33 circus lions of Latin America set free in the wilds of Africa

A total of 33 circus lions from Latin America have been airlifted and released in a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa - these animals had suffered years of ill treatment in Latin American circuses. The roars of these lions filled the cargo terminal of an airport in Johannesburg. They were loaded from here onto trucks to continue their journey to a 5,000-hectare reserve.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 1 May 2016.

Even though set free, most of them would not be able to survive for long in the wild because they are in a poor physical state. Therefore, they will be cared for by humans and supplied with food, drinking pools and toys apart from ample space to roam around freely.
They have been freed by a charity and were misused by their owners who treated them as illegal attractions in Peru and Colombia. They have been beaten, starved, and deprived of everything that makes life worth living for a lion. Some of them had their claws removed and their teeth smashed with steel pipes while they were in captivity. One of them is almost blind, and another is missing an eye.
Since the lions have no conservation value, and some are inbred, there will be a strict no-breeding policy at their new home. Of course, it will be the first time for many of the lions to have direct physical contact without being separated by a cage or a fence.
In the opinion of Animal Defenders International, which led the effort to return the animals to their ancestral home, this transfer was the largest airlift of lions in history.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Scientists find the Homo Naledi, a new species of humans that lived two-million years ago

Scientists in Johannesburg, South Africa, have revealed that they have found a "new species of human relative" and have it named it Homo Naledi. This is based on the discovery of fossils in a cave and the creature has been described as having a surprising mix of human and primitive characteristics.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 10 September 2015.

It is presumed that this being may be an early member of the evolutionary group including humans and our closest extinct relatives, but not a direct ancestor of current-day humans.
Professor Lee Berger, of South Africa's Wits University, had led the team that made the discovery and has indicated that the creature was a tall hominid, between 1.45 and 1.5 meters tall. It was very skinny, had powerful joint muscles and had a brain about the size of a fist.
The remains were discovered in the Cradle of Humankind, about 40-Km west of Johannesburg, in a chamber some 90 meters from the cave entrance. The access was through a chute so narrow that a special team of very slender people had to be deployed to retrieve the remains.
Interestingly, bodies appeared to have been placed in the remote cave and such a type of behavior has similarities with humans. He scientists have unearthed nearly 1,550 fossils that could have come from at least 15 individuals. However, the age is unknown but some experts place the age at around two million years.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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However, all that is going to change and the first ever airport is slated to open up in 2016. The population of the island is 4500 and, till now, it has had only 1500 visitors on an average every year.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 24 August 2015.

Comair, a South African airline and British Airways franchisee, has already been selected to operate a weekly flight between the island and Johannesburg. Apart from these, Atlantic Star Airlines, a start-up founded by former British Airways pilots, is getting ready for its project to link St. Helena to the UK by air.
It would be a 4.5-hour passenger flights weekly and these are scheduled to begin from Johannesburg in February 2016. It is expected that nearly 30, 000 tourists will be visiting the island every year once flights to St Helena begin.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)


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Lion kills an American tourist in a private Lion Park in Johannesburg

A 22-year-old American tourist to the Lion Park in Johannesburg was killed by a lion when she was trying to snap photographs of animals through the open window of the car. The windows were wound down and both she and her driver, who was also the tour guide, suffered injuries. Her Injuries proved fatal.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 1 June 2015.

The staff at the private Lion Park in Johannesburg, South Africa, managed to chase away the animal and an ambulance arrived promptly but paramedics could not save the woman.
Assistant operations manager Scott Simpson has clarified that they had their windows all the way down, which is strictly against policy. There are clear-cut instructions to all visitors to keep windows closed while touring the area.
In order to ensure safety, there are signs put up everywhere informing people to keep their windows closed. Flyers are also handed out as they are driving just to remind them to keep their windows closed.
Incidentally, this Johannesburg complex is a popular destination for tourists – they can drive in their own vehicles through enclosures where lions roam freely.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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