Sable and other species in Punda Maria under surveillance

Michele Hofmeyer, science awareness officer in Kruger, writes in the next issue (4-3) of the Kruger Park Times about a research project, led by Professor Norman Owen-Smith from Wits University, who is investigating declining sable antelope numbers around Punda Maria.
The project looks at where the sable antelope move to and what they like to eat. It is being done in both the Punda Maria and Pretoriuskop areas and looks at how the animals compete with buffalo and zebra for food.
Sable numbers have been declining in the Kruger National Park (KNP) since the late 1980s and this is a serious concern for park management.
Four collared animals were recently added to the project. This enables researchers, Liza Le Roux and Dr Valerio Macandza, to monitor their movement, with GPS readings through a cellphone network to a central computer.
Michele says the sable project was initiated in 2001 and will run until the end of 2008 and anticipates providing clearer answers on the mysterious population dynamics of the sable antelope. Photo: courtesy Dr Markus Hofmeyr