SANParks.org Forums

I know some peeps around here have had some great ideas for how to "educate" the tourists. Might have been EJ or someone else. Please forgive poor memory and since it happened more than 10 minutes ago, it's like inadmissible. Ok?

I was thinking along the lines of printing a little comic like booklet. There can be one for feeding and for speeding and getting out of your vehicle, particularly at a big cat sighting. The reason for this suggestion is it is simple to show in pictures, what will take plenty words, exactly what the events are leading up to a monkey or baboon beng destroyed because it was fed one too many times. For example picture one, the animal getting human food, then begging for it, then becoming agreesive and attacking children for it, and finally, having to be shot.

Also can show how litter can be picked up by animals and showing that they get sick, injured and eventually die. Like a little story of a meerkat getting a can stuck on his hand, going to the meerkat doctor, and getting the news that his "illness is deadly"

One for speeding can show dad (or mom) running over some animals and pics of the baies crying /mourning and then the perp getting caught and ending up in jail.

It needs to be hard hitting so that it's powerful. Don't pull any punches. It is likely to be entertaining for the kids and if they don't understand, they will ask mom and dad, and get an explanation.

If another thread like this exists already mods, please merge. I could not find the one I was looking for.

Who agrees with this? Simple pictures, but entertaining and powerful. Drive the message home hard. It is far easier to see the pics and get the story than read all those boring paragraphs.

Sounds like a great idea. Lets see what other mites think.

I think it is a brilliant idea.

Guys, can we combine all these similar ideas into one project please?

See here for one; and here for another.

BH, you should feel like a striking municipal worker, messing the place up just for the broom brigade to come sweeping in soon after

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and here viewtopic.php?f=70&t=29271&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and herehttp://www.sanparks.org/forums/view ... 92&start=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This is why I seldom log any more. Look at the dates .... nothing has happened. Little if any notice is taken of the ideas presented here.

@ Joshlewis..should you feel like striking a municipal worker ??

Pjw, it is really a pity you have decided to spend less time on these forums because you feel that suggestions for initiatives by members are ignored.

I do feel you are being unfair to say that 'nothing has happened'. Granted there are ideas on this forum dating way back, and it is really unfortunate that there just has not been a way to develop them further until now. This is the very reason that the new HR region, the Virtual Region was establish.

Establishing an HR region (HRs particularly will understand this) is not something that happens over night. Members need to train, do the required courses and qualify. A Virtual region is a very new concept and very different in some respects to regions serving the parks on the ground. This has taken time to set up properly. For example; a whole new Orientation course had to be written and approved by the HR Training Committee before it could be incorporated into the training.

For a very long time now some folk at SANParks, in the HR Corp and the VHRs have worked steadily and devoted a lot of effort and time to getting the region up. Without a recongnised HR region to faciliate these projects, they will indeed never happen, or will only be able to happen within a very restricted frame work.

Since the Virtual Region was given the go ahead to act as an official region on 1 Feb 2010 a lot has been accomplished is getting their house in order to be able to operate as a full HR region - the RMC elected, a bank account has been set up and progress has happened on certain projects with the rest that have been suggested over the years due to get full attention within the next couple of weeks.

This is a great idea.

Why don't the artistic among us, with time on their hands, do some prototypes, while the mods/VR's get going with permissions.

When some artwork has been done, let's entrust the mods to select the most suitable to present for approval.

PLS let's not get bogged down with democracy rubbish, let's give a mandate and let it happen.

Who agrees?

BB, fully agree with you that.
I'm already working on both the posters, big and small, to be placed in camps and rooms and will be sending samples during the next few days.

DB I wish the VHR region all the best. I believe you will achieve your objetives

Deebs, please feel free to merge this topic with any of the existing topics.

The main reasons I thought a comic book would work is because it can be very powerful and entertaining.

In reality how many of us have read all the rules printed on the brochure? I am guilty of this, (not reading all the rules and regs) but then again, many of the rules are logical. Added to this is the fact that if one just reads the signs in the reserves, it would be very difficult to beak the rules.

Also, we need to get the message accross to international visitors who may or may not understand English.

It can also create work for many people to do something like this and perhaps help the local communities.

Deebs, I agree that it's sad news that we lose some of our more regular members (like PJW in this case.) and I guess that a lot of this is possibly due to frustration.

So many have had some really great ideas and join this forum with great enthusiasm. Then they (the mites) get worn down by beaureucratic BS and eventually just give up. I don't think that PJW was feeling ignored by any of the mites as much as we get the impression that we are ignored by SANPARKS. We are defintely not given any reason to believe they are serious about anything we contribute to this forum, except to get rapped on the wrists when we take them to task over our perceived lack of any action on their part.

For two years or more, I have been on about speeding and how little has been done. Other than interventions by some mods for me to moderate myself, very little constructive input seems to have come from Parks Management. No encouragement at all, or for that matter, any comments about what they are doing. They constantly feed this weak line that they lack manpower. Really? For accomodation, food and a share of the revenue, I will take up residence and catch many speedsters, fine them heavily and ban them for life. It is my considered opinion that this is just a smokescreen for a lack of drive.

Seems they just run and hide when the bullets fly. Instead of sharing information with us and showing the results of those intiatives.

Yes, I do believe they are accountable to all interested parties and since I am a tax paying citien of this fair land, I have rights which are greater than mere interest in preserving the tiny bit we have left as a natural place for theanimals confined to the boundaries of the National parks. Compared to what they had, it is a mere postage stamp and we have great responsibility to ensure that we do not destroy what little they have left.

BB, this is just a simple idea. I have little (read as zero) artistic talent and less knowledge of how to make it a reality.

It is up to all of us to ensure that somewhere along the line, we get buy-in from SANAPRKS and they need to come to this party as well. Maybe not from any other point of view other than to demostrate (In some tangible way) that they are serious about nature conservation and not merely content to fill beds and feed the bottom line.

BH, if you believe in your idea and are prepared to get involved in working on a project to make it, or something similar happen, please PM me.

The VHRs are here now to assist with these ideas, but the forum members are going to have to put in the work required to make a difference.

We are going to have to start right at the beginning to see what is feasible etc. Please watch for a post to go up soon with guidelines to proposed projects, initiatives and ideas.

So, to use an old saying .... 'the time has come to put our money where our mouths are'. As you said BH, these are our parks - let us make a difference.

For the record Deebs, you have a PM.

I will repeat some of the stuff here so that it is all open and transparent. (wouldn't want anyone to say that we are hiding stuff and excluding people from the discussion or preventing them from sharing their creative ideas.

I cannot draw. Stick men are a challenge to me. Finances don't exist. All I have are the ideas that this can work. If it's interesting and entertaining, the children will read it. I read a fair bit at home and have read up a few things on KNP, but I have yet to read the information brochure given out at the parks. Usually, too busy driving and about the closest I come to reading in KNP is to read the road signs and my KNP map.

So I figure, if I am that lazy, there must be plenty others out there who also don't read. Given the attrocious behaviour in the reserve, it is obvious that too many people on't know the rules. This would be a simple and effective way for them to learn about the rules and more importantly, the consequences of not obeying the rules.

BH I think your idea is excellent And especially witk even kids that can "read" the pictures the education and understanding will sink in from an early age, hopefully resulting in nature-conscience adults. So if the more artful ones amongst us could help, that would be great and I really think it could work.