Beat About The Bush
Birds in Pretoria

Private guided safaris by Trevor Carnaby for travel into Southern and South Africa Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Namibia.

Part of a larger nature reserve and melding in with the natural environment, Kirstenbosch has a huge variety of flora to explore both outside and in greenhouses. Cape Point teems with buck, baboons and Cape mountain zebra as well as over 250 species of bird. The Company’s Gardens is the oldest garden in South Africa. About 40 kms east of Cape Town, the Cape Winelands are a collection of historic towns, little hamlets and Cape Dutch farmsteads that provide well-regarded South African wines to the world. With stunning scenery and culinary delights, a visit to the Winelands is a must. The area is one of the oldest residential areas in Cape Town and it has a rich multi-cultural history with roots in Malaysian, African, Indian and Sri Lankan cultures. Cape Town is famous for its great white shark population. The noon day gun is Cape Town’s oldest lasting tradition and visitors and invited to watch the process of shooting the gun while they gaze out at beautiful views of the city. The auction follows the legalisation of domestic trade in rhino horn within South Africa earlier this year. International trade in rhino horn was banned in 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) and remains prohibited today. However, domestic trade of rhino horns remained legal in South Africa until 2009 when the South African government imposed a moratorium on domestic trade i n response to a rise in rhino poaching. Many conservationists are opposed to the domestic sale of rhino horn within South Africa and argue that because there is little use or demand for rhino horn nationally, purchases may ultimately end up being trafficked to international markets. Some conservationists argue that rhinos should not be farmed, as the current population of privately owned individuals cannot meet the high product demand on a regular basis. Instead, efforts should be focussed on protecting rhinos in the wild. As the auction comes to a close later today, the world waits to hear the outcome and its implications for international rhino conservation. Rhino horn is believed to treat hangovers, impotence, fever and cancer. Despite bans on the international trade in rhino and elephant parts, these species are being killed at astonishingly high rates. Those conducting the poaching on the ground (and at the most risk of being caught) are often locals whose involvement may be driven by challenging socioeconomic conditions such as poverty and unemployment. Rhino and elephant poaching is frequently associated with African countries, however it is a global epidemic. South Africa has the largest population of rhinos in the world and it is home to 74% of the African rhino population. The majority of South Africa’s rhino poaching incidents happen in Kruger National Park. Reports in 2017 show that rhino poaching in Kruger is down by 34% compared to 2016 but there is an increase in the number of poaching incidents in other parts of the country, especially the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal. While showing our guests spectacular wildlife on safari, we also take the opportunity to make them aware of all the conservation challenges facing wildlife resources in Africa and Asia and the success stories to date. This inevitably leads to a lot of surprise, shock, horror or elation (depending on the details) and a general consensus that these issues are not receiving enough attention with most visitors being totally oblivious.