38 | NNF ANNUAL REPORT
Rare and Endangered Species Trust (REST) Founded in 2000, REST’s aim is to care for, research, and educate the public on some of Namibia’s least known species. Despite some challenges during 2016, including a relocation to Outjo with the hope of reopening its centre to the public in early 2017, REST continues to provide a refuge for numerous wild animals, always with the aim of rehabilitating them into the wild. Much of REST’s recent work has focused on pangolins, which have the unfortunate status of being the most trafficked mammal in the world. The IUCN pangolin specialist group estimates that over 1 million of these rare creatures have been illegally taken from the wild in the last 10 years. Despite the recent attention to this issue at the IUCN World Conservation Congress (September 2016) and their up-listing to Appendix I at the CITES COP17, they are still not getting the conservation attention that they deserve. In the beginning, REST focused on the Cape Griffon vulture (Gyps coprotheres), which at that time was considered
Namibia’s most endangered species. It has recently been listed as nationally extinct, only the second recorded extinction in Namibia’s history. The first was the white rhino, which has successfully been brought back through major work, time, and money. Every effort was made to support the small surviving population of Cape Griffon vultures found near the Waterberg Plateau Park. REST was the first organisation in Africa to fit satellite telemetry on a vulture. With the support of Nedbank’s Go Green Fund, “Sky Banker” was the first Cape Griffon in the world to have his every movement recorded via satellite tracking. Air Namibia then lent its support and transported 12 rehabilitated Cape Griffons from South Africa for release. Most of the birds survived and stayed in country, even attempting to breed, until quite recently. Unfortunately, in the last 5 years, there have been massive vulture losses due to poisoned baits put out by elephant and rhino poachers. Prior to this, smaller losses occurred when farmers baited for carnivores, and vulture deaths were accidental. REST Close up of Honeybun the Pangolin