Bulletin #04-16 April Edition 2016.
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.
1. APRIL CHAIR REPORT
G ‘ day
April was the month that Kenya sent a message to the world; that ivory belongs ot the elephant and is not for sale.
RAGES had ot take a back seat this month for me apart from Facebook and planning the Seoul RICON. Susan and I went to Western Australia to build a straw bale “granny flat” for a farming family North of Perth.
It was while we were there that Susan and I were interviewed by the Rotary District 9700 District Governor 2018-2019 committee. I was selected to be the Governor for District 9700 2018-2019, a rare honour and I have accepted the position. At our recent D9700 Conference I asked PRIP Bill Boyd if I should stay on at RAGES. Bill said that I should at least stay on the RAGES Board until my term ends on June 30th 2017.
The AGM will be held at the end of our break out session on Wednesday June 1st at 3.00 pm in the Kintex Hall.
The notice of the AGM, our first, will be sent along with this newsletter.
Membership has been slow this month however I expect that to increase as a result of Seoul.
We now have a banner for Seoul, cards and a video from Besureis with another one coming from Dr. Jane Goodall.
PRIVP Anne L. Matthews is the Moderator for our RAGES Break-out.
Roots & Shoots Kenya will have a proposal for a partnership with them in Kenya, Rotary in Kenya and RAGES for our consideration.
The 4×4 Rotary Fellowship want to support RAGES and will join us in Seoul at our break-out session.
There are two groups now looking for our support one for the pygmy elephants in Malaysia/Borneo and the other for the Orangutans in Borneo. I will have a better idea of how we can support them after Seoul.
Maintain the RAGE get the information out there and please email or write ot me with your ideas of how we can be better served to move onto the next stage of RAGES.
Yours in Rotary
John Glassford
Chair 2014 -2017
Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species
Rotary Club of Coolamon District 9700
New South Wales, Australia
LATEST NEWS JUST IN
Saharan Addax antelope faces imminent extinction
06 May 2016 | Article
Regional insecurity and oil industry activities in the Sahara desert have pushed the Addax – a migratory species of desert-adapted antelope – to the very knife-edge of extinction according to a recent survey which found only three surviving in the wild.
An extensive survey in March across key Addax habitat identified just three remaining individuals, report experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); two of its Members working in the region – the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) and the NGO Noé, as well as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
National legislation in Niger fully protects the Addax, meaning hunting and the removal of live Addax for any reason are strictly forbidden. It is also protected under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) because historical habitat extends into neighbouring Chad.
FULL STORY HERE
THE BIG BURN NAIROBI APRIL 30th 2016.
There has been much written about the burning of the large stock piles of ivory held in Kenya last week. I feel strongly that Kenya has done the right thing and sent a brilliant message to the world that ivory belongs to elephants.
— THE MOST VALUABLE SUBSTANCE ON EARTH —
1.35 tonnes of rhino horns at Kenya’s historic burn a few days ago.
This basket of horns, which was only a quarter full by my estimation, was worth almost as much as the eleven stacks of ivory being burned. Some witnesses said that it was heartbreaking to see almost $90-million worth of rhino horns going up in smoke. The Kenyans on the other hand celebrated. And when asked why, they said the rhinos had died at the hands of humans, so no human was going to benefit from their death and perpetuate the cycle.
Only time will tell if this historic act by Kenya will help bring an end to poaching.
PYGMY ELEPHANTS
Orphaned Bornean Elephant
For the past three years, Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD)’s Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) has been overwhelmed with an alarming increase in the number of orphaned elephants with a total of 16 individuals rescued within a space of only 3 years and in need of care. Almost all the orphaned elephants were below 1 year of age during rescue. In the wild, Bornean elephant calves suckle from their mother until reaching the age of 3 to 5 years.
Hence, one of the major challenge that we face with orphaned elephants is to provide them with milk replacement.
One of the main objective of the establishment of the Non-Governmental organisation (NGO) named Borneo Elephant Conservation Alliance (BECA) is to assist SWD in caring and feeding these orphans through Borneo Elephant Care Centre (BECC).
Feeding Orphaned Bornean Elephant
Majority of the orphaned elephants were below 1-year-old during rescue, hence all of them require milk replacement as a major portion of their feeding regime. Feeding frequency of the milk replacement will depend on the age of the elephants, which can range from every 2-hour to 6-hour-interval with an amount of 2 to 15 litres per feeding time (3-5kg of milk powder daily).It is crucial to teach the orphans to drink milk from the feeding bottle which is often a time-consuming process.
We have very dedicated and experienced care keepers who tirelessly play the role of a ‘surrogate mother’ to these babies. As they grow older, solid foods needed to be added into their feeding regime which consist of banana trunks, sugarcane, variety of shrubs and others.
PLEASE GET BACK TO ME IF YOUR CLUB OR DISTRICT WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT THESE PYGMY ELEPHANTS AND WE WILL SET UP A PROJECT.
ORANGUTANS
Last Thursday was PepsiCo’s Annual General Meeting in North Carolina and they don’t want their shareholders to know about their major remaining problems with Conflict Palm Oil.
Check out the products and brands under the PepsiCo belt here: http://www.pepsico.com.au/brands/
Activists in New York took bold action last week to call out exploitation in @PepsiCo’s Conflict Palm Oil supply chain, unfurling a 100 foot banner off of the iconic Pepsi-Cola sign
We all need to put pressure PepsiCo and demand action to end the exploitation of workers, local communities and the destruction of rainforests. Watch and share this 90-second action video that exposes PepsiCo as a palm oil laggard and calls for #SolidarityWithPalmOilWorkers. ran.org/solidarity
THE POSTER CAMPAIGN.
ANNEKA SVENSKAS SAYS NO!
Once again Duke Ingram and Rubin Besureis strike gold with Anneka’s signature and support for teh Say No! Poster Campaign. Thanks Duke and Rubin.
Here is Anneka Svenskas speech in London on the 30th April.
https://www.facebook.com/GreenWorldTVUK/videos/1596299827327552/
Anneka Svenska is a naturalist, broadcaster and film maker. Anneka founded ‘Green World Television‘ in 2014 in order to intertwine her film making abilities with her animal conservation work, her passion being to help animal charities who struggle with film making and to be one of the fore runners in reporting on wildlife crime. She now produces strong films & campaigns, some created to give animal and environmental charities a much needed voice in the world of television.
Anneka has filmed in South Africa alongside the incredible Black Mamba anti-poaching unit, worked one on one with wild wolves, filmed for The Badger Trust, Born Free, LionAid, The Dog’s Trust, The Mayhew Animal Home, Wetnose Animal Aid, Helping Rhinos, VegfestUK and Wildlife Trusts. She has also rescued over 300 dogs from the meat industry in Thailand and from Cyprus and Romania. As well as being a conservationist, Anneka is a staunch vegan and believes that the future sustainability of the planet lies in compassion to animals and all living beings.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION SEOUL 2016
N.B. Your Board is calling for volunteers who will be in Seoul next May 28th-June 2nd 2016.
We will need help to man our RAGES Booth in the House of Friendship and also the break out session.
It is a requirement as a Rotarian Action Group to hold our Annual General Meeting at the RI Convention.
In 2016 it will be in Seoul.
Get back to me if you are going and can help.
Our RAGES Booth has now been changed to Booth # 3234 in the House of Friendship.
{Click on the image above for a big picture}.
The break put session which is set for Wednesday June 1st in Room # 305 (KINTEX 2) from 3-4 pm with a rehearsal at 11.30 am – 1.00 pm in the same hall.
Seoul is the ideal location for a Rotary convention and a delightful travel destination to explore. You’ll find traditional tea houses and regal palaces alongside posh shopping malls and bustling markets. Make sure to include extra time in your travel plans to experience the wonders of South Korea.
FOOTNOTE
HOPE UPDATE
Post op the procedure was too gruesome to post her however if you want to see it on video go to this Facebook page, thanks:
Dr Marais Operates on Hope
Yesterday May 4th. was a big day for Hope and the Saving the Survivors Team lead by Dr Johan Marais. We kicked off phase two of her treatment yesterday. As always nothing Hope presents us with is standard!! So we had to think out the box……she really enjoys challenging us.
To explain where we are going we are using ABRA human technology which stands for Abdominal Reaxpproximation Anchor system which we had to get from Canada. The procedure was an hour and 15 minutes. We were aiming for under two hours so you imagine how pleased we were that it wasn’t!! Basically ABRA will help us reduce the size of the cavity so that we can then start with building tissue over the cavity. It is a process so over the next few weeks we will be able to close that gap.
The wound was looking great when we got to it. Thankfully she is less stressed about people so Hans Kooy and his team from Thaba Manzi have been able to spray her face regularly to stop fly strikes. Fly strikes or maggot infestation can cause major damage and put the wound back by months. We have also borrowed something from the equine field and have adapted a fly mask to keep the flies away. Sometimes we don’t have to always recreate the wheel.
We are hoping that she keeps the dressings on for at least two weeks……but goodness knows, with her anything is possible. She is fat and she is happy and her condition is sublime so we are really optimistic that this might just work. It was so fantastic have Megan Sinclair up fromShamwari Game Reserve to assist Dr Marais for this procedure. Megan has looked after Hope literally from the day she was found. Megs – you rock!!
A massive thank you to our friends from around the world. You know we could never do this with you guys, Your messages of encouragement and donations mean world to us.
The ABRA system was kindly donated by Southmedic Dynamic Tissue Systems in Canada, that was kindly arranged by Surgitech South Africa. The ABRA product was designed to apply relentless appositional tension on skin and muscle layers. ABRA assists in the repair of large retracted muscular wounds or, as in this case, to close a large injury where skin and tissue has been lost. The system is based on special elastomers and skin anchors, making it very adaptable and dynamic.
Where there is life, there is HOPE!!!!
RAGES FACEBOOK PAGE
Still getting a lot of visits to our Facebook site. Over 5,000 views last week.
Click on the logo below and join us please on Facebook.
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.