NEWSLETTER Issue 04 2017

CREATURE OF THE DEEP - A GIANT SQUID STRANDS AT LÜDERITZ by Dr Jessica Kemper

As the tide receded at Guano Bay near Lüderitz on the morning of 28 August 2017, the fresh body of a majestic giant squid was left behind high and dry on the beach. Word quickly spread within the local Kelp Gull community and they soon moved in, taking turns to pull bite-sized chunks off the ends of the enormous suckered arms that lay lifeless and tangled in the sand.

From ancient Norse legends and Greek mythology to Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and Jules Verne’s Twen-ty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, terrifying tales abound of enormous, many-armed creatures emerging from the depths of the ocean to devour ships and their crew. These stories were most probably inspired by giant squid strandings that have been documented for centuries in all parts of the world. Our scant knowledge about giant squids largely stems from stranded speci-

mens, individuals accidently caught by fishing vessels, and from giant squid beaks collected from sperm whale stomachs. Encoun-ters with live specimens have been extremely rare and it was only in 2013 that scientists captured sensational footage of a live giant squid in its natural habitat, 900 m below the ocean surface.

The “creature of the deep” that washed up at Guano Bay turned out to be a female. Her body and fin shape, size and sucker ar-rangement suggest that she belongs to the genus Architeuthis. These elusive animals rarely grow larger than 5 m…or 13 m if one includes the two long, thin tentacles that giant squids use to capture their prey. Unfortunately the two tentacles of the Guano Bay squid were missing and had either broken off at sea or had already been carried off by the gulls. She was just over 4 m long (by that time the gulls had already shortened the arms somewhat) and, had her tentacles been intact, she probably would have measured a respectable 8 to 9 m in total length. She had no visible injuries or obvious signs of illness, and the cause of her death remains a

The cheetahROAN News

NEWS membership card TalksEnvironment World Days

1

2

3Pangolin OutreachInitiativeSay ‘NO’ to straws4Membership CardsRoll of Honour5

Giant creature of the deep

PAGE 2

R OA N N E W S

mystery. This was not the first time a giant squid has stranded on our shores; four years earlier one washed up at Grosse Bucht near Lüderitz, and another one at McDougalls Bay in South Africa, just south of the Namibian border.

It is simply astounding how little we know about a large animal such as the giant squid. And how little we actually know about our oceans as such. Even though nearly 3/4 of our planet’s surface is covered by ocean, only a measly 5% of our oceans have been explored to date — in fact, more people have been to the moon than have been to the bottom of the sea. Undoubtedly there are heaps of organisms (and probably entire ecosystems) down there still waiting to be discovered.

A thorough knowledge of our oceans’ biodiversity and ecology is crucial, especially in the face of an alarming (and largely hu-man-induced) increase in threats to ocean health. After all, life on earth depends on healthy oceans. Perhaps the samples collect-ed from the stranded giant squid at Guano Bay will at least contribute a tiny piece of information to the big ocean puzzle.

T H E C H E E TA H ( A C I N O N Y X J U B AT U S )

The ROAN NEWS is in the Daweb Junior Secondary School library

Thirty learners and their three supervisors from Daweb Junior Secondary School (Maltahöhe) enjoyed a week long environ-mental education programme at NaDEET Centre in June 2017.On their departure the group received a pack of Roan News magazines for their school library.

The 2017 ROAN NEWS is fresh off the press and all members will receive their individual copies soon.Happy reading with the packed 60-pager.

3aPAGE 3

U P CO M I N G W O R L D DAY S

November 1: Extra Mile Day November 3: Jellyfish Day November 9: World Freedom Day November 17: Take a Hike Day November 18: Geographic Information Systems Day

NEWS TALK

TA L K S A N D E V E N T S

KEEP - Getting Windhoek kids back into the bush to save giraffes!Wednesday 23 November ‘17 @ 19h30The Khomas Environmental Education Programme (KEEP), an initiative of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), is a field-based environmental education programme that allows young people to reconnect with nature by turning the outdoors into a class room.

VENUE: Windhoek - Namibia Scientific Society, Robert Mugabe Ave 110, opposite National Theatre. Safe parking in yard via Love Street entrance.

All events are open for the public – everyone welcome!

N E W S M E M B E R S H I P C A R D D I S CO U N T G R O W I N G

We are delighted to have Onjala Lodge and Zen Sations Spa & Wellness on board our membership discount program.The offer of a 10% discount is on their Dinner, Bed and Breakfast rate and excludes the stay on a Saturday night.

Zen Sations Spa & Wellness offers a 10% discount on all their weekday treatments; it is not valid on weekends.

The lodge and spa are on a 1,700 hectare private nature reserve, located a mere 40 minutes’ drive from Windhoek airport. Choose from three types of rooms, take an early morning stroll on one of the many hiking trails, let the game pass you whilst on a game drive, study the stars at night at the observatory or be rejuvenated at the Zen Sations Spa & Wellness.

4aPAGE 4

PA N G O L I N O U T R E AC H I N I T I AT I V E

Protect Pangolinsreport any suspicious activity

related to the killing or captureof pangolins

or the trade in pangolin parts(this includes people asking about pangolinsor offering pangolins/pangolin parts for sale)

$ CASH REWARD $for information leading to the arrest

of culprits or the seizure ofpangolins or pangolin products

Pangolins are importantfor Namibia’s environment

Pangolins are believed to be the most trafficked mammals in the world. The biggest demand for pangolins is in Asia, especially China. The main reason is that the scales, made of keratin like our finger nails, hair and rhino horns, are used in traditional Asian medicines and for ornaments and charms. The scales have no medicinal properties. It is an Asian myth that causes huge environmental damage and threatens the survival of these species. Pangolin meat is also sold at high prices in Asian restaurants.

Pangolins’ have walked the earth for 80 million years. They are insectivores and are harmless to people. They just do good for our environment. They eat ants and termites - millions and millions - as many as 70 million per pangolin per year. That’s about 191,780 insects per day! Imagine an area that is home to 15 pangolins. Those animals alone would eat as many as 1.05 billion insects annually. As you can imagine, pangolins help to control their insect prey’s numbers, contributing to the delicate balance of the ecosystems they inhabit. Termites eat grass as well as woody vegetation. Thus, without pangolins to eat termites, the carrying capacity of Namibia’s rangelands for domestic stock and wildlife would be significantly reduced.Pangolins’ large and elongated claws enable them to burrow underground for shelter and to excavate ant and termite nests for food. In doing so, they mix and aerate the soil - much like what happens when we dig soil in a garden or plough a crop field. This improves the nutrient quality of the soil and aids the decomposition cycle, providing a healthy substrate for the growth of vegetation. Their underground burrows also provide habitat for many other animals, including genets and the rare black-footed cat.Illegal pangolin trafficking is so common that all eight species of these little-known creatures are categorised as Threatened under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Data listing. Only one species of pangolin occurs

in Namibia, Temminck’s ground pangolin Smutsia temminckii, also known as the Cape pangolin and the scaly anteater.

In recent months, there has been a marked increase in the illegal capture, killing and trade in pangolins in Namibia for the inter-national markets in Asia. In light of grow-ing pressure on pangolins, the Namibian Chamber of Environment (NCE) decided to embark on an outreach initiative, to inform Namibians about the precarious status of this animal and to ask everyone to help put a stop to the illegal trade. We need a nation-al effort to tackle the problem of incentiv-ised illegal trade to Asia.

Involved in this initiative are the Namibia Chamber of Environment (NCE), Ministry of Environment & Tourism, Namibia’s commu-nal conservancies and their NGO support organisations under NACSO, and WWF.These offers a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of people catching, killing and trading in pangolins and for information leading to the seizure of pan-golins or pangolin parts and products.

The numbers to call or sms are: 081 413 2214 or 081 423 2231, day or night. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Wildlife crime is an economic and an environmental crime against local communities and against the nation.

We ask all Namibians to please help keep pangolins alive in Namibia, where they belong and where they provide many important ecological services, not dead in Asia where they are of no value to anyone except criminal syndicates.

Copies of the pangolin poster and business card can be collected at the NCE office.

In the U.S., people use 500 million straws a day - enough to circle the planet more than two-and-a-half times! Straws are now one of the top 10 marine debris items found on our beaches. And by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean.

So, what do we do about it?

An easy step is to simply not use straws. When ordering your drink at an establishment, simply say, “no straw please, thank you,” at the end of your order and encour-age your friends and family to do the same. If you really love straws, you can bring your own reusable stainless steel straw, which are available at places like Target and Amazon.

S AY ‘ N O ’ TO S T R AW S

5aPAGE 5

R O L L O F H O N O U R

NEWS Office Tel +264 61 306450 Email: information@NEWS-Namibia.orgFor regular news follow us on FB:

www.facebook.com/pages/Namibian-Environment-Wildlife-Society-NEWS/268969839781864

www.NEWS-Namibia.org

Co- Chair: Frauke Kreitz and John Pallett Recycle issues: John Pallett Treasurer: Maria Pimenta Media and Website issues: Frauke Kreitz Talks/Events/Facebook: Frauke Kreitz Newsletter and Roan News: Frauke Kreitz Portfolio and Office Coordinator: Hilda-Marie Botha

Members: David Aiyambo Martina Kűsters Reinhold Mangundu Franz Kangombe Ruben Portas Southern Regional Representative & EIA: Jessica Kemper

N E W S D I S CO U N T M E M B E R S H I P C A R D S

NEWS members can look forward to various discount rates offered by the following organisations:

• Bushwackers - Discount will range from 2.5% to 10% de-pending on what is purchased

• Caprivi Houseboat Safaris -10% discount• Düsternbrook - Up to 20% discount (depending on season,

etc.) on accommodation activities• Eco Marine Kayaking—15% discount on kayak cruises in

Walvis Bay • Felix Unite—15% discount on canoe trips on the Orange

River and 10 % discount on accommodation

• Levo Tours -25% discount on dolphin cruises in Walvis Bay Sandwich Harbour

• Onjala Lodge & Zen Sations Spa & Wellness - 10 % dis-count on DBB and Spa treatment - weedays only

• Toktokkie Trails - 5% discount on desert hiking trails in the Namib Rand Nature Reserve

To qualify for these discounts NEWS members must please mention that they are NEWS members and present their membership cards on arrival. Discounts are not available when booking via a travel agent.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of our corporate members, which allows us to pursue our mission to conserve the natural environment of Namibia and to promote appropriate protection, wise and sustainable use of natural resources and sustainable development.

ROANAbsolut Tours & Safaris

First National BankJohn Meinert Printing (Pty) Ltd

Rössing Uranium

SABLEBank WindhoekMatiti Safaris cc

Namdeb Diamond Corporation (Pty) LtdSense of Africa

KUDUNamibian Engineering Corporation (NEC)

Rent-A-Drum

ORYXBannerman Mining Resources Namibia

(Pty) LTDB2GOLD

City of Windhoek Manica Group Namibia (Pty) Ltd

NamibRand Nature ReserveOlthaver &List GroupSWA Safaris (Pty) Ltd

Valencia Uranium (Pty) Ltd

SPRINGBOKDamarana Safaris

Langer Heinrich Uranium (Pty) Ltd Standard Bank

STEENBOK African Wanderer Tours & Safaris

Batis Birding SafarisBlue Sky Namibia Tours

EnviroDynamicsEnvironmental Compliance Consultancy

Financial Consulting SevicesFelix Unite River Adventures cc

Gocheganas Nature Reserve & Wellness Village

Jumbo Charcoal Pty LtdMunicipality of Walvis BayN/a’an ku sê Foundation

Namibia Individual TravelNeo Paints Factory (Pty) Ltd

Ongava Game Reserve:Andersonns Camp

Little OngavaOngava Lodge

Ongava Tented CampPasjona-Safaris

Reptile Uranium Namibia (Pty) LtdSGA Chartered Accountants

The Wood ConnectionUnlimited Travel & Car Hire cc Ultimate Safaris Pty. Ltd

Westair Wings Charters (Pty) LtdWilderness Safaris:

Wilderness Safaris Head OfficeDamaraland Camp

Doro Nawas Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp

Kulala Desert LodgeLittle KulalaRhino CampSerra Cafema

W M L Consulting Engineers

NEWS COMMITEE MEMBERS 2017/8