South Africa boasts in incredible wildlife heritage, there is no doubting this. But something else that has become very clear recently is that some of our beloved species are in great danger. The plummeting rhino figures are a rather worrisome example of this.

But unfortunately, it’s not only the rhino that faces certain human-induced threats in the wild. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) has created a Red List on which they publish a magnitude of species around the world, specifying their level of endangerment and the reasons for this.

Here are five endangered animals in South Africa and ways in which you can help to conserve them in their natural habitat.

 

Cape vulture

IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable

We easily underestimate the importance of vultures, perhaps because the term in itself has quite a negative connotation. But the essence of being a vulture is to clean up, and therefore, do good. By eating off carcasses they avoid diseases from spreading amongst the animal kingdom. Cape vultures are only found in southern Africa, limiting the already decreasing population.

Major threats
Loss of habitat, electrocution on pylons or collision with cables and unintentional poisoning.

Current conservation efforts
VulPro is one of the leading Cape vulture conservation organisations in the country. They aim not only to conserve and protect Cape vultures, but also to raise awareness around them. They launched a breeding and rehabilitation project fairly recently and the first captive bred vulture chick hatched on 1 September last year in the Johannesburg Zoo.

How you can help

You can acquire a My Planet card for free and make VulPro your beneficiary. Every time you swipe the card at participating stores, a certain percentage of your purchase goes to VulPro.
VulPro has a whishlist of simple items needed for smooth operations. If you’re able to donate any of these, it’ll be greatly appreciated.
Volunteer at the VulPro centre, just outside of Hartebeespoort.
Donate money to VulPro or the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Birds of Prey programme.

*Photo courtesy of Henning de Beer.

 

Cheetah

IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable

No one can deny the grace and beauty of the fastest land animal on earth. These beauties have been the subject of countless incredible wildlife images, with their dark tear stains and perfectly spotted, agile bodies. Unfortunately, many farmers don’t feel the same as cheetahs are smart enough to know that a sheep is a much easier catch than an antelope on the run. Many farmers end up poisoning, shooting or trapping the cheetah culprits.

Major threats
Farmer-predator conflict, loss of habitat.

Current conservation efforts
Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West and the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia are but two organisations that are dedicated to conserving cheetahs in their natural habitat. Both have active guard dog programmes that place Anatolian shepherd dogs on farms to chase away predators. As cheetahs aren’t aggressive animals, they’ll rather find dinner somewhere else than get into any kind of physical confrontation. These programmes have proven to be very successful.

How you can help
Visit Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West for R10 and learn all about the cheetahs and their conservation in the wild.
Become a volunteer at Cheetah Outreach by emailing cheetah@intekom.co.za.
Sponsor an item on Cheetah Conservation Fund’s wish list.
Volunteer at Cheetah Conservation Fund.
Make a donation to either Cheetah Outreach or Cheetah Conservation Fund.
Purchase a limited edition Cheetah Woolworths shopping bag. On sale until the end of June.

 

African Wild dog (painted dog)

IUCN Red List status: Endangered

There has long existed a very negative misconception around the African wild dog, or painted dog. Because of this, there are less than 450 painted dogs left in South Africa. Violent snaring of wild dogs is one of the most brutal ways of killing, and unfortunately this happens much too often in our wildernesses.

Major threats
Human persecution

Current conservation efforts
There are many conservation organisations spread out around Africa that are working hard to protect the African wild dog in its natural habitat. In South Africa, the only viable population exists in the Kruger National Park, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust has sponsored a major monitoring and reintroduction programme here. They have already successfully reintroduced wild dogs into the park and hope to continue doing this great work.

How you can help
Contribute to Wildlife ACT Fund’s painted dog conservation work.
Support Save the African Wild Dog’s efforts to conserve across Africa or choose to donate specifically to the South African leg of the project.

*Photo courtesy of Wildlife ACT Fund.

 

Blue crane

IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable

If you didn’t know, the blue crane is South Africa’s national bird and is near endemic to our country. They’re found across the country, with the highest density being in the Karoo. Because they have a blind spot in the vision, they tend to collide with power lines and since they have very long, dangly legs, the get entangled in the wires.

Major threats
Habitat loss, collision with electric wires, poisoning.

Current conservation efforts
The Endangered Wildlife Trust has an active African crane conservation programme that aims to lessen the threats that not only blue cranes, but also wattled cranes, grey crowned cranes and black crowned cranes face. They’re working hard to implement ways of making power lines more visible to blue cranes. Read more about blue crane conservation on our blog.

How you can help
Inform yourself about the blue crane, its habitat and the threats it faces by emailing crane@ewt.org.za and requesting an information pack about the cranes.
Make a donation towards the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s African crane conservation programme.

 

Riverine rabbit

IUCN Red List status: Critically endangered

This little nocturnal rabbit can only be found in the Karoo regions and is currently the most endangered mammal in South Africa. It only lives in the deep silt flood plains of seasonal Karoo rivers and can’t be found anywhere else in the world, making it incredibly vulnerable to habitat loss.

Major threats
Loss of habitat due to cultivation and livestock farming

Current conservation efforts
The Endangered Wildlife Trust runs a very active riverine rabbit conservation programme that aims to conserve the biodiversity of the Karoo region. They also encourage private landowners to participate in conservation stewardship.

How you can help
Contact the EWT if you live in the Karoo and you spot riverine rabbits. The more knowledge they have about their population and distribution, the easier it gets to protect them.
Make a donation toward the Riverine Conservation Programme.
Buy a Lindt Easter bunny next year. Lindt donates a certain percentage of each bunny purchased to conserving the riverine rabbit.

Tags: african wild dog, blue crane, cape vulture, cheetah, endangered wildlife South Africa, rivierine rabbit, wildlife conservation