LEO Africa - South Africa

Octobrer 2022

LEO Africa
Limpopo Eco Operations
LEO Africa carries out a project for the monitoring, conservation and
sustainable life of wildlife, including the "Big 5" in South Africa. This nongovernmental
voluntary project, created in 2005, works only thanks to the
participation and commitment of international volunteers of which we were
part.
Currently LEO Africa manages the ecological aspect of the Abelana Wildlife
Reserve (150km²), located in the North-East of South Africa, near the
Kruger National Park.
I have the feeling that when the LEO team judges that the environment is
well preserved, and that the fauna lives in an optimal and balanced way, it
is likely that LEO will intervene in another wildlife reserve.
LEO's missions:
• • Wildlife management: collect data (number, behavior, state of
health, etc.) on the main animal species present in the reserve (lions,
leopards, elephants, cheetahs, buffaloes, brown and spotted hyenas,
white rhinos).
• • Management of the environment and flora: eradication of alien plant
species, removal of old fences and plastic elements. Pruning of trees
obstructing traffic on the slopes…
• • The data collected is analyzed to assess the numbers of the main
species and to help the management of the reserve to make the right
decisions on future conservation practices.
• • Sensitization of volunteers to the preservation of wildlife and the
environment.
The nearest airport to LEO is Hoedspruit AFB. After 55 minutes of flight
from Johannesburg it takes about 1h30 transfer to LEO.
By car from Johannesburg airport, it takes about 6 hours to reach LEO,
which organizes and takes care of ground transfers for volunteers.
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Limpopo is the name of the province in the North East of South Africa where
LEO's activities are located; it is also the name of the river that materializes
the northern border of this province with Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The extreme east of the Limpopo province is still a border of South Africa,
this time with Mozambique.
The northern half of Kruger National Park is also in Limpopo Province.
The entrance to the Kruger National Park called "Phalaborwa Gate" is only
26km from the LEO buildings. LEO gives its volunteers the opportunity to
spend several days inside the Kruger Park. This is an exceptional
opportunity to discover this extraordinary national park with a qualified
guide, member of the LEO team.
You must be over 18 to volunteer at LEO, the length of stay can vary from
two weeks to several months.
The following pages give you an overview of the missions we have
accomplished with other volunteers during two weeks.
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The « BIG FIVE »:
Regarding the management and protection of wildlife, LEO's action mainly
concerns all of the famous "Big Five" or "Big 5".
Who are these “Big Five”?
They are the african elephant, african buffalo, rhinoceros (originally black,
now black and white), lion and leopard.
Crédit photo: https://a-z-animals.com/blog/the-big-five/
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a fatal celebrity
If the objective of every tourist who goes on a safari in Africa is to see, or
better still, to photograph the "Big Five", in this case the trophy is judged by
the quality of the photo, but there is no not always been so.
In the 19th century, the “Big Five” designated the 5 most difficult african
animal species to kill by a white hunter; to bring the trophy (skin, ivory,
stuffed head or whole animal, etc.) back to Europe or the USA. In 1935,
Ernest Hemingway immortalized these hunts in The Green Hills of Africa
and The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
For 70 years, until 1930, each year up to 100,000 elephants were
slaughtered; populations of rhinos, lions, buffaloes and leopards are
decimated; in danger of extinction.
From 1930 national parks where hunting is prohibited are created by the
States, but the decline of these five species (and others) continues. It was
not until 1973 that an international moratorium prohibited the hunting of the
“Big Five”.
Very quickly, hunting was then replaced by poaching. The "Big Five"
continue to be decimated on a large scale.
Often associated with local corruption, poaching is today the main threat to
the future of many animal species in Africa.
For example, in 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) estimated that the highly profitable ivory trade killed more than
300,000 elephants over the past decade in Africa, driving down their
numbers. 415,000 to 111,000.
So-called “sport” hunting is still practiced in private reserves. The right to
kill a rhino can reach over $50,000.
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LEO Africa
Live to the rhythm of the bush
At LEO, we live to the rhythm of the bush and the bush lives to the rhythm
of the seasons.
The bush is a forest of leafy shrubs including many thorny ones.
October is the second and last month of spring, it is soon the end of the dry
season and the end of the very hot weather. During our stay at LEO in early
October 2022, the afternoon temperatures were 35°C, reaching 41°C for 3
days.
The vegetation is very dry, the trees do not yet have their foliage, the rivers
and natural water holes are mostly dry.
This season is conducive to the observation of animals that concentrate
around the few water points that are still supplied. The many migratory birds
will only arrive with the return of the rains in early November.
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The life of volunteers is organized according to the sun and adapts to the
rhythms of the seasons and weather conditions.
A first "drive" leaves after breakfast, a little before sunrise, the return to base
is around 11:30 am. The alarm clock is very early, around 4:45 am…
Everyone meets for lunch which is taken quite quickly.
The second “drive” starts around 3 p.m. and often continues beyond sunset
for nighttime observations.
Everyone meets for dinner.
The volunteers take turns helping out with some household chores.
Friday afternoon is devoted to the supply of food in a supermarket in
Phalaborwa, the volunteers take the opportunity to buy what they cannot
find at LEO.
Sunday is a rest day.
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Wildlife management
Tracking a lioness
and her 3 young lions
To ensure the good health of an
animal and to check that it has not
been the victim of poachers, you
must at least see it, but where to
find it in the 150km² of thick bush of
the Abelana wildlife reserve?
Without the help of a
transmitter/receiver tracker, it would
be impossible to find a particular
animal or group of animals.
At least one individual of each “Big
Five” species is fitted with a radio
collar. Using an antenna and a
receiver, LEO's professional guides
can locate the area where the
animal being sought is located. If
this information is essential, it is
rarely precise enough and does not
dispense with a long search or the
use of old tracking methods,
including the reading of footprints
on the ground.
Wanted lioness paw print. For a better
reading of the photo, the contours of the print
have been marked with black/white lines.
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Limpopo est le nom de la province du Nord Est de l’Afrique du Sud où se
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The LEO guides are always
armed, pistol and rifle with real
ammunition.

After a long silent walk in the bush, the LEO
guide in the lead gives a big sign. All the
volunteers stop, motionless we look for the
lioness. We need a few minutes and the
directions given by the guides to
distinguish the lioness in the branches.
All is well with the animals.
She heard and then spotted us a long time
ago. Barely thirty meters separate us from
the lioness, we struggle to distinguish her
three lion cubs. The emotion, the
adrenaline are at their maximum. In the
silence of the bush time has stopped, we
are present in a scene from an animal
documentary, an unforgettable moment.
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It's so fascinating that we almost forget that
we have wild lions in front of us which can
be dangerous.
In the lead, the LEO guide gives the signal
for departure, we leave without haste, still
in silence dazzled by what we have just
experienced.
Photo: A young male lion observes us.
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Rhinos protection
Repr
Patinated fiberglass white rhinoceros
head, in the excellent Selati River
Ruins hotel restaurant located between
Gravelotte and Phalaborwa.
The protection and management of
rhinos by LEO is a very important
and very sensitive subject.
All volunteers must agree not to
broadcast any image or video
representing the rhinos of the
Abelana reserve. It is not forbidden
to take photos of rhinos but you have
to keep them for yourself.
The fear is that these documents will
be used by poachers, the risk is real
and omnipresent.
Poachers kill rhinos and then saw off
their horns. The horns are
consumed in China and Vietnam in
the form of a so-called aphrodisiac
powder and sell for very high prices,
enough to attract poachers who
often act with the complicity of
corrupt locals.
To prevent the rhinos from being
killed, private reserves and some
national parks cut the horns of their
animals, the horns grow back after a
few years.
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esentation of the evolution of the number of
rhinos in Kruger Park
In 2010
End of 2019
According to the managing authority
of the Kruger National Park, in 2010,
more than 10,000 rhinos (black and
white) lived in the Kruger National
Park.
At the end of 2019, there were only
3,817! Rhinos are victims of
poaching associated with local
corruption, their numbers are
decreasing from year to year.
If they are not effectively protected
they will disappear.
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The pangolin
Much less publicized than
rhinoceros poaching, pangolin
poaching is much more massive,
systematic and also so much easier.
It is a species that is in danger of
extinction.
It is consumed in Africa and
especially sold in Asia, where its
meat is considered a luxury dish.
In China and Vietnam,
unsurprisingly, its scales are used in
the composition of powders reputed
to cure diseases and erectile
dysfunction...
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The other victim of
intensive poaching
Its scales are composed like our
nails, that is to say without active
ingredient, these powders are once
again without medical effects.
This small mammal of about 5kg and
about 60cm is the most unusual
animal on the planet and certainly
the most endearing as it seems
fragile despite its apparent armor of
scales.
It walks (quite quickly) on its two hind
legs, its long tail serving as a
stabilizer.
Its front legs with large claws are
used to enlarge the holes of anthills
or termite mounds.
It feeds on insects, ants and
termites. It detects the presence of
insects, then uses its front legs to
enlarge the galleries. Its long tongue
plunges into the galleries, the ants
and termites are brought back into
its mouth which ends in the end of a
snout.
In case of danger he curls up.
Poachers can pick it up without any
difficulty.
In addition to being the cause of
poaching, China has wrongly accused
this harmless animal of being the
source of the Covid19 virus!
Photo credit : https://www.nationalgeographic.fr/animaux/le-pangolindafrique-est-le-mammifere-le-plus-braconne-du-monde
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Wildlife management
Night sightings
Some animals are only visible at
night; this is particularly the case for
the Cape genet, porcupines,
hyenas, owls and eagle owls…
If these observations are essential
to know the populations of
nocturnal species, they remain
difficult to carry out.
At night it is no longer possible to
look for an animal by walking in the
bush, which is too dangerous.
The night makes it very uncertain to
take photographs of these animals,
especially without using flashes
which momentarily blind some
animal species. Some animals like
the genet are too fast to be
photographed.
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To see spotted hyenas, you have to
be cunning, have a strong stomach
and be patient.
The technique involves tying up a
stinky carcass of a mammal and
waiting nearby. The first animals to
arrive are the mosquitoes.
Cries resound, answer each other
in the distance in the bush,
including those of hyenas.
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After 1h30 of waiting quietly, we
realize that the vehicle in which we
are is surrounded at a reasonable
distance by several spotted hyenas:
our reward. The bones of the
carcass are quickly crushed by the
terrible jaws of the hyenas, their
reward.
We go back to dinner for those who
are still hungry…

Wildlife management
Camera traps
Camera traps are firmly fixed to
trees in places deemed strategic.
That is to say in places where the
passage of animals is very likely.
These cameras are either powered
by small solar panels (like here) or
by rechargeable batteries that need
to be replaced every week..
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These cameras are equipped
with a motion detection cell
and are automatically triggered
when an animal passes by.
They work both day and night.
The images are recorded on a
standard SD memory card,
and used in the office by the
LEO guides.
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Well placed, these camera traps
make it possible to confirm the
presence of animals that are very
difficult to observe during the day
and very difficult to encounter at
night.
Two leopards on July 18, 2022
3:36 p.m.
Aardvark on September 21, 2022
11:59 p.m. (Orycteropus afer)
Photos credit: LEO Africa 20

Porcupine on August 17, 2022
7:33 p.m.
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Tea and coffee break
in the bush
Tea and coffee breaks in the middle of
the bush are part of the ritual of any
day spent in the bush. A break is
planned in the middle of the morning,
another in the middle or end of the
afternoon depending on the time
scheduled for the return to base camp.
This is an opportunity to get out of the
vehicle, to chat with the LEO guide and
with our fellow volunteers, it's a
moment of convivial relaxation. The
places chosen by the guide are always
open spaces all around us, safety
always takes precedence.
Tea and coffee break at the end of
the afternoon before a nocturnal
observation.
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Each day, a volunteer is responsible
for the morning tea and coffee break,
another is responsible for the
afternoon one. This involves preparing
thermos bottles of hot water, tea bags,
instant coffee, sugar, milk, cups and
spoons. He is also in charge of placing
the box containing all this in the vehicle
before leaving, then serving the drinks
during the break.
When you return to base life, all that
remains is to clean the cups and
cutlery.
There is an air of Tea Time or Five
O'clock in English, all that's missing
are the cupcakes.
More than a tradition, it is a real
ceremonial which has a name specific
to LEO, this name is “Phusa”, its
meaning is still unknown to me…
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Environmental management
Pruning along the tracks
For the safety of the volunteers
transported in open vehicles of LEO
and that of the tourists transported in
the vehicles of the two lodges of the
Abelana reserve during safaris, it is
important that the tracks are free of any
branches, especially with vegetation
made up of thorny shrubs.
Obstacles are most often made of
branches that lean naturally into the
right-of-way of the track, but there are
also large branches or whole trees
broken by elephants. LEO and the
volunteers are in charge of cutting and
evacuating these branches or trees off
the slopes.
These trees have been
snapped by elephants.
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Environmental management
Ga-Selati river bed cleaning
Elephants are here...
This morning, we (the volunteers) with
our guide LEO are installed in the Ga-
Selati river bed; the objective is the
observation of elephants moving on
the banks of the river.
After a long time spent observing them
from afar, our guide decides to get
closer to the herd, on foot, following the
bed of the river.
We are just beginning our slow and
careful approach when we come to an
area with lots of trash.
Our elephant sighting spontaneously
turns into clearing the river bed, with
our guide ensuring our safety.
There is a lot of waste to evacuate,
including a huge, very heavy wooden
reel. The harvest is fruitful...
We will resume elephant watching
after this cleaning. At that time they are
no longer in the river. We will find them
in the forest but without being able to
approach them on foot, only by car.
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These very thorny succulents look like
prickly pears and grow in the form of
compact clumps.
These very invasive plants are
uprooted and evacuated with great
care.
When we left this "construction site",
this massif had completely
disappeared.
But there were still others who will be
eliminated by other volunteers who will
come after us.
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Some areas of the Ga-Selati river bed
are invaded by a species of plant
native to South America. In this
season, the objective is to collect the
hulls of this plant which contain dozens
of seeds.
In total we collected more than 1100
hulls. The LEO guide burns them in a
metal barrel and controls the fire.
Environmental management
Elimination of alien plants
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The objective is to make this large
cactus die and dry out without cutting it
or dropping it. The natural treatment
started several months ago will have to
be continued for several more months
to completely eliminate this candelabra
cactus.

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Environmental management
Waste removal
Abelana Game Reserve began its
commercial activity in 2020 with the
opening of its two lodges. This
activity was abruptly interrupted until
mid-2022 due to the Covid19
epidemic.
Some old fence elements can be
reused, the rest will be removed by
a scrap dealer.
Before being a certified wildlife
reserve consisting of a single plot of
150km², the land belonged to
several owners who managed
breeding farms including kudu (large
antelope).
From this period there are still a lot
of fence elements, various pieces of
scrap metal, glass bottles, pieces of
plastic...
The waste found in the river comes
from upstream and is brought in as
the water flows.
All of these are potential traps or can
injure animals.
During each trip to the reserve, on
foot or by 4x4, guides and
volunteers track down this waste.
Each time a piece of scrap metal or
plastic is seen, it is systematically
picked up, put in the vehicle and
then stored/sorted within the
enclosure of the base camp.
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The big problem is all that is plastic,
there is no recycling possible
nearby.
The enemy of the environment
and wild animals is plastic, which
must be avoided.
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Wildlife viewing
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White-throated monitor lizard

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Impalas
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Male kudu

Oreotrague or Sassa
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Tawny Eagle

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Life base
LEO base life, strictly reserved for
LEO guides and volunteers, is
located in the Abelana wildlife
reserve, near the North gate of the
reserve and the Abelana River
Lodge. The nearest town,
Phalaborwa is 17km away;
Hoedspruit AFB airport is
approximately 100km away.
LEO base life is made up of
several buildings, in particular a
central building (offices, kitchen,
refectory), a dormitory, one with
individual rooms, and a workshop.
The whole is surrounded by a
fence to prevent animals from the
reserve from entering. All the
buildings are connected to the
electricity network which is backed
up thanks to the solar panels and
batteries installed by LEO.
All over South Africa power
outages / blackouts of about 4
continuous hours occur every
night (sometimes also during
afternoon).
All buildings have running water,
cold and hot; tap water is
drinkable. In the kitchen, filtered
water is also available.
The volunteers take turns taking
part in a few tasks, the most
restrictive is certainly the evening
dishes (we all can't wait to go to
bed), the days start early: the
departure is around 5:30 in the
morning.
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Friday afternoon is reserved for
purchases in a Phalaborwa
supermarket, volunteers can buy
products that they cannot find at LEO
(large pots of yogurt, cereal bars,
pizzas, hamburgers, etc.) a fridge
freezer is reserved for volunteers.
Sunday is rest for everyone.
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Safari with LEO
in
Kruger national Pa
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rk
During the stay at LEO, the possibility of spending two or three days in
Kruger national Park is generally offered to volunteers. Subject to a
minimum number of participants and availability, LEO organizes all
logistics including booking accommodation in the park. From a quality
point of view, the presence of a LEO guide is invaluable, our guide saw
everything before everyone else; it was our lucky charm.
To do without hesitation, to do again if the opportunity arises,
extraordinary.
The Kruger National Park created in 1926 is the largest
game reserve in South Africa and one of the largest in
Africa. It covers almost 20,000 km², is 350 km long from
north to south and 60 km wide from east to west, which
makes its size comparable to the state of Israel.
Its northern limit is on the border with Zimbabwe, its long eastern limit is on
the border with Mozambique. Its southern limit is only a few dozen
kilometers from the kingdom of Eswatini (formerly the kingdom of
Swaziland).
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Safari with LEO
in
Kruger national Pa
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Lion sleeping in
the river bed
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Le Parc national Kruger (Kruger National Park) créé en 1926 est la plus
grande réserve animalière d'Afrique du Sud et l’une des plus grandes
d’Afrique.
Il couvre près de 20 000 km², est long de 350 km du Nord au Sud et large
de 60 km d'Est en Ouest, ce qui rend sa taille comparable à celle de l’état
d'Israël ou à celle du Pays de Galles.
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Pendant le séjour chez LEO, la possibilité de passer deux ou trois jours
dans le parc Kruger est généralement proposée aux bénévoles.
Sous réserve d’un nombre minimum de participants, et des disponibilités,
LEO organise la totalité de la logistique y compris les réservations de
l’hébergement dans le parc.
Chaque participant paie sa part comprenant les frais d’entrée, la taxe de
conservation, son hébergement, sa nourriture, les frais de carburant et
l’usage du véhicule. En plus, chaque participant paie une quotepart
correspondant à l’hébergement, les repas et les droits d’entrée du
chauffeur/guide LEO. D’un point de vue financier l’ensemble est très
compétitif. D’un point de vue qualité, la présence d’un guide LEO est
inestimable, notre guide voyait tout avant tout le monde ; c’était notre porte
bonheur, notre « grigri africain ».
A faire sans hésiter, à refaire si l’occasion se présente, extraordinaire.
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Thank you to the whole LEO
team, Koos, Sabrina, Camilla,
Mike, Michael, Sebastien for
sharing with us your life as a
ranger, your passion for wildlife
and the environment. With you we
filled up with emotions, excellent
souvenirs and photos.
Thanks to our fellow volunteers,
Gina, Karina, Marzia, Niek,
Federico, Paul, Connors, Pier
Luigi, Helgik.
With you we rejuvenated and
brought back a great dose of
optimism for the future.