| Hunting debate splits Kenya's wildlife community
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A controversial proposal to help save Kenya's wildlife by scrapping a 30-year ban on sport hunting split delegates at a conference in the east African nation on Thursday. Tens of thousands of tourists flock to Kenya each year to see lions, leopards, elephants, wildebeest and other wildlife roaming the parks and reserves. But animal numbers have fallen by at least two-thirds over the last three decades, and experts blame poaching plus human destruction of their habitats. Those backing sport hunting say it would preserve wildlife by encouraging better management and earning big money that could be ploughed back into conservation. It would also bring Kenya into line with neighbors Uganda and Tanzania, and with South Africa, which all profit from restricted hunting.
Holidaymakers set to reap sterling benefits
Long haul destinations like South Africa, Dubai, Egypt and Mexico join Turkey, best value in Europe, as the countries where the pound will stretch further for UK holidaymakers this year.
According to a travel money survey by the Post Office, comparing currency movement trends in 16 destinations, sterling has gained ground in three-quarters of the countries surveyed over the past year.
The most marked growth has been in South Africa where sterling strengthened against the rand by nearly 21%.
Post Office Head of Travel Kevin McAdam said: “The continued growth of sterling is part of a long term trend that has seen the South African rand more than halve in value over the past decade. In that time demand for safaris, Garden Route tours and Cape Town breaks has mushroomed.
Play Golf or Chase Animals
What do golfers do when their regular golf courses get too boring and they've got far too much money? They head for southern Africa for a luxury golf safari, of course. Pricey tours head through Pretoria, Swaziland, Durban and Sun City, giving golf addicts the chance to enjoy 18 holes at five different courses. On the off days (or when you think your handicap's just getting too high), you can go on game drives and see some of those African animals everyone always raves about.
Power Golf are the fellows behind these luxury golf and safari combinations, and they do provide a non-golfing activity every day of the tour for unfortunate tagalongs and uninterested golf wives. They claim to travel on the most luxurious train in the world, but perhaps the brand-spankin' new Trans-Siberian will be disputing that soon.
The Captive Monkeys Suffering 'Zoo Stress'
Scientists studying rainforest mandrills, the world's largest species, found visitors peering at them through the glass window caused them to snarl, pace and behave abnormally.But they soothed their anxiety levels by more than half simply by planting a three feet wide barrier of tropical shrubs between their enclosures at Chester Zoo and the viewing platforms. And now Durham University researchers have picked up the prestigious Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) Wild Animal Welfare Award for their work. Seven mandrills, an exotic African monkey facing extinction, are kept at the 110 acre zoo. The tropical shrubs consisted of a range of plant species selected by horticulture and botany experts.Once the plants are thickened out they will provide an attractive barrier and give visitors a more naturalistic impression of how the animals would live in dense forests in the wild.
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