By Brian Courtenay | Chairman
The most concerning issue is the devastating drought in Southern Africa, especially since our rainfall levels taper off dramatically as winter fast approaches. On a brighter note, I have spent over a week in Zimbabwe with our Australian donors, looking at various rural community projects and educational opportunities for schools adjacent to or near Hwange National Park. The Briandez Legacy Trust has very kindly donated funding to cover the cost of 5 lion tracking collars for this area, in addition to funding the reprint of our very first educational comic, "Vusa the Lion Guardian," which has been out of stock for a few years now. The new edition (with a revised story) is urgently needed in schools adjacent to protected areas in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, and South Africa - 10,000 comics to be printed! We thank you for your financial support covering the artwork and printing costs. It is greatly appreciated! Regarding our "Collar A Lion” project, I am pleased to announce we have initially donated two collars to WildCRU/Hwange Lion Project, and African Wildlife Tracking, the manufacturers of the tracking collars, are building 10 new lioness tracking collars for project managers/co-ordinators in South Africa for the Nelson Mandela University and South African National Parks (SANParks). These 10 collars will be deployed in the Kruger National Park between mid July to mid August 2024. A supporter of SACT and dedicated conservationist Rosana Venturini from Boulder/Colorado in the USA; a talented artist and signature member of Artists for Conservation. Her art is currently on display in the USA. The total proceeds from the sale of her artwork will be donated to SACT! She is currently working on an oil painting of "Humba," the lion who hangs out around the Kennedy 1 area of Hwange NP! Once completed, this large painting will be auctioned off to raise funds for our lion collaring program, together with artwork kindly donated by Linda Rosen, also from the USA. So, watch this space for details!
Our successful conservation project, "Collar a Lion," has just launched its next phase in the Kruger National Park in South Africa! There is no need to introduce you to Kruger National Park as it is a world-renowned tourist destination. The collar program extends to this national park, and SACT is sponsoring ten lion tracking collars (sponsorship of R450,000). We ask our kind supporters, especially our faithful South African citizens who visits the Kruger National Park, to please support SACT in raising the funds to purchase additional lion tracking collars needed for both the Hwange National Park and Kruger National Park conservation projects. As I have highlighted in previous newsletters, African lion census data shows that only between 20,000 to 24,000 wild lions exist in Africa and these lion populations continue to decline. We want to look at possible new lion areas that will benefit the species. While Kruger's lion population remains very "healthy," we need to look to the future. So please, local and international donors, support this ongoing program (clearly detailed in the attached comprehensive overview). We continue to support Hwange/WildCRU/Oxford University on the 'human-animal conflict program.' The brochure also includes details on how to donate; every Rand/Dollar/Pound /Euro helps our cause. Click here to access the brochure (a 15-minute read). Thank you in anticipation.
By Brian Courtenay - Chairman | SACT - 20240Q1 update - From the desk of Chairman
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