After the devastating floods that swept through the Hoedspruit and Kruger areas earlier this year, Camp Jabulani in Hoedspruit proudly unveils its refurbishment of all the suites and public areas and has incorporated in to the daily running of this 5-star Relais & Châteaux member property many eco-initiatives as well as at its sister property the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. This is the sole purpose and at the heart of Camp Jabulani - to create awareness of conservation.

The décor remains classic yet retains the signature décor touches synonymous with Camp Jabulani. Furniture, where possible, has been recycled and restored in the suites and guest areas and each suite is now ‘glass fronted’ to enable better temperature control and of course allow more natural light to flow in. New glass, with canvas borders, and new decks have been installed and the damage to all the floors has been repaired as well as new and various floor coverings replaced. In the process all thatched roofs were combed and beams painted and treated, as well as all timber finishings.

An industrial green wormery has been introduced, which is kept close to the elephant stables for all the dung collected. This will also reduce the amount of fleas in an eco-friendly way. The worm wee (or worm tea as it’s sometimes referred to) is now sprayed in erosion areas to assist in the re growth and the Camp has donated some of the wee to the Paulos Ngobeni Primary School, the Camp’s charity of choice, to assist with their vegetable garden and should a need arise, to supply to parents and the community to contribute to their own vegetable gardens. The Camp will also use the wee in their bana grass which is grown and harvested at the Camp for the elephants as extra food during the night in the stables

Taking this further, the sister property, the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC), due to its pioneering work and involvement in the survival of endangered species, has implemented rigorous recycling efforts with paper, glass, tins and plastic as well as solar lights and all the waste is now separated and sorted on a continual basis to be recycled.

Bags of elephant dung are also available at the shop, which double as an unusual souvenir as it is the perfect fertiliser for gardens. Funds raised go towards aiding the area’s anti-poaching rhino patrols. This recycling programme runs alongside other eco-friendly initiatives at HESC including the ‘Weeping-Boer-Bean Tree’ and the ‘Sharing is Caring’ projects.  

Comments Adine Roode, Managing Director at Camp Jabulani: “We believe that all our eco-initiatives working hand in hand with educating guests about conservation, wildlife and the unique elephant interaction are entwined and play a big part in saving and protecting our environment. We truly hope to transfer this knowledge to our younger generations through our various educational programmes - the Cheetah Conservation Programme and the Pioneer for Change Programme.” 

Recently HESC released a female cheetah back into the wild after it had been successfully rehabilitated.  During this time, Mrs Heidi Robberts, who heads up the US ‘Friends of Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre’ again visited South Africa and offered her support whilst experiencing the recent work that has been accomplished.

The funds that Mrs Heidi Robberts successfully generates through her many fundraising initiatives in the US go directly to HESC which as a result goes towards the upkeep of the centre, the care of the animals, research projects, and student internship programs.  Mrs Heidi Robberts and her husband Mr Allen Robberts also sponsor a student as well as various school items at the Paulos Ngobeni School in Hoedspruit.  

HESC has been working with Africam.com to broadcast the life of a litter of cheetah cubs from the actual birth to their introduction into the wild. Salome, the mother cheetah gave birth on Wednesday, 2 May 2012 and can be followed on “A Cheetah Cub’s Tail”, via http://www.africam.com/wildlife/cheetah_cubs_tail

The students programme at HESC continues to grow from strength to strength and offers people between the ages of 18 and 35 the opportunity to experience first hand the work at the Centre, during an intensive, 21-day programme. The programme is divided into three main sections: Participation, Conservation and Sight Seeing. Certain months are focussed on veterinarian students who will do specific work, as well as receive comprehensive lectures on wildlife.

www.campjabulani.com

www.hesc.co.za

This press release has been distributed on behalf of our client, Camp Jabulani.

For further media information and photos please contact
The P.R Team, Cape Town, South Africa
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