KHOLA is the Zulu word for Believe.

We believe we can make a difference!

The KHOLA Campaign is for people, businesses and organisations who share our belief that wildlife reserves should be bona fide safe havens for wild animals, where they are not used as a resource “for their own protection”.

What is the Sustainable Use Policy?

The Sustainable Use Policy indicates that (certain) animals can be hunted for trophies and/or for the bush meat trade, and has been implemented by Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

Many wildlife reserves are actually operating as wildlife farms where (endangered) wild animals are being bred, specifically for these purposes. Although it’s not spoken about openly, many reserves allow hunting to help cover their costs.

Because hunters pay far more during their “safari” than eco-tourists do, Sustainable Use has become big business. The more endangered an animal is, the more lucrative it is for hunting. Ironically, this means that there has been an increase in some of those species. The attitude has thus become one of, “without hunting, these animals would be extinct” – read the “Hunting has a Conservation Role” article by the BBC.

“They have issued permits to sport hunters to kill a limited number of elephants that are pre-selected according to factors like age and sex. They cannot shoot breeding animals, for example,” Mr Lapointe (former head of CITES)

One argument for the Sustainable Use Policy is that it is similar to the natural law of Survival of the Fittest, where the old and sick die first, thereby protecting the gene pool. In reality however, hunters aren’t interested in a sick old lion. They are looking for the healthiest, strongest trophy they can shoot. And their dollars speak louder than any theoretical idea.

Another argument for the Sustainable Use Policy is that the funds received should also benefit local communities. Another nice idea, in theory. But it has been shown that little of these funds gets redistributed, as land owners (and for some, their international investors) either pocket the profits or buy more land to expand their business (so-called “conservation”).

What is the Bush Meat Trade?

Guests at Leopard Walk Lodge will not find any wild animals on the menu.

This is not the case with other reserves and restaurants around the country. They will happily serve up a Kudu steak, or a Warthog chop. Even crocodiles, hippos and (endangered) antilopes end up on the plate. Reserves who supply this trade usually breed their wild animals for this purpose.

Even the pinnacle of “conservation”, the Kruger National Park, offers bush meat on their menu, killing and utilising the very animals that they’re meant to be protecting in the reserve.

Because the bush meat trade pays top dollar for wild meat and because this is a generally accepted business, some rural people will happily set snares and traps to catch the animals, even if it means illegally poaching from private reserves. Sustenance hunting is one thing, but supplying the meat trade is quite another.

Unlike what would happen to poachers under tribal law if they snared cattle or domestic animals, poachers face little recrimination from the law, often being “let out of jail” with little consequence.

This places enormous pressure on reserves to protect their animals, by means of Wildlife Protection Units. These (armed) teams patrol the areas, looking for and removing snares. Some larger, neighbouring reserves pay up to R1,000,000.00 per annum to protect their wildlife.

Apart from the (very tempting) cash source for bush meat, local communities have very little benefit from the plundering of their natural resources (both wildlife and indigenous bush/plants). When the land is no longer able to sustain the people, they are forced to move to urban areas to earn a living, mostly ending up in slums.

Changing the perceived value within the local communities (and other reserves) of wildlife as a source of income from meat, to a valued source of income through eco-tourism is one of our biggest goals.

Conservation and Wildlife Protection

• We believe that for conservation to work, local communities need to be involved in protecting their natural resources, and benefit through eco-tourism.
• We disagree that wild animals should be used as a resource. Not for hunting. Not for bush meat. They need to be protected in their natural environment.
• We believe that it is possible to change this commonly accepted perception of conservation and that more reserves can offer bona fide wildlife protection.

Read about Old Boy, the Zebra stallion

We have been called, “naive!” and “too idealistic!” but we have faith that there are other people (and businesses) who share our point of view.

We believe that advertising is a viable alternative to covering our costs. We are asking you to help us bring about change and make a difference.

If you agree that wildlife should be protected and not utilized as a resource, then please show your support by advertising with us?

Our KHOLA campaign is inspired by Khola, a little zebra whose father “Old Boy” was snared and killed just before he was born … (read the full story)

What is the KHOLA Campaign?

“KHOLA” is the Zulu verb for “Believe”. We believe that we can make a difference. Not just for the wild animals in/around Suni-Ridge, but also to the lives of the rural communities, who can learn appreciation of their natural habitat, and want to take ownership in protecting it, and who can (and should) benefit from Eco-Cultural tourism.

The Khola Campaign is geared towards like-minded people, businesses, corporations and organisations. If you agree that wildlife should be protected in their natural habitat, and not used as a resource, then please help us raise funds to cover the necessary costs required for a wildlife protection unit.

We are offering a limited advertising opportunity:

• Get a direct link link to your website on our website
• Be associated with bona fide conservation and wildlife protection

Links are incredibly important for any website to get visitors to your website.

We cordiallly invite like-minded people, businesses, corporations and organisations to sponsor a link for R3,000.00 per annum (R 250.00 per month).*

* As at 3 May 2008, the exchange rate for R3,000.00 is approximately €270.00 / $416.00 / £211.00 (source: xe.com). Your bank can confirm the current exchange rate.

How do you sponsor a link for KHOLA?

All links are subject to approval by Suni-Ridge. Suni-Ridge reserves the sole right to decide whether or not a website/business is suitable for linking to from this website on the KHOLA campaign. (Potential) Sponsors will be notified of our decision as soon as possible.

Please contact us by e-mail about placing your link. Payments can be made by direct deposit (international bank transfer) or by credit card using Paypal. See our How to Donate page for further details.

To our Khola Sponsors:

• We promise that your sponsorship will make a difference to the people, animals and environment in our area.
• We promise that all funds received will be utilized for maintaining the projects on the KHOLA Campaign.
• We promise to publish a report (on our website) each quarter, declaring all of the funds received and how they’ve been utilized
• We promise to e-mail an annual financial report to each Khola Sponsor

Khola Sponsorship Renewals

Khola Sponsors can decide if they’d like to automatically renew their sponsorship each year, of if they’d prefer to sponsor a link for one year. In that case, the Sponsor would get first choice of renewing his/her ad. Should he or she decide not to renew the link, it will become available to other eco-friendly persons, businesses, organisations and the “Khola Ad Sponsor” logo must be removed from their website.

Our aim is to make the KHOLA Campaign mutually beneficial, whereby Suni-Ridge is able to continue and expand our environmental work, and our sponsors can enjoy fulfilling their social responsibility, increase their brand awareness and make a positive difference to the lives of people, animals and the environment in Maputaland in KwaZulu Natal (South Africa).

Often those who would like to make a difference in the environment are not located in an area where they can be physically involved with a conservation project.

By supporting Suni-Ridge, you are part of our successful conservation outreach. You can enjoy your participation, knowing that your sponsorship is truly worthwhile.

Alone we are a drop, together we are an ocean!

Below is a copy of the letter that Janet sent to a friend about this tragic event. Further down, you can also read the letter about little KHOLA, the foal that was born after Old Boy’s death. Khola is the inspiration behind the KHOLA Sponsor Ad Campagin.

We have some sad news about Old Boy, the zebra who befriended us and posed for a photo with your Dad. Yesterday morning I woke up and felt myself choking with a panic attack due to a dream. This is the first time I have experienced this type of emotion.

The dream was about some calves that had fallen down exhausted in a cattle trek, where they were being herded to the market. I knelt down and realised that the calf which I thought was dead, was in fact still alive and I then noticed that there were many others that were being left behind as their mothers were herded onwards. It was a disturbing dream and I felt distressed all day and couldn’t really explain why. I woke up with this experience at about 6.30 am.

During the morning we noticed that Old Boy had not come up to the house as he usually did between 6 and 7 am. Our Wildlife Guard reassured us that he was out on the field eating fruit off the trees. When I went to feed the animals in the evening though, he was not there. As he had once again, not come up to the house I realised that something must be wrong. I went out and searched until about 10pm.

This morning I went out again very early, as I hardly slept during the night. Sadly I discovered him snared and strangled on the bush path at the bottom of our property. Our favourite Old Boy, our friend for 12 years
was murdered senselessly.

I went back a little while later to photograph and record the crime. I released poor Old Boy from the snare and placed some soft grass which I had taken from our lawn, under his head – just to make me feel better – as I am sure he is with all the other zebra galloping around in the other realm of life.

The amazing thing is that we realised that he must have died at about the time that I woke up from that disturbing dream, feeling as though I was choking. I would refute that we could have this type of connectedness with animals, but for this to just be a coincidence seems incredible.

I am distraught about this poaching. Our Wildlife Guard scouted the surrounding bush where he found about 15 other snares. The Police explained that they do not have the resources to deal with poaching control. KZN Wildlife at False Bay are struggling to manage with their few guards to oversee and protect 2500 hectares. They too are unable to assist.

This means that we have to fund the prevention of poaching as the Government is unable to do so. Because we provide a buffer zone for the Greater St. Lucia World Natural Heritage Site, I believe that funds should be made available for the humane management of animal life in our area surrounding the Lake.

Do you have any ideas about how we might motivate this type of support, perhaps from International sectors?

Perhaps we could make Old Boy’s death meaningful by using it as a motivation to strive for an organised poaching prevention unit for the buffer zone of Greater St. Lucia World Natural Heritage Site?

In this buffer zone, many animals are being inhumanely strangled to death as the area is very rich in wildlife (that is outside the reserves) and no one seems to control the poaching. If the carnage was domestic animals, there would be a huge outcry!

Do let me know if any ideas come to mind and perhaps you could tell your Dad about Old Boy as I know that the moment they shared was quite special.

Kind regards, Janet

I thought you may enjoy this photo of the new born baby of “Old Boy” the zebra that was sadly snared. His mare was in foal at the time when he died. Two days ago she gave birth to this beautiful little foal.

© Khola - Old Boy's foal that was born after he was snared and killed

She has been very brave to have coped on her own without a stallion to help her. She would not join the other stallion at Suni-Ridge, but kept herself and her previous young mare foal separate from him and his mare.

We held our breath as sometimes the foal will not be tolerated by another stallion, but this one has accepts the colt when he comes near.

I actually watched the mother mare nuzzle this stallion, then pass
on the nuzzle to her little foal and she repeated this action a number of times.

His mother continued with the pregnancy and in spite of the adversity that she experienced she did not abort the little fellow. She could have lost him as she was very distressed.

We have decided to name him Khola, which is the Zulu word for “to have faith” or “to believe”.

She called and searched for “Old Boy” for many days as he had been her mate for about 8 years. She had a very long gestation period. Zebra are able to “hold” the baby until conditions are suitable and I think that it is because she had no stallion with her, that she delayed the birth.

The wildebeest also rallied around her that morning after the foal was born and even the impala were all alerted looking in her direction, thus showing us before we saw the foal, that something was happening. Nature has much to teach us.

Kind regards, Janet

© Khola in September 2007 with his mother - visit him and stay at Leopard Walk Lodge