Mini Travel Guides

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thompsons Africa supports Cheetah conservation

 

During a recent visit to the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, Thompsons Africa’s CEO, Linda Pampallis, was given the opportunity to participate in a unique Adopt-a-Cheetah fund-raising initiative, aimed specifically at cheetah conservation, one of the Centre’s core disciplines.

 

The world’s fastest land mammal is fast losing its race for survival, which is threatened by loss of habitat due to bush encroachment, conflict with humans, as well as its own loss of genetic variation. Now on the endangered species list, only between 12000 and 15000 animals remain in small-pocketed populations, mainly in Africa. Prior to the 20th century, cheetahs were widely distributed throughout Africa and Asia, and were originally found in all suitable habitats from the Cape of Good Hope to the Mediterranean, throughout the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, from Israel to India, and, who would have thought, through the southern provinces of the former Soviet Union.

 

The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre not only provides a haven for a variety of injured and orphaned animals, but has a successful cheetah-breeding programme, which has resulted in the birth of more than 270 cheetahs, and 20 rare King Cheetahs, most of which have been released into the wild. “We have adopted 4 cheetahs, the cost of which goes towards the upkeep of the cheetahs and their environment, as well as the support of their caregivers and the local community”, says Linda Pampallis. “In return we are able to offer these cheetahs as ‘gifts’ to our overseas clients, whose names will be featured on the enclosures. It’s a win win situation. Thompsons, which offers affordable safaris in Southern Africa, is helping to preserve the environment, but at the same time, we are raising international awareness”, she says.

 

The Centre’s, Manager, Juanita Ungerer, says its wonderful to have Thompsons on board and that the finances raised through adoptions helps them a lot with their expenses as well as the purchase of costly research equipment. They are soon hoping to purchase a sonar machine.

 

11 September 2008

For more information please contact Angela Shackleford on angela.shackleford@thompsons.co.za or Melissa Williams on mellissa.williams@thompsons.co.za or visit www.affordablesafaris.co.za for more information’s on Tours in and around South Africa.

 

 

 

 

Woni Safarisbelieve in the conversation of Kenya’s inheritance, their wildlife. While other Africa countries pride themselves in having natural minerals like gold and diamonds and oil, in Kenya their pride lies in the conservation of their wildlife and more so the endangered species. Woni Safaris are the official tour operators for The Friends of The Elephant. They have been providing services to the foster parents of Friends of the Elephants since their inception up to date. The number of the foster parents has been on the rise every year from the initial 11 persons to the current approximate over 100 Persons. Some of their consideration areas include:

Conservation of their Environment: Woni Safaris work with local schools in Kenya on tree planting projects where by they accord their clients to leave a mark when they came on safari by planting a tree.

Conversation of the African Culture: Woni Safaris, are very proud of the African culture and are proud to showcase it to their clients. They give their clients an opportunity to visit and interact with the local communities.

Education: Their clients also get an opportunity of visiting local schools where they have child sponsorship projects as well as donating of schoolbooks, sports uniforms and accessories.

Poverty Alleviation: Woni Safaris have incorporated Eco tourism as one of their main products and this has proved to be very popular with their past clients. They donate a percentage of all the activities they undertake during their eco tours at the places they visit. This generates income for different projects as well as giving the local community another alternative of earning a living as opposed to activities, which destroy the environment such as sand harvesting and tree cutting for fire wood.

The clients undertake the above projects after they see the needs of concerned communities as follows:

The Education Sponsorship: When Woni Safaris take their clients to visit the Masai in their villages, the clients get to notice that some girls as young as 14 years old with young babies strapped at their backs. Almost always travelers want to know why these children do not go school and are informed that the young girls are people’s wives as the Masai community marry off their girls because the younger they are, the more dowry they fetch.

The Tree Planting Project: On one of the development charts of the school Woni Safaris visits, top on the list was “fencing of the school compound”. This was so that the school can embark on tree planting project without fear of domestic animals from the surrounding village destroying the young trees. One client took note of this and when she went back home, she started fundraising for tree seedlings for this school for a dollar a tree and this was very successful.