Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 26 September 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# South African National Parks is launching its 2040 vision in Sandton, Johannesburg, aiming to enhance future conservation. Board chairperson, Pam Yako, highlighted the plan’s focus on creating climate-resilient, sustainable protected areas, promoting national pride, and involving all South Africans. She emphasised that advanced technology will drive the initiative to address current environmental challenges and strengthen ecosystems:

# Over 130 hippos are stranded in muddy water at Munambeza Pond, due to severe drought in Namibia’s Zambezi region. Five hippos have died. Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda says boreholes have been drilled to pump water and sustain the hippos until the rainy season. He urges locals not to provoke wildlife or eat hippo meat:

# And finally: Finland announced the early return of two giant pandas to China due to the costs involved. Lumi and Pyry were supposed to stay in the Ähtäri Zoo until 2032, but the park decided to send them back due to inflation and debt linked to the Covid 19-pandemic. It says it costs 29-million-rand a year to take care of the animals, while the Finnish government wasn’t prepared to share the costs. The giant pandas will soon go into a month-long quarantine before their trip to China.

Stay tuned for more news………….