We have quite a bit of backlog on the missions flown at the end of 2004, as well as those flown in the first few weeks of 2005, to report on.
Our pilots have done some very unusual and interesting flying and we have given our support to some very critical issues.
Before launching into those missions though, I would like to encourage all our members to help spread the word on what The Bateleurs do so that we get more mission requests. Many of our pilot members have not yet flown for us and not only would we like to give them more opportunities to choose from, especially as we know we can make valuable contributions to the health of our environment and to conservation. The fact that we fly free of charge to those organizations requesting flight assistance is often just not believed.
“But how much will it cost us?” I sometimes get asked at the end of a long discussion.
Well, we do fly for nothing but we do also make sure that our integrity is kept by ensuring that each request complies with our set of criteria. We do not fly to benefit the private sector or any commercial operation. And we do not fly people from A to B. We fly from A to A in an attempt to educate and allow for better environmental decision making. Of course we also do game counts and translocate endangered species for Parks and Reserves and we fly the occasional mercy mission but our main aim is to educate.
Nora
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| | TSAVO ELEPHANT COUNT |
Bateleurs pilots Justin Bass and Chris Rattray covered a phenomenal 14 600 km in just under two weeks during their mission to help count elephants in Kenya’s famous Tsavo National Park.
Flying in Justin’s 1978 Cessna 172N the two men left Johannesburg and flew north along the spectacular Mozambique and Tanzanian coast braving heavy rain and low cloud driven by a cyclone lying off the coast of the Madagascar.
Once in Kenya, 3 300 km after leaving Lanseria, the Bateleurs pilots joined eight other Kenyan aircraft and soon got down to the task of counting elephants, flying 1 km wide transects at 200 feet AGL. Each aircraft carried an observer in the front seat and two in the back in cabin temperatures in excess of 35 Celsuis.
The flying demanded high levels of attention and endurance, Justin said. “We were flying transects on GPS with approximately 100 metre tolerance levels. Flying at 60 metres a second one can drift off line very easily given the need to look out for large birds, assist with the spotting and keep clear of high ground. This was all aggravated by strong updrafts and cross winds”.
The Kenya Wildlife Service assembled a team of 60 pilots, spotters, GIS specialists and observers for the count. All in all, approximately 10,400 elephants and many other species were counted in the 20,000 sq/km park. Tsavo is one of the largest National Parks in the world, and slightly larger than Kruger (which had approximately 11,500 elephants at the last count).
The terrain varies from hot flat arid scrubland in the northeast to savannah in the southwest. Several ranges of high hills are scattered across the park which is cut by several major rivers.
Justin and Chris flew back down the Tanzanian and Mozambican coastline, once again encountering bad weather on several occasions.
Total flying time for the mission – 75 hours.
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| | BATELEUR OUTREACH PROGRAMME - BONIZWE |
 Stunned amazement is written all over the faces of Craig McKenzies’ passengers as he flew 4 students, who showed interest and promise in their environmental studies, and their headmaster to give them an eye-opening experience - a chance to see their world from a different perspective.
One of our advisers, Credo Mutwa, suggested we call this new project we would like to undertake, BONIZWE which means “Look at your country”.
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| | MTATA DAM CATCHMENT SURVEY – EASTERN CAPE |
 Althea Grundling of the Agricultural Council – Institute for Soil, Climate and Water asked for our help saying that the erosion problems in the catchment area are mainly due to the land use practices. “The result of these land use practices is advanced resource degradation. Erosion of these fragile, unstable duplex soils derived from sedimentary rocks (shales and mudstones of the Beaufort group, causes massive downstream sedimentation. The increasing flood events and siltation causes severe damage to the Matata Dam and reduce the storage capacity.” The objective, she continued, ‘to design and print Awareness and Training Manuals and items to be used in various programme activities to depict the seriousness of natural resource degradation and associated socio-economic implications in order to create awareness of the degradation problems in the Mtata Dam catchment".
Barry De Groot volunteered at very short notice. Full report follows:
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| | FRIENDS OF THE STEEL VALLEY MISSION (OUR OWN ERIN BROKOVICH?) |
 This is an advocacy and media flight that we undertook to look at the rapid disappearance of the communities in the areas west and south-west of the ISCOR-ISPATs Vanderbjilpark Steelworks, particularly communities of Steel Valley, Linkholm, Louirus and Rosashof. “These small-holding agricultural communities are being wiped out by water and air pollution from the steel mill…….. the more than 500 plots of the settlements are now reduced to less than 20 small holdings,” wrote Stefan Cramer of Friends of the Steel Valley. Samson Mokoena, another representative of the Steel Valley Crises Committee, wrote an article in which he says:
“……..The water that is being used inside the ISCOR works is discharged by an affluent cannel, called Ruitspruit Canal. In addition, poisonous water from 10 unlined evaporation dams inside the plant containing heavy metals and other toxic is seeping into the ground and polluting the ground water………..because most plots get their drinking water form boreholes, the community has been forced to drink polluted water, because there is no other water for drinking and cooking………Health studies have been going on for years. In 9997, the studies were done, and the area found unfit for human habitation…”
Craig McKenzie flew this mission for us earning huge accolades as he flew the area twice in order to allow all the cameramen (both still and video) a chance to sit at the open door for best results. Journalists from both The Star and 50/50 were taken up.
In his report to us Stefan Cramer wrote:
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| | GREAT WHITE SHARKS |
 Graham Wallington, a producer from 50/50 wrote asking for flight assistance saying: “We wish to film the great white sharks that are known to 'relax' behind the surf zone where holiday makers swim. The intention is too show that people regularly swim with great white sharks and are not eaten.”
Bateleur pilot Morne Jonker, who just happened to have hours and hours of experience of flying over sharks in the Mossel Bay area knew exactly what was needed from him and his microlight. Paul Henning flew with him and sent us this report....
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| | PELICAN BRIEF 2 – Jan 29th |
Meyrick Bowker who requested these flights wrote:
This was the second count of this nature done in KwaZulu-Natal. The first was on 16th October 2004, and has been reported on previously.
The aim of the exercise is to count the total number of pelicans in KZN on a single day, or over as short a period of time as is possible. This count includes both species of pelican, the Great White Pelican and the Pink-backed Pelican. This is being done in an attempt to gain some indication of their numbers and to produce some sort of prediction of their survival in this area, which represents their southern most distribution in south eastern Africa.
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PILOTS WHO FLEW MISSIONS REPORTED ON IN THIS ISSUE
- Justin Bass
- Chris Rattray
- Morne Jonker
- Paul Dutton
- Donovan Barton Hobbs
- James Hopwood
- Craig McKenzie
- Barry De Groot
- Joe Holmes
- Peter Vosloo
| IN THE PRESS
SA Flyer (March 2005) features a great article on the Giant Sable mission in Angola by Bateleur Microlight Squadron Leader Joe Holmes who with Peter Vosloo had quite a flying adventure.
| TSAVO ELEPHANT COUNT 2005 - APPRECIATION
The Bateleurs received a letter of appreciation from Patrick Omondi, KWS elephant and CITES coordinator:
Following the successful total aerial count of elephants in the Tsavo / Mkomazi ecosystem, Kenya Wildlife Service would like to sincerely acknowledge the support and participation of the Bateleurs group.
I would like to particularly thank the two pilots; Justin Bass and Chris Rattray for their tireless contribution and the team spirit that they showed which enabled us to complete this exercise within the time limit.
We counted a total of 10,397 elephants, up from 9,284 that were counted in the 2002 aerial count. The Tsavo population is showing some recovery and hopefully with enhanced management our target of 20,000 individuals can be realized in ten years.
We have scheduled several other counts to take place this year. We look forward to working with the Bateleurs in these upcoming counts.
Yours Sincerely
PATRICK OMONDI
The Bateleurs would also like to thank Margie McDuff, Mark Adcock, Barry De Groot and Harry Antel for their efforts to join the Tsavo elephant Count. A pity it did not work out. Next time perhaps?
| GAME RANGER ASSOCIATION OF AFRICA AWARD FOR PAUL DUTTON
Paul Dutton recently received a Certificate of Recognition from the GRAA for his continued Wilderness Guardianship by Flying for conservation.
We are proud beyond words that Paul loves to fly under our banner and has been doing so since our organization was founded. Congratulations and thank you Paul.
| MEGAFLYOVER CONTINUES
Although the Africa MegaFlyover is officially over, Mike Fay wrote to say he was going back to Tchad and Sudan. Bateleur members and friends are helping him plan a huge Sudan survey.
Then he goes on to CAR and Cameroon later and possibly Angola after that.
He was in Kenya - “to add to my arsenal of images” and met Justin Bass and Chris Rattray where they all took part in the Tsavo Count. Small world. Bateleurs are beginning to pop up everywhere.
| UPDATE ON MADIBA IN KENYA
Just look how “Madiba” (Ollie) has grown under the care of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Their 2004 Newsletter highlights again the incredible work Daphne Sheldrick and her team do. In their newsletter they write of Ollie “Madiba” “He was tiny and resembled a miniature woolly mammoth, covered in a mass of unusually long hair........ It took little Madiba a month or two to realise that he was actually an elephant like the others, and that theey were good company, as well as for us to wean him off his South African blanket which was beginning to look the worse for wear! But slowly and surely both transitions were accomplished, and today “Madiba” is very much an elephant, has lost his furry mammmoth apprearance, and is a forceful, playful and established member fo the current Nursery group which has swelled since to 9 inmates. He is extremely competitive with “Ndomot”, with whom he tussels long and hard on a daily basis and very caring of newcomers until the females take charge”.
The Bateleurs are so happy that, through the generosity of their corporate member, Coastal Air, they were able to get Madiba to the orphanage outside Nairobi.
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