giraffe

bicycle trails covered with grass

cant see the trails which we need to clean

what we use to clear the trails

harvestor

hey bails we grow and load and harvest

fire fighting vehicles

fire fighting equipment

fire fighting equipment

fire fighting equipment

effects of fire

mass soil erosion

fencing which needs to be fixed

through out the year

trip to the taximermist

The whole experience of the visiting the taxidermy
   It was decided that all the conservation students where to go and visit the taxidermy. For most of us it was the first time going to the taxidermy and for all of us was the first time we got to see how it works and the whole process they go through to stuff the animals and make them look as good as they supposed to look. As we arrived we saw all the different sections of the taxidermy which was the butchery and the main office and the work shop. For five minutes we got to look around at the different animals and tried to guess the different animals which some had never seen before. Then when the lady was finished finalizing last minute occurrences she took us on the tour of the whole place. We started at the back of the taxidermy where all the skinning takes place. What they did in this section was first they got the skin off the animal and then covered the skin in salt to preserve the skin from going mouldy. With the skeletons the cut out the eyes of the animals and cut off as much meat as possible from the bones so the meat doesn’t get old. Then with the skeleton they send it to a different part of the farm to do and put it in boiling water to dissolve the meat off the bones and then bleach the bones to make it look whiter which makes it more appealing. Then when the skins are dry what happens is the ladies start stitching the skin. Parts which look bad or cut open the sow back together making it look more professional. When the skin is done they send it to a different section.




  After this section we were shown the next section which is where they keep all the horns and skulls of the animals. How this section works is that every skeleton which comes in gets a manufacture number which means that if it gets a number then it means that the animal is for local customers and if it is a number with a DIP in front then it’s for international guests. So the skulls and horns are separated here into those two categories.





The next section is where they do the skeleton mounts. This is when they take the skeletons from the previous section and put them together and place them on to a mount. There are lots of different mounts, for example for a big antelope you would use the circle mount and a small duiker or something you should use a smaller square mount for example. These are usually just the skulls and horns not the shoulders or any bones like that. Here the lady explained how they work if they get a rhino horn and what the procedures are if they get rhino horns in then they have to make a mould of the horn out of carbon fibre and keep it for records and they need to make sure of the permits and legal requirements. The previous mount they did they cut the horns of the rhino off and mounted both onto the square mount.
 
 In the next section is where they make the moulds of the animal and then fit the horns on and pull the skin over the moulds and sowed back together and moulded carefully to make the animal look even more real. How they do this is they build the mould of the animal, for example an eland. Then when they have the mould of the eland they fill the insides with special foam so that it doesn’t start collapsing after age or break easily. Then on the outside the carbon fibre they put the glue on and then start putting the skin over. They work the skin over the carbon fibre in till it looks perfect again. If the skin doesn’t look right then they work the skin again, the glue allows them to do so because the glue dries very slowly so that they can still fix it if they make a mistake. Then in the mould they make an indent for where the horns are placed which just slide in and then are fixed to make sure that they don’t fall off. After everything is in place on the animal then they need to make sure that all the skin is placed in the right place. The sow the skin back together very finely so that people cannot see it. Stitch up the animal and then wait for the glue to finish.
After this when the animal is dried out then it goes to the lady which paint over the coat which preserves the skin for a long period of time and she also paints the skin to make it look much better, she used normal paint from a hardware store to paint the coats.
The butchery. This is where all the meat goes after the animal has been butchered. All the carcass’s come in and then are cut up and put in to different sections. When the meat is cut up it is put into bags and boxes and then put into the freezer to keep it fresh and then sold to the public or back to the hunter.
 
And then the final product looks like this-
 

game capture

Game capture/ game auction
Matthew Roach
9311265012080
2013-03-26

The game capture
 The task at hand was to do the chemical game capture and perform it on kudu bulls, wildebeest bull and impala rams. In order to perform chemical game capture you need to have a vet on hand to perform the darting. The vet has to also administer the drugs into the animals for transportation. We got the first years to go out in different teams to perform the capture on the different bulls and rams. Then the second years went with our supervisors and the vets to go out and dart the kudu bull. We jumped onto the back of the cruiser and then got briefed on the way to go dart. We were told to keep quiet and not make any sudden movements. We went out in to the 400 hector and went on the search for the kudu bull. When we finally caught up with the other cruiser they had already darted the bull and we followed the other cruiser. Now how it works is the dart that went in to the kudu bull and the dart contains a tracker which goes in to the kudu. Now on the cruiser the vet had a radio which picks up the frequency of the dart which allows us to track the kudu after it has been darted. When we came close and the signal got strong then we all climbed off the cruisers and went further on foot. When we got to the kudu then the first thing that we had to go is pick up the kudu’s head to open the airwaves. Then we had to roll it over on to its legs which are folded under the body to help the kudu breath. Then we moved the kudu onto a stretcher and 3 of use carried it on each side and then two people carried the horns so that they don’t hurt the people carrying the body. Then we moved the kudu on to the cruiser and climbed on. We had to remember that while doing this you have to keep watch of the animals eyes in case the animal wakes up for any reason. The other thing we had to do was to check that the animal waking it up eventually is still breathing by putting your hand just in front of the nose making sure that the animal breathes out. When we got back to the trailer then we loaded the kudu into its trailer and then watched the vet administer the drugs into the kudu.



















Who was involved?
Sieg, Arno, Second years, Pip, Vets on standby and Armand and Kyle
What happened?
Chemical game capture
When did it take place?
2013-03-19
Where did it take place?
It took place on Sondela Nature Reserve in the 400 hector
Why did it take place?
So Sondela can make some money off their bigger game and to lower the amount of game on the farm.




The auction
The auction was a very new experience for me and a wonderful one at that. All the boys and girl dressed up in our best Sondela uniform and arrived at Sondela early in the morning. We then all jumped in to the cars that were leaving to the auction. We drove to a little town called Naboom nearby bela-bela and arrived at a small farm where they held all the animals for the auction. Then we all got a pamphlet telling us all the animals and who caught the animals and the auction price that you could fill in. Then we all went together along with Steve (the vet who helped catch the animals) and he explained to us about all the animals. He then explained to us how the whole procedure works. He explained to us in each boma there is an animal and on the boma there is a paper with the amount of females, males and juveniles in the boma’s and the lot number which is the boma number which the animal is in.
Lot number with details
Animals inside their boma’s
 

Inside a few of the boma’s we could see how the animals had been stressed but were still very well kept and looked after by the people which worked there.
Where the Kudu tried to jump out the cage and the horns went through the roof
The boma’s which had been made and the orange drum is where you put in the grass for the animals
 



How the auction worked is first you work through the holding grounds and look at the animals that you would like to buy. Then you open the pamphlet to the animal and write down how much you think that animal is worth to you depending on the size and condition it is in. Then after we walked through and got an idea of all the animals on the grounds we left to go to the actual auction on the golf estate.  There we sat down in a conference room with a big projector screen where It showed all the animals and their lot numbers next to it. Then in front when everybody was ready and sitting down a man walked to the front and explained how the auction is going to work. He explained about all the animals and then introduced everybody involved in the auction so that everybody could get a clear understanding of the rules and regulations.
 
We then started at lot number one and went through all the numbers in till we were completely finished. The only time that the animals did not go for sale was if the asking price was not met and then the sale was with held.
 This experience was very interesting and opened my eyes a little to what happens behind the scenes of game capture. It was an extraordinary experience and really learnt a lot.











Who was involved?
All the second years, Sieg, Arno and Armand
What did we do?
We went to the auction to get an idea of what happens after we do the game capture>
When did this take place?
26-03-2013
Where did it take place?
Naboom golf estate
Why did we do this?
We needed to learn the whole procedure of the game capture and all the scenes that happen after.

bird ringing

Bird ringing
Matthew Roach
9311265012080
2013-03-26

Ringing of the birds started at an early start of 4:00 am in the morning. The first thing that we had to go when we went out for the bird catching was to get to our location that we set up for the previous day and then split up in to different teams. How we did this was 2-3 students went with the qualified bird catchers and then walked and planned the format that the net would be put up in. When we finished with our planning then we put the mist nets up which were 2.5m high and 12m long.
How it worked was you have to put the nets up with cover around (tree’s) so that the birds don’t see the nets when they fly. So the trick to bird catching is to put the nets close in between the tree’s but not to close so that the nets get caught in the tree’s otherwise the nets get caught in the tree’s and the net tears. How the nets work is at each pole where you connect the net to the pole you have
⦁ 2 long poles
⦁ 1 short pole
⦁ Ropes
⦁ Hook
⦁ Peg
⦁ Stump
What you have to do is hit the stump into the ground and the weave the nets on to the poles. Then you connect the 2 long poles together with the net on it and then place the short pole on the stump to make one long pole about 3m high. Then if you need more support on the structure then you attach the hook on to the pole and then attach the rope to the hook and on the other side then you can knock the peg into the ground and tighten the structure. Then when your structure is up then you have to sit and wait for the birds to fly into the net. W=once the nets are set up then you should regularly petrol your nets to ensure that the birds don’t over stress or hurt themselves in the net. How the net works is the net has five pockets of levels from the top to the bottom. Then the bird will fly into the net and drop into the pocket just below it. Then the ringers will come and get the bird out with it so that it doesn’t hurt itself. Then you have to identify the bird and put it into a sack for transportation. Then you can hang the bags up so that you can ring the birds at a later stage.




















Once you have the birds in the bags then you can take out the bird and first thing you need to do is correctly identify the bird for the registration. Then you have to measure the bird’s specific’s (wings, tail) and right down all the information for when you register the bird. Then after that you get a specific ring with a unique bar code that fits on to the bird’s leg. Then after you have attached the ring on to the bird’s leg and all the work has been done then you can let the bird free again unharmed. Once we done with the bird catching at the end of the day then we would go out in the afternoon then we would go out again and look for a new place to hold the next day’s events. This would all depend on the type of birds that the ringers were after that you determine the location and area.
5W’s
Who was involved?
The Members of the South African ringers, Arno and the second year volunteers
What did the second years do?
We as second years volunteered just went with the team to learn about bird ringing and improving our own education. We went with the team in the morning and helped set up the equipment and helped catch the birds and ring them.
When did this take place?
18th of March till the 22nd of March every morning at 4:00 am
Where did this take place?
Sondela Nature Reserve
Why did we do this?
We did this for educational purposes and for the exposure to the unique experience. We did it to help the ringers so that they can keep track of the birds flight patterns for if they migrate north or south towards us.

bicycle trails

Bicycle trails
Matthew Roach, Tiaan V.D Merwe
11-04-2013
9311265012080
Task at hand-
As a second year I have been tasked to write up the planning for the work we have to do on the bicycle trails. We have to get the trails ready for when we have events on the farm such as the bicycle race or the horse/endurance race. Every year we have to clear the paths because they are not ridden on enough and the vegetation grows over the paths. The other problem at hand is aard vark dig hole in the bicycle trails so it is dangerous for people to ride on the trails in case a wheel gets caught in it or the horse breaks its leg by stepping into one of the holes. So far we know that all the trails on Sondela has a total length of 90km trails. We have the following trails
⦁ Green trail-2.5km
⦁ Red trail-3.5km
⦁ Yellow trail-6km
⦁ White trail-12km
⦁ Blue trail-21km
 Orange trail-45km













So what we need to do is the planning for clearing the bicycle trail. The following equipment will be used in the process of clearing trails
⦁ OHS equipment
⦁ Gloves
⦁ Masks
⦁ Boots
⦁ Water
⦁ First aid kit
⦁ Goggles
⦁ hats
⦁ Vehicle to spray herbicide
⦁ Herbicide
⦁ Petrol
⦁ Staff( approximately nine 1st years and 2-3 second years)
⦁ Equipment
⦁ Brush cutter
⦁ Slasher
⦁ Hedge cutters
⦁ Axe
⦁ Spade
⦁ Pick
⦁ Budget( still waiting to be put in)

So the different control methods for combating this problem would be biological, mechanical and chemical.
Biological method
Def- Genetically related
Introduce natural enemy to invader- this means that it would be done over a very long time rather than a shorter time. How you do this would be finding out what grass is growing over the trails and then introduce a natural enemy to that plant so that it can be reduced. For example yellow thatching grass you can introduce the African buffalo or cows to cut down the amounts.
Cost effective- this is cost effective because we could let cows out to the specific area to eat the grass and cut down the bush encroachment. In this situation you would weigh your pro’s and con’s and realise that it’s very expensive to buy a buffalo just to eat the grass.
Does not disturb soil- when using biological means to reduce problem plant one of the benefits is that it has no effect on the soil where the grass has been eaten. Because the animals don’t pull the grass out the soil or dig the soil up it would work well. When using chemicals or poison then the poison could be absorbed into the ground and upset the eco-system for the future and it does put animals at risk.
May take time after introduction to become effective- If we have 90km’s of trails on the farm then unfortunately it will take too long for the natural enemy to get rid of the grass.
Follow-up necessary- when you have introduced the natural enemy then you have to check up day after day to see if your solution is working or if it has failed.
Problems
You can’t rely on the animals that you introduce to that are to eat the grass to stay there. This is where the problem comes into hand. If you we introduce a natural enemy (cows) then they could just wonder off into the bush to where they can find better grass and eat that rather. The other problem is that we do not enough time to introduce enemies of each type of grass onto our farm and if we introduce too many we could upset the eco-system. So it is nice for small places and would work well but unfortunately not for this problem.
Mechanical method
Def-Working or produced by machines or machinery
Cuts off nutrient and water from the roots-this would be affective if you watered you plants but in the veldt is a lot more difficult because it rains the whole time and the grass grows by itself so you can’t just cut of the nutrients and water supply in the veldt. So this method would not work on our bicycle trails.
Cutting down the grass with machines- using our own equipment would be to cut down the grass. This would be using the brush cutter, slasher and the hedge cutters to cut down grass and hanging branches in the trails. You would also use a spade or pick to dig out any stumps growing out the trails.
Solution- mechanical and chemical works hand in hand because first you would spray the herbicide over the grass to kill it and then you would walk past with your brush cutter and other equipment to cut down the grass. So we would use both on the trails to reduce the amount of grass.
Chemical  to be used
Roundup- chemicals used as herbicide to spray over the grass to kill the grass.
Safety for working with chemical- when working with any chemical it is dangerous and must remember to use your safety equipment when doing so. This is just to protect your own health and to abide by the OHS in the work place to protect yourself and your colleges.
Essential to mix correctly- when mixing chemicals remember it is very important to know what you working with. You need to do your research on the chemical and get professional help on using the right chemicals for the job. When mixing the chemicals you must read the product instructions usually attached to the bottle itself for safety guidelines.
We will be using chemical method on the trails to spray the grass to make it easier for us to cut it down and so that the grass stays dead for a while longer then if you just cut the grass down using mechanical means.
Round up-
What is it-Roundup is a popular herbicide used specifically to kill weeds in gardens and on lawns. Monsanto, the company that produces Roundup, held an active patent on its active ingredient, glyphosate, until 2000. In that year, the rights to the patent were released, and although Roundup remains the leading brand of weed killer, more than 7 million pounds of glyphosphate are now applied to lawns every year under several different product names .

what does it do-The active ingredient that allows Roundup to kill weeds is glyphosphate--more significantly, the isopropylamine salt of glyphosphate. Glyphosphates work by interfering with the synthesis of the essential amino acids that are needed for the plant to grow.

how does it work-Roundup is very easy to use and kills all known common weeds in most cases. If you have a weed you want to get rid of, simply point and spray. For more specific weed killing, such as within flowerbeds or on your lawn, Roundup Gel is ideal as it can be used with extreme precision.
Effects
Protective Clothing
⦁ Wear protective clothing when handling or applying the herbicide to reduce chances of hazard. Wear eyeglasses, gloves, full pants, closed-toe shoes and long sleeves. Eyeglasses prevent instances of direct spray or drift in the eyes, while gloves and protective clothing prevent contact with the skin, especially if it is sensitive. The manufacturer Monsanto suggests wearing chemical-resistant butyl rubber or neoprene rubber gloves that are 8 milli-inches thick.
Wind Drift
⦁ Never spray the herbicide on a windy day. Select a clear day for spraying, preferably with no forecast of rain for 8 hours afterward, so the chemicals penetrate the undesired plant completely without being washed out. According to Monsanto, chances of drift are lowest when wind speeds are below 10 miles per hour.
Human Consumption
⦁ Roundup causes severe skin irritations or gastrointestinal problems when it gets on the skin, is breathed or ingested by humans. If swallowed, immediately give the victim water or milk and seek medical attention. If inhaled, immediately move the victim to an open area with fresh air and good circulation before seeking medical attention. Open the eyes and flush with water if Roundup comes in contact with the eyes. In case of accidental spills, scrub the part of the skin the herbicide came in contact with, using soapy water.
Desired Plant Safety
⦁ Roundup kills any plant it comes in contact with, whether a desirable flower or noxious weed. During application, spray the chemical herbicide only on the plants you want to kill. Cover surrounding plants with a tarp to prevent the herbicide from reaching them, or slip a bucket over a desirable plant to reduce chances of drift. Also, adjust the nozzle of the sprayer to spray a thin layer as opposed to a wide-angled jet.
Other Precautionary Measures
⦁ Although not flammable, Roundup produces combustible hydrogen gas when it comes in contact with galvanized steel. Use stainless steel, plastic, fibre glass or plastic-lined containers and tanks when mixing, applying or storing the herbicide.
Do not use Roundup to kill undesirable plants near a fishpond or water garden, and do not pour it into a stream or pond. Opt- For an environmentally safer method of weed control around such areas, such as hand pulling.
Price-
The Roundup ratio with the water tanker is 3%.
A bottle of 20L roundup costs R 960
Have to spray about 45km long x 2m wide
In total we have to spray about 45000m x 2m=90000m2  (90 km2)
75  of roundup to make a 3% mix in 2500.A tank of round up lasts about 3.9km which contains 75L round up.
3.9km/90km
=24 x (3,7x R960=3552)
=R85248 to get enough round up to spray all the bicycle trails which is 90km in total
 Trails that have be cut already and trail which have to be sprayed-


Black lines= 45km of bicycle trails which still needs to be done.
White lines=bicycle trails which has been slashed with the tractor already.












So my conclusion is that on the trails which has been marked with black we need to do as priority over the other bicycle trails. We need to drive through and spray round up on the trails, walk through the trails and cover holes using spades and cut out tree stumps and make sure the trails are open wide enough for horses and bicycles to get through. On the white trails (the trails which have been slashed) we need to just spray herbicide because they have already been slashed.  We need to spray the herbicide on a 2m wide spread for 90km2 which needs to be finished before the 18th of May for the bicycle race.
Problem area on the trails.
Marked with

Matthew checked
Tiaan checked












Construction road straight through trails
Holes being dug away
Grass starting to grow on sides of trails already
   Yellow trail




Grass needs to be slashed and sprayed

Grass needs to be slashed and sprayed

Tree’s branches growing into trails
 
Red, white trai

Red, white bicycle trail
Bushes growing into the paths
No markers have been painted
 
Burnt tree’s hanging over trails and branches fallen over trail
Can’t even see the trail
 
Burnt tree’s hanging over trails and branches fallen over trail

Holes been dug in the trails and badly eroded away
 
Green trails- the green trail is in the burnt area and only some pieces need attention. The trail itself needs some levelling and there are patches that needs to be slashed
White trail- pleasant on some areas as it has been sprayed halfway. Some of the pieces of the road has not yet been sprayed or slashed. There are some big holes in the road that need patching, near the chalet area.
Blue trail- no blue markers on the trail doesn’t exist
Yellow trail- no trail visible in some areas. Very over grown and needs to be sprayed and slashed. A few low hanging branches were seen on this trail as well.
Orange trail- followed the trail up until rock number 12. The trail was partially sprayed and slashed in certain areas. No really big holes or bumps were noticed, only small bumps and holes. And some low lying branches.
Problem areas
The most common problem on all the bicycle trails is that parts of the trails is over grown and aardvark holes have been dug everywhere. We drove through the trails on the quad bikes and lots of the areas also have hanging branches in the trails or the poles have been knocked over or just missing.
I went through the yellow and red trails which parts are very well done and other parts you can’t even see the trail. The blue trail which has been marked on the paths doesn’t exist. The sections on the map from 8-7 through the chalets you can’t even see the road. The other problem we must look at is the construction road dug away parts of the trails so we need to come up with a plan to fix those parts of the trails or if we should just leave it. All these trails can be slashed again and gone through with round up and areas need to be treated.
Proposals (all planning can be presented for proposals at a further point)
The biggest problem with our bicycle trails is there aren’t enough people that walk/ride the trails. In these past few weeks I have realized that the main focus on Sondela is to attract bicycle riders but there are so many things that we can do on the farm to attract more families to use our bicycle trails so that they the paths don’t get over grown and not used any more.
The main 4 thing we can do on the trails are
⦁ Hiking- hiking needs to be more promoted on Sondela. We very focused at the moment on bicycle trails but maybe we can promote a few of the trails as hiking trails. We don’t want to mix bicycle trails and hiking trails because of the reason if you come around the corner on a trail and a bicycle is coming at you then the person has to jump in the bush. So if we close off the bicycle trails say around the chalets then people can walk and see the animals and relax.
⦁ Bicycle riding-fine as it is.
⦁ Quad bikes- we can start taking guests on game drives with the quad bikes especially the children which are to young to drive. We can choose bicycle trails and then take them deeper into the bush where you can get closer to the animals and teach the guests more about the bush. This will promote the quad bikes and the trails to get more activity on to the trails which is needed.
⦁ Horses- the horse trails is still in the process of being finished but in the mean time we can use the bicycle trails for the horses to ride on. All of our activities we can use on the bicycle trails and make it a wider spread.
The biggest problem that we have on Sondela is that there is not enough traffic on the trails so the grass starts growing over the trails. If we want to hit things off with a bang then Sondela could promote everything in the holidays. The June/ July holidays are almost here and we can promote horse game drives and quad drives and hiking and bicycle riding.  We need to find a way to get all these activities out in to the bush and get more people interested in spending the money on it.
The most common way to attract guests to something is to make it look amazing. We needs to change the pamphlets in reception so it isn’t  just about bicycle trails we need to show the guests what they can do with the horses and show the guest what they can do on the quads on different trails. For example you can say here is all our trails and each trail has its own price then the guests can go to reception and choose what trail they want to do on the farm with the quads or horses. Promote bush walks- for two days of the week in the holidays we can make a special on bush walks where the guests get dropped off at the trail and walk around with a guide around tambuki or the flats. We can hold one night a week a bush walk at night where all the guests take torches and a guide and see how different the bush is at night compared to the day.
The other attractions are we could organize for team building out in the bush so that when companies come here then they can go out in to the bush for the morning. I have been to a few other resorts where they do different activities in the bush or play games with the children. We have all the recourses on Sondela to do this.
Jnr rangers
We need to look into ways of attracting more children for the rangers program. A few years ago I went to a different resort where basically all the parents drop their children off with the employees and the employees have all the games and a whole list of things for the children to play. The resort had built go carts and played hide and seek. Stuff like this that children love to play. We also need to start walking the trails more with the jnr rangers saving money on petrol and getting more in touch with nature. When I have walked the trails every time I see animals up close even though some are scary up close and a bit intimidating but it’s a lot more interesting to see it from up close. The only problem we need to think about is that it is small children which get tied quickly and then start complaining. This is the difficult part about jnr rangers.
School camps
Just about every high school has a bush school. We started last year with a camp but then it never happened again. We have the second year rg students have enough experience in the bush the only thing they might need is a chef and a medic for obvious reasons. When I went to bush school then we hiked from one spot where ever the bus dropped us and we walked with all out stuff to the camp site.  We could set up a schedule for this to attract school camps on to the farm. The advantage about this is that the children go home and they tell their parents all about it and want to come back because they had such a good time before.



Not really used for much




Basically if you want the schools to come and have bush school then you don’t want them to think there is any civilization around where they are camping. the problem with this is that we would have to set up a set course where the school students would walk on and then we would have to set up a team building area where obviously the students could do different activities and different challenges. Research would have to be done at a school that is looking to use this service and ask them what exactly they are interested in. This Sondela could bring in a lot of money especially if they look at the right schools.
One idea is that we split up the whole group into three groups. Then in those three days the three groups have say 20 objectives that they should accomplish in the time limit under the guidance of one of the students in the group. Then the group that does the best and accomplishes the task the best wins the whole competition. While they doing this then they busy learning how to work in a group and how to work in the bush. We make it fun and everybody gets something out of this. The reason for this idea is that lots of young people would like to go and work in the bush but they not sure so if we do this camp it would promote Sondela’s name and it would be open to a few schools and the students that want to come to Sondela in the future.
I would like to organize a meeting with a few school directors (people in charge of camps) and ask them what they would want to get out of it if they send their students here for a camp. Then we could get a general idea of what we need to accomplish and set up activities for a camp where we take say 5 people into the bush and teach them everything about the bush that we know. Teach them what fruit they can eat and teach them about the bush. Need to map out a trail and then each day hike to a certain point on the farm, camp there for the night and then move on again in the morning. Teach them about fires and the conservation guardianship. All this is supposed to do is to promote Sondela and give them a little bit of a taste for the future and what they can do when they older.
Geo catching
What is geo catching-Geo-caching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.
What is the point-To develop the skills involved in using a GPS, to fellowship with like minded folks, to have something to do while out hiking around that is fun and entertaining, To hide stuff so that other people with like minds will have fun, To find really cool stuff, to get really good at it and teach others.
How we can use this- this activity it to attract families to Sondela to partake in. We can promote a big event about different families partaking in this event. The point of this event that takes place is to put different boxes all over Sondela which is impossible to find in one day. We but the boxes all over the farm and if the guests wants to partake in this even then they must say pay R50 to get the first set of coordinates and then they go off to find the box. In the box is the coordinates with the next boxes location and a token which they must put in the next box. How this works is that each family has a token which they keep. Then when they find the first box there should be another token in the box which they swop with and then they have a new token. This means that there should always be a token in the box unless the token goes missing. The boxes we can make so that animals don’t destroy them and put them like a meter from the bicycle trails and in trees and stuff. It should be easy to find but obviously not to difficult either. The point of this is to get the guests on to the trails without thinking exercising and it is nice for example bonding with your son. This is a lot of fun and should get the people going and as a bonus it shouldn’t be too expensive to start up.

second year game ranch management

harvesting fauna and flora
 Question 4: What type of data will you collect after a harvesting activity, to create an accurate picture of the operation?


























These forms you need to fill out when collecting the specimen which helps create and keep record of the specimen. It gets all the information out of the collector allowing people to see what specimen was found and the description.
Question 5: Why do you need to collect the following data?
a)    Size-to know how big the transport or equipment should be to cut or transport the harvested things.
b)    Gender-when harvesting antelope or animals you need to know what gender it is to make sure that you have the right equipment is used. For example male antelope you need to put pipes over the horns so they don’t injure each other.
c)     Weight- when transporting harvested goods you need an approximate weight so the vehicles are big enough to transport and strong enough for example there is a big difference between a marola and sikelbos or an eland and an elephant.
d)    Location caught-an important part of marketing you need to know where the harvested goods are from for the fact that people do ask questions and also there is a difference in the animals from different part of the country in the colouration.
e)    Bag limits (where relevant)-when harvesting tree’s then the bad limit applies which means that you can only harvest so many tree’s and once you reach the limit then you have to stop otherwise it falls under poaching.
f)      Permit and permit conditions (where relevant)- when harvesting on another persons farm you have to get a permit and a letter of permission from the farmer giving permission to harvest on his farm, same with hunting animals. On your permit it says what you can harvest, what sex where and how many.
g)     Amount harvested- it is important to show on the permit how many the harvester is able to harvest. The reason for this is you don’t want the harvester to come in and kill everything in the area and then you left with no animals or trees in the area.
h)    Weight (catch and returns)- when harvesting animals you sometimes catch more animals then you supposed to and need to release them back. The most famous catch and release comes from fishing which is if you not going to eat the fish then put it back in the dam to carry on living. Meaning you should never catch just for the sake of catching only what you need.
Question 6: Write a policy and procedure that need to be handed and discussed with the harvesters to ensure that the follow the agreed-to ‘rules of harvesting’:
Policy and procedures for harvesting
When harvesting on Sondela you need to go through the policy and procedures for harvesting which basically means the rules of the company. Under the policy for harvesting you need to cover the
-permit conditions: when harvesting anything you need to attain a permit which allows you to harvest in that specific area and the specific animal or tree ect. The permit also contains the amount the harvester is allowed to harvest and what species. The reason for this is so that if silver cluster is a protected species in Limpopo then when you apply for the permit to harvest they government can allow maybe 50kg of wood but then they have to harvest other tree’s so that it doesn’t become an endangered species. The permit is essential otherwise it falls under poaching and be arrested for this action.
-type of harvest- need to specify and ask for permission to harvest fauna or flora which has a big difference and impact on the environment if not harvested correctly along with which session to harvest in.
-Transport conditions- the company needs to know exactly what vehicles or transport is allowed on to the farm for harvesting procedures and the reason for this is security risks. You don’t want any person on the farm to come and help themselves. The other reason is that for ecological reasons such as bush destruction and soil erosion you don’t want to many vehicles running around on the farm which can have an effect after time on your land
-what they going to harvest- need to specify what type of harvest is going to take place on the farm so that the managers can work out the numbers which can be harvested. The problem is that the managers on the farm need to watch the farm. If they see that there is to much of one tree in the farm and it is becoming an invader species they can call in a harvester to thin out the bush. If they see that there is to many male impala’s on the farm then they can sell the rams to another farm. So when the harvester comes in he needs to know all the detail ect.
-amount of labour used-you need to let the farm know how much labour is going to be acquired for the reason that on that farm you might only be allowed a labour force of so many. You need to know exactly what labour is moving on the farm so that you know if there are any suspicious people on the farm. The other reason is for the pay which if you use more people then the amount paid should be more.
-equipment used- falls under you OHS agreement. The reason why you need to know what is happening under you OHS agreement is so that you know and understand what equipment you should use and how to use it.
-area which worked in- marked off areas that you should harvest under. The reason for this is that if you are trying for example to rehabilitate tan area then harvesters come in and kill everything then you sit back at square one with the problem. So they must understand what exactly needs to happen and where so they don’t disturb the eco-system.
-bag limits- a bag limit is exactly how much the harvester can harvest. This either casn be put into numbers or kilograms. The reason for this is that you cant just say you only allowed 100kg of impala to harvest. So usually your animals are done in numbers and your tree’s and bushes are done in weight. This is the amount and harvesters know that they not allowed to go over the bag limit.
-labour law- the manager in the department should know exactly what the labour law for the department fall under and what exactly the laws are for employees working under him. This includes leave and hours and pay ect. It is important to know this otherwise the employees can take you to court for breaking the labour law.
-contract- all the above should be included in the contract of the harvester on the farm so that if the harvester breaches the contract or the farm doesn’t stick to its word one of the two parties can take action against the other.
Question 7a: Describe what sound human relations are:
 Human relations is an important part of any company. The reason for that is the relationship between the employees in the company and also guest and customers which the employees have to have a good relationship with. Sound human relations means basically that you need to keep the relationship between “humans” relaxed and without problems. The easiest way to do this is to work hard with your employees on your guest relations and customer service which in the end will improve.
Question 7b: Why is it important to constantly maintain sound human relations?
 The reason to keep your human relations up is to make sure that your customers come back. The customer forms 80% of the company and you have employees that don’t handle your employee’s right and are rude then you are going to lose your customers because of that. So it is important to keep that up and make sure your employees are trained in doing so.
Question 7c: How would you as a supervisor of the harvesting team, ensure that sound human relations are followed?
 Before a new employee is set as a part of the company then you need to make sure that the employee is aware of the rules and regulations. When you see that employees are carrying tension then you need to step in and sort out the problem before there is a big problem between the employees. You need to make sure that your teams run effectively and can work well together and happy with their job otherwise you work efficiency will go down and production.
Question 8a:  Describe what management objectives the wood harvesters have:
 Production-need to make sure that their production line is kept up with and if they say that they are going to harvest 100 bags of wood once a week then they need to make sure that the objective is complete.
Products- need to make sure if they harvest that the product that they supplying to the public is properly maintained and the product is professional and as promised to the public otherwise the public won’t buy the product from you and you will lose your customers.
Price- need to make sure that the price is right for the customers and make sure that is enough that they paying so that it covers your production costs and not high enough so that the customers pay to much for your product.
Proficiency- need to be professional with your company or business that you run and make sure that in the end your employees are happy with the work that they do and your business is surviving. The other reason to be professional is keeping your word so if you say you going to do something then you do it and don’t keep people waiting the whole time.
Question 8b: Why is it important to stay according to the management objectives?
 It goes with being professional and making sure that if you say that you are going to do something that you does it. The reason for this is that if you say you going to have a meeting and then you don’t pitch then it is un-professional. The other reason is to keep with your production so that you don’t fall behind with your work and then you slow down your production and business because you lose out on work. It is very important to keep with the schedule that you have and make sure that your employees understand what is going on and don’t fall behind either.
Question 8c: How would you as a supervisor of the harvesting team, ensure that the management objectives are followed?
With easiest way to keep track of all the work that you need to do is to set up lists and a scatter chart. In you lists you can assign different jobs to different employees and then follow up with what they have to do. Make sure that the job is done correctly and make sure that if it isn’t you improve and teach the employees how to do it better in the future. I scatter chart is a year calendar with different job that have to be done and it shows how much time you have to do it in and when to start and when to be finished and then time that it took over time to finish the job. This is a good way to keep track of the jobs to be done under you.
Question 9a: What information is required to maintain a harvest management system?
The information that is needed to maintain a harvest management system is easily acquired. You need to know what is going on in the field and need to know what all your employees are doing. You need to know the laws which are very important and need to make sure that your employees know what they doing. You can have several people working under you to make sure that the jobs are being done and in each field you can make sure that people are doing the work supposed to be done.
Question 9b: Write a report containing all of the information that is mentioned in Question 9a, the report can be written on harvesting of flora, fauna or even both.
Harvesting of flora
When harvesting takes place on Sondela there are a few things that have to happen before thins takes place. The person in charge of that division is phil which manages and harvests himself. What he does is before the harvest takes place he needs to find out usually by Sieg which is the head of department under conservation. He find out what exactly can be harvested on the farm and where can he harvest. Then they will give him a map with marked off areas where the harvest can take place. Then Phil takes out the employees into the bush to start harvesting. Usually most of the tree’s to be harvested are green so they will do into the area and chop down the tree’s and then wait for them to dry out before putting them into smaller pieces. The reason for this is that green wood doesn’t burn well and usually smokes a lot which irritates the customers which receive the wood. Once the wood is dry then they harvesters will go and cut the tree and to pieces around 1m long. This is just to make it easier to carry and transport. Then all the wood harvested is loaded onto the truck and transported to the harvesting bay. What happens then is the wood is cut into smaller pieces and then put into bags and sold to Sondela. Phil always goes out and makes sure that his employees are cutting down the right trees and has employees under him which are very experienced in the job and take care of the work while he is busy with other work. He trains all his employees on how to work the different equipment and makes sure that they do the correct work. Sondela higherd him as a harvester on the farm so he has his own contract which he works under and the reason why Sondela employed him is because he things out the bush for us and brings in money for Sondela for the harvested wood.
Question 10: How would you ensure the following?
⦁ That the harvest in practically ⦁ successful.
Depending on what you are harvesting you could ask the customers or people with past experience to assess the harvest and make sure that the harvest is running smoothly and if there are problems then you can make sure that you are aware and improve on the problems
⦁ That the harvest is capable
Go out into the area where the harvest is going to take place and assess the area to make sure that the harvest can be done and is capable and then look at the harvester and make sure that all the right equipment is being used and the employees are capable of working with the equipment.
c)     That the harvest is done in a good time frame
by using a scatter chart you can see when you falling behind in a harvest and make sure with good management you are able to complete the harvest in the time frame given other wise if a problem keeps accruing then action steps must be taken.
Question 11: After attending a harvesting operation, assess the days’ harvest to distinguish whether it was successful or not. Post your assessment:
When I helped with the harvesting of fauna the operation went well and there were not any problems.
The game capture
 The task at hand was to do the chemical game capture and perform it on kudu bulls, wildebeest bull and impala rams. In order to perform chemical game capture you need to have a vet on hand to perform the darting. The vet has to also administer the drugs into the animals for transportation. We got the first years to go out in different teams to perform the capture on the different bulls and rams. Then the second years went with our supervisors and the vets to go out and dart the kudu bull. We jumped onto the back of the cruiser and then got briefed on the way to go dart. We were told to keep quiet and not make any sudden movements. We went out in to the 400 hector and went on the search for the kudu bull. When we finally caught up with the other cruiser they had already darted the bull and we followed the other cruiser. Now how it works is the dart that went in to the kudu bull and the dart contains a tracker which goes in to the kudu. Now on the cruiser the vet had a radio which picks up the frequency of the dart which allows us to track the kudu after it has been darted. When we came close and the signal got strong then we all climbed off the cruisers and went further on foot. When we got to the kudu then the first thing that we had to go is pick up the kudu’s head to open the airwaves. Then we had to roll it over on to its legs which are folded under the body to help the kudu breath. Then we moved the kudu onto a stretcher and 3 of use carried it on each side and then two people carried the horns so that they don’t hurt the people carrying the body. Then we moved the kudu on to the cruiser and climbed on. We had to remember that while doing this you have to keep watch of the animals eyes in case the animal wakes up for any reason. The other thing we had to do was to check that the animal waking it up eventually is still breathing by putting your hand just in front of the nose making sure that the animal breathes out. When we got back to the trailer then we loaded the kudu into its trailer and then watched the vet administer the drugs into the kudu.
Who was involved?
Sieg, Arno, Second years, Pip, Vets on standby and Armand and Kyle
What happened?
Chemical game capture
When did it take place?
2013-03-19
Where did it take place?
It took place on Sondela Nature Reserve in the 400 hector
Why did it take place?
So Sondela can make some money off their bigger game and to lower the amount of game on the farm.