Conservation

One of the reasons that Africa is such a popular destination is its amazing wild life. Much of this same wildlife is under threat. As people whose livelihood depends upon maintaining Africa's diverse ecology, we are all too aware of these dangers, and so we are committed to donating 1% of our profits to two wildlife projects. These projects were selected by us after meeting the people involved and seeing their work. By giving directly to projects on the ground, we avoid the donations being swallowed up by the administration costs of large organisations, and we know that the money is being used by the people in the field, who are the ones who really need it ...

The Turtles of Rocktail Bay

A 7km stretch of sand on the north east coast of Kwa Zulu Natal called Rocktail Bay is the breeding ground for Leatherback and Loggerhead Turtles. Very little is known about what happens to these creatures once they have hatched and swum off to travel the vast Indian Ocean. Forty years later, they will return to exactly the same beach to lay their eggs just as their parents did. The fund will purchase satellite tracking equipment to harmlessly monitor their journey through the oceans. The information collected will allow us to protect their feeding grounds from over fishing and ensure that more of the 15,000 turtle hatchlings from Banga Nek will return to nest there in the future.

African Hunting Dogs

There are just 2,000 African Hunting Dogs left in the wild. They are Africa¹s second most endangered carnivore, close behind the Ethiopian wolf. Because they hunt in large packs, the Wild Dogs need huge areas through which to move and a large amount of prey to sustain them. If they stay in one place for too long, their prey either runs out or moves on, forcing the dogs to move from one area to the next in a series of mini-migrations. It is these migrations that lead them into contact with man. Local farmers and tribesmen view them as vermin because they kill their livestock, and contact with domestic animals can lead to canine diseases like distemper, capabale of wiping out an entire pack. The future is not bright for the African Hunting Dog. However, a research programme is being carried out in one of their last strongholds which aims to understand these creatures and halt their decline. The fund will purchase radio tracking collars.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust

Africa Select are members of the Endangered Wildlife Trust. This is a non-profit, non-government conservation organisation, with a mission to conserve the diversity of species in southern Africa. Their strategy for achieving this is to initiate and fund projects that make a significant contribution to the maintenance of biodiversity.