You don’t often see killer whales in Algoa Bay (in the Eastern Cape, South Africa), so you can imagine the excitement when Raggy Charters – Marine-Eco Cruises spotted TWELVE of them this week! “Initially we saw two males with their tall dorsal fins breaking the surface,” says Raggy Charters. “As we looked around our catamaran […]

Cape fur seals are washing up dead on the Cape Coast in South Africa, with instances of up to 80 seal carcasses found along the coast (although witnesses say they’ve personally counted more than 200 in one go). This week current affairs programme Carte Blanche investigates what could be the cause of the mass seal […]

It’s not often you find an elephant in your garden, but a family who live in the Kruger National Park returned home on Sunday to discover they’d had an unexpected visit from an elephant while they were out! Fortunately, their neighbour managed to evict the uninvited guest, and film the incident. Watch below. Dutch expat, […]

CAPE TOWN – The South African government is marking World Wildlife Day with trophy hunting quotas that will sacrifice vulnerable leopards, endangered elephant and critically endangered black rhino “as conservation tool(s)”… although their conservation claim is being undermined by a new report which shows that 83% of exported trophies from SA are in fact captive-bred […]

Eastern Cape tourism relies on the influx of sun worshipers and water sports enthusiasts to East London’s white beaches and the Nahoon Estuary Nature Reserve. So, why are ageing pipes and broken pump stations leaking sewage (which stinks!) into this tourist treasure? Carte Blanche investigates… “It’s unbelievable to imagine that we are in one of […]

Two convicted rhino poachers have been handed lengthy jail terms by the Skukuza Regional court. The two men from Mozambique were arrested in Satara section of the Kruger National Park (KNP) on 22 May 2019 by Rangers. The rangers had been alerted to an incident by the sound of shots being fired. They responded and found […]

After nearly four years and eight thousand miles, Born Free’s ‘Lions of Lockdown’ have finally reached African soil as they make it to the safety and sanctuary of their forever home. Born Free founder Virginia McKenna OBE, said: “I am overjoyed our ‘Lions of Lockdown’ are now at Shamwari, loved and respected as they deserve. […]

Amarula, one of the most famous elephants in Africa, has sadly passed away at the age of 65. Amarula was the biggest bull elephant in Pilanesberg National Park, which had become his home in 1998 when he and a few other ellies were moved over from the Kruger National Park. Amarula made international headlines in […]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Tlalamba, a four-year-old leopard, has achieved much in her short life. She’s queen of her mother’s old territory, borne two cubs and, so far, is the most sought-after animal on her reserve among buyers of a new project selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to raise money for conservation. By Emma Rumney. What are […]

This week a groundbreaking judgement was passed in South Africa, in a case of animal cruelty involving reptiles. According to the NSPCA, which opened the case, the judgment is the biggest legal win for reptiles in SA history and “will have a lasting impact in future cases of cruelty involving reptiles”. Back in 2019, the […]

CAPE TOWN – African Clawless Otters are really endearing… but please don’t interact with them. That’s the message from wildlife experts as South Africans experience an increase of sightings of the adorable animals around the Western Cape’s shores. Animal protection organisations are seeking to remind the public that near-threatened African Clawless Otters are a wild […]

Safari lovers around the world have two weeks left for a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime safari experience in South Africa with the country’s famous ‘Lion Whisperer’ Kevin Richardson. It’s a great opportunity for expats who are missing home – to not only win a holiday back in SA, but to also be helping ensure […]

There’s arguably nothing as chilled as a chilled hippo! South African photographer Jackie Cilliers captured these incredible photos of a hippopotamus basking in the sun, casually lying on its back with its pink belly up, in the Kruger National Park a few years ago. The rare sight was such a delight that one of the […]

The African hero rat (HeroRAT) Magawa, who made the world a safer place by sniffing out over 100 landmines during his career in Cambodia, before retiring last year, sadly passed away over the weekend, at the age of eight. In September 2020 the tiny, huge hero made international headlines when he became the first rat […]

Pigcasso, the abstract expressionist painter and rescued pig from South Africa, has made headlines abroad with the announcement this week that one of her paintings has sold for an incredible £20,000. Pigcasso’s page said on Wednesday: “WILD AND FREE (Pigcasso 2021) MAKES HISTORY! The magnificent Masterpiece that has inspired a global record has sold to […]

Environmentalists and community groups assemble expert evidence… By Tania Broughton International and local experts have filed affidavits in support of attempts to stop Shell’s seismic survey off the Wild Coast. On Friday the Makhanda High Court will hear the application for an interdict to stop the survey. A previous attempt to get an interdict failed […]

A festive family in South Africa got a shock after putting up their Christmas tree and decorating it – when a deadly poisonous SNAKE poked its head out from behind a bauble! British family Rob and Marcela Wild were admiring their just-up fir with children Edward and Sahara when they suddenly spotted the venomous boomslang. […]

You wouldn’t be surprised to see a game of snakes and ladders under the Christmas tree… but imagine the shock for a Western Cape family, when they saw a real live snake IN their Christmas Tree. And it wasn’t just any snake. It was a boomslang… which is of course named for the fact that […]

The rhino poaching suspects in the devastating massacre last week of four rhino on a private game reserve – Inverdoorn – near Ceres in the Klein Karoo, have been arrested and will soon appear in court, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS). There was shock and outrage last week after the four majestic […]

Japanese scientists at Kyoto Prefectural University have developed a ground-breaking face mask – utilising antibodies extracted from ostrich eggs – that enables an easy way to identify if someone has contracted Covid-19. According to Kyodo News, the team said in a press release that the masks glow when they’re exposed to ultraviolet light IF they […]

The South African National Parks (SANParks) has today (Sat 11 Dec) warned social media users about a video being shared which shows a severely injured White Rhino cow. The video is distressing to watch, warned SANParks. The gruesome discovery of the badly mutilated female rhino was made by SANParks’ rhino dehorning team on Thursday, in […]

A pod of Humpback Whales frolicking off the shores of Cape Town has spent the week entertaining residents and holiday makers in the Western Cape, South Africa. Since last Saturday the whales have been spotted along the coast, most recently at Mouille Point. South Africans lined up along the coast to watch them, some even […]

A whale carcass was sadly found washed ashore in Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday (Thurs 9 Dec). By nightfall the carcass, which had beached amongst rocks on the Sea Point shoreline, had been removed. Jacques du Toit, City of Cape Town Environmental Management representative, said it’s “very difficult to say what the cause of death […]

The import of hunting trophies from thousands of endangered and threatened species – including lions, rhinos and elephants from South Africa and other countries on the continent – is set to be banned in Great Britain. The UK’s Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, today announced plans for a a […]

Heartless poachers have brutally shot dead four rhinos at a private game reserve in South Africa, and horrifically wounded a fifth with a shot to the head – just to saw off their horns for cash. The ruthless gang used high-powered rifles fitted with silencers to butcher the herd and even sawed off a fibreglass […]