African Wildlife and Environment Issue 68

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

Fire is a very necessary tool in savanna ecosystems; however anthropogenic fires, when lit at the wrong time in the wrong place, can have devastating effects on both the vegetation and wildlife. Poachers in particular have learned that if they start a fire all human and equipment resources are usually diverted to try and stop it as soon as possible, and they can then hunt with impunity, without fear of being spotted and/or caught. Safety has always got to be a top priority when fires are being purposely lit by conservation personnel. During a particularly bad anthrax outbreak in the northern part of the Kruger National Park (KNP) in the early 1990s, we were tasked to burn all the confirmed anthrax carcasses we found. At the time it was thought that this would curb the spread of the anthrax spores. However, it was not that effective, and the spread of the anthrax was only stopped when good rain had fallen. Vultures and other scavengers, like hyena as well as blowflies, were the main vectors in spreading the anthrax, especially round artificial water holes where the spores were washed off into the water by the birds and mammals, or on leaves where the flies had regurgitated spores which would be consumed by browsers. One particularly blistering hot day I was out with the Punda Maria field rangers and labourers on an anthrax patrol when we saw many vultures sitting in trees, a tell-tale sign of a carcass. On closer inspection we found a big kudu bull that had succumbed to anthrax. It had the typical outward signs of external bleeding through all the orifices and I also took a blood smear as confirmation. I tasked the others to collect wood in the surrounding area so that we could burn the carcass. Once we had stacked the wood in a high pile over the carcass I coordinated with the team to burn tracer firebreaks around the kudu, so that we could control the fire once the bonfire on the carcass was lit. We cautiously lit a small area and then we all attacked it with our fire beaters, which were strips of thick conveyor belting rubber on the end of long lattice sticks, commonly referred to as ‘Shipundlas’ to contain the fire and prevent it spreading. Once we had burnt a big enough firebreak around the carcass, I hesitated before setting the pile of wood on fire as I had an uneasy feeling. The hot wind had picked up and it would have been advisable to rather wait till late afternoon, but we still had many other anthrax carcasses to attend to, so I thought let us get this one out of the way. As the fire started burning in earnest I realised that we had made a big mistake. The massive bonfire was now shooting burning embers far into the bush, starting mini fires which we were scurrying round like fire ants to beat out. Suddenly a huge gust of wind took the flames over the firebreak and into a dry bush which literally exploded into flames.

Despite our valiant attempts to try and put out the flames, the runaway fire quickly spread into the surrounding area of grass and shrubMopani. I radioed the Vlakteplaas Section Ranger and his team to come and assist us. The head of the fire was now careering through the bush like a runaway freight train, driven by a strong south-easterly wind. We fought the fire till late afternoon till it burnt into the foothills of Dzundwini Mountain, and because the grass was more sparse and the wind had died down we were able to put it out. The kudu was just a pile of ashes when we returned to collect our vehicles. The lesson learnt was; always err on the side of caution, don’t ever underestimate what fire can do and trust your gut feel. In the southern part of the KNP the section rangers were always conscious of the sugar cane that was often burnt on the farms bordering the KNP, before it was cut, and this had very black smoke that filled the horizon. Normal bushfires usually had white smoke which usually meant that there was an area within the park boundaries that was alight. After moving from Punda Maria in the far north of the KNP down to Pretoriuskop in the southwest of the park, I was still busy unpacking our furniture when we were alerted to a dense cloud of white smoke. The section ranger at the time was Tom Yssel, and I went out with him and his team to try and put out this fire that was set by arsonists. There are large tracts of land around Pretoriuskop that are sourveld with the characteristic very tall thatch grass species. It is almost impossible to put out fires in these areas, and one needs to put in back burns to try and contain the rapid spread of the head fire. The whole of the KNP is divided up into big blocks of thousands of hectares, and in those days the management roads around the perimeter were always graded which enabled one to put in back burns and contain the fire within that particular block. The problem was that there was someone wilfully lighting fires up behind us as we moved onto the next area, and we ended up chasing our tails. The danger of having fires on various fronts means that there is a big risk that wildlife in that block could find themselves trapped, with no way of escape. This is what happened this night when the wind picked up and as much as we tried, we could not stop the fire burning through the whole section. Early the next morning at first light, I went out with Tom Yssel, the then section ranger and Mike Landman, the Head of Wilderness trails, to assess the damage. As we drove through the blackened landscape we were appalled to see the devastation. Because of the intense heat large PodMahogany trees that had endured countless previous fires over hundreds of years were burnt to the ground. The toll on the wildlife was also heartbreaking. Herds of Impala had burnt to death and were lying

Game ranger stories: A BURNING ISSUE

Bryan Havemann

The first whiff of smoke in the air gets your heart racing and you anxiously scan the horizon to see if there are any tell-tale signs of a bushfire. As a game ranger this is always an anxious time, towards the end of the dry season when the bush is tinder dry and the threat of fire is a daily occurrence. The hot, dry winds just exacerbate this threat at the end of the winter and it is critical to try and neutralise an unplanned bushfire in the initial stages before it is allowed to really take hold. With the right ingredients such as lots of dry, moribund material and strong winds, a fire can be a very destructive force causing irreversible damage.

Photographs: Bryan Havemann

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21 | African Wildlife & Environment | 68 (2018)