We appreciate any help or support you can provide towards our efforts to helping endangered species by supporting our projects in partnership with the Chipembere Rhino Foundation in South Africa, the Pygmy Elephant Project in Borneo and the United Kingdom Orangutan Appeal for Borneo, all of which can be found on our Projects Page.
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Bulletin #12-17 Dec/Jan 2017 Edition

Bulletin #12-2017 December/January

RAG-EndangeredSpecies_Standard logo (3)

This Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species or RAGES is a Rotarian Action Group and operates in accordance with Rotary International policy but is not an agency of, or controlled by Rotary International.

I.  JANUARY 2017 CHAIR REPORT

G ‘ day

Happy New Year to you all!

We at RAGES wish you all a great 2017 and we have much to do.

We also welcome our new members and we look forward to working with you and all of our members into 2017.

I will be vacating the Chair in Atlanta in June at our AGM and Break out session during the Rotary International Convention from June 10-14th.  RAGES will be on show in the House of Friendship at the Convention Centre and our booth can be found in the Rotarian Action Group section Booth #2821.  More in the news feed below.

One of our RAGES members has kindly offered to set up a RAGES INSTAGRAM account.

Rtn. Penny Noel made that offer and it is done.  Penny is from the Rotary Club of Morgan Hill in California.

Penny runs her business called Studio 1070 and can be found here:  http://www.studio1070.com/

Penny also made a generous donation to the Pygmy Elephant orphan project being looked after by RAGES Director Debbie Mair.  Thank you so much Penny!

The Instagram for RAGES can be found on the link below.  Please those on Instagram start using it, sharing photos and letting all and sundry know about RAGES.

RAGES INSTAGRAM

rages_rotarian_action_group

“The thing that makes Instagram unique is it is based on followers and not friends. Instagram gives groups like RAGES the ability to attract  lovers of African elephants, rhinos, orangutans, the Pygmy elephants & mountain gorillas from all over the world. From there you direct traffic to your website”. Penny Noel.

Penny also asks “The one thing I need from you is access to good photography of the animals. Do you have a contact that might be willing to help?”

So over to you all on Instagram someone needs to teach me how to use it well.

Plenty of news in the News Feed and click on the links, they are safe, and you will learn so much more.

Your help is needed so ask your clubs to look at conducting projects in your own community for one or more of our endorsed projects.  We are now growing  and ready for action!

Talk soon and please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours in Rotary
DGN John Glassford
RAGES Chair 2014 -2017

Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species
Rotary Club of Coolamon District 9700
New South Wales, Australia

P.S.  Message from some of our newest members:

“In Nepal , endanger species need to protect from poachers.And awareness program is needed so bad to raise awareness to protect the endanger species. ” Ranjeev Shrestha, Rotary Club of Dhulikhel, District 3292 NEPAL.

“My daughter Stephanie Haynes and I are both members of ROC. We run a conservation group called Stephanie’s Big Cat Conservation Quest. We look forward to our relationship with RAGES.” Angelina Haynes, Rotary Club of Crawley, District 9455, Western Australia.

 

RAGES NEWS FEED ON ALL MATTERS ENDANGERED SPECIES

 1.  RAGES IN ATLANTA FOR THE ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

JUNE 10-14 2017

Georgia World Congress Centre ATLANTA

RAGES will be in Atlanta for the Rotary International Convention RICON 2017!

Above RAGES Director RIBI President Eve Conway and John Glassford. Seoul 2016 RICON

The Rotary International Convention is our biggest event of the year! In addition to celebrating all things Rotary, this year we’ll also be commemorating The Rotary Foundation’s centennial with a birthday party, book signing, and film festival.

As well as having a booth in the Rotarian Action Group section in the House of Friendship, we will be conducting a break out session including our AGM and election of new Directors and the Chair.

As we need your help please join us in Atlanta you can still register for the 2017 RICON:

REGISTER HERE

2.  THANDI HAS ANOTHER CALF CALLED SIMON

Thandi became a global anti-poaching icon after she survived having her horn hacked off five years ago. So when her two-year-old calf, Thembi, stepped out without her mummy, everyone at Kariega Game Reserve became a little anxious and worried – they thought Thandi had been hit a second time by poachers.

Then something magical happened.

We caught up with our Medivet Saving the Rhino Project Coordinator, Dr William Fowlds, to hear about the moment that had us all well up with tears.

“Kariega started to get worried as Thandi had disappeared for a number of days (which can happen), so they asked me to come and fly my drone to help find her and make sure no harm had come to her. This was the main thing on our minds – to make sure she was alive and not in any trouble.

FULL STORY HERE

Please support the work being done at the Chipembere Rhino Foundation and our RAGES Director for Rhinos is ready willing and able to help put you and your club in touch with teh Rotary Club of Kenton-on-Sea.

RAGES Rhino Project

 

 

3. CHINA ANNOUNCES BAN ON IVORY TRADE BY THE END OF 2017

China has announced a ban on all ivory trade and processing activities by the end of 2017.

Conservation groups hailed the decision as “historic” and a “game-changer” for the future of elephants.

The move follows a resolution at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in South Africa in October.

China has the biggest ivory market in the world – some estimates suggest 70% of the world’s trade ends up there.

The war on elephants

Why elephants are seeking refuge in Botswana

Ivory can reach $1,100 (£850) per kilogram in China.

In a statement released by its governing State Council, China announced it would “cease part of ivory processing and sales” by the end of March, and cease both completely by Dec. 31, 2017.

It was a massive step for a country that had previously argued that ivory carving was part of its national cultural heritage, and where intricately carved ivory items had become both a status symbol and a popular gift to grease the wheels of government and business.

MORE HERE

 

 

4.  THIS WOMAN RESCUED 200 ELEPHANTS THAILAND

Elephant Nature Park founder, Lek Chailert :

“Many of them arrive here like a zombie, some of them arrive here and they [don’t] know they are elephants, they stand still … they walk in a circle,” said Sangduen “Lek” Chailert, founder of the Elephant Nature Park.

Elephant Nature Park

 

A True Angel!

 

5.  SOME SOBERING RHINO STATISTICS

 

6.  EXTINCT WHICH ANIMALS COULD WE LOSE FOREVER IN 2017?

When a cheetah sprints, there is nothing on Earth that can touch it. The big cat’s hind legs heave forward, kicking up dust, while its front paws bounce off the ground. A few years ago, a cheetah at full pelt clocked 64mph, covering 100m in just 5.95 seconds. Usain Bolt’s world record for the same distance is 9.58 seconds. Not for nothing is the world’s fastest land mammal called a ‘polka-dotted missile’.

Yet for all its untouchable talent, man is now beating beast. A report released last week by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) revealed that the cheetah is racing towards extinction. Today there are just 7,100 in the wild, a figure that has halved since 1975. Over the next 15 years, that may be further reduced by 53 per cent.

MUCH MORE HERE

 

7.  END OF THE ROAD FOR KING PIN PANGOLIN SMUGGLER

Uganda Wildlife Authority UWA, nets 6 tons of smuggled Pangolin in Tanzania

 

 Gakou Fodie after he was nabbed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) security and surveillance team

He had hit a jackpot but it seems his ‘40 days’ had hit the mark. Despite attempts to bribe his way out of the horns of police, syndicate leader Gakou Fodie is now behind bars after he was nabbed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) security and surveillance team.

The suspected mastermind of illegal trade in pangolin was nabbed with 6 tons of Pangolins estimated in millions of dollars destined to the Asian Black market.

FULL HORRIFIC STORY HERE

8. BIG TIM IS BACK!

Big Tuskers Lose Their Lives To Poaching

Only 21 of these gentle giants remain in the world.

تم نشره بواسطة ‏‎Seeker Network‎‏ في 14 يناير، 2017

Big Tim is back after 4 months away from his base.  The above video features Big Tim however it is a disturbing video with some graphic scenes.  NOT of Big Tim I am happy to say. Here he is with his nephew TeeJay.

 

9.  ORANGUTAN APPEAL UK BORNEO

Mimi's new baby gets a slightly messy introduction to eating solid food!

تم نشره بواسطة ‏‎ORANGUTAN APPEAL UK‎‏ في 19 يناير، 2017

 Mum and baby at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Borneo. Mum Mariko was born in the reserve and her mother was an orphan and went through the rehabilitation programme at Sepilok.

The video was produced by Orangutan Appeal UK, who work alongside the centre providing vital funds and promoting awareness for the critically endangered orangutan. You can support the work of ORANGUTAN APPEAL UK through RAGES.

Orangutan Appeal UK

 

Student Grant 2016

A camera trap study on the difference in orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) occurrence in highly fragmented landscapes

Ibri and Bonnie

Ibri and Bonnie are two of the staff that the Appeal employs at Sepilok

Update on Archie

Archie is doing well at the Indoor Nursery see above with Sue Sheward MBE, RAGES Director for primates.

X-Ray Gift Boosts Orangutan Conservation

Orangutan Appeal UK has donated more vital equipment to the critically endangered orangutans.

The Orangutan Appeal UK is a registered charity based in the south of England, dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of orangutans and the conservation of their habitat.The Appeal strives to protect remaining wild populations of orangutans by providing support and funding for projects across Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo; and by raising awareness of the plight of this great ape across the globe. The Appeal is also authorised to work on behalf of the famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre!

10.  PYGMY ELEPHANT ORPHANS UPDATE

Debbie Mair our S.E. Asia Projects Director RAGES reports on the news from Sepilok in Malaysia.

I will tell the story with pictures in thumb nail size.  So just click on the thumb nail to get a big picture.

Debbie is a passionate Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Hutt City in New Zealand.

5 orphan elephants, Fonterra milk powder and Debbie Mair RAGES Director, standing with some of the Sepilok Wildlife Rescue Unit Rangers at Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre.

So the story goes these pygmy Elephant Orphans PEOs needed milk and needed it badly.  Debbie steps up and gets some supplies and then visits the centre in Sabah Malaysia.  One thing leads to another and next they needed cleaning equipment to keep the PEOs in hygienic surrounds.

In order to store all the powder, tools and cleaning equipment they need a shed.  The best most secure shed was a container.  To pay for this Debbie has used some of her own funds along with some recently donated funds to RAGES, including the generous donation from Penny Noel.

So where to next, obviously more funds are required to sustain the project.  Here we need to look at Rotary clubs getting on board with the Rotary Club of Hutt City  and applying for matching grants either DDF or a Global Grant.

Only 1,000 of these elephants left in the wild they are being killed by illegal palm oil plantations and legal ones, their habitat is being destroyed to grow more palm oil they get hungry and invade the palm oil plantations and are killed.  The young ones are then left orphaned.   Recently a favourite was poached for his tusks:

This elephant earned the nickname Sabre for his unusually downward curved tusks. He was subsequently killed by ivory poachers. Photograph: Danau Girang Field Centre and Wildlife Rescue Unit.

Here is the story:

World’s smallest elephants killed for ivory in Borneo

Following a pictorial essay on the story so far:

Above the Sepilok Biodiversity Workshop Team.

The $10k NZD of Fonterra milk powder was delivered to Sepilok.  It was too large a delivery to fit into the current small store room hence why we purchased the steel container.  The container will store the equipment, milk powder and vegetables used in caring for the elephants.
It was the cheapest and easiest option to rectify the storage problem.  RAGES raised the $3300NZD for the purchase of the 2nd hand container and the delivery to Sepilok.

You can always donate on line to get milk for the orphans here:

RAGES Endorsed Project RISK Boxes.

 

THE LATE JON DEISHER from ALASKA.

I do miss Jon Deisher who left us a year ago now.  His writing was so eloquent and inspirational and I would like to keep his quote here that I asked him to compose for us at RAGES.  You will always remembered Jon.

“It is likely that some extinction is a consequence of world biological, climatological or systemic process beyond our immediate ability to control. However, extinctions caused by wanton greed, the harvesting of body parts for superstitious uses, and/or poaching for immediate needs can be stopped, particularly when the species at risk (particularly great cats, elephants, and rhinos) can be the focus of economic activity that generates income and livelihood through local stewardship.”

“This is a mission worthy of Rotary”.  Jon Deisher

Jon Deisher was a member of the Rotary Club of Anchorage, Alaska (D5010) U.S.A.

Footnote Jon Deisher passed away on the 16th February 2016.

Jon Deisher

 

RAGES FACEBOOK PAGE

Still getting a lot of visits to our Facebook site.

Click on the logo below and join us please on Facebook.

RAGES Logo

CONTACT DETAILS:

Email: [email protected]

Phone:  61 2 6927 6027  {61 is the code for Australia}.

Postal: 22 Moore Street, GANMAIN, NEW SOUTH WALES 2701, AUSTRALIA.