Latest News - September 2020
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Spring has sprung! Although the season only begins officially on the 23rd of September, September 1 has always been traditionally celebrated in South Africa as "Spring Day". But the weatherman was obviously not paying attention - snow has once again blanketed many of the mountains along the southern and eastern escarpment, and bitterly cold weather has invaded most of the country. There has even been some early rainfalls, much to the relief of our farmers that have been experiencing a drought for some time.
August was a sad month for three of the members of Close Encounters (siblings Michael, Alan and Janice Leicester), due to the sudden and unexpected passing of their mother, Helena. Her death was not coronavirus related - she had a stroke, and died two days later without regaining consciousness. The hundreds of messages and condolences received from family, friends, acquaintances and associates were a fitting tribute to a beautiful person that lived a long and fruitful life, much of it dedicated to helping others. It was a devastating loss, and she will be sorely missed by all that knew her. |
But August was also a bittersweet month for Janice. She and her life partner Michele both retired from their jobs at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, and are in the process of relocating to a magnificent house (see picture) set in the forests surrounding Sequim, in beautiful Washington state. As an avid nature lover and wildlife enthusiast, and with much more time on her hands, the location is sure to inspire Janice to take Close Encounters on to even bigger and better things. We wish her and Michele all the best in their new home.
And so we move on. It would seem that the coronavirus pandemic is coming under control, at least in both the USA and in South Africa, and hopefully the restrictions on international travel will soon be lifted. A number of tours have already been scheduled for 2021 (some of them rescheduled trips from 2020), and a few more are also in the pipeline. Have a look at our Upcoming Tours section (you can find it under the "Tours" heading on our website) and select a trip which will be right for you. We are sure that you are just longing to get back to the African bush as much as we are!
Mike Leicester
Editor
And so we move on. It would seem that the coronavirus pandemic is coming under control, at least in both the USA and in South Africa, and hopefully the restrictions on international travel will soon be lifted. A number of tours have already been scheduled for 2021 (some of them rescheduled trips from 2020), and a few more are also in the pipeline. Have a look at our Upcoming Tours section (you can find it under the "Tours" heading on our website) and select a trip which will be right for you. We are sure that you are just longing to get back to the African bush as much as we are!
Mike Leicester
Editor
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IN MEMORIAM Helena Elizabeth Leicester Dec 28 1938 - Aug 17 2020 Beloved wife of Vernon and mother of Michael, Alan and Janice. "May the winds of Heaven blow softly and whisper in your ear How much we love and miss you and wish that you were here." |
Upcoming tours
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South African Spirit
September 24 - October 8 2021 (14 nights) Only 6 spots open! The trip starts off with a tour to Soweto, then moves on to the incredible Walkers River Camp in the Timbavati, where the group will spend 5 nights at this game viewing paradise. This is followed by 3 days of fun and adventure on the Panorama Route, and then 4 more days in the magnificent city of Cape Town. Grab this opportunity to get one of the spots before they are all taken. You will not be disappointed! Click here to see the detailed itinerary. |
Focus on conservation
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Facial recognition tech for chimps?
The global spread of social media has created unparalleled opportunities for wildlife traffickers to advertise their illicit wares to potential buyers around the world. Traffickers can use platforms like Facebook or Instagram not only to post pictures of animals for sale, but also to expand their networks thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven algorithms that suggest friends and groups. Social media, and AI, can also be valuable tools for conservationists and law enforcement. Networks of algorithms trained to spot patterns can mine data, identify objects, or even spot signs of sex trafficking and other crimes in images. One of the best-known and most controversial uses of the technology is facial recognition, in which programs use biometric markers to identify people in digital images. |
In conservation, AI can be used to identify land-use change, or even individual animals based on unique markings on their bodies. In animals like chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, AI is proving effective in identifying and tracking individuals’ faces.
Via her project ChimpFace, Allie Russo, a conservationist with a background in data analysis, is striving to harness the power of AI in the fight against ape trafficking.
According to the United Nations’ Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), roughly 3,000 great apes are trafficked live from Africa or Southeast Asia every year.
Much of the illegal trade in wildlife now takes place online. A trafficker or great ape distributor will post an image of a baby chimpanzee for sale. Often, the same chimpanzee will later appear on someone’s social media account. But manually searching and comparing images is a laborious process. And alternative forms of evidence, such as DNA, are costly and difficult to obtain.
ChimpFace uses an algorithm to determine if chimpanzee faces in images posted by traffickers match up with images later posted to social media accounts. If the software finds a match, it serves as evidence that can help corroborate who sold a chimpanzee and where it ended up.
After participating in a competition organized by Conservation X Labs, a company that looks for high-tech solutions to conservation problems, Russo was connected with Colin McCormick. McCormick, one of Conservation X Labs’ technical advisers, made the programming part of ChimpFace a reality.
Using thousands of images of baby chimpanzees collected by conservationists, McCormick manually annotated where the face shows up within the image. He uses these images to train a computer program to identify faces, similar to how facial recognition programs for humans work. With repetition, he can fine-tune the algorithm to accurately detect the presence of a baby chimpanzee face in an image.
The software is just beginning to be tested, but ultimately its developers aim to provide information that Interpol or local law enforcement can act upon.
ChimpFace is only able to search publicly available images, meaning that if a trafficker has a private Facebook or Instagram profile, the images remain hidden. But with many traffickers advertising publicly, the hope is that the program will provide law enforcement with a new type of evidence that can help confirm that an individual ape was illegally captured from the wild and sold.
ChimpFace has recently partnered with Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection (LCRP) to further strengthen the use of the software. Support from sanctuaries like LCRP, which sees an average of one new chimpanzee a month, is important because if the software does help secure prosecutions for traffickers, rescued animals will need a place to go.
Russo says she hopes that one day ChimpFace can be scaled up to add additional target species such as tigers, lions, gibbons, or any species that is in danger of being illegally trafficked online.
Via her project ChimpFace, Allie Russo, a conservationist with a background in data analysis, is striving to harness the power of AI in the fight against ape trafficking.
According to the United Nations’ Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), roughly 3,000 great apes are trafficked live from Africa or Southeast Asia every year.
Much of the illegal trade in wildlife now takes place online. A trafficker or great ape distributor will post an image of a baby chimpanzee for sale. Often, the same chimpanzee will later appear on someone’s social media account. But manually searching and comparing images is a laborious process. And alternative forms of evidence, such as DNA, are costly and difficult to obtain.
ChimpFace uses an algorithm to determine if chimpanzee faces in images posted by traffickers match up with images later posted to social media accounts. If the software finds a match, it serves as evidence that can help corroborate who sold a chimpanzee and where it ended up.
After participating in a competition organized by Conservation X Labs, a company that looks for high-tech solutions to conservation problems, Russo was connected with Colin McCormick. McCormick, one of Conservation X Labs’ technical advisers, made the programming part of ChimpFace a reality.
Using thousands of images of baby chimpanzees collected by conservationists, McCormick manually annotated where the face shows up within the image. He uses these images to train a computer program to identify faces, similar to how facial recognition programs for humans work. With repetition, he can fine-tune the algorithm to accurately detect the presence of a baby chimpanzee face in an image.
The software is just beginning to be tested, but ultimately its developers aim to provide information that Interpol or local law enforcement can act upon.
ChimpFace is only able to search publicly available images, meaning that if a trafficker has a private Facebook or Instagram profile, the images remain hidden. But with many traffickers advertising publicly, the hope is that the program will provide law enforcement with a new type of evidence that can help confirm that an individual ape was illegally captured from the wild and sold.
ChimpFace has recently partnered with Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection (LCRP) to further strengthen the use of the software. Support from sanctuaries like LCRP, which sees an average of one new chimpanzee a month, is important because if the software does help secure prosecutions for traffickers, rescued animals will need a place to go.
Russo says she hopes that one day ChimpFace can be scaled up to add additional target species such as tigers, lions, gibbons, or any species that is in danger of being illegally trafficked online.
Shoreline snippets
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The Noetzie castles
Noetzie, situated in a secluded cove at the mouth of the Noetzie River, has been a holiday destination since the 1800s, when local people made their way down to the lagoon and beach by ox wagon. The name is short for Noetziekamma, a Khoisan word meaning “place of dark water” – a reference to the reddish-brown color of the water, which is stained by the tannins that leach into the river from the surrounding forest. Noetzie is famous for the castle-like homes that nestle amongst the forest vegetation. The first holiday cottages were put up here in the early 1900s, and, in 1932, Herbert Stephen Henderson built the first of the homes that today make Noetzie such a landmark. Henderson had decided to make use of local stone to build his house; an onlooker suggested that he should add a few “turrets” to turn it into a castle – and so he did. This set a trend, and today a number of similar stone-built “castles” give Noetzie its charm. |
At the request of the residents, Noetzie officially became a conservancy in 1999 in order to protect and preserve its natural treasures. The majority of the 10-hectare Noetzie Conservancy consists of Afrotemperate forest, and around 3 hectares is mature coastal fynbos. Standing on the beach, looking up at the steep hillside dotted with houses and castles, it is hard to believe that the bustling town of Knysna is just a few miles away.
Folklore & legends
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Mpofu - the giant antelope of Africa
Throughout southern and eastern Africa, there is one animal which many local tribes regard as sacred. It is often found painted on the walls of ancient caves, engraved on flat rocks, and etched in African folklore. This animal is the Eland, also known as "the animal of a thousand legends". Because of its light coloring, African culture associates the Eland with the sun. The Zulu name for the Eland is Mpofu, a name which means "the golden-skinned one". |
There is an African legend which tells of how the young son of the Sun God was murdered by a group of wizards when he visited Earth. The Sun God was furious and increased the ferocity of the sun, causing the rocks to melt and the rivers to boil. He also demanded a human sacrifice of the most beautiful person in the land.
A young princess was about to sacrifice herself when an Eland appeared out of the burning bush and jumped into a fiery pit in her place. Stricken with guilt, she too jumped into the fire. The Sun God was so moved by this double sacrifice that he halted the sun’s fury and blessed the earth with rain.
The Eland is also an important symbol to the Khoisan people, and plays a major role in their beliefs. When in close proximity to these huge animals, it is possible to hear a distinctive click made by their hooves when they walk, due to their sheer size and weight. It is said that the Khoisan language – with its characteristic clicks – originated from this sound.
A young princess was about to sacrifice herself when an Eland appeared out of the burning bush and jumped into a fiery pit in her place. Stricken with guilt, she too jumped into the fire. The Sun God was so moved by this double sacrifice that he halted the sun’s fury and blessed the earth with rain.
The Eland is also an important symbol to the Khoisan people, and plays a major role in their beliefs. When in close proximity to these huge animals, it is possible to hear a distinctive click made by their hooves when they walk, due to their sheer size and weight. It is said that the Khoisan language – with its characteristic clicks – originated from this sound.
Creature corner
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The Vervet Monkey is an Old World monkey native to the eastern and southern parts of Africa. In addition to behavioral research on natural populations, Vervet Monkeys serve as a primate model for understanding the genetic and social behaviors of humans; it has been noted that they have many human-like characteristics, such as hypertension, anxiety, and other social and dependence habits.
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Feather feature
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Common Name: Crimson-breasted Shrike
Binomial Name: Laniarius atrococcineus Status: Common resident Red List Status: Least Concern The Crimson-breasted Shrike is also sometimes called the Crimson-breasted Gonolek, this second name because it is supposedly imitative of its call. In South West Africa (now Namibia), its colors reminded Germans of their homeland flag, and they called it the Reichsvogel ("Empire bird"). |
Did you know?
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There are 50 lighthouses in South Africa, but only 47 of them are still operational. Most of them can be visited by the public, and some of them also offer overnight accommodation. Many of the lighthouses are historic, and have been designated as national monuments. The lighthouse in the picture is the Green Point Lighthouse, in Cape Town.
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Words of wisdom
"I hope you have an experience that alters the course of your life, because after Africa, nothing has ever been the same."
Suzanne Evans
Suzanne Evans