| Nature’s ‘madman’ takes steps to go wild with Namibia |
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| Written by Staff Reporters | |||
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When Gert Joubert announced two years ago his intention to persuade the government to turn the whole of Namibia into a game reserve, most people thought he had gone nuts. But Joubert, never one to sit back and wait for things to happen, has moved along steadily, working on his dream of turning Namibia into a wildlife park.
Secondly, Erindi, which traditionally was a hunting ranch, has increased its game population and started introducing many new species some of which are not even native to the area. Where else can the tourist see hippos and crocodiles next to sables and roans, and that smack in the middle of relatively dry bush. Only last week, Joubert announced by e-mail that it is his intention to trans-locate 100 elephants from the Caprivi to Erindi Game Park. After waiting three years for approval, the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management has finally approved the relocation of the elephants, he said. It is his intention, using the expertise of world-renowned wildlife expert, Dr Douw Grobler, to dart and move entire breeding herds from their Caprivi home grounds to their new habitat at Erindi. Experts are doubtful that Erindi can carry so many elephants pointing out that the type of vegetation is very different from the Caprivi and that such a large number of elephants will quickly propagate and become several hundred. Joubert was in the news in South Africa recently when he turned 60. To mark this big number, he decided to give a plot of land in Erindi to each of his 60 best friends. SA newspaper articles stated at the end of May, Joubert is negotiating with the government for permission to start a tourist village on Erindi and the first 60 plots to his friends marked the beginning of this new venture. But it turns out, the notion of making the entire country a wildlife preserve is not new. A retired state veterinarian, Dr Jan Coetzee told the Economist Johnnie Hamman senior already mooted the idea in the seventies and conservation pioneer, Dr Bernabe de la Bat was also known for his advice to farmers: “get rid of cattle and turn your ranches into hunting and leisure spots.” This was confirmed last week when his widow, now living near Cape Town, told the Economist her late husband, despite his enormous achievements in nature conservation, was always ridiculed by farmers for his farsighted approach to wildlife management and its economic potential. Nevertheless, Joubert, through his efforts at Erindi, is certainly taking his own not-so-small steps in covering a much larger part of the country under the protection-for-revenue banner. |
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