Rhinos at Thula Thula

Thula Thula Game Reserve takes rhino conservation very seriously. The park is home to only two white rhinos named Thabo and Ntombi whom we saw often on safari.

They are guarded night and day by two armed anti-poaching bodyguards ... in addition to the more than 20 general armed security guards who patrol the entire park 24/7. We were not allowed to take pictures of the guards for their personal security.


Thula Thula is also home to a Rhino Orphanage. I first heard of the orphanage's existence at Jane Goodall's talk from Karen Trendler, the woman behind the establishment of several Rhino Orphanages in South Africa including the first Rhino Orphanage at Legends Golf Resort in Limpopo. A Rhino Orphanage is a dedicated, non-commercial care-centre for baby rhinos orphaned by the shocking trade in poached rhino horns. Rhino Orphanages are not open to the public so unfortunately we couldn't visit while we were at Thula Thula.

But I could buy a bracelet to help support the great work being done at Thula Thula's Rhino Orphanage.

Rhino Orphanage three strand bead bracelet & charm

Jane!

Last night I had the honor to meet one of my idols. Dr. Jane Goodall, Dame of the British Empire, Explorers Club Medal recipient, United Nations Messenger of Peace, ground-breaking scientist, etc., etc.  ... her awards and accomplishments are just too extensive to list.


 





Jane came to Joburg to speak at the Rand Park Primary School in Randpark Ridge. (I actually helped out at the check-in and sales tables and was invited to stay afterwards and have tea with her!)

Jane has an exhaustive travel schedule, speaking all over the world on behalf of her Roots & Shoots campaign. An estimated 300 days a year! And she is about to turn 81! After she leaves Joburg, she will be visiting Chimp Eden on Saturday for another talk and book-signing before heading up to Tanzania.

Jane and Juliet Price from Roots & Shoots

Jane presented Rand Park Primary School with a "tree baton" and challenged the young people at the school to come up with their own projects to help our planet before passing the baton on to other schools in Joburg, challenging them to do the same.

with the Principal and Governing Board Head of Rand Park Primary

Jane with some of the students of RPP

selling merchandise to raise funds - photo by Shanice Naidoo, The Randburg Sun

a dream come true!

For more information about the evening, The Randburg Sun published this article and pictures.

PS: And now I am volunteering permanently with the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots and Shoots program in South Africa! Follow us on Facebook.

Chimp Love

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr Goodall's pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior.  This research transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals and is a global leader in the effort to conserve and preserve endangered species and habitats, and in particular chimpanzees.

Situated within the beautiful 1,000 hectare Umhloti Nature Reserve, 15 kilometres outside Nelspruit, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) South Africa Chimpanzee Sanctuary - or Chimp Eden - is home to chimps that have been misplaced from their natural habitats in Africa as well as those rescued from private ownership all over the world.

Jessica loves her shoe!

There are about 34 chimpanzees currently living at Chimp Eden.  They are separated into three groups in distinct enclosures in an attempt to recreate the natural order of the wild. There are viewpoints overlooking the forest and "foraging areas" from which visitors and volunteers can observe and study the chimpanzees. (Hence the barbed wire fences in the photographs. Sorry.)

One group is very typical with an alpha male, other less dominant males, some females and juveniles. The second is all male with a naturally evolving hierarchy. It is basically a chimp frat house. The third is comprised of all adults.

There is also a separate nursery with a male, a female and a one year old baby which is most likely the beginning of a fourth group. The baby chimp was actually an accident - a failure of contraception. These chimp sanctuaries are actually not meant for breeding. The reason is simple. There is a limit to the number of chimps the sanctuary is permitted to hold. In this case, 40. If Chimp Eden allowed the chimpanzees to breed naturally, they would soon hit that limit and would be unable to accept rescued chimpanzees. And that would be a tragedy. So therefore all of the females who reside at Chimp Eden are on contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

We were able to observe the first two groups but the adult group and the nursery were verboten. Because of their advanced age and the fact that their extreme mistreatment was so severe at the hands of humans, the adult group becomes very agitated with people they do not know, i.e. visitors. And the new family still need to be cloistered until the baby's immune system matures. Chimps are very susceptible to human germs and disease is one of the three main reasons the chimpanzee is endangered in the first place. The other two are habitat loss through deforestation and hunting for bush meat. Chimpanzees in the wild may be extinct within the next 10 - 20 years if current trends cannot be reversed.

Chimp Eden is just one of three chimpanzee sanctuaries established and managed by the Jane Goodall Institute. It was established in 2006 and is the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa.  In addition to offering critical sanctuary for this endangered species, they bring the world of chimpanzees closer to humanity through education end eco-tourism.

Why South Africa you ask? (Actually, I asked.) It was a good question as chimpanzees are not native to South Africa. The answer is politics. South Africa is very advanced in its conservation policy and the government is stable enough so that the chimpanzees are not in danger of being released, poached, confiscated or sold - all real threats in many of their native countries.

The goal of all the chimpanzee sanctuaries is the same -  to rescue chimpanzees that have survived the bush meat trade, been orphaned, traded in the illegal pet market, or rescued from being traumatized for entertainment in circuses, zoos, beach resorts and night clubs.

The chimpanzees at Chimp Eden are the lucky ones, living out their lives in a risk free environment and being provided with the necessary attention to recover from the trauma they have experienced.  The chimpanzees spend their days in semi-wild enclosures, and show normal social interaction and behavioral patterns as group members.

The chimpanzee is considered to be the closest relative to humans and as you would imagine, they are extremely intelligent. It was fascinating to observe them, but I was really unprepared for the effect their sad stories had on me at the hands of circuses, zoos, laboratories and as "pets." I knew it would be difficult to hear their stories, but I was truly speechless for hours after our visit. I will not share any of their stories here but suffice it to say, these chimps and we humans are so lucky Jane Goodall was born!

peppers for snack time? over here!

hanging out in the trees

Chimp love

33. Is that the Duck and Black Diamond Anniversary?

Vince and I have been married for 33 years! We will celebrate the milestone very soon with a long weekend in Paris and a stay at our friend Clara's petit maison in the Charente. But last Friday on our actual anniversary, Vince surprised me by making a reservation for a romantic dinner for two at Le Canard in Morningside.

We have been driving by Le Canard every day for months and it was high on our list of restaurants to try someday. But it is a very long list. So I was delighted he had made a reservation there for our anniversary and we were both delighted by what we found.

Le Canard has been serving fine food in the Sandton area since 1987 and has been judged by American Express as one of the Top Ten Deluxe Restaurants in Joburg and one of the Top 100 in South Africa. It has an extensive wine list and is the recipient of numerous Diners Club Wine List Awards.

A celebrity magnet, Le Canard has played host to everyone from Bill Gates to Nelson Mandela to Jane Goodall. The lobby features a photo gallery of its famous diners. And right next to them in most of the photographs is Chef Freda Appelbaum. Chef Freda is a bit of a celebrity herself and her menu ranges from primarily French cuisine to some German and South African-inspired specialties. Everything was delicious and perfectly prepared. And Chef Freda came by each of the tables herself after dinner to greet us and inquire about our dining experience.

As an aside, the restaurant's building has a bit of history too. It was originally a homestead ... and reputedly at one point it was also both a brothel and a casino. Ooh lala!

The 1st anniversary is paper, the 25th is silver. After Le Canard, we are now referring to 33 as the "duck anniversary." Sadly though Vince did not also surprise me with the 25+ karat flawless blue "Star of Darlene" diamond I had heard about on the Cullinan Diamond Mine Tour for my anniversary gift. Instead he gave me a lovely black diamond eternity band. I guess 33 is also the "black diamond anniversary" and not the blue. C'est l'amour!