It's the start of the winter school holidays in Australia, our favourite time of year in Far North Queensland.  There’s lots of good news in this month’s blog and plenty to warm your heart from Africa. 

In March this year, twenty years after the first genetic studies identified that central and west Africa's forest elephants were genetically distinct from savannah elephants, the IUCN finally recognised forest elephants as a separate species.  This is a big deal because this also means the species is classified as Critically Endangered and will be given higher priority for conservation.  The situation for forest elephants has been dire for centuries, ever since the bloody days of the ivory trade.  Some studies suggest their population has dropped by 86% over the past 31 years and another one described a more recent decimation of their population by 62% between 2002 and 2011.  Africa's forest elephants are truly vanishing giants which is why I'm dedicating this blog to sharing what we know about the world's 'newest' elephant species.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. —Albert Einstein

You'd be forgiven for growing a little despondent when it comes to the rollercoaster ride of travelling at the moment, with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to wreak havoc across the planet and many people still in lockdown.  Here in Far North Queensland, our tourism industry has taken an enormous hit from the border closures, and across the safari countries in Africa, there is huge unemployment as a result of the lack of international travel upon which they rely. But with Queensland opening its borders to most of the rest of Australia now, and the vaccine starting to roll out across the world, there is good reason for optimism as we enter 2021.

It's that time of year again - and yet, it's a very different kind of Christmas this year for so many of us.  As Covid-19 continues to rise up across the world, we are thinking of our friends who are being forced to spend the festive season away from loved ones and in lockdown.  It's certainly been a year full of upsets in our travel plans, but with the vaccine making good progress we've come a long way from where we were at the start of the year as the virus began to roll out across the planet.

As we near the end of the crazy year that was 2020, a lot of us will be glad to see the end of it.  There's heartening news from Africa with a number of our favourite countries for safaris having re-opened to international visitors under strict conditions.  It's not business as usual, but the door is open and Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda are just a few countries that are welcoming international arrivals on safari.

The name of the game for 2020 is adapt and be resilient, but it's also been about working out how to pivot in our work or businesses to roll with the punches.  For Matson & Ridley Safaris, with our tours in Africa and Australia all postponed to 2021, and still awaiting news of when the Covid-19 vaccine will be in widespread use, we've been developing our conservation consultancy side and looking at ways we can contribute during these uncertain times for everyone.

The word 'safari' means journey and comes from the Swahili word 'kusafari' (to travel).  But for so many of us who live and breathe Africa, it's meaning is so much deeper.  What does 'safari' mean to you? 

The wild ride of the coronavirus pandemic continues to have its ups and downs around the world, but it is wonderful to see some countries turning a corner with this terrible virus.  I have been so inspired to hear the stories coming out of Africa from our partners on the ground, who in spite of ongoing costs without any tourism income, continue to support local communities and play the all important role of preventing poaching.

When I got back from Rwanda in early January, we had no idea the crisis that was about to unfold across the planet from the novel coronavirus.  2020 has become the year of the pandemic and all of us are adapting to it in our own ways.  Back in early March, my first response to the sense of fear and trepidation about the many unknowns that people around me were feeling was to think about how elephants might react if this was something that was affecting them.  The population in Akagera National Park, Rwanda that has been my focus for the last couple of years have dealt with trauma after trauma in their lives, and only in the last decade have things settled down for them and a peaceful existence made possible by the wonderful team at the Akagera Management Company (African Parks in partnership with the Rwandan Development Board).