BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality

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BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
VOLUME 16. 2013 / 14

SAFE HAVEN
Claire Hodgkinson recounts the story
of saving orphaned baboons and
keeping Durban’s Centre for the
Rehabilitation of Wildlife alive.

BIRD’S
EYE VIEW
David Allan reveals the frightening
decline in waterbirds in Durban Bay
over the last 14 years.
BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
A museum about
the earth, its history
and life on earth,
both past and present.
BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
(Photo: Charles Krebs – www.krebsmicro.com)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          thola

                                                                                                                                                                                       VOLUME 16 . 2013 / 14

                                                          3     Comments Page                                      Letter from
                                                          4     Director’s Report                                  the Editor
                                                          8     Pigeon Valley

                                                         10

                                                         13
                                                                SANBI Collaboration

                                                                Library Department
                                                                                                                   welcome
                                                                                                                   Thola first emerged as the Museum’s popular magazine in 2011. At that time,
                                                         14     Mammalogy Department                               I’d just finished serving a stint as ‘acting-director’ of the Museum. Well this year
                                                                                                                   I drew a similar, but much less onerous, sentence as your ‘acting-editor’. As you
                                                         20     SAASTEC Conference 2013                            will read elsewhere in this edition, our regular editor, Kirstin Williams, was on
                                                         22     Special Report: CROW                               a sabbatical completing her PhD and Allison Ruiters, our Director, asked me to
                                                                                                                   steer Thola through to publication. I’ve edited the Museum’s scientific journal
                                                         26     Palaeontology Department                           Durban Natural Science Museum Novitates since I joined the Museum as long
                                                                                                                   ago as 1996, so I’ve some experience with the pleasure and pain of the task. As
                                                        30      Exhibitions Department                             a popular product, Thola has been more fun to work with than the Novitates but
                                                         35     Wind Repowering Project                            its multi-faceted nature has rendered it equally challenging.
                                                                                                                      In the pages that follow, there are the usual departmental report-backs, packed
                                                        38      Herpetology Department                             with evidence of exciting progress on many fronts, and we welcome no less than
                                                                                                                   five new staff appointments, all involving young and dynamic individuals. Perhaps
                                                        44      Entomology Department
                                                                                                                   most thrilling is the landmark announcement of the Museum’s new mobile facility:
                                                        48      Education Department                               GO-WILD! As in the past, some of our like-minded collaborators weigh in with
                                                                                                                   stories of shared interest. Crispin Hemson exposes us to one of our City’s gems of
                                                        54      Conservancies                                      a nature reserve. Martin Clement describes the City’s new partnership with the
                                                                                                                   South African National Biodiversity Institute. Ginny Stone extolls our hosting of a
                                                        58      Ornithology Department
                                                                                                                   major science-centre symposium. Claire Hodgkinson reveals the heroic work of
                                                        64      Events                                             her centre for the rehabilitation of wildlife. Craig Richards shares his insights into
                                                                                                                   the interaction between wind-energy and the environment. Finally, Paulo Candotti
                                                         65     Museum Diary                                       spells out some ground-breaking advances in sustainable, community-based
                                                                                                                   conservation initiatives that are happening right in our own backyard.

                                                                                                                     Hope you enjoy these varied offerings. I know I did!

                                                                                                                                                                                                           David Allan
                                                                           Thola Magazine is published by:                                                                                david.allan@durban.gov.za
                                                                          The Durban Natural Science Museum
                                                                   P. O. Box 4085, Durban, South Africa 4001
                                                        165 Anton Lembede Street, Durban, South Africa 4001
                                                                  Tel: +27 31 311 2256. Fax: +27 31 311 2242         VOLUME 16. 2013 / 14

                                                                                     Director: Allison Ruiters
                                                                                          Editor: David Allan
                                                                                                                     SAFE HAVEN
                                                                               Design and Layout: Science™           Claire Hodgkinson recounts the story
                                                                                                                     of saving orphaned baboons and
                                                                                                                     keeping Durban’s Centre for the
                                                                                                                     Rehabilitation of Wildlife alive.

                                                 The editors wish to extend a special thanks to Emil von Maltitz
                                                                        for donating his photographic expertise                                             All material is copyright protected and may not be reproduced
                                                                                                                                                            either in whole or in part without the prior written permission of
                                                                    Durban Natural Science Museum Trust                                                     the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in the magazine
                                                  Thola is a non-profit educational magazine and any financial                                              do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or editor, who
                                              contributions to the Durban Natural Science Trust are welcomed.                                               reserve the right to amend articles. Whilst every care has been
                                                                                                                                                            taken to ensure accuracy of information, the publisher and editor
                                                                               Mr. David R. Bennett (Chairman)       BIRD’S                                 cannot be held responsible for any errors or views expressed.
                                              Mr. David G. Allan (Secretary/Treasurer), Mrs. Nicky F. Armstrong,
                                                            Mrs. Marilyn N. Bodasing, Mr. B. Themba T. Mathe
                                                                                                                     EYE VIEW
                                                                                                                     David Allan reveals the frightening
                                                                                                                                                            Readers are invited to express their views to the editor.
                                                                                                                                                            © Copyright 2014. All rights reserved.
                                                                                                                     decline in waterbirds in Durban Bay
                                                                                                                     over the last 14 years.
BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
SELECT YOUR
                       WEAPON.
                       YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU.

Form a conservancy with like-minded people in your area to control
invasive alien plant life and maintain your local environment.
A conservancy is a voluntary, co-operative initiative to help owners and residents provide environmental management and
promote stewardship of our natural resources at a community level. All conservancies are registered with our provincial
conservation authority, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
The first urban conservancy was established in 1991 with the Everton Conservancy in Gillitts. Twenty one years later, we now
have a proud record of voluntary environmental work with over 40 other urban conservancies in and around eThekwini.
We hold regular bi-annual workshops to empower our residents with valuable knowledge and information and use many of
our local experts for advice. Contact Jean Lindsay on 082 550 4427 or email her at lindsayjd@mweb.co.za

Private Bag X 3, Congella 4013
                                                                                                                                KWAZULU-NATAL
                                                                                                                               CONSERVANCIES
                                                                                                                                 ASSOCIATION
BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
3

    Visitor’s comments

   inbox

Tell us what’s on your mind, we’d love to hear from you. Send your news, views and
suggestions to David Allan at david.allan@durban.gov.za

Ekuphakameni Primary School         Limpopo Junior Chess Team           Jessica Broom                        B. D. Yerakiah
05-09-2013                          18-12-2013                          03-07-2013                           18-12-2013
‘Noma Khoza’s presentation          ‘The guides did a great job with    ‘Really enjoyed it! Schools should   ‘The museum contains great
to my learners was brilliant!       the large groups of children.       come here. Very educational, I       artifacts of prehistoric
Thanx lots.’                        Love it!’                           loved the whole experience. Will     information. The tour guide was
                                                                        be back soon!’                       quite informative. This building
Belinda Upfold                      Salomi Kirsten                                                           and it’s contents is an amazing
28-06-2013                          29-06-2013                          Karyn Muruyan                        heritage site.’
‘Very enjoyable and educational.    ‘Awesome experience for my          06-09-2013
An asset to Durban.’                11-year-old son. Good attraction    ‘It was very educational and         M. Potgieter
                                    for Durban. Friendly staff helped   everything so beautiful and life-    04-09-2013
Ruth Rhodes                         to make the experience good as      like. Will come back very soon,      ‘I was really impressed. Displays
12-01-2013                          well. Thanks.’                      would love to learn more.’           were top-class.’
‘We were very impressed –
fantastic displays, nice new ones   Skyset Tours                        Ebrahim Ahmod                        Gabriella Broom
and the old ones much improved.     18-07-2013                          23-01-2014                           03-07-2013
Loved the rhino poaching focus.     ‘The Museum is well-organised,      ‘Most memorable and                  ‘Really lovely museum. Will
Just a note that some of the bird   self-explanatory and educational.   educational place in Durban.         definitely come back soon!’
noises were not working.’           Staff are friendly and              Learnt a lot.’
                                    accommodating.’

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BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
4    Director’s Report

    Director’s Report: Allison Ruiters

                              “Museums today need to operate
                               from a position of shared authority, a
                               concept that pushes beyond the idea
                               of collaboration and partnership.”                                                               - Allison Ruiters

M
                useums are presented as           Krantzkloof Nature Reserve fitted well into the      In May 2013, vast progress was made
                places that produce, hold and     2013 IMD theme - Memory + Creativity =            in the new Natural Science Museum
                disseminate knowledge. At         Social Change - which aimed to contribute to      development project, with a seminar
                the same time our institutions    community development, in promoting social        facilitated by Imagine Durban and MILE
are all grappling with the challenge of how       cohesion and in creating community interest       (Municipal Institute of Learning), in which
we can become agents of change; how we            and involvement with our museums and the          Architectural Services, Skills Development
can become more relevant. Despite the many        natural environment. This initiative, borne out   and our museum participated. Invited
efforts that are being made, there still          of an existing relationship with our Mammalogy    external stakeholders included Prof. Michelle
remain many questions around most                 Department and Kloof Conservancy, then            Hamer, Director of Zoological Systematics,
museums’ civic role in addressing the critical    prompted the KwaXimba Natural Heritage Day        South African National Biodiversity Institute
social needs of our communities.                  event with KwaXimba Conservancy, which            (SANBI), Mr David Kramer, CEO of Sci-
Furthermore, there is a general perception        formed part of the Parks, Recreation & Culture    Bono Discovery Centre, Johannesburg, and
that science is isolated and accessible to only   (PRC) Month programme. This particular            Dr Beverley Damonse, Group Executive,
a few members of society. This view is            activity was an excellent example of cross        Science Advancement at the National
reinforced by the mind-sets and practices of      pollination between departments, as well as       Research Foundation (NRF). Discussions
most scientists and science-linked institutions   with two different communities, ultimately        were held in the context of perhaps one
that focus on insular research needs.             “bringing the museum to the people”.              of the most exciting projects for our City;
   Museums today need to operate from a              Whilst great strides have been made to         the development of the Arts and Cultural
position of shared authority, a concept that      expose the insulated world of science to          precinct within the CBD on the Centrum
pushes beyond the idea of collaboration           our public, a strong statement needs to be        site, of which a new Durban Central Library
and partnership, but rather promotes the          made that science is part and parcel of the       will serve as a central resource centre
stance that all stakeholders involved must be     cultural life of a city. Although there are a     for residents, and will also help drive the
understood to be authorities who are able to      few existing models, there needs to be more       economic revitalisation of the CBD area,
offer something of value to the relationship.     focus on the development of centralised           and be a new attraction for visiting tourists.
We need to let go of positions of actual and      “science knowledge campuses”, a unified           This has initiated a major move in the urban
perceived privilege and embrace the wisdom        network of relevant internal and external         redevelopment efforts to revitalize the area
and experiences of co-creators, adding this to    City stakeholders working towards achieving       and also lends itself to envisaged plans of the
our own areas of expertise, thus providing a      similar objectives. These campuses need to        creation of a knowledge hub.
new lens through which to consider our work       incorporate the elements of science research,        There are plans to include within this
and our goals.                                    a science museum / centre, science education      knowledge campus a new Natural Science
   This authentic, reciprocal engagement          and career development, encompassed               Museum that will also include a science
needs to be centred on Jacques Rancière’s         within the City’s urban planning and              centre. The Durban Natural Science
philosophy, where those who know something        regeneration framework and economic               Museum (DNSM), with a history of 126
engage with those who know something              development plan.                                 years, will continue to position itself as a
else. In doing this, we then transform the
knowledge and skills of all collaborators,
as long as we engage in genuine equal             Whilst great strides have been made to expose
relationships and conversations, better serving
both institutional and social needs.              the insulated world of science to our public, a
   Our collaborations with Kloof Conservancy
and KwaXimba Conservancy during this
                                                  strong statement needs to be made that science
year are evidence of such partnership. The        is part and parcel of the cultural life of a city.
International Museum Day (IMD) activities at

                                                                                                                           thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
5

                            leading institution, both at a national and       these programmes have been centred on
                            international level, in pioneering knowledge      the DNSM embracing the knowledge and
                            and creating awareness of the richness and        capabilities of our co-creators, thus adding
                            benefits of our biodiversity.                     value to our own areas of expertise.
                               This is especially important given that,         The highlight of our activities to dispel
                            following the DNSM being identified as one        the perception of science being narrow and
                            of five regional collections hubs in South        exclusive was our involvement with Prof.
                            Africa in the National Audit of Natural History   Mpilo Pearl Sithole, Associate Professor at the
                            Collections conducted by the NRF, we have         Community Development Programme at the
                            just been awarded funding, together with
                            KZN Museum, of R1 million per annum
                            over a 3-year period towards upgrading,           The DNSM, with a
                            maintaining and managing our collections,
                            thus increasing our absorptive capacity for
                                                                              history of 126 years,
                            collections from other institutions that may      will continue to
                            fall into disrepair.
                               A vast amount of work has already gone         position itself as a
                            into the City’s vision of creating a new
                            Natural Science Museum on the Centrum site
                                                                              leading institution,
                            alongside the Central Library. In keeping with    both at a national and
                            the City’s vision, this Precinct envisages “to
                            create a leading-edge footprint and digital       international level, in
                            gateway in Africa that provides knowledge,
                            opportunity and experience of culture,
                                                                              pioneering knowledge
                            heritage and science”. It is this vision that     and creating
                            informs the mission of the Libraries & Heritage
                            Department “to provide access to information      awareness of the
                            and knowledge; to develop, interpret and
                            preserve culture & heritage; to enhance
                                                                              richness and benefits
                            the quality of life, promote creativity and       of our biodiversity.
                            encourage life-long learning through libraries,
                            museums, art galleries, science centres,
                            performing arts and living heritage centres.”     University of KwaZulu-Natal, who delivered
                               Contributing to this mission, and              our keynote addresses at both our Annual
                            reinforcing the philosophy of “those who          Magqubu Ntombela – Ian Player Lecture and
                            know something engaging with those who            the 15th Annual Conference of the South
                            know something else”, was our various             African Association of Science & Technology
                            initiatives within the Education and Exhibition   Centres (SAASTEC). Pushing boundaries, by
                            Departments. Our National Science Week            bringing a social scientist within a natural
                            activities were made possible through funding     science environment, dispelled the apparent
                            received from the Department of Science &         notion that science is accessible to only a few,
                            Technology and was done in collaboration          elitist individuals and organizations. Professor
                            with youth ambassadors from different wards       Sithole challenged the distinction between
                            within eThekwini Municipality. Our “Green         “science” and “indigenous knowledge”,
                            Heroes for a Changing Climate” exhibition         and expanded on “science not being owned
                            was developed to recognize members of             exclusively by certain sections of society and
                            our communities who are doing simple but          the globe, but is a feature of every society;
                            inspiring acts within their everyday lives        scientific production is a shared practice”.
                            to reduce the impact of climate change.              The curation and research on our
                            A “living” extension of this exhibition, a        collections by both our voluntary and
                            permaculture garden at the Research Centre,       permanent Research Scientists has resulted in
                            was developed with the assistance of Durban       the continued expansion of our collections,
                            Botanic Gardens. The Joint Biodiversity           as well as re-iterated the need for this
                            Seminar Series has been developed in              fundamental biodiversity research. Leigh
                            partnership with our sister organizations,        Richards’ contribution to the Education
                            the South African Association for Marine          Department’s Volunteer Programme to
                            Biological Research (SAAMBR) and the Royal        include training some of our volunteers in
                            Society of South Africa, and has seen our         field surveys, not only enabled her to continue
                            audience grow, due to the rotation of these       to support the Environmental Planning and
                            monthly seminars to different venues. All         Climate Protection Department’s mandate of

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BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
6     Director’s Report

ABOVE: Busi Gumede, Sindi Nzama and Theshnie
Naidoo of the Education Department.
ABOVE RIGHT: The Museum family at the City Stars
Awards evening.
RIGHT: The concept for the realignment of Soldiers
Way that has yet to be approved by the City Council.

surveying the City’s nature reserves, but also
contributed to the ongoing development of
our enthusiastic volunteers, providing them
with an opportunity to improve their skills and
knowledge in an area quite foreign to most
of them. Assisting Leigh with this programme
and other technical tasks within the
Mammalogy Department, is Zama Mwelase,
the latest addition to our team. Leigh, along
with balancing the Mammal Department’s
many research collaborations, field work,
skills development, ongoing Chiropteran
research and her co-ordination of the GRAP
103 exercise and the NRF Collections Funding
Proposal, also completed her PhD in Biological
Sciences. Truly a proud moment for her, her            museum, amongst these a fully functional           Betsie Greyling, with the Herpetology and
family and her other family, at the DNSM!              Forensics Entomology Laboratory.,                  Palaeontology collections respectively has
   Kirstin Williams was awarded a Sabbatical              David Allan’s monthly field surveys of          enabled these “departments” to grow,
Grant from the NRF, enabling her to take time          waterbirds in Durban Bay for the past 14 years     supporting the medium-term plans of the
away from her administrative and curatorial            has resulted in him, with the assistance of        DNSM. Angelo’s meticulous reorganisation
responsibilities to work on the completion of          many partners over these years, being able to      of the Herpetology collection has resulted
her PhD. The arrival of Natasha Govender, an           produce a convincing account of the changing
addition to our team within the Entomology             diversity and numbers of waterbirds within
Dept, assured the day-to-day running of                this site. It has been David’s dedication to his   The curation and
the department during Kirstin’s absence.               profession and area of expertise that has driven
The vision and support of the PRC Executive            this programme, and resulted in a worthwhile
                                                                                                          research on our
Team, namely Mr Guy Redman (Deputy Head                monograph being added to the Novitates             collections by our
responsible for Libraries & Heritage) and Mr           journal publication. David’s continued
Thembinkosi Ngcobo (Head of the PRC Unit),             involvement in various wind-energy projects        voluntary and
enabled Kirstin and the DNSM to benefit                has ensured that expert avifaunal input has
from this funding programme, ensuring                  been provided to wind-energy developments
                                                                                                          permanent research
that we remain at the pinnacle of our                  ensuring that important precedents are set.        scientists has resulted
profession. I am proud to reveal that Kirstin          The Ornithology Department welcomed a new
has also completed her PhD, even though                technician, Onica Mukhuwana, who served as         in the continued
this will only officially be awarded to her in         a DST intern in 2012, and was already part of
2015 due to Rhodes University’s graduation             the DNSM team.
                                                                                                          expansion of our
process. I look forward to the new projects               The voluntary assistance of Dr Angelo           collections.
and collaborations that this will bring to the         Lambiris, and Prof. Mike Cooper and Mrs

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BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
7

ABOVE: The new GO-WILD mobile museum. ABOVE RIGHT: The Museum’s volunteer staff 2014.

in it now being fully data-based, and huge         has been the culmination of a project started         people that form part of our DNSM family.
progress has been made in producing                in 2011, GO-WILD, eThekwini Municipality’s            I am truly blessed, humbled and privileged
taxonomically definitive inventories of the        first mobile museum. This ambitious                   to have such a remarkable mix of staff and
collection, which should be complete in the        enterprise was made possible through joint            volunteers that are always giving of their
near future. Angelo’s resurrection of this         funding from the KwaZulu-Natal Department             best, going beyond what appears in their
collection has also resulted in a significant      of Arts & Culture and the Municipality. This          job descriptions, and all with their unique
donation of specimens from Mr Richard              initiative has been enhanced by the above             strengths, expertise and quirkiness, making
Boycott, as well as a visit to our collection,     biodiversity education programme, developed           us an exceptional team. This was duly
and loan of specimens, by Dr Mike Bates            specifically for this mobile unit and ensuring        recognised when we were nominated in
from the National Museum in Bloemfontein.          easier accessibility to the DNSM education            the 2013 City Stars Awards. Our Exhibitions
Mike and Betsie’s curatorial research              programmes for learners, educators and the            Department, headed by Dudu Hlatshwayo
work on the Palaeontology collection has           community. It has also led to the GO-WILD             (who is supported by Immie Mostert and
revealed in our collection a significant           branding application being relevant to our            Andrew Carter), through their Rotating
holding of type material, with this number         entire Education offering. This service to our        Exhibitions initiative, secured this accolade for
set to increase as they are in the process of      communities will contribute to closing the            our institution.
describing several new marine invertebrate         gap between science and the public, again
species. The NRF’s Collections Funding will        highlighted in the Human Sciences Research
enable the DNSM to provide an honorary             Council’s 2013 publication, which found that          All our achievements
stipend for continued work on this                 there still remains a disparity between public
collection, as well as forge a relationship        attitudes towards science and science literacy.
                                                                                                         within the past year
with the DST’s Palaeosciences Strategy team        Congratulations are again in order in this            are again testament to
to engage interns.                                 department, as Theshnie was also awarded
   Our Education Department has been               her PhD. Well done – we are proud of you!             the amazing team of
enriched with the addition of two new staff           In terms of the National Heritage Resources
members, Theshnie Naidoo and Sindi Nzama,          Act, No. 25 of 1999, heritage resources have
                                                                                                         people that form part
to add to the good work already being done         lasting spiritual value in their own right and        of our DNSM family.
by Busi Gumede, who is to be commended for         provide reference to historical moments in the
maintaining this department single-handed          construction of South African society. Since
for over a year, with the competent assistance     they are valuable, finite, non-renewable and             This co-creation within the DNSM, in
of our volunteers, Zamo Shazi and Deron            irreplaceable, they must be carefully managed         relation to our custodianship of collections
Dlamini. The achievement of a complete             to ensure their survival in the places where          and the knowledge that we derive and
Education team enabled the DNSM to host a          they are located. Every generation has a moral        share from these assets, feeds into the
hugely successful SAASTEC Conference, with         responsibility to act as trustee of the national      long-term sustainable development plan
the assistance of partner departments and          heritage for succeeding generations and               of our communities and City. In doing this,
organisations within the Municipality, as well     the government has a political mandate to             we are further entrenching our institution
as further develop the Biodiversity Curriculum     manage heritage resources in the interest of          as a relevant agent of change, protecting
Programme, which now includes Educator             its citizens. It is in light of this sentiment that   the environment, driving social equity and
Skills Development, Gallery Education              the GRAP 103 project was started in 2013 in           promoting economic prosperity, so that we
Programme, KwaZuzulwazi Programme                  the DNSM, Local History Museum and the                inspire our citizens to develop a relationship
development and Facilitator Training.              Durban Art Gallery.                                   with science, ultimately creating access to
   Definitely the highlight of this department’s      All our achievements within the past year          lifelong learning so that they are personally
work, and indeed for the Museum generally,         are again testament to the amazing team of            empowered and confident.

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BIRD'S EYE VIEW - SAFE HAVEN - eThekwini Municipality
8     Pigeon Valley

NATURALLY
RESERVED
FOR YOU
Crispin Hemson of the Friends of Pigeon Valley, sings
the praises of Durban’s urban reserves for bringing a
delightful and rich biodiversity to our doorsteps.

D
              urban residents often fail to realise   found here in large numbers, as is the Natal      understorey plant, buckweed (Isoglossa
              the richness and complexity that        loquat (Oxyanthus pyriformis). One tree, a        woodii), dies back, revealing the shy blue
              our urban reserves offer. They are      Cryptocarya, has yet to be clearly identified,    duiker. While the blue vervet monkeys and
              rich both in the number of species      and may be a hybrid or possibly a species         banded mongooses are evident in large
– trees, shrubs, birds, butterflies, mammals,         typically found far from here. A recent survey    troops, so are other mammals. A hot day in
reptiles and insects – and in their diversity.        has identified no less than 109 locally           spring brings out the hordes of alates (flying
Pigeon Valley, the small reserve on the Berea         indigenous tree species. For purposes of          ants or izinhlwabusi); which attract flocks of
(co-ordinates 29.86444°S 30.98861°E), barely          comparison, the equivalent number for the         birds, as the slender mongoose hides quietly
11 ha in extent, is a case in point. There are        British Isles is 33.                              in the grass, ready to partake in the feast.
larger reserves, such as Burman Bush to the              The visitor who walks along the leaf-strewn       Adjoining the reserve is a reservoir
north and Stainbank to the west, but Pigeon           trails may encounter unexpected delights.         managed by eThekwini Water, adding an
Valley is a jewel of a reserve.                       The number of bird species recorded in the
   The reserve slopes down towards the east,          reserve is 145. Most notable perhaps is the
as is typical on the Berea, but it is unusual in      Spotted Ground-Thrush, an endangered              Reserves play an
also having north-facing and south-facing             species typically present from April to August,
slopes. The south-facing slopes have tall trees       often detected by the rustle of leaves as it
                                                                                                        educational role as a
such as fluted milkwood (Chryophyllum                 pushes them aside in search of food. Green        place where people
viridolium) and relatively little undergrowth,        Twinspots were recorded as breeding in the
while the north-facing side has thorny thickets       reserve in 2013-2014, while the stern call of     can learn about the
and trees like the coast monkey-orange                the Black Sparrowhawk is regularly heard.
(Srychnos gerrardii). Perhaps for the same               The attentive observer may see the Buff-
                                                                                                        complexities of life
reason it has different habitats, and is notable      spotted Flufftail, whose strange hooting can      around them.
for having two very rare tree species. The            be heard on damp evenings, or the deep
majestic Natal elm (Celtis mildbraedii, or            yellow of the Dark-backed Weaver (in
uZinhlu) is                                           Afrikaans, Bos Musikant), with its strangely      area of coastal grassland and thus another
                                                      attractive squeaky-gate song. In the              habitat. The interface between the two
                                                      background there is the constant hooting of       areas is often rich in birdlife.
                                                      a Tambourine Dove, shy beauty of the forest.        Pigeon Valley brings together the
                                                         Dotted around the reserve are the red          management of the reserve, which falls
                                                      duikers, while every few years the prevailing     under the Natural Resources division of the

                                                         LEFT: A KwaZulu dwarf chameleon
                                                         (Photo: Adrian Armstrong)                                             thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
9

eThekwini Metro, and Friends of Pigeon              LEFT: A tall Natal elm (Celtis mildbraedii) shows its striking buttressing. (Photo: Richard Boon)
                                                    TOP RIGHT: The author talks to youth delegates to the COP17 summit on climate change about Pigeon Valley.
Valley, a network of local residents linked to      MIDDLE: A cautious blue duiker. RIGHT: An African Goshawk on the watch for prey. (Photo: Hugh Chittenden)
WESSA, who support the management
through reporting of problems and assistance
with alien clearing. They are well placed to        tourism, attracting visitors with a strong           an urban reserve where there is effective
address the invasive plant problems in the          interest in accessible urban reserves.               collaboration between local government and
areas around the reserve. The presence of              Increasingly the reserves play an                 civil society.
volunteers plays a role in enhancing security       educational role as a place where people can            For the average visitor, though, reserves
and provides a rapid response to such               learn about the complexities of life around          simply provide an opportunity to enjoy the
matters as a tree falling onto a fence that         them. The Friends have worked with                   peace and diversity that restore the soul and
may otherwise be missed.                            different groups of visitors to Pigeon Valley,       bring a sense of connection to nature.
   A recent joint initiative is a tree labelling    promoting a space that reveals far
project sponsored by one of the Friends,            more than can easily be
Doug Kirton. This project started at Pigeon         grasped in a classroom.
Valley but is moving to other reserves and          For young people
parks of the city. The aim is to encourage          working on environmental
the conservation and understanding of the           issues, these reserves are a
trees of the city. While young people are           valuable context to explore.
increasingly distanced from nature there               The reserves also provide access
is also a strong desire amongst them to             for scientific research. Some of the
explore and to connect with nature                  reserves, such as Pigeon Valley,
around them.                                        harbour individual plants that may differ in
   Recent work by the Friends has included          their genetic makeup from those of the
building up databases of trees, butterflies,        same species elsewhere. For this
birds and mammals. The aim of this work is,         reason, we do not favour planting trees
in part, to improve the monitoring of our           from outside the area in the reserves.
biodiversity so that we can respond to threats         This approach, combining a high
more effectively. It also serves to reveal to the   standard of management with ample
public the richness of this natural diversity.      information to sustain the most demanding            BELOW: A Green Twinspot
The reserves play an important role in              of visitors, demonstrates what is possible in        (Photo: Hugh Chittenden)

thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
10   SANBI Collaboration

ONE
BIG
STEP
FOR
BIODIVERSITY
The eThekwini Municipality and the South African National Biodiversity Institute
(SANBI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen biodiversity
collaboration between the two organisations. Martin Clement, Curator of the
Durban Botanic Gardens, further elaborates on this beneficial union.

e         Thekwini’s Integrated Development
          Plan (IDP) is a transformational tool
          for achieving the eThekwini
Municipality’s commitment to developing a
“caring and liveable city”. This includes the
                                                     SANBI, as mandated by the
                                                  National Environmental Management
                                                  Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), has in place
                                                  a number of internationally esteemed
                                                  programmes in research, gardens,
                                                                                           i. Making the Case for Biodiversity
                                                                                           eThekwini and SANBI have acknowledged
                                                                                           the need for increased investment in
                                                                                           biodiversity conservation, particularly within
                                                                                           the development context. Political decision-
long-term sustainability of Durban’s natural      conservation, education and training,    makers are seen as key to this initiative and
resource base, which requires appropriate         and many are being strengthened by its   the message regarding managing biodiversity
research; the regulation and management of        partnerships with other organisations.   and ecosystem services will address the
development; the development of relevant          Given the mandates, collaboration is a   social, political and economic development
policy; and the implementation of a               critical base upon which to plan and     paradigm of the Government of South Africa.
monitoring programme of key biodiversity          implement land policy objectives,
indicators. To achieve this, the eThekwini        mainstreaming, information exchange,     ii. Biodiversity Management Plans for
Municipality has initiated several programmes     resource sharing, research, education    Ecosystems (BMPE)
in key areas such as education, awareness,        and capacity development to achieve      This collaborative area will address norms
incentives, green economy, town-planning          the conservation and sustainable use     and standards for Biodiversity Management
mechanisms and public-private partnerships.       of biodiversity.                         Plans for Ecosystems (BMPE) that have been
Critical to the achievement of these aims is         The eThekwini-SANBI Memorandum of     requested by the Department of
eThekwini’s collaboration at a local,             Understanding (MoU) addresses the        Environmental Affairs (DEA) in terms of the
provincial, national and international level.     following areas of collaboration:        Biodiversity Act (NEMBA).

                                                                                                                 thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
11

   The loneliest tree in the world
   Wood’s cycad (Encephalartos woodii) is endemic to Ongoye Forest in KwaZulu-Natal. It is one of the
   rarest plants in the world, being extinct in the wild with all specimens being clones of the single
   remaining type. The specific and common name both honour John Medley Wood, curator of the
   Durban Botanic Garden and director of the Natal Government Herbarium of South Africa, who
   discovered the plant in 1895. Cycads evolved 240 million years ago and are the ancestors of flowering
   plants. Like all other cycads, Wood’s cycad is dioecious (meaning that there are male and female
   plants). Wood’s male specimen is the only representative of the species ever found. Luckily, the plant
   regularly forms side-shoots at the base of the stem which are cultivated. By sending these stems to
   other botanical gardens worldwide, the survival of this unique prehistoric plant species is ensured.

LEFT: Christo Swart, Deputy Head of Parks,             arrangements and developing new
Recreation & Culture, representing the office of
the City Manager of eThekwini Municipality,
                                                       mechanisms for possible national uptake as
with Carmel Mbizvo, Head of Biodiversity               part of the protected area expansion
Research, Policy and Knowledge Management,             toolbox. This includes potential
SANBI, following the signing of the
Memorandum of Understating on Biodiversity
                                                       development of new incentives.
Collaboration between eThekwini and SANBI
(photo: Jody Fuchs).                                   vii. Threatened Species
                                                       One of the objectives of species                     this important area, and which is
                                                       conservation or range expansion projects is          obstructing political support for a fair and
                                                       to improve the body of knowledge on focal            equitable global climate policy regime that
 iii. Green Economics
                                                       species in South Africa and the Southern             will protect biodiversity. South Africa is a
 Further work is required on the economic
                                                       African Development Community (SADC).                key world region that could contribute
 benefits of healthy natural systems that
                                                       eThekwini Municipality and SANBI will share          these necessary insights.
 remain poorly understood and
                                                       any available and relevant knowledge
 communicated to the private and public
                                                       pursuant to species conservation and trade-          ix. Botanical Gardens
 sectors. Green-economy initiatives will
                                                       policy issues.                                       Botanic gardens in South Africa focus on
 include industries derived from biodiversity,
                                                                                                            core areas of biodiversity, education,
 for example: ecotourism and game farming,
                                                                                                            heritage, research, horticultural excellence
 catchment rehabilitation and alien clearing.           eThekwini and SANBI                                 and green innovation. Both parties are
 iv. Municipal Property Rates                           have acknowledged                                   responsible for managing, maintaining and
 Strengthening legislative and fiscal                                                                       developing botanical gardens, and potential
 frameworks for ensuring the protection of              the need for increased                              areas for collaboration between SANBI’s
                                                                                                            National Botanical Gardens and the Durban
 biodiversity in local governments includes             investment in                                       Botanic Gardens include: garden-, estate-,
 the need to develop or amend national
 guidelines for the inclusion of biodiversity           biodiversity                                        data- and collections-management;
 considerations in municipal property rates                                                                 interpretation; capacity building and skills
 policies and valuations.                               conservation,                                       development; curriculum-based
                                                                                                            environmental education work; joint
 v. Climate Change Communication
                                                        particularly within the                             publications; commercialisation; fund-
 Addressing climate-change issues remains a             development context.                                raising; support for Mozambican botanical
 strong area of collaboration for both SANBI                                                                gardens; links with museums; and
 and eThekwini Municipality. This includes                                                                  biodiversity research.
 key policy reports such as the ad hoc                 viii. Climate Change Adaptation
 Technical Expert Group report for the                 The mutually beneficial relationship                 x. Research
 Convention on Biological Diversity. There is          between societal adaptation via the use of           As both Parties manage natural
 scope to build on this, especially as the             natural resources – also known as                    conservation areas, with their associated
 second national communication exercise                “ecosystem-based adaptation” – provides              biodiversity, there is scope for collaborative
 moves to implementation through the DEA               opportunities to research, document,                 research projects to survey the fauna and
 Policy Framework for Biodiversity and                 formalise and communicate these co-                  flora in these areas to monitor the health of
 Climate Change Response. An opportunity               benefits more widely, especially through the         these biomes. Knowledge of the Red-Listed
 exists for collaboration in preparation for           development of well-monitored pilot                  species that occur in the municipal area is
 the third national communication report.              projects; as is the need to detect and               important for informing biodiversity
                                                       attribute ongoing changes in natural                 planning. SANBI is dependent on the
 vi. Protected Area Expansion                          ecosystems to climate-change drivers. This           network of 11 institutions carrying out
 eThekwini Municipality will be trialling              is especially important in light of the high         research on animal taxonomy for input into
 innovative protected-area management                  degree of uncertainty that still remains in          projects such as SABIF, SAEoL and SAIBOL.

 thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
12    Collaboration

Knowledge of the Red Listed species that occur in the municipal area is
important for informing biodiversity planning.

xi. Collections Management                          • Development of appropriate co-                  xiii. Biodiversity Planning
As both Parties manage natural conservation           management agreements/arrangements              eThekwini Municipality has produced a
areas with their associated biodiversity and          which incorporate collaborative mapping         fine-scale Systematic Conservation Plan
hold important plant and animal collections:          and monitoring of IAS and, in particular,       (SCP) in order to identify and prioritise areas
• The Parties can explore mechanisms for              of IAS within the eThekwini Municipal           for the conservation of biodiversity and the
  collaboration in curation of collections to         Area (EMA);                                     ecosystem services they provide. The
  promote potential synergies and best              • Setting priorities of important IAS or IAS      Municipality has worked closely with
  practice; and                                       populations to be targeted for eradication;     Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in terms of a
                                                                                                      MoU and the Municipality’s plan will
• The Parties can facilitate access to such         • Sharing of relevant IAS data and general
                                                                                                      replace the provincial plan for its
  collections for staff and students from             information including best practices for IAS
                                                                                                      jurisdictional area. Furthermore, the
  both Institutions.                                  control and IAS locality data;
                                                                                                      Municipality plans to develop biodiversity
                                                    • Developing pilot IAS control projects; and      sector and bioregional plans.
xii. Invasive Alien Species – SANBI’s Early
Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR)                 • Working together to develop and distribute         There is a justifiable fear amongst
Programme                                             IAS education and awareness tools or            practitioners that plans, in themselves, serve
Collaboration between SANBI and the                   hosting informative workshops,                  only the planning process, and are never
eThekwini Municipality with regards to                presentations, etc.                             effectively put into operation. The
control of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) is          In addition to the above, it is recognised that   Municipality’s longstanding work in the field
expected to take place in a number of ways,         both Parties play a significant role in           of environmental planning lends itself to
including the following:                            developing, promoting and supporting green        effective implementation through integration
• Collective strategy development, or at least      job opportunities, and that successful IAS        at all levels and types of municipal planning
  integration of relevant strategies and action     control programmes are likely to form the         and decision-making, and by proactive
  plans, as well as collective input into current   foundation of many green job projects within      initiatives such as land acquisition and a drive
  and appropriate legislation and regulations;      the EMA.                                          for ‘green jobs’.
Library Department          13

MATERIAL
MATTERS
Librarian, Lumka Ludwaba, reports on categories, catalogues, collections,
compilations and committees.

D
            uring the course of 2013, all the        Library Committee meetings have been
            Museum library holdings published     revived and take place every quarter. The
            before 1900 were formally             Library Committee forms an advisory board
            categorised as ‘rare’ material. A     and comprises representative staff from the
total of 481 of these items were barcoded,        library, the curators, and the education and
listed and submitted. This was in line with the   exhibition departments. The purpose of the
Generally Recognised Accounting Practices         committee is threefold: 1) review and make
(GRAP 103) issued by the South African            recommendations on planning for library
Treasury relevant to the accounting of natural    resources; 2) review the performance of the
heritage collections. One of the oldest books     library in supporting museum activities; and
in the GRAP 103 list is ‘The Aurelian: or         3) consult and advise on the library budget.
natural history of English insects; namely,          Miriam Natalwalla was appointed
                                                                                                   ABOVE: Lumka Ludwaba and Mariam Natalwalla
moths and butterflies’ written by Moses           Departmental Senior Librarian. This led to
                                                                                                   examine new journals in the Museum library.
Harris and published in 1766.                     changes in reporting lines, with the             BELOW: One of the oldest book in the Museum
                                                  departmental librarians reporting to the         library, The Aurelian.

 A process currently                              Senior Librarian who reports in turn to the
                                                  District Manager.
 underway is to ensure                               A keen youngster, Mondli Ngcongo, was         and a popular magazine, Thola, which are
                                                  hosted by the Museum library for work-           sent to exchange partners annually. In return
 that all the materials                           integrated learning. He spent a busy eight       the library receives free copies of a variety of

 in the Library                                   weeks at the library learning a range of
                                                  tasks. He assisted with the onerous GRAP
                                                                                                   valuable publications from its exchange
                                                                                                   partners. In the absence of a Library
 collection are                                   103 process, as well as with sorting the         Assistant, a post that remains vacant, the
                                                  reprints on birds.                               Museum volunteers assisted with the mailing
 correctly categorised.                              The Museum exchanges publications with        of material to exchange partners.
                                                  many international and local partners. It also     A process currently underway is to ensure
   Unfortunately there was a delay during         publishes a formal scientific journal, the       that all the materials in the Library collection
2013 with the renewal of subscriptions due to     Durban Natural Science Museum Novitates,         are correctly categorised. In addition to
the challenges encountered with internal                                                              typical print material, such as books and
processes. Happily, the journals were renewed                                                            journals, these items include
just before the end of the financial year and                                                             photographic slides, photographs, video
the first issue for 2013 was received in July.                                                            cassettes, DVDs, posters, pamphlets
The Journal of Museum Education and                                                                       and reprints. Once this cataloguing task
Curator: the Museum Journal are two new                                                                    is complete, staff will be able to check
additions to the journal subscription list.                                                                 the Museum’s entire library collection,
There were also challenges with acquiring                                                                   as well as the full eThekwini libraries’
books and DVDs during 2013 due to                                                                            collection, from their desktops. On
modifications to internal processes, and                                                                     completion of this process a full stock-
only 24 books and four DVDs were                                                                              take will be conducted. This will be
acquired. These processes have now been                                                                       followed by the compilation of a
rectified and we look forward to more                                                                          manual detailing how to search the
acquisitions during 2014.                                                                                      library’s database.

thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
14   Mammalogy Department

                            thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
15

                        The Mammal Collection boasts yet another
                        series of type specimens in the form of
                        Myosorex meesteri (Meester’s forest shrew).

                                                                                             LEIGH RICHARDS

WILD NEW
DISCOVERIES
Leigh Richards, Curator of Mammals, reports on the comings and
goings of people and other creatures in her department.

I
     t was another bumper year for the     the Limpopo Valley, Soutpansberg           use patterns on the abundance of serval
     Mammal Department. In 2013 we         foothills and North-west Zimbabwe. (For    within the KZN Midlands. This medium-
     accessioned no fewer than 350         more on the bats of the Soutpansberg       sized cat is currently listed as Near
     specimens. We received a sizeable     read Taylor et al. (2013) Diversity of     Threatened within South Africa, owing to
donation from Prof. Peter Taylor, former   bats in the Soutpansberg and Blouberg      the dependence of the species on ever-
Curator of Mammals, comprising             Mountains of northern South Africa:        dwindling wetland habitats. The donated
approximately 250 small mammals            complementarity of acoustic and non-       animals were casualties discovered
collected from the Limpopo Province,       acoustic survey methods. South African     during the course of survey work in the
particularly the biologically diverse      Journal of Wildlife Research 43: 12–26.)   Midlands. Dr Ramesh’s on-going research
Soutpansberg area. Most of the                                                        will undoubtedly provide valuable
collected material emanated from           UNDER THREAT                               data to support the conservation and
various post-graduate student projects     Other notable acquisitions included the    management of the species.
supervised by Prof. Taylor.                donation of three serval specimens by
  Amongst the donated material were        Dr Tharmalingam Ramesh, a postdoctoral     NEW SHREW
100 bat specimens that included several    fellow based at the University of          The mammal collection boasts yet
individuals of the newly described         KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg            another series of type specimens in the
Smither’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus       Campus. Dr Ramesh has utilised several     form of the newly described Meester’s
smithersi). This newly described species   methods, including camera-trap data, to    forest shrew (Myosorex meesteri).
of horse-shoe bat is known only from       assess the influence of changing land-     Using genetic and morphological data,

thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
16     Mammalogy Department

     African Serval
     (Leptailurus serval)
 TOTAL LENGTH: Male: 960–1205 mm;
               Female: 970–1230 mm

           Weight: Male: 8.5–13.5 kg
                   Female: 8.5–11.5 kg

               DIET: Nocturnal hunter, feeding
                     mostly on rodents,
                     especially vlei rats and
                     multimammate mice.             ABOVE: Meester’s forest shrew – Myosorex meesteri. (Photo: Julian Kerbis, www.planet-mammiferes.org)
                     Shrews, reptiles and birds     RIGHT: Hipposideros ruber. FAR RIGHT: Hipposideros caffer. (Photos: Ara Monadjem)
                     are also taken. Birds can be
                     captured in mid-air flight.

         BREEDING: Gestation takes
                   approximately
                   2.5 months, with young
                   (1–4 kittens) typically          the team of scientists led by Prof. Taylor,        TALKING HEADS
                   born in the summer               found that shrew populations from Mount            In July my MSc students and I attended the
                   months. Females tend to
                   give birth in clumps of
                                                    Gorongoza in Mozambique and the Eastern            2013 symposium of the Zoological Society
                   vegetation in grasslands         Highlands of Zimbabwe were clearly                 of southern Africa (ZSSA), co-hosted by the
                   or in underbrush.                distinguished from other Myosorex species          University of Venda and the University of
      Habitat and Servals have a wide               found within southern African. Myosorex            Limpopo. The conference was held at the
     distribution: distribution range               meesteri, named after J.A.J. Meester,              beautiful Tshipise Resort located north of
                   throughout Africa, yet
                   are absent from the drier
                                                    evolved as a separate species approximately        the majestic Soutpansberg. The theme of
                   regions of the continent.        2 million years ago. Relative to other             the conference was “Biodiversity Value
                   Estimated home ranges
                                                    southern African species this shrew has a          and Changes”.
                   for males within KZN are
                   15–30 km 2.                      smaller cranium and has a minute fourth               I presented a paper on “The utility of
                                                    upper singular-cusped tooth that is encircled      geometric morphometric data in delimiting
          LIFESPAN: Estimated to live up to
                    23 years in the wild.           by the adjacent teeth.                             taxa within the Afrotropical Hipposideros
                                                                                                       caffer-ruber complex (Chiroptera:
                                                                                                       Hipposideridae)”. The systematic
                                                     Mammal specimens                                  relationships amongst bats belonging to
                                                     donated within                                    the H. caffer-ruber complex have often
                                                                                                       been questioned due to the existence of
                                                     recent months have                                morphologically similar cryptic species and
                                                                                                       difficulties in delimiting species. Genetic
                                                     included a large                                  studies have begun to clarify the
                                                     male bushbuck, blue                               evolutionary patterns within this species
                                                                                                       complex and have revealed cryptic lineages
                                                     duikers, scrub hare                               within the species H. caffer and H. ruber.
                                                                                                       My preliminary research, based on cranial
                                                     and a bushbaby.                                   morphological data, supported the
                                                                                                       recognition of cryptic lineages within the
                                                    ANIMAL RE-HAB                                      H. caffer-ruber complex and revealed
                                                    The department forged a new partnership            lineage-specific morphological traits that
                                                    with the Centre for the Rehabilitation of          can be used in taxonomic diagnoses.
                                                    Wildlife (CROW). Regarded as the first                My students, Sylvana Reddy and Tarin
                                                    rehabilitation centre established in South         Ramsaroop, both presented papers on the
                                                    Africa, CROW has been in existence for over        morphological diversity of Afrotropical bats
                                                    30 years. The organisation is dedicated to         within the Molossidae (free-tailed bats)
                                                    the rescue, rehabilitation and release of all      family. Tarin was awarded third place for
                                                    indigenous wildlife found in KwaZulu-Natal.        the student oral presentations – certainly a
                                                    Animals that unfortunately succumb to              proud moment for her supervisor!
                                                    their injuries are donated to the Museum,             During the course of the conference I
 Citation: Skinner JD, Chimimba CT (2005)           ensuring that they retain a long-lasting value     also attended the ZSSA AGM and was
 The mammals of the southern African
                                                    to science. Mammal specimens donated               elected to serve as a ZSSA Council
 subregion. 3rd Edition. Cambridge University
 Press, Cambridge (and references therein).         within recent months have included a large         member during 2014-2015. I have been
 (Photo: Jiri Bohdal, www.naturfoto.cz)             male bushbuck, blue duikers, scrub hare and        tasked with managing the archives of
                                                    a bushbaby.                                        the organisation.

                                                                                                                               thola: VOLUME 16. 2013/14
17

                                                                                                        within the Municipality, many remain largely
                                                                                                        under-sampled.
                                                                                                           The Mammal Department has in recent
                                                                                                        years partnered with eThekwini’s
                                                                                                        Environmental Planning and Climate
                                                                                                        Protection Department (EPCPD) and
                                                                                                        Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) to
                                                                                                        undertake small mammal surveys of the
                                                                                                        Municipal reserves.
                                                                                                           In 2013 three reserves were surveyed:
                                                                                                        Bluff Nature Reserve, Kenneth Stainbank
                                                                                                        Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach Nature
                                                                                                        Reserve. I was assisted by five Museum
                                                                                                        volunteers (see below) and Rohan Boer, an
                                                                                                        MSc student registered with the University
                                                                                                        of Groningen in the Netherlands. Rohan
GOING BATTY                                         in Acta Chiropterologica. Mount Nimba               collected ticks from various small mammals
Most of the year was dedicated towards              represents one of the most biologically             to screen them for Borrelia bacterium which
finalising my doctoral thesis which was             diverse habitats for hipposiderid bats in           is known to cause Lyme’s disease in humans.
submitted for examination in November. I            West Africa. Research efforts have focused          Our surveys resulted in the collection of 30
did, however, manage to devote some                 on a better understanding of the                    voucher specimens belonging to six different
time to other research projects.                    distribution and evolutionary relationships         small mammal species. We added two new
   My collaborative research work on                of the taxa occurring within the region.            occurrence records: the least dwarf shrew
the bats of West Africa culminated                     My research on the biogeographic                 (Suncus infinitesimus) for Treasure Beach
in another publication: Monadjem A.,                distribution of KZN small mammals through           Nature Reserve, and pygmy mouse (Mus
Richards L., Taylor P.J., et al. (2013) Diversity   field-based surveys continued in 2013. The          minutoides) for Kenneth Stainbank Nature
of Hipposideridae in the Mount Nimba                focus of 2013 was directed towards the              Reserve. A small mammal survey of Giba
massif, West Africa, and the taxonomic              eThekwini Municipal area. Of the                    Gorge Environmental Precinct in Hillcrest is
status of Hipposideros lamottei, published          approximately 30 recognised nature reserves         scheduled for January 2014.

  VOLUNTEER FIELD ASSISTANTS
   SMANGELE SHABALALA            Leroy Nala                   Nompumelelo Dlova              Hlengiwe Hadebe              Kwazi Ntombela
   I have worked as a            I was afforded the chance    I have been working as a       I completed my National      I joined the field survey
   volunteer in the Mammal       to assist the Curator of     volunteer in the Mammal        Diploma in Chemical          group that worked in
   Department since              Mammals with research        Department since March         Engineering at               various reserves in
   February 2011. I am           on the distribution of       2013. I assist the mammal      Mongosuthu University of     eThekwini. The part that I
   currently studying            small mammals within         technical assistant with the   Technology. I have been a    enjoyed the most was
   towards my BSc in Life        eThekwini. It was a great    day-to-day activities in the   volunteer since March        finding out that I had
   Sciences. I was privileged    experience and I gained      department. I was given        2013. I accompanied the      captured something in the
   to be part of the field       new insights into small      the opportunity to be part     Curator of Mammals on        live-trap that I had set.
   survey team. During the       mammal biodiversity and      of the team that surveyed      three field surveys and      Small mammal surveys
   field surveys, I learnt       the important role that      three natural areas within     learnt a great deal during   certainly teach you
   everything from how to        these animals play in        eThekwini. I gained            this time. The most          perseverance. If at first
   capture the animals to        ecosystems.                  valuable training in the       interesting part of the      you don’t succeed, try and
   processing and collecting                                  capture of small mammals,      surveys was learning         try again!
   important research                                         their identification and the   how to process the study
   samples used in a wide                                     processing of voucher          specimens.
   variety of studies.                                        specimens.
18     Mammalogy Department

GOODBYE ...
It was with heavy hearts that we bid farewell
to mammal technical assistant, Sindisiwe
Nzama. Sindisiwe left the department at the
end of June 2013 to take up her position as
one of the two new Museum Education
Officers. During her relatively short tenure
with the department Sindisiwe oversaw the
accessioning of an astounding 310 small
mammal specimens. She assisted with various
outreach activities and several small mammal
surveys within KZN. We hope her time spent
in the Mammal Department will serve her
well in her new career.

AND HELLO!
Zamawelase Mwelase was appointed as the
new technical assistant in the Mammal
Department and commenced her duties on 1

                                                    THE WORLD
January 2014. Zama worked as an intern at
the South African Sugar Research Institute
(SASRI) during 2012–2013. She obtained her
BSc from UKZN. We welcome her as the
newest member to our team.                          ACCORDING TO GRAP
   The Department also welcomed the arrival
of a new volunteer, Nompumelelo Dlova.              Leigh Richards, Curator of Mammals,
Mpumi, as she is affectionately known, is
from Mthatha and holds a National Diploma           explains how heritage assets of the Durban
in Information Technology (Business
Applications) from Walter Sisulu University.
                                                    Natural Science Museum were inventoried
She commenced work in March 2013 and has            according to GRAP 103.
been trained by Smangele Shabalala, another
volunteer in the department since 2011.
   Both were instrumental in getting the

                                                I
ichthyology collection fully inventoried and
data-based (read more in the article on               n July 2008, the South African Treasury       Museums (LHM), geared up to conduct full-
GRAP103). They have also completed an                 issued the Generally Recognised               scale inventories of their collections in
audit of the Pringle Collection that contains         Accounting Practices (GRAP 103) for the       compliance with GRAP 103 guidelines. The
2000 mammal specimens on permanent loan               accounting of natural heritage                months of May to August 2013 saw a flurry
from the KwaZulu-                               collections. GRAP 103 applies to all                of activity with Museum departmental staff
Natal Museum.                                   institutions operating under the Public             industriously cataloguing, data-basing and
                                                Finance Management Act (PFMA) or the                verifying their heritage assets. All efforts
                                                Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA)             were supported and supervised by the
                                                and requires the recognition, valuation, and        Finance Department supporting the Parks,
                                                disclosure of all heritage assets of an             Recreation and Culture (PRC) Unit.
                                                organisation. Heritage assets are regarded as
                                                items “that have cultural, environmental,
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                                                historical, natural, scientific, technological or
                                                                                                    The months of May
     Mwelase.
                                                artistic significance and are held indefinitely     to August saw a
                                                for the benefit of present and future
                                                generations” (Accounting Guideline: GRAP            flurry of activity
                                                103, Heritage Assets. South African National
                                                Treasury). In this respect, heritage assets may
                                                                                                    with departmental
                                                include artworks, rare books, artefacts, and        staff industriously
                                                biological specimens held by libraries,
                                                galleries, and museums.                             cataloguing, data-
                                                   GRAP 103 came into effect on
                                                1 April 2012. The Durban Natural Science
                                                                                                    basing and verifying
                                                Museum (DNSM) and its sister institutions the       their heritage assets.
                                                Durban Art Gallery (DAG) and Local History
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