The words elephants and boatbuilding seldom feature in the same sentence.
But now they do thanks to the acquisition of a new 8.8m Gemini RIB high speed chase boat for the Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape.
The boat, courtesy of a foreign donor, will not be used for chasing elephant but for policing Addo’s lesser-known marine reserve which stretches 114 000 hectares across Algoa Bay and incorporates several islands. The vessel is currently undergoing SAMSA sea trials ahead of its deployment alongside the Reserve’s other patrol boat, a smaller Gemini 7.8m RIB
“We knew what we wanted,” said SANParks Addo park conservation manager Anban Padayachee.
The new vessel will help staff oversee the massively expanded marine section of the Park — which was just 7000 hectares prior to 2019 — particularly as there has been no commensurate increase in staff or budget. Marine protected areas cover critical habitat for the endangered African penguin and Cape Gannet.
The donation, in the form of a R1,3-million cheque, was facilitated by local environmental group Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) on behalf of US-based Oak Foundation, which supports a wide range of environmental projects worldwide.
WFA said the additional vessel would allow the Addo marine rangers to expand their area of operation: “They provide an ever-vigilant presence in the area, as team members alternate between being based on Bird Island and on vessels in and around the MPA,” WFA said in a statement. “Since their establishment, they have made a number of arrests, confiscated numerous vessels and fishing equipment and issued various fines for marine-related crimes.”
“Wilderness Foundation expressed its appreciation of the project as an encouraging collaborative relationship it has entered into with SANParks.”
“SANParks and WFA have a long-standing relationship in the interest of conservation, particularly in AENP. Both organisations share a vision to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts and have worked closely over the years on various conservation, responsible tourism and socio-economic development projects in and around the Park.”
In 2022, the Oak Foundation donated two new engines that were purchased and fitted to one of the Park’s current patrol boats, the Mkhuseli.