Angola Field Group

Read Biologist Pedro Vaz Pinto’s Second Semester 2019 Report with photos in English and Portuguese, now on our Giant Sable page.

The amazingly beautiful regrowth of geoxyle suffruttex vegetation in the anharas of Cangandala in August.

“Looking back, we have moved a long way in Cangandala National Park, sixteen years since our first hesitant and quite unsuccessful on-foot survey. By then we weren’t even sure if giant sable had survived the civil war, and it took us a few years to conclude that only a few old cows were left, and all males had been poached in the park. Ten years have now passed since a bull from Luando reserve was flown from Luando to join the surviving nine females in a fenced camp, and nine years completed since the first little calf was born to mark the start of the new era. Being a male, the calf received the name of Mercury, a roman god of communication, travelling and soul-guiding, and also the planet closest to the sun. A lot of hopes and responsibility was laid on Mercury’s shoulders, but over the years he has certainly risen to the occasion, becoming the master bull in Cangandala and making a significant contribution to the breeding success of the local herd.”

Mercury, not the number one anymore but still an imposing specimen.

The remarkable créche enjoying the anhara in Cangandala.

“This crèche comprised at one stage 20 little ones, which may well be the largest concentration of giant sable calves ever recorded. Adding a few off-season births in subsequent months, gives good reason to consider 2019 as a hugely successful year in Cangandala!”

Several males revolving around a receptive cow.

“Very interesting behavior was witnessed during breeding period, some of which was somewhat unexpected or at least not textbook material. We found all males present and cohabiting the same area, including the large master bulls, the younger territorial contenders and even the much younger from bachelor groups. It seems they all converge to the herd and orbit around the breeding cows.”

The herd peacefully resting and ruminating at mid-day.

“We estimate the current numbers in Cangandala to be around 80 animals, all still confined inside the 4,400-hectare sanctuary. All evidence and observations suggest that the herd is doing extremely well, as inferred by physical condition of animals, breeding rate and success, low mortality, and no indications of overgrazing or excess of antagonistic behavior.”

A red-lipped herald, probably one of the commonest snakes in the park.

They usually put on quite an aggressive show but are harmless.

Visit our Giant Sable page to read Pedro Vaz Pinto’s full report.

NOTE (update on Nov. 10, 2019): Regarding the December poaching incident below in which three poachers were arrested red-handed with the remains of a freshly killed giant sable female and then set free by the judicial system, it was not actually the judge who made the decision. The poachers were sent home by a local prosecutor with whom the poachers and respective families managed to negotiate a friendly release. This of course raises some worrying issues regarding the conduct of local police authorities, but also means that the incident is not necessarily closed from a formal legal standpoint. Source: Palanca Report First Semester 2019.

Read Biologist Pedro Vaz Pinto’s Second Semester 2018 Report with photos of Angola’s Cangandala Park and Luando Reserve, in English and Portuguese, now on our Giant Sable page.

The Luando Reserve is where most of the Giant Sable work has been focused lately, and where the tasks are more challenging…

Recently-appointed head of rangers for Luando, senior ranger whose war name is Fox, is doing an excellent job in training and organizing the sable shepherds and turning them into functional rangers.

“Benefiting from preliminary undercover intelligence work and with firm collaboration received from local villagers that a serious poaching team had crossed the Luando river and was operating in a given region, we sent our six best rangers to survey the area and prepare an ambush if possible. Six poachers were intercepted and following a few shots fired, three got away but the other three were detained, plus one weapon, ammunition and three well maintained motor bikes. Significantly they were carrying various animal parts and remains and included the skin of a giant sable female.”

History is made. The first time in 50 years poachers are arrested with evidence of killing a giant sable! A day in the life of a ranger on patrol in Luando, view the slide show:

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“Although we worked in close collaboration with provincial authorities, government, police and military and we thought that all the necessary steps had been taken to make sure the poachers would receive exemplary punishment, the judge ruled that the poachers should be released upon paying a fine of AKZ 250,000.00, which was worth less than US $250.00 per person. This was a ridiculous amount, and worth much less than what they had already profited from selling the bush meat! This ruling blatantly ignored that the act of killing of a giant sable – our natural national symbol, had recently been criminalized and the fine set at the very impressive and dissuasive amount of AKZ 22,000,000. And yet they got away paying only 1% of what the law recommends because the judge took pity on them or possibly didn’t think this was such a serious offence. Needless to say, this was a huge blow to the morale of the rangers, and even the local villagers feel frustrated and revolted by the judicial system.”

Visit our Giant Sable page to read Pedro Vaz Pinto’s full report.