IT meets manpower at the Reserve

IT meets manpower at the Reserve The last couple of months on the Reserve were thrilling for co-owner Martina (a retired vet). Martina had been waiting for years for a good number of white rhino to finally arrive at Limpopo-Lipadi. This is her story: “Mid-April the time had finally come. The white rhino, eagerly anticipated for years, arrived at the Reserve. Dehorned (of course!) and for the first time equipped with transponders.

These transponders represent a new technology and they make it possible to successfully track rhino. After a short acclimatisation period, begin May was the eagerly awaited big day – the rhino would be released. The nervousness was palpable – would they find enough food and water, what interactions would happen between the new arrivals and our rhinos? What would happen if they would encounter other wildlife, like lions, elephants etc. for the first time? These rhino had been kept in an environment without other mammals for years.

A totally exciting and little documented experiment for any biologist or veterinarian, and a big additional task for our very motivated Anti-Poaching Unit (APU). The new rhino need to be located every day and this is where an easy-to-use software program could provide support for the daily documentation. My partner Jost and I did not want to miss the unique opportunity to observe the new arrivals in their first weeks of their life at the Reserve, while documenting their behavior and laying the foundation for a comprehensive database.

After intensive discussions with all parties involved, we developed two apps that are tailored to the requirements and needs of the users and the Reserve. It was a technical challenge to create an IT program under the local conditions that is stable and robust enough, and that can be easily deployed by the users. Plus, that it would allow for timely and comprehensive documentation. Limpopo-Lipadi is the first in Botswana to be equipped with this technology, and our APU and gate security have fully committed to step up to this new challenge. In the meantime, they are already envied by other reserves for the possibilities of the technology. The Gate Security App is used to monitor traffic and human movement on the public road that runs through the reserve.

The Rhino App is used to track animals and additionally to record actions and interactions. Both Apps were developed to increase the safety of our wildlife, to simplify daily work and incidentally to collect valuable and valid data about our wildlife, which in turn will benefit wildlife management. The creation, and successful implementation of this unique Conservation concept was only possible through the cooperation of all parties involved and it represents a successful example of highly engaged collaboration.” If you would like to be a part of our conservation efforts, do call on us. For discreet information on share sales, contact generalmanager@limpopo-lipadi.org.