Dear supporter,

In the same way you plan the smooth running of your household, Mother Nature has devised wonderful ways of taking care of her brood and domestic chores. Take oxpeckers for example - she raised them on a strict diet of ticks to ensure that they rid cattle and other animals of these annoying bloodsuckers. And don't forget the sturdy dung beetle that she gave the somewhat unenviable, yet essential task of sanitation manager. But human intervene and this can upset the balance ...

Pesticides, that were developed to protect imported domestic cattle breeds which are unaccustomed to African parasites, spell disaster for oxpeckers when they consume poisoned ticks which are also toxic for the birds. In fact, this problem resulted in the temporary extinction of the Yellow-billed Oxpecker in South Africa.

In addition, the active ingredients in many of these pesticides retain their toxicity in the treated animal's dung, thus endangering Africa's large flightless dung beetles. Effects can range from the death of adult beetles, eggs or larvae to some form of impairment such as lower breeding capacity. Yet both oxpeckers and dung beetles provide essential services to Mother Nature.

It is thus of utmost importance that we secure the future of oxpeckers and dung beetles. That's why the Endangered Wildlife Trust's (EWT) Wildlife Conflict Prevention Group runs Operation Oxpecker to generate awareness among the agricultural community about the harmful effects of certain pesticides. We also introduce farmers to environmentally-compatible chemicals that are oxpecker and dung beetle-friendly, join forces with legislators and chemical manufacturers to increase the development of compatible products, and educate the public.

We are proud to report that Yellow-billed Oxpeckers have recolonised the north-eastern parts of South Africa and Red-billed Oxpeckers are more widely distributed, since appropriate products were introduced through Operation Oxpecker. And thanks to the introduction of our Dung Beetle-friendly rating system for pesticides, we are helping farmers to minimise the impact of pesticides on dung beetles.

We would like to add you to our list of supporters of Mother Nature's cleaners! By donating to the EWT's Wildlife Conflict Prevention Group, you will help to ensure a bright future for Africa's Oxpeckers and dung beetles. You might even get the opportunity to observe them up close and personal during a relaxing breakaway for two at Mabalingwe (see competition details below)...

Your's sincerely

Yolan Friedman
CEO: EWT

PS: You can also contribute by donating online at www.ewt.org.za/support-donations.aspx
PPS: Remember to read about our exciting competition below!
PPPS: Please visit www.ewt.org.za for more information or call us on (011) 486 1102. To keep up to date on the developments with these and other groundbreaking projects at the EWT, subscribe to our regular electronic newsletter on
http://www.ewt.org.za/news_subscribe.aspx

NPO 015-502     PBO 930 001 777

How Mother Nature - and humankind - benefit from oxpeckers and dung beetles

Job Profile: Oxpeckers:

• The Yellow-billed Oxpecker and Red-billed Oxpecker have a long history with humankind, thanks to their symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with Africa's large beasts.
• Oxpeckers dine on the ticks and their larvae found on cattle, horses, and wild animals such as antelope and rhinoceroses.
• When young oxpeckers fledge, they fly directly to a host and may feed there for up to two months!
• Oxpeckers can be game and cattle farmers' greatest natural allies against ticks - an adult Red-billed Oxpecker can consume nearly 100 engorged female ticks and more than 12 000 larvae in a day.

Job Profile: Dung Beetles

• Dung beetles bury 75% of all dung produced in a healthy ecosystem
• To help you get an idea of the tremendous job load they face every day, consider the following facts: Kruger National Park's 12 500 elephants produce 1 875 tons of dung per day and South Africa's 10 million cattle produce a further 200 000 to 300 000 tons per day!
• In returning dung to the soil. Dung beetles play a crucial role in improving soil aeration, increasing nutrient recycling and assisting in the control of cattle parasites that breed in dung.
• Don't drive over piles of dung in game reserves as you may well be killing many hardworking dung beetles!
• Dung beetles are excellend indicators of the health of a biosphere, due to their narrow habitat tolerance and their complex assemblage structure
• The use of dung beetles as indicators of habitat quality in South Africa is a world first!