CUTEST CHARGING BABY ELEPHANT

This video, shot in 2012, shows a young elephant calf charging a vehicle and then very quickly realising that this might not be such a good idea after all. Not only is the elephant very cute but it also manages a small jump – not an easy feat for an elephant!

BLACK BABY ZEBRA

Earlier this month Michael Fitt came across this newborn zebra in the north-western area of the Okavango Delta, in Vumbura Concession. The zebra has a rather amazing dark colour due to a small genetic abnormality linked to the amount of melanin affecting the pigmentation of the fur.

There have been at least three other dark zebras born like this in the area however none of them have reached more than 6 months old with the last foal born of this kind facing its demise to hyeanas within a few months. Unfortunately if you stand out from the crowd you are a target. Due to other abnormalities of this nature some scientist’s claim that zebra’s stripes are formed from the inhibition of melanin and that the “default” color of a zebra is black. In other words, a zebra is black with white stripes.

 

There have been at least three other dark zebras born like this in the area however none of them have reached more than 6 months old with the last foal born of this kind facing its demise to hyeanas within a few months. Unfortunately if you stand out from the crowd you are a target. Due to other abnormalities of this nature some scientist’s claim that zebra’s stripes are formed from the inhibition of melanin and that the “default” color of a zebra is black. In other words, a zebra is black with white stripes. - See more at: http://africageographic.com/blog/black-baby-zebra/#sthash.ilFatvgD.dpuf

LIONESS GORED BY BUFFALO HORN LIVES TO SEE ANOTHER DAY

Lioness Siena from the Marsh Pride of lions in the Masai Mara was badly injured on her left lower flank by a buffalo horn. Siena has three tiny cubs so the lives of four individual lions were at stake. The wound was deep with the skin sheath being fleeced but no perforations to the stomach wall or any bone dislocation.

Governors Camp driver guides found her with the injury in the early morning and immediately alerted the rangers, who also made contact with the David Sheldrick Wildlife foundation that mobilised the vet in Nairobi and arranged a plane to fly the vet to the Mara.

The veterinarian Dr Njoroge from the Kenya Wildlife service’s landed at Musiara airstrip at lunchtime and Governors guides drove the medical team directly to where Siena was resting. Treatment started in the afternoon when she was darted. Moments later a sub-adult lioness promptly sauntered up to Siena who was still standing while the drug was taking effect and pulled the dart out of her with her teeth.

Siena was treated and stitched effectively which took approximately 1½ hours. 48 hours later we found Siena 2 kms on from were she had been treated and she was doing remarkably well, she was walking with her cubs and also squatting to pee; all good signs, we only hope that she continues to improve.

Sincere thanks to the effective response from the The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the medical team from the Kenya Wildlife services, and the assistance of the Narok County Council and Governors’ camp staff.Without intervention it is certain that Siena would not have survived this injury and her cubs would also have been in jeopardy.

ZIMBABWE'S VEGETERIAN CROCODILE

Crocodiles are some of the most feared predators in Africa, ruthless reptiles renowned for tearing their prey to pieces before swallowing hunks of meat raw. But in the baking sun at Nyanyana crocodile farm on the shores of Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba, feeding time has a surreal edge as the beasts nibble lazily at bowls of vegetarian pellets. Besides being cheaper than meat, the diet of protein concentrate, minerals, vitamins, maize meal and water is said to enhance crocodile skin destined to become handbags or shoes on the catwalks of New York, Paris, London or Milan.

“We don’t feed them meat any more,” said Oliver Kamundimu, financial director of farm owner Padenga Holdings.

“It actually improves the quality because we now measure all the nutrients that we are putting in there, which the crocodile may not get from meat only,” he told Reuters in an interview.

Four hundred kilometres (250 miles) northwest of Harare, Nyanyana is home to 50,000 Nile crocodiles and is one of three Padenga farms around Kariba, Africa’s largest man-made lake.

The company has 164,000 crocodiles in all and started feeding pellets in 2006 at the height of an economic crisis in Zimbabwe that made meat scarce and very expensive.

Initially, the pellets contained 50 percent meat but that has gradually been phased out to an entirely vegetarian diet.

“We have moved gradually to a point where we reduced the meat to about 15 percent then to seven percent and where we are now there is zero meat, zero fish,” he said.

“It’s a much cleaner operation and the crocodiles are getting all the nutrients they want from that pellet.”

Fed every second day, the crocodiles are largely docile and lie asleep in their enclosures as workers walk around casually cleaning up leftovers.The crocodiles are slaughtered at 30 months, when they are about 1.5 metres long and their skin is soft and supple.

Last year Harare-listed Padenga sold 42,000 skins to tanneries in Europe, especially France, where the average skin fetches $550.Ninety percent of the leather becomes high-end handbags, Kamundimu said, while the remainder makes belts, shoes and watch straps for some of the biggest names in world fashion.

“When you hear names like Hermes, Louis Vuitton and Gucci – those are the brand names we are talking about,” he said with a satisfied smile.

Having survived economic collapse and hyperinflation of 500 billion percent in Zimbabwe, Padenga then had to deal with fallout from the 2008 global financial crisis, and economic contraction in the euro zone, its main market.

However, while appetite for crocodile meat cooled in Europe and Asia, super-wealthy European shoppers shrugged off recession and continued to snap up crocodile-skin items, Kamundimu said.

“When you look at people who buy handbags for their wives or daughters that cost $40,000 a piece, even when the euro zone problems came, they could still afford to buy,” he said. We didn’t feel a decline.”

WHY BUYING BANANAS FROM A STREET VENDOR IN KAMPALA MAY END TOURISTS IN THE CELLS

After going into the bad books of global same sex  groups a few months ago, when legislation was passed banning same sex encounters in Uganda – decampaigning of the destination appears to be an ongoing development over these laws – more fun was poked at our country over the so called ‘Anti Miniskirt Bill,’ which too could end tourist wearing skimpy dresses or skirts in trouble after dozens of women wearing skimpy skirts were stripped by ‘outraged mobs’ with little police intervention at the time, seemingly to send a message that certain dress codes were no longer welcome in the capital city or beyond.

Now the next threat of going to jail has emerged in Kampala, as KCAA personnel last week apparently arrested at least a dozen people for allegedly buying items from hawkers, themselves banned from city streets but still operating when the long arm of the law is not in sight.

‘Some of our tourists in fact like to bargain a little over small items when they are approached by hawkers when they walk in the city. We normally take them to the National Theatre for the art and craft shops but then they go off into town and now imagine they might get caught by those strong-armed city askaris for buying maybe some bananas or a phone charger? If they would arrest a couple of tourists over such things our reputation may get a bad knock because it would sure be picked up by the international media. I wonder what Musisi [Jennifer Musisi is the Executive Director of Kampala Capital City Authority] might say then, probably in her usual style mouth off that law breakers must face the music or something of the sort.

Tourists do not know that buying from hawkers is illegal and because hawkers still are around, they might get caught up in a swoop. Oh Uganda where are we heading with such things, keeping the city clean is one thing but that might be too much for our visitors to understand’ lamented a regular source who passed the information from home while this correspondent was on the road travelling through Kenya.

All one can say is to warn visitors from abroad who come to Kampala to avoid buying from hawkers, no matter how nice they are and no matter what interesting items they have for sale, or else might find their vacation enriched with the experience to go into the KCAA cells.

KENYA HOSPITALITY TRADE FAIR 2014

Kenya Hospitality Trade Fair is going to be held in Kenya for a period of three consecutive days. This event is going to be the leading networking and sourcing forum in East & Central Africa. The three day event is expected to attract over 10,000 industry professionals for business networking, exhibition and conferences. 

It is going to invite various visitors and some of them are Architects, designers, consultants etc., Distributors, wholesalers, retailers, agencies, importers or exporters, Universities, polytechnics, Contractors & Engineers, Interior Designers & Architects, General public & holidaymakers, financial controllers among other stakeholders and players in the industry. There will be more than 10,000 industry professionals and the list is endless.Kenya Hospitality Trade Fair is going to be a must attend event for all which will attract various exhibitors as well.

COMPETITION FORCES AIRLINES TO INTRODUCE INTERNET IN THE SKY

When Kenya Airways a few months ago launched their largest aircraft in the fleet, a 400 seat B777-300ER, one of the innovations on board was Internet connectivity, which comes on when the aircraft flies at 10,000 feet and above.

During the demonstration flight did Kenya Airways’ marketing team on board show off how this will revolutionize travel as passengers can opt to remain connected and work, or else keep their friend informed on their position via social media postings.

The next deliveries of yet more of these aircraft, and of course the arrival of the B787 Dreamliner, also equipped with inflight internet connectivity, will change the game in the air and it is of little surprise therefore that closest rival on the African continent, Ethiopian Airlines, is now taking a fresh look at adding this feature on their long haul fleet too, after previously opting out of it.

Information coming out of Addis Ababa has confirmed that the airline is now in talks with service providers and if the go ahead is received the entire B777 and B787 fleet will be progressively fitted and retrofitted with the system.

Talk about competition being good for the passengers – this clearly is a prime example where the innovation of one airline spurs another to come to level terms again.

INDABA 2014

In just under a few days, from 10 to 12 May 2014, Africa’s premier travel trade show, INDABA 2014, takes place at Durban’s Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. Already 298 main stand exhibitors have confirmed their places, among them international big-name brands and the cream of Africa’s leisure tourism products, services and experiences. Among the confirmed exhibitors are Tourvest; Mantis Management; Seasons in Africa; the Amalinda Collection; Singita; Shamwari Game Reserve; MalaMala; Legend Lodges, Hotels & Resorts; Zimbali; Tsogo Sun; Grootbos; Premier Hotels & Resorts; the Blue Train; Abercrombie & Kent; Private Safaris; Leading Hotels of the World; and Relais & Chateaux.

These exhibitors have vast global appeal in both developed markets such as the United States and Europe, and emerging markets such as Africa, Asia and Latin America.There is a large contingent of tourism products from Africa, with more than 20 African countries represented. To date there are confirmed exhibitors from Angola, Benin, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Reunion Island, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

  

Among the many prestigious African products from countries other than South Africa are: Under One Botswana Sky; Phakalane Golf Estate Hotel Resort (Botswana); Nesbitt Castle (Zimbabwe); Sol Resorts (Mozambique); Ichobezi River Lodges (Namibia); Great Plains Conservation (Kenya); Kijongo Bay Beach Resort (Tanzania); RwandAir; Safari 2 Gorilla Tours (Uganda); Eko Hotels & Suites (Nigeria); Moivaro Lodges & Tented Camps; and the Hemingways Collection (Kenya).

Thulani Nzima, South African Tourism CEO, said INDABA 2014 is the single biggest and best platform for doing business in African tourism. Between them, exhibitors include all the premier African safari destinations, among the most luxurious and desired five-star accommodation establishments, the most sensational and fascinating lifestyle and culture experiences on the continent, awesome adventure activities and destinations, and some of the world’s finest golf and sports destinations.

 

Exhibitors will showcase their offerings to the 1 441 confirmed top-quality travel and tourism buyers keen to capitalise on exceptional growing inbound tourism growth to Africa. 'It has never been more important to plug into Africa’s tourist trade. According to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organisation Tourism Barometer, Africa attracted three million additional arrivals, reaching a new record of 56-million in 2013,' said Nzima.

 

An exciting new addition to INDABA this year is the TechZone, which gives premium digital service providers to the tourism industry a space to meet buyers and exhibitors. Travelstart (South Africa’s leading online travel agency); WAYN.com (the world’s biggest travel and lifestyle social networking community website); TripAdvisor (the world’s biggest destination marketing organisation); Expedia (one of the world’s largest online travel booking agencies); Springnest (which offers simple web, mobile and social marketing for small tourism businesses); and NightsBridge (which offers the industry real-time software and marketing links) have so far confirmed their participation.