Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 3 July 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Professors Gerhard Steenkamp and Adrian Tordiffe from the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort have travelled to Cambodia to perform a tusk extraction procedure on an elephant. Steenkamp says the journey leading up to this huge undertaking began about 18 months ago, when doctor Navaneetha Roopan visited the Kulen Elephant Forest, where he noticed an elephant with a fractured tusk:

# The South African Weather Service has warned that a potent cold front brings along disruptive rain, snow, and severe conditions to several regions. The Western and Northern Cape expect heavy rain and floods while the Drakensberg highlands may see snowfall. Temperatures are expected to plummet in Gauteng and southern Mpumalanga tomorrow, with Johannesburg experiencing chilly to freezing temperatures. Meanwhile, strong winds threaten veld fires in the Northern Cape’s interior. South Africans are urged to remain cautious amid the extreme weather.

# And finally: A United Nations report shows the Horn of Africa is facing its worst drought in 70 years. This follows multiple failed rainy seasons in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. In Somalia alone, an estimated 43-thousand people died from drought-linked hunger in 2022. The UN also says drought has devastated both people and wildlife elsewhere in Africa, with hippos stranded in dry riverbeds in Botswana and elephants culled in Zimbabwe and Namibia to prevent overgrazing and feed hungry communities.

Stay tuned for more news…………