed by squatters of Mandela Village, and other camps in the area.

Footprints Find Stuns Scientists. (27 June, 1998)
First there was the ancient Langebaan spoor - now a set that may be 100 000 years older has been found in the Eastern Cape.

Loskop Dam Community Forum Launched. (26 June, 1998)
The official launch of the Mmatoti Forum took place recently. The Forum creates a platform for communities to have a direct stake in the development of the Loskop Dam Reserve.

Environmental Groups Slate Pallo over "Loopholes" in Draft National Environment Management Bill. (26 June, 1998)
Environmental groups have accused Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Dr Pallo Jordan, of pushing through the new draft National Environment Management Bill in an attempt to have it gazetted before next year's election.

Wits Honour for Top Scientists. (25 June, 1998)
Three of the great names in science - Huxley, Bodmer and Cooke - will receive honorary degrees from Wits University on 4 July 1998.

Wildlife under Siege by Man. (25 June, 1998)
Peter Joyce's African Wildlife: A Visual Celebration is a lavishly illustrated coffee table book which captures Africa's amazing array of fauna and flora and at the same time warns of the plundering of the continent's dwindling natural resources.

"Canned" Hunting Fear for Seventeen Lions. (25 June, 1998)
The fate of seventeen lions from a farm in Mpumalanga hangs in the balance amid fears by environmental groups that they are destined for the canned hunting industry in Mozambique.

More Cash Needed to Drive Potential Tourism Goldmine. (24 June, 1998)
Satour explains why additional funding is urgently needed to market South Africa more effectively overseas.

Bid to Move Ancient Footprints. (23 June, 1998)
Priceless footprints made by man thousands of years ago are airlifted to the safety of the SA Museum in an intricate rescue operation which is a world first.

Marine Living Resources Act to be Implemented Soon. (23 June, 1998)
The mission of the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Pallo Jordan, of changing the South African fishing industry for the better will soon come to fruition.

Well-known Wildlife Rehabilitator Knocked over by Rhino Calf. (23 June, 1998)
Karen Trendler, Director of Wildcare, recently suffered from a double dose of concussion when knocked over by a rhino calf.

"Ivory Route" Launched. (22 June, 1998)
The Northern Province's "Ivory Route", which promises to provide tourists with the ultimate African experience, was officially launched in the Kruger National Park recently.

Auction a Boon for Conservation. (22 June, 1998)
Nature conservation in KwaZulu-Natal had cause for rare financial celebration this weekend when more than R12-million was raised at the 10th KwaZulu-Natal game auction in Hluhluwe.

Joint Habitat Conservation Awards Presented. (22 June, 1998)
Three organisations have jointly received the Habitat Council's 1998 award for outstanding achievement in the field of environmental conservation and management.

From Rubbish to Relaxation. (22 June, 1998)
Eco-friendly rubbish dumps will become the norm at sites all over the city as the Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council starts implementing scientific methods to protect the environment.

Kloof Accord Signed. (22 June, 1998)
The Pretoria City Council recently signed a co-operation agreement with the Moreleta Kloof Construction Company for the development of guidelines for the management of the kloof.

Tall Stories from the Acacia Browsers. (20 June, 1998)
A new study has found that giraffes, long thought to be silent creatures, really are babbling away at an infrasonic level inaudible to humans.

Desertification in SA "Must be Faced". (19 June, 1998)
Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Kader Asmal has warned that the rate of land degradation in South Africa could have disastrous consequences.

Taipei Donates Plane for Wildlife. (19 June, 1998)
Taiwan has donated an aircraft to the US conservation group Wilderness Conservation International to help protect endangered animals in South Africa

Addo Elephant National Park may be Expanded. (19 June, 1998)
The South African National Parks is paving the way for the possible expansion of the Addo Elephant National Park.

Attacks on Police Continue in Kenya. (18 June, 1998)
The recent spate of attacks on police stations in Kenya does not bode well for tourism and foreign investment in the country.

Plea for Tough Laws to Protect Big Cats. (18 June, 1998)
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has commissioned a parliamentary proposal for the special protection of big cats in South Africa.

Battle-axe Environmentalist Has Rural Communities at Heart. (17 June, 1998)
Elna Kotze is an inexhaustible environmental battle-axe who has impoverished communities at heart and is not shy of saying that which is not politically correct.

Boksburg Man Sentenced for Illegally Selling Elephant Tusks. (17 June, 1998)
A Boksburg man suspected of being part of an ivory smuggling syndicate was given a suspended sentence in the Nelspruit district court, Mpumalanga, for trying to sell two elephant tusks.

Birds of Prey a Source of Wonder. (16 June, 1998)
The Southern African Bird of Prey Centre, situated 9km outside picturesque Dullstroom in Mpumalanga, educates the public and farmers about raptors.

R15 000 reward for recovery of rhino. (16 June, 1998)
A Mpumalanga game ranch owner has put out a R15 000 reward after his white rhino cow went missing late last year while she was pregnant.

Sandton Landscape Artist in Court for Cycad Theft. (15 June, 1998)
A 52-year-old Sandton landscape artist appeared in the Randburg magistrate's court recently after conservationists allegedly found two stolen cycads worth about R27 000 in his garden.

One More Month to Raise Concerns over R10-billion Iron and Steel Project. (15 June, 1998)
The public in South Africa and Mozambique have been given an extra month to comment on the environmental impact assessment of a R10 billion Maputo Iron and Steel Project.

Disease-free Buffalo for Sale. (12 June, 1998)
The Mpumalange Parks Board is releasing for sale, on open tender, eleven animals from its disease-free buffalo herd at Loskop Dam Nature Reserve. The funds generated from this sale will be used to initiate a captive breeding programme to produce disease-free lowveld buffalo.

Helping Bongani Cheat Death. (12 June, 1998)
A Hoedspruit veterinarian has put a cheetah on a chemotherapy course - the first time that this has been done.

African Wildlife Wins Yet Again! (12 June, 1998)
African Wildlife is the 1998 winner of the EPPIC Award for the best South African environmental journal.

KwaZulu-Natal Sea-turtle Project Wins Green Trust Award. (11 June, 1998)
The KZN Nature Conservation Service (KZN NCS) received the Green Trust Conservation Project Award for the Tongaland Sea-turtle Project at a function in Johannesburg recently.

Applications Invited for Participation in a soon to be Established Hake Longline Fishery. (11 June, 1998)
A trend in world markets to pay a higher price for line-caught hake has resulted in the development of a line fishery for hake in South Africa.

Is SA the Next Poacher's Paradise? (10 June, 1998)
A severe lack of funds and resources threatens the existence of the Honorary Ranger Counter Poaching and Investigation Unit of the South African National Parks.

Dynamic Woman on a Mission to Save SA's Grasslands. (10 June, 1998)
Elna Kotze, Head of the Grasslands Require Active Support to Survive (Grass) lobby group this week won the country's coveted Green Trust Award for her tireless efforts.

Northern Free State Targeted for Hazardous Dumping Site. (8 June, 1998)
Four northern Free State sites have been identified in preliminary studies to bear the brunt of hazardous industrial waste generated in the Sasolburg area.

Eight Arrested for Illegally Catching Scarce Bird Species. (8 June, 1998)
At least eight people, ranging in ages between 14 and 64 years old, were caught on 3 June 1998, for the illegal possession and catching of a the scarce black-headed canary.

SA Mint Reveals Leopard Coin Range. (6 June, 1998)
The South African Mint has unveiled its final range of gold coins, the Leopard coin, which is part of the African Big 5 Natura series.

Frogs Tell us so Much about the Environment. (5 June, 1998)
The focus is on frogs in Mototoland, Mpumalanga, and how they play a key role in monitoring the environment.

Ecotourism - the Buzzword Worth its Weight in Gold. (5 June, 1998)
Read more about the origins and meaning of the "ecotourism" concept.

Namibia Suspends Exporting of Live Animals. (4 June, 1998)
The Namibian government, which was seeking to protect the economic value of its wildlife, had suspended indefinitely the commercial export of live wild animals.

Zimbabwe Bags $68m for Wildlife. (4 June, 1998)
The World Bank had approved a $68 million loan to Zimbabwe to help protect the country's parks and wildlife, it was announced recently.

Overcrowding, Dry Weather Drives Animals out of Kruger Park. (3 June, 1998)
The growing number of large wild animals escaping from the Kruger National Park into Mpumalanga are causing extensive damage to crops and pose serious health risks.

Foreign Diplomats and Corporates to Tour Agricultural Projects in KwaZulu-Natal. (2 June, 1998)
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture has arranged a tour of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and the Tugela Ferry/Msinga area for members of foreign diplomatic missions and selected major corporate bodies to show the potential for forming partnerships in rural agricultural development projects in the province.

Zebra Arrive Early at New Reserve. (2 June, 1998)
The newly established Barberton Game Reserve received its first herd of large wild animals at the weekend when twenty zebra were relocated there.

Kruger Park Lions Devour Illegal Immigrant. (2 June, 1998)
A pride of lions attacked and killed a suspected Mozambican immigrant in the Kruger National Park recently while he was attempting to cross illegally into South Africa.

Plans to Green Mpumalanga's Townships. (1 June, 1998)
Black townships are still grey and dusty places with almost no public parks despite four years of political freedom, said Mpumalanga's new environmental affairs MEC, Fish Mahlalela.

Another Tribe Seeks to Recover Land in the Kruger Park. (30 May, 1998)
Tribal chiefs who were forcibly ejected with their people from the southern half of the Kruger National Park in 1924 are lodging claims with the Land Claims Commission for the return of the land.

Five New Protea Species Discovered. (30 May, 1998)
When the Protea Atlas Project was launched seven years ago to map where proteas grew in southern Africa, little did researchers expect to discover five new species in the Western Cape.

Community and Conservation Win in Historic Agreement. (30 May, 1998)
The signing of an agreement at Ntlaveni near Punda Maria on 30 May marked the resolution of negotiations following a land claim by the Makuleke community.

Hi-tech Website Set to Lure Tourists to Mpumalanga. (29 May, 1998)
Tourists planning a trip to Mpumalanga can now visit a comprehensive website giving information on everything, from daily weather reports to the latest in malaria prevention.

Mazda Wildlife Fund Supports Conservation Projects. (28 May, 1998)
The Mazda Wildlife Fund was launched in April 1990 and has played a vital and constructive role within the conservation fraternity.

Two Lions Find New Home at Farm Inn. (28 May, 1998)
Visitors to Pretoria's Farm Inn will be delighted to learn about the recent addition of two young lions to the hotel's game sanctuary.

SA Proteas Triumph - in More Ways than One. (27 May, 1998)
The National Botanical Institute won its 21st gold medal at the Annual Chelsea Flower Show in London with a display of flowers which South Africa gave the world.

Top Post for Botanist. (27 May, 1998)
Professor Eugene Moll has taken over as Director of the Southern African Wildlife College as from May 1 this year.

Even Luxury Liners are Taking the Recycling Route to Protect the Ocean. (26 May, 1998)
One of the measures being adopted by ocean-going luxury liners to meet the UN's appeal to protect the world's oceans, is to do away with the anchor.

Floods from Lake Victoria Cause Widespread Suffering. (26 May, 1998)
Each year people who live around Africa's largest freshwater lake suffer flood-related problems, but nothing like those Lake Victoria now threatens to unleash on them.

Man Survives Leopard Attack. (26 May, 1998)
A Zululand man had a narrow escape after he was mauled by a leopard in a reserve near Mtubatuba in KwaZulu-Natal.

New Head for Southern African Wildlife College. (26 May, 1998)
A new director has been appointed to head the recently established Southern African Wildlife College near Hoedspruit in Northern Province.

Mala Mala Tops the List. (22 May, 1998)
Winners of the TTG Southern Africa Travel Industry Awards 1998 were announced recently. The title of "Top Game Lodge in South Africa" was awarded to Mala Mala Game Reserve.

Meeting Will Address the Escape of Large Animals from the Kruger Park. (22 May, 1998)
Conservationists will meet with property owners living along the Kruger National Park next month to discuss the ever-increasing problem of large animals that escape from the reserve.

Anti-poaching Measures a Success in Mpumalanga. (22 May, 1998)
Anti-poaching operations in Mpumalanga were very successful last year after microchips were inserted into cycads and rhino horns, said Chief Executive Officer of the Mpumalanga Parks Board, Alan Gray.

Farm Inn Still in Business Despite Major Fire. (22 May, 1998)
One of Pretoria's most popular hotels, the Farm Inn, is still hosting functions and conferences despite the major fire it suffered on the night of Monday 11 May 1998.

Lions Terrorise Rural Community. (21 May, 1998)
A pride of lions is causing havoc in a rural community near Phalaborwa in Northern Province.

Specialist Team Uncovers Gillnet Fishing Syndicates. (21 May, 1998)
A specialist team targeting unlawful gillnet fishing in freshwater sources in South Africa has uncovered illegal fishing syndicates operating around the country and even spreading across borders to neighbouring countries.

Effects of Pollution on Whales to be Studied. (21 May, 1998)
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has unanimously approved giving priority to research into the effects of pollution and environmental degradation on whales.

Kalahari Invasion. (21 May, 1998)
During the last week of May, twenty five students and staff members from the University of Pretoria's Centre for Wildlife Management will brave the bitterly cold Kalahari nights on their annual field excursion.

Project to Study Declining Fish Stock in Okavango. (20 May, 1998)
Debswana, the 50/50 partnership between the De Beers group and the Botswana government that mines and markets the country's diamonds, is to fund a 900 000 pula (R1,16 million) environmental project on the declining fish stock in the Okavango Delta.

SA Tourism to Benefit from Spain. (20 May, 1998)
When it comes to tourism no country has more experience than Spain, with 57 million tourists last year.

Get Ready for Birding Big Day. (20 May, 1998)
Birding Big Day this year will be on Saturday 7 November, with an option for participating teams to select any other 24 hour period, midnight to midnight, from the 7th to 15th November.

Commission Set to Tackle Worldwide Protection of Whales. (19 May, 1998)
Whale hunting is a sensitive issue internationally - and for South Africa as much a part of its tourism heritage as its lions and the Kruger National Park.

Film Focus on Nature Topics. (19 May, 1998)
It's less than a month to World Environment Day, a highlight of which will be the 4th International Environmental Film Festival at the Transvaal Museum.

Communities Take Over Management of Game Reserve. (19 May, 1998)
Four communities in the Nkomazi area south of Malelane in Mpumalanga formally took over the management of a groundbreaking cattle and game reserve project in the Mawewe Game Reserve.

South African National Parks Increases its Reservations Operating Hours. (18 May, 1998)
As of May 15 this year South African National Parks' (SANP's) reservations office at the Pretoria Head Office started operating on more customer-friendly reservations hours.

Man's Death in Tiger Cage a Mystery.(16 May, 1998)
When Cape Town gas insulation mechanic Francois Cupido set out for a night on the town, the last thing on his mind was a bloody ending in the tiger enclosure of the East London Zoo.

Group Sets out to Revive Angolan Game Park With Huge Relocation Project.(16 May, 1998)
During twenty years of civil war, Angola was stripped of nearly all its wildlife. That decimation may be turned around through Operation Noah - one of the largest relocations yet of African game.

Game to be Moved after Fire Razes Reserve. (15 May, 1998)
Fires razed half of the Loskop Dam Nature Reserve this week, severely reducing the amount of winter grazing land.

Child Sentenced for Killing Leopard.(14 May, 1998)
A 16-year-old boy from Nelspruit High School was fined R1 000 in the Nelspruit district court for illegally shooting a leopard in March.

Black Eagle Settles in with her New Toyboy.(14 May, 1998)
Roodepoort's female black eagle has found herself a new toyboy. The eagle, which has been nesting in the cliffs above the Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens for fifteen years, abandoned her eggs five weeks ago after her mate disappeared.

Cash-strapped Sharks Board Threatens to Remove Nets on KwaZulu-Natal Coast. (12 May, 1998)
KwaZulu-Natal's local councils are reeling with shock at crippling increases in shark meshing fees by the Natal Sharks Board.

Count and Capture - A Strategy for Survival. (12 May, 1998)
White rhino from deep in Africa's oldest game reserve are now beginning far-flung journeys that will ensure their continued survival and that of the land on which they were born.

Quagga Breeding Project Expanded. (12 May, 1998)
The recent discovery of the genetic similalrities between the true quagga and the plains zebra has opened the possibility of retrieving the extinct quagga through selective breeding of plains zebra.

Pretoria Zoo Launches the First Zoo on Wheels in South Africa! (12 May, 1998)

Auction of Remaining Midmar Historical Village Exhibits. (12 May, 1998)
The end of an era will occur when the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service auctions off the remaining exhibits from the Midmar Historical Village (MHV) on 30, 31 May 1998.

Malaria Claims Lives at Swazi and Mozambican Borders. (11 May, 1998)
Fifteen people died of malaria in Mpumalanga during the past ten months, said Dr David Durrheim, consultant in communicable disease control for the provincial health department.

Tigers Maul Man to Death in Coastal Zoo.(11 May, 1998)
Two Bengal tigers mauled an unidentified man to death at the Queens Park Zoo in East London, South Africa, early yesterday.

Maputo Corridor Jeopardises Mpumalanga Tourism. (11 May, 1998)
The Maputo Development Corridor is allegedly harming tourism in Mpumalanga because its implementing agents are systematically removing road signs from along the N4 highway.

Border Dispute Offers Mpumalanga Brand-new Animal Species. (11 May, 1998)
Mpumalanga province is set to get its first herd of roan antelope when a Northern Province game reserve is incorporated into the province,

Communities Represented at Top Kruger Park Management Meetings. (11 May, 1998)
For the first time ever, communities living on the boundaries of the Kruger National Park will be represented at top-level management meetings.

Roadside Curio Sellers Move into High-powered Marketing. (11 May, 1998)
The familiar bands of curio sellers that line the roads to the world-renowned Kruger National Park have organised themselves into a high-powered alliance earning R40 000 a month from curio sales.

Man Appears in Court for Keeping Protected Parrots. (11 May, 1998)
A man appeared in the White River magistrate's court after he was allegedly found in possession of twenty one protected parrots.

Environmental Affairs Scraps all District Offices to Save Money. (11 May, 1998)
Mpumalanga's environmental affairs department has scrapped all six of its district offices and reduced its one-stop offices from thirty two to thirteen in order to save money.

Community Market Opens in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park. (8 May, 1998)
On 8 May 1998 a party of national and provincial dignitaries, as well as representatives of the Mdletshe community attended the opening of the Vukuzame Craft Market at the Memorial Gate of the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park.

National Park Video Wins Coveted International Awards. (8 May, 1998)
The locally-acclaimed video of the Kruger National Park entitled "Kruger Park 100 - the vision lives on", has won two "Gold Camera Awards" in two separate categories in the US International Film and Video Festival held in Chicago in the USA.

Vast Wild Coast Park Planned. (7 May, 1998)
Ambitious plans have been prepared for a new 30 000ha "people friendly" national park along the former Transkei Wild Coast.

Tourism on Target, Says Jordan as 1997 Records 5,5m Visitors. (6 May, 1998)
More than 5,5 million visitors from Africa and abroad - and each spending an average of R11 500 - visited South Africa last year.

Pipeline Outside the Park Still on Agenda. (5 May, 1998)
Proposals to transport magnetite by slurry pipeline through the Kruger Park have been vetoed, but developers of the multi-billion rand Maputo Iron and Steel Project (MISP) have not fully given up on the idea of an underground pipeline network - outside the park.

New Zimbali Lodge Captures the Spirit of Lush KwaZulu-Natal. (5 May, 1998)
With the imminent opening of the superb Zimbali Lodge and Golf Course, Afrisun KZN and Sun International have trailblazed into the KwaZulu-Natal hotel industry in grand style.

Visas May Be Dropped for Tourists to Mozambique and Swaziland. (5 May, 1998)
Visa requirements for tourists visiting Swaziland and Mozambique from South Africa may be dropped completely if a multi-national attempt to promote the R600-million Lubombo spatial development initiative in northern KwaZulu-Natal succeeds.

Stiff Sentences for Benoni's Illegal Ivory Dealers. (4 May, 1998)
Two Benoni businessmen who tried to sell rhino horns and elephant ivory to undercover investigators were fined a combined total of R40 000.

Tourism Development Brings Roads, Clinics to Poorest of the Poor. (4 May, 1998)
KwaZulu-Natal's ambitious transfrontier tourism development project with Swaziland and Mozambique has already begun making a real impact on rural residents in the impoverished North Coast region.

European Hotel Giants Eye Investment in Lubombo SDI. (4 May, 1998)
At least ten large hotel groups from six foreign countries have already expressed interest in a number of proposed tourism lead projects scheduled to be show-cased at the launch of the Lubombo spatial development initiative (SDI) this week.

Getting Cheetah Back up to Speed. (1 May, 1998)
An adult male cheetah was darted in Swaziland early yesterday and flown to South Africa, where surgery was performed on a broken leg.

St Lucia Environmental Development Study Completed. (30 April, 1998)
An environmental programme aimed at protecting the world-famous St Lucia Wetland Park and other sensitive areas during the Government's R600 million development drive in northern KwaZulu-Natal, has been completed

Lubombo SDI Attracts R330-million in Secondary Investment. (29 April, 1998)
Private sector project proposals worth more than R330-million have already been finalised for the multimillion rand Lubombo spatial development initiative (SDI) in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Pretoria Zoo Enters a New Era with a Blast. (29 April, 1998)
The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria entered a new era on Wednesday, 29 April 1998 with a blast! On this day the old bear enclosures were demolished to make way for brand-new facilities.

Animals Used in Research: Legislation to be Discussed. (28 April, 1998)
The first government workshop to look into animal welfare legislation is to get under way in Pretoria next month - and there are already signs that fur could fly at a meeting where traditional enemies get together to discuss the treatment of animals in laboratories, slaughterhouses and entertainment acts.

A Handful of Wild Cats at De Wildt. (28 April, 1998)
The breeding project for African wild cats at De Wildt Cheetah Centre is proving to be a great success and recently saw the arrival of several new litters of these small felines.

Two Held after Buying Leopards.(28 April, 1998)
Two South Africans who bought three leopards - two females and a male - from game farmer Jan Oelofse appeared in the Magistrate's Court in Windhoek, Namibia, on a charge of illegally transporting or possessing a protected species.

Swaziland's Environmental Action Plan Gets Going. (25 April, 1998)
The Swaziland government this week launched five committees tasked with implementing the kingdom's Environmental Action Plan.

Mpumalanga Parks Board Refuses to Investigate itself. (25 April, 1998)
Mpumalanga's Parks Board (MPB) refused an order to investigate itself for alleged mismanagement and said that a probe by the relevant legislative portfolio committee would both be more appropriate and more credible.

SA National Parks and Communities Both Benefit from Working for Water Project. (25 April, 1998)
The initial phase of the Working for Water Project, initiated by the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Professor Kader Asmal, drew to a close on 31 March 1998.

African Art On-line - The Directors' Collection of Wildlife Paintings Now Available on the Internet. (23 April, 1998)
A gallery of artworks by highly acclaimed African wildlife artists has gone on-line on the Internet as one of the most inspiring collections yet produced on this spectacular subject.

Sea Fisheries Plans for Boat-based Whale Watching Industry. (23 April, 1998)
A regulated Boat-based Whale Watching (BBWW) industry may be established by July this year, after guidelines for the management of BBWW in South Africa were adopted at a meeting of interested and affected parties.

Environmental Concern over Newly Licensed Casino. (22 April, 1998)
Months of speculation ended yesterday when the Gauteng Gaming and Betting Board awarded its final two casino licences to Akani Egoli at Gold Reef City, in the south of Johannesburg, and Rhino Hotel and Resort near Kromdraai on the West Rand.

Malaria Delays Alleged Duck Smuggler's Trial. (21 April, 1998)
The case against an alleged duck smuggler had to be postponed in the Komatipoort circuit court on Tuesday because he contracted malaria.

Max Could Become SA's Most Famous Cuckold if his Rival Gets Down to Monkey Business with Lisa. (18 April, 1998)
Hobbit - a handsome, hefty male gorilla from Pretoria Zoo - might beat the impotent Max to becoming the father of Lisa's baby.

El Nino Leaves Parts of the Kruger Park Dry. (17 April, 1998)
The El Nino weather system has resulted in an acute shortage of water in the Kruger National Park, according to South African National Parks.

Parks Board Slow to Hold Probe. (17 April, 1998)
The Mpumalanga Parks Board will consider establishing an internal investigation committee into its Chief Executive Officer Alan Gray only at the first meeting of its new board next week, Board chairman Francis Legodi said.

Proposed Re-opening of the Mata-Mata Entrance Gate in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park to Namibia. (16 April, 1998)
The South African National Parks (SANP) is investigating the possibility of re-opening the entrance gate to Namibia at Mata-Mata restcamp in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (KGNP) to allow access to bona fide tourists to the park.

Stiff Sentence for Cycad Thief. (16 April, 1998)
A tomato hawker from the rural settlement of Naas, south of Komatipoort in Mpumalanga, was sentenced to three years in a jail or a R4 000 fine in the Nelspruit district court for illegally dealing in rare cycads.

South African Youth Water Prize. (15 April, 1998)
South Africa proposes to be the first African country to compete in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, an environmental competition that encourages high school students worldwide to become interested and active in the water environment.

International Award for Innovative Partnership. (15 April, 1998)
Eskom entered its Eskom/Endangered Wildlife Trust Strategic Partnership programme into the American Edison Electric Institute's 1998 Common Goals Award programme and was selected as winner in the International Affiliate Programme category.

Wild Coast a Tourism Hub Waiting to Happen.(15 April, 1998)
The Wild Coast Spatial Development Initiative (SDI), described as one of the most unique of eight such SDI's planned across the country, was officially launched on the edge of a tempestuous sea this week.

Crafty Monkeys Outsmart Council Officials.(15 April, 1998)
Nelspruit's town council has been forced to call in the Mpumalanga Parks Board (MPB) to try and control the increasing numbers of monkeys and baboons raiding residents' houses for food.

Settling of Land Claims to Increase Investor Confidence. (14 April, 1998)
Investor confidence in the R300 million Wild Coast spatial development initiative should increase since land claims issues on nature reserves in the area had largely been resolved, said SDI task team member, Jurgens van Zyl.

New-Look Kruger to Emphasise "Social Ecology". (14 April, 1998)
Major changes lie ahead for South Africa's flagship national park - Kruger - as it enters its second century.

Eastern Cape Ripe for Forestry. (14 April, 1998)
At least 120 000 hectares of communal land in the Eastern Cape is suitable for afforestation, said national Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Professor Kader Asmal.

Jaws Drop as Shark Satellite-Signal is Received from Witbank. (13 April, 1998)
Triumph and excitement turned to confusion and dismay when a tagged whale shark, swimming from Mozambique towards the South African border and being tracked by satellite, apparently took a sharp right inland and headed for Witbank - not exactly a common hangout for the biggest fish in the sea.

Report Speaks of Serious Irregularities in Mpumalanga Parks Board. (9 April, 1998)
The Mpumalanga Parks Board Chief Executive Officer, Alan Gray, contracted his own helicopter company for board duties without declaring his interests or obtaining alternative quotes, according to an auditor-general's report.

Kruger National Park - an Example of Good Wildlife Management. (8 April, 1998)
Since the establishment of the National Parks Board, now South African National Parks (SANP), as a statutory body in 1926, the Kruger National Park has become a key player in the field of Afro-tourism.

Randy Rhino Forsakes Zebra for his own Kind. (7 April, 1998)
Frikkie, an orphaned rhino in Mpumalanga who raped and killed three zebras in his desperate attempts to procreate, has finally had sex with a rhino cow.

Clinic Offers Travel Advice and Immunisation to Travellers into Africa. (6 April, 1998)
The Mpumalanga health and welfare department has opened a clinic in Nelspruit that specialises in offering travel advice and vaccines to travellers into Africa.

Eskom Man Receives Raptor Award. (6 April, 1998)
At a recent function at Vanderkloof the annual "Gariep Raptor Conservationist Award" was presented to Rudi Kruger, senior environmental advisor at Eskom.

World-Famous Canyon Cleared of Invasive Plants. (6 April, 1998)
Almost 800 hectares of invasive plants have been cleared from the world-famous Blyde River Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga since January, after the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry provided R1,5 million for the project.

Toxic Tide Warning. (6 April, 1998)
Members of the public are warned not to collect shellfish from beaches north of Blaauberg Strand as it may have been contaminated by toxic red tide.

The Missing Black Eagle from the Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens. (6 April, 1998)
Concerned raptor lovers have been searching for several weeks for the missing black eagle from the Witwatersrand Botanical Gardens at Roodekrans.

Kruger Centenary Celebrations. (6 April, 1998)
The successful launch of the Kruger National Park Centenary celebrations has produced a lot of media interest with regard to the future of the South African National Parks.

Minister Praises Outgoing Natal Parks Board. (5 April, 1998)
Members of the Board of the Natal Parks Board met in the Douglas Mitchell Centre in Queen Elizabeth Park, Pietermaritzburg, on Friday 27 March 1998 for the last time.

New Environmental Centre Planned for Wildlife and Environment Society. (5 April, 1998)
The Wildlife and Environment Society plans to build an environmental centre on the conservation campus of the Johannesburg Zoo.

R180-million Road to Boost Tourism Potential of the St Lucia Region. (2 April, 1998)
Construction has begun on a R180-million tarred road between Hluhluwe in northern KwaZulu-Natal and Ponta do Ouro in southern Mozambique as part of a multi-million rand project to develop the area.

Management Plan Mooted for Kruger Elephants. (2 April, 1998)
A new elephant management policy has been devised by a number of senior Kruger National Park researchers and scientists.

Bleak Future for Black Eagles now that Male Has Gone. (2 April, 1998)
The future of the black eagles that nest in the cliffs above the Witwatersrand National Botanical Gardens in Roodepoort is in doubt following the disappearance of the male raptor.

Pretoria Zoo to Open New Educational Display. (5 April, 1998)
The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa in Pretoria opened a new educational display named Circle of Life and has launched an environmental education programme which will be managed by volunteers.

Snake Guru Set to Spend Seven Days Locked in With Mambas. (1 April, 1998)
Mpumalanga snake expert, Ellery Worth, is locking himself into a cage for seven days on Wednesday with five highly poisonous black mambas in an attempt to publicly prove that snakes don't normally attack humans.

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