The Nile Crocodile, as wild animals go, is amongst the least loved, but this does not mean to say, that it’s unloved. My fascination with crocodiles started as a boy and in 1997 I had the opportunity to buy my own 50, 18 month old crocs, after acquiring all the relevant permits from Nature Conservation. Those first crocs are mature breeding stock now, and after their third year of breeding, there is over 1 000 crocs of different ages on my farm in Tzaneen.
Heaviside’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) occur only on the west coast of Southern Africa; they seem most abundant in waters less than 100 m deep, and are usually found in small groups seldom exceeding 10 animals. They are seen infrequently and in small number, hence we believe it really is a rare species; although there are no reliable population estimates anywhere in the species’ range, and consequently its management status remains unresolved. The species significance to global biodiversity, due to its endemism to the south-western African coast leaves far less doubts. Direct threats to either the species or specific population(s) remain little known, although deliberate kills for human consumption were reported through late 1980s, as were incidental captures in fishing gear. The latter, although infrequent, are still likely to occur. Currently however, the issue of primary concern involving this species is our lack of knowledge of virtually all aspects of its ecology and behavioral biology. Not only population figures remain unknown, but so are population structure, behavioral processes, social dynamics, and almost all aspect of their daily lives.
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