ERP provides the bicycles together with a monitored attendance program, both to ensure that the bikes are used for the intended purpose by the beneficiaries, and to track their performance at school. The bicycles are also used to create awareness about the need for conservation. These images and the videos on the following 2 pages collectively showcase our most recent ERP bike deliveries, in October and November 2019.
]]>Penny Pistorius is a dedicated ERP elephant monitor. She has the privilege of spending every day with these sentient beings, with the aim of monitoring their well-being and studying their ability to adapt to their new environment. Penny also provides valuable data for research purposes. We share weekly updates from Penny on our social media pages, at the following links:
]]>ERP uses feeding cubes specially developed to satisfy the nutritional needs of rhinos during dry winter months and longer drought periods, such as currently being experienced in the region.
]]>The direct beneficiaries of this intervention is Sekelekani Cooperative, consisting of about 14 members from the Gazini community. Due to the fact that bee keeping is a seasonal agricultural activity, we have been able to support the cooperative with a horticultural intervention, which sees them grow various crops for both the market and personal consumption. The horticultural interventions offer a financial cushion during months of low honey production. During the 2019/2020 season, the cooperative sold over 60 bags of butternut to the local SPAR. In addition, they managed to harvest and sell at a profit, over 200kg of raw honey from the 50 beehives they set up in 2018. The plan for 2020 is to set up a beehive fence around the cooperative’s agricultural plot to deter elephants from raiding their crops. Through this intervention, ERP has been able to prove that wildlife and humans can live symbiotically within the same ecosystem, bringing to life our mission to conserve elephants and rhinos through the alleviation of poverty
]]>Imagine a life in which you must walk over 3 hours a day just for the “privilege” of being able to attend school. In addition to the vast distance, you cross rugged terrain, endure extreme weather conditions and face possible physical injury. By the time you return home, you barely have time to do your chores, let alone your homework.
This is a daily reality for many children in rural South Africa, which often leads to frequent absenteeism and ultimately dropping out altogether. Without school, the cycle of poverty continues.
To find out more about #BIKES4ERP’s solution to this problem, please join the launch of #BIKES4ERP’s Indiegogo initiative on Thursday, June 15.
And please do not forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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ERP's Dinokeng Bull Elephant Relocation Programme has started. The bull boxes have arrived and we are preparing to relocate four stunning bulls from the Dinokeng Game Reserve in South Africa, to Zinave National Park in Mozambique.
ERP is supporting Dinokeng in the relocation of the bulls as they have learned a habit of breaking fences and this has created problems for the reserve management team. Culling was a last option if the bulls could not be moved and ERP stepped in to facilitate the relocation. We have found them their new home and raised the funds to relocate the bulls!!! We will keep our followers updated for every step of the way!
We need to understand that there are dangers associated with relocations and we are doing everything we can to ensure the safe travels for the elephant. We will be moving Charles and Lumpy on August 22nd and the remaining bulls, Hotstuff and Tiny Tim on the 28th August.
We are pleased to introduce them to all of you.
]]>Thank you to the team for contributing your #67Minutes to bake muffins! The result of your efforts is that more children can be fed with nutritious food including ePap. (See www.peacefoundation.org.za/donations-causes/ ) It might be a small contribution, but that is what the whole Mandela day initiative is about – if everyone in South Africa spends 67 minutes involved in an act of kindness, it adds up to a big act of kindness. We are glad to report that 648 muffins were sold through this intervention! Thank you to everyone for buying them, as well as for all the donations we received!
We plan to do this again to reach our aim of R10 000 and we hope we can count on your support!
]]>This is a daily reality for many children in rural South Africa, which often leads to frequent absenteeism from school and ultimately dropping out altogether. Without school, the cycle of poverty continues. But we have an immediate, tried and true, solution to this problem.
From June 9 to June 14, ERP is conducting its prelaunch campaign. On Thursday, June 15, ERP’s #BIKES4ERP initiative will be launched via its Indiegogo/Generosity campaign in order to raise funds and awareness to address the solution to this problem.
But we need your help. This is our first attempt at crowdfunding and its success strongly depends on ERP’s online network. As such, our goal is to mobilize all of ERP’s online connections before launching its crowdfunding initiative. This is where you come in. We have the Indiegogo/Generosity prelaunch page ready to be shared and we request that you share it on social media and send it to anyone who you think might be interested in ERP’s #BIKES4ERP initiative. The link to ERP’s Indiegogo/Generosity prelaunch campaign is https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/bikes4erp–2
In addition, we have posted #BIKES4ERP on ERP’s Facebook page and request that you like and share it: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=elephantsrhinospeople.
Lastly, we have created a contest to raise funds and awareness regarding this issue. Simply take a picture with as many people on a bicycle as you can and share your photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #BIKES4ERP. All photos will be posted on Elephants, Rhinos & People’s Facebook page. Those who fit the most people on a bike will win a prize and will be highlighted on ERP’s website and social media.
Thank you very much for helping ERP make the #BIKES4ERP initiative as successful as possible. In the next couple of days, we will provide you with the launch details.
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By distributing bicycles to students, the #BIKES4ERP project bridges the gap between having a dream and being able to achieve it. Under the motto, “mobilize me and I will change my world”, students are empowered to obtain an education by entering into a “STUDY TO OWN” contract, whereby the student owns the bike after using it to attend school for 2 years.
The cost of each bicycle is $200.00 and the funds raised by #BIKES4ERP will be matched up to $10,000. And 100% of your donation goes directly to #BIKES4ERP’s initiative.
Please make a difference in these children's lives by helping ERP with the launch of its #BIKES4ERP initiative at https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/bikes4erp--2. And don't forget to like us on Facebook and donate today!
Great for biking, hiking or for the special dog in your life. For a picture of the ERP buff, please check the image gallery. And don't forget: when buying for your dog, please allow room for two fingers to fit between s/he and the buff. And never use as a restraint!
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On Thursday 25th May 2017, ERP held workshops at Kekana Gardens with the local business entities together with the informal waste collectors in the area. The purpose of the workshop was to give all parties an understanding of how ERP works and to gain buy from the community on the different interventions we would want to introduce in the area. In attendance were over 50 participants including officials from SANCO, the City of Tshwane and SMMEs spread over a number of economic development spheres from within Kekana Gardens.
We gave the participants an insight on ERP and how the P.E.A.C.E. model works. There was great interest in our activities, from the hubs to agriculture and waste management. We went through the business evaluation questionnaire together with the recycling one. Present were also two ladies from the City Of Tshwane, and one of them was interested in the waste management initiative. We gave all participants their respective questionnaires and asked SANCO to ensure they are all filled in by Wednesday, 31st May. By the time we left, they were already helping some waste collectors fill in the questionnaires since most of them have low literacy levels. However, most business owners showed higher levels of literacy and some could be seen already filling in the questionnaires by themselves.
After the workshop, we went through to one of the collectors’ houses as she had called us to take a look at the material she was collecting and whether it would be ideal for selling. She had some PET and crushed glass, though not much. So the idea of a buyback centre made sense to her and we explained how volumes could be increased if they had a central point to deliver their material instead of selling individually. Then everyone is paid based on how much they would have delivered.We were also taken through to a possible site for the buyback centre, estimated to be about 1-2 km from the SANCO offices. Unfortunately, the site has one short coming, which is it is narrow and not wide, which limits how the buyback centre may grow. Space seems to be an issue in the area. However, there is possibility of acquiring another plot within the same area, which is ideal for the recycling purposes
During the workshop, one of the crafters indicated that they were keen to engage with the collectors as they make use of some of the materials in their crafts work. This still works perfectly as they are able to upcycle some of the products thereby enhancing the recycling value chain. This will be something we would need to ensure happens and perhaps we could then replicate something similar at Thinana. When we went through to the crafters, my conversations with Isabel over the past months came to mind, particularly with regards to bead work and other items which can be marketed on ERP Mercantile. This can address some of their challenges with regards to accessing markets. They seem to create great products.
After the workshop we had a meeting with the Crafters’ cooperative (both the production & marketing cooperatives) to give them an update of the progress update regarding the proposed concept. See concept drawing below of production factory that would be built next to the current building to provide proper space for the crafters to work in. The manufacturing factory would be set up to the right of the current building where the parking areas is. The public would be able to interact with the crafters as they work. The idea is to move the crafters from the 3 small rooms on the left of the building and retrofit those rooms into to a 2-roomed IT centre with a training room and computer/internet centre. Arthur is going to send us cost estimates for the proposed redevelopment.
On 4 May 2017 one laptop each was handed over to head masters at Steve Biko High School and Refilwe Primary School. The laptops were received from RB pharmaceutical through ERP.
ERP sponsored the Science Expo at Kwalata Game Reserve, located within the Dinokeng Game Reserve. Over 1600 students from primary and high schools in Hammanskraal and Kekana Gardens came through the Expo over a 3 day period from 22 to25 May 2017. ERP had a stand and staff presented to groups of 50+ at a time over the 3 days. The focus was on the work being done in DGR and the adjacent community many of the children come from.
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The ERP team in South Africa from groupelehant.com has been invited to evaluate and assess the Mountain Bike trails in Witsieshoek in the majestic Drakensberg on the weekend of weekend 12-14 May 2017.
Witsieshoek is situated in the middle of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park in South Africa and declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
UNESCO is lavish in its description of the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, which encompasses South Africa's highest mountain range. We quote the organisation's words because we couldn't have said it any better. This KwaZulu-Natal World Heritage Site, it states, 'has exceptional natural beauty in its soaring basaltic buttresses, incisive dramatic cutbacks, and golden sandstone ramparts.'
A spine stretching some 150km long, the most scenic sights in the park carry equally evocative names – Cathedral Peak, Giant's Castle and Monk's Cowl are just some.
This is a place to exercise the body, fuelled with crisp, clean air. Hiking, rock climbing and fly-fishing are popular activities. Mountain Biking is a new in this region with huge tourism opportunities.
The ERP team will be evaluating the mountain bike routes and assist with grading the trail, updating the trail maps and writing reviews on relevant platforms and creating marketing videos for the area.
Transfrontier Parks Destinations [TFPD] is the management company, managing the lodge on behalf The Batlokoa Community that will be benefiting from this initiative. The area is community owned and the ERP team will be contributing to the economic activities of the Community and in the process, alleviate poverty and assist in creating work opportunities via tourism.
Watch this space for more photos, videos and news of this initiative.
The cyclists/members from ERP that will be taking part :
Johan Du Plooy, Jean Vermeulen, Nicolai .vd Merwe, Gert Vermeulen, Dereck Milburn.
]]>Two elephant bulls – bringing the total number of elephants at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve to 13 – are settling into their new home this week after being translocated from another local reserve.
The elephants were donated by Nambiti Private Game Reserve, another KZN community-owned game reserve in Ladysmith, and this, said environmental stewardship body Wildlands Conservation Trust in a statement, was the first time two rural communities had worked together to extend the elephant range.
The Somkhanda reserve – the elephants’ new home as of Tuesday – owned by the Emvokweni Community Trust (ECT) and co-managed with the Wildlands Conservation Trust, was established in 2005 and declared a protected area in 2011.
“Wildlands and the trust worked with Elephants, Rhinos and People ('ERP') over the past year to identify a suitable herd for Somkhanda. ERP, supported by Groupelephant.com, identify elephant herds that are under threat due to population pressures and fine them new homes,” said the Wildlands Conservation Trust.
Dereck Milburn, director of operations at ERP, said: “ERP is thrilled to have been able to partner with ECT and Wildlands in securing a new home for 13 elephants. We need space for them and communities often have large tracts of land which could be secured for elephant protection. Through this translocation, we are alleviating pressure on the elephant population and it is funding well spent. Creating a herd where there has not been elephant for the past 70 years is history in the making.”
The organisation said under suitable conditions, elephants could breed rapidly, with populations in fenced reserves often becoming larger than is ecologically sustainable.
“Such was the case at Nambiti, which recognised the need to reduce their population size… When introducing elephants, it is important to introduce an entire breeding herd, as they have a strong social and family structure that needs to be maintained at all times,” said Milburn.
“Conservation Solutions, recognised globally for their expertise in elephant capture and translocation, were contracted to manage the capture and relocation process.”
Wildlands chief executive Dr Andew Venter said: “Africa’s elephants are under threat, with over 100 being poached every day. The Somkhanda introduction represents a small but incredibly important step in this fight. We look forward to seeing this herd flourish in their new safe haven.”
Read the article on erp.ngo.
]]>On the 17th April 2017, the ERP 911 Elephant Team were woken up at 04:15 AM by telephone calls, informing us of unimaginable news. 8 of the Dinokeng Game Reserve’s elephants had breached the reserve’s boundaries and were over 16 km’s away from the reserve, heading towards the densely populated towns of Cullinan and Refilwe. The key concern was the wellbeing of the elephants and the lives of unsuspecting people which may have encountered them.
We were however able to locate the elephants immediately utilising the GPS collar which ERP had recently fitted onto the older bull, infamously named ‘Charles’, who was leading the breeding herd of 7 cows and calves on the dangerous spree.
The ERP team responded without delay and were the first people on the scene (within 45 minutes of the initial call) to assess the situation. The reserve’s management team joined us shortly thereafter as the sun was rising, providing much needed light for us to obtain a visual of the elephant herd. At this point, we were only able to see clear clues that the elephant had been in the area. They had snacked on oranges, prickly pears and a few other scrumptious treats which they could not get their trunks on within the reserve, leaving us the remains as a means to follow them.
Within 30 minutes, the team had visuals of the elephant who were still on a very brisk walk to a destination only beknown to themselves. A light aircraft, carrying an ERP team member was called into the area to ensure that we could maintain visuals of the elephants until they could be secured in an area so that a relocation plan could be formulated. This was achieved by surrounding the herd with vehicles at unobtrusive distances and by 08:00 the situation was stabilised and the elephants were secured in a safe, densely bushed area.
Now, that we had them secured….. What NOW? Was the question going through all of our minds. Generally speaking, there are three ways to get elephants back to a reserve which they have broken out of and walked far distances from. One of the options would be to call in a helicopter and guide the elephants back to the reserve, the second would be to dart the herd, lift them onto trucks and take them back to the reserve OR we could ‘walk’ them back by allowing them to walk at their own pace whilst being guided by us and ensuring safe passage for them over busy roads.
It was deemed that the helicopter option would place too much pressure on the elephants and cause them to split from their tightly knit group and the capture of elephants is always considered a last option as the elephants need to be sedated over a long period of time, causing significant stress on the animals. After much consultation with other industry specialists, the ERP team and the reserve management team made a final decision to ‘walk’ the elephants back to the reserve. This was no ordinary task considering the distance and terrain which the elephants needed to cross to eventually get home (16 km of undulating hills).
After staying in their place of safety for a number of hours, the elephants started their walk home at 15:00 in the afternoon, with reserve trackers following them to ensure their safety. The trick with ‘walking’ elephants is the constant need to be one step ahead of them which is difficult when the leading bull can change direction at any given moment and they move really fast. The ERP and Reserve teams had vehicles all along the estimated routing with an objective of ensuring safe passage and limited infrastructure damage to the properties which the elephants crossed. During the operation, it was clear that the elephants had become specialists in walking through fences and no fence was a barrier to them.
The elephants crossed mountains, cleared valleys and went from one property to the next until they arrived at the Moloto Road, a notoriously dangerous and busy road, especially on an Easter Sunday evening like this. The team had however arranged with Provincial Traffic Police to establish temporary road blocks to allow safe passage for the elephant. After tracking the elephant in the dark, utilising vehicles and telemetry equipment, the team managed to identify an area where the elephants were going to cross and the road was blocked off for at least 20 minutes, creating traffic jams on either side of the barriers. The elephants however crossed as planned and disappeared into the darkness, pursing their track home.
We followed the elephants for another 7km to a point where it seemed they would be resting for the night. The walk was paused at 03:30 AM on the 18th April, almost 24 hours after it was started. The elephants did not move, almost as though they were giving us a chance to rest. The rest however did not last for very long and we were back on the road by 05:00 when the elephants started moving again. It first appeared as though they were moving away from the reserve and with a sudden change direction they were back on track to get to the reserve in a few hours.
The team waited in anticipation from 06:00 till 18:00 at the fence of the reserve for the elephants to walk back. As they had done the day before, they found a place of safety and decided to spend the rest of the day there, in an area which we had no visuals on. The ERP drone was dispatched and the location of the elephants was confirmed. It was a long waiting game from both sides but at least the drone provided the team with updates on the status of the herd throughout the day.
Eventually at 18:30, under the cover of darkness, the elephants broke the reserve perimeter fence and entered the safety of the protected area. After a 35 km walk, over a 2-day period, the elephants were safe and there were no human injuries and only limited damage to the properties which they crossed. The operation took three light aeroplane flights, two helicopters on stand-by, ten vehicles, at least 25 people, 3 drones, over 200 hundred phone calls, dozens of coffees and lots of sweat and tears.
The 911 Elephant Team is happy with the outcome of the operation and it has again been proven that elephant can be managed without harsh responses such as helicopter chases and captures. It is clear that the landowners in and around the reserve are also more understanding of the elephant herd now that they have portrayed their intelligence and willpower.
We thank the Dinokeng Reserve Management Team, the Provincial Police Department, the pilots, the landowners within the reserve, the specialist advisors and all of the landowners which were affected by damages from the elephants for their efforts and support in getting these elephants home safely. It was a truly unique 911 Elephant undertaking.
By Dereck Milburn (ERP)
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