6 000km wildlife ride
[caption id="attachment_121508" align="aligncenter" width="550"] FLYING THE FLAG: Rangers have been giving Wayne Bolton a hero’s welcome as he visits each of the national parks during his 6 000km odyssey Below, STAYING COOL: Wildlife campaigner Bolton sets out before dawn each day to avoid the intense heat as much as possible[/caption]
Bay man’s expedition links national parks to support anti-poaching rangers, writes Guy Rogers
PUSHING through temperatures that hit 58°C near Kgalagadi, Bay businessman Wayne Bolton has reached the half-way mark of his 6000km One Land Love It cycling expedition in support of the rangers in the front line of the conservation war in our national parks.
Setting out on November 28 last year from Pafuri in the northern section of Kruger National Park and averaging 111km a day, Bolton crossed the 3000km mark three days into the new year “somewhere between Springbok and Pofadder”.
The 49-year-old labour consultant, family man and former chairman of the Addo honorary ranger corps is cycling to each of South Africa’s 19 national parks, creating a symbolic “spiderweb” of support for the SANParks organisation and their anti-poaching staff who are battling to protect rhino and other threatened species.
Speaking to the Weekend Post from Port Nolloth on Tuesday, he said the toughest stretch so far was on the 260km R360 route between the Augrabies and Kgalagadi national parks.
“It’s been averaging over 45°C each day but on that stretch the heat off the tar pushed the temperature into the early 50s and on one occasion to 58 degrees.
“It almost sounds like your tyres are melting as they roll along the road surface. It’s like soft sticky tape being pulled off a roll.
“Your body wants to stop to let it cool down but you’re not letting it, so it gets tough.”
The “tough” has included heatstroke, sunburn (even through clothes), pressure sores, strained muscles and tendons, sore wrists and chronically inflamed knees. But it’s been a great adventure and he’s more determined than ever to complete the expedition, he said.
Bolton and his team raised R120000 at the gala launch of the expedition at the Boardwalk in October. Most of these funds will be channelled through the honorary rangers to buy anti-poaching equipment for SANParks and the balance will go to Caring for Wild Africa.
The Mpumalanga-based NGO focuses on repairing the “collateral damage” of poaching, rehabilitating animals left injured or orphaned and defenceless especially rhino calves.
More funds are coming in but the expedition is now focused on raising awareness about the huge resource South Africa has in its national parks and the invaluable work being done by their rangers.
Flying his South African flag, Bolton has received a hero’s welcome in each park with the rangers coming out in force to greet him and thank him for what he is doing.
Thanking them in turn for the work they are doing he uses a little pink rhino attached to his handlebars to stress to them how important their work is.
“The rhino’s called Five. If he is lost, I ask them, will the tourists come to see the Big Four? Or if the elephant is lost, the Big Three? Tourism rests on these flagship animals, and conservation jobs on tourism.
“These animals are part of a big painting and, if we lose them, the painting loses its appeal.
“Our landscape as we have it is an asset and we should not allow the Vietnamese [the main recipients of poached rhino horn] or anyone to take it away.”
Some of the latest estimates warn that if poaching continues at its present rate rhinos will be wiped out in a decade. Bolton said that beyond this looming tragedy the question is what will then happen to other species as the poachers turn on them.
“Saving the rhino is a test for us to work together as a people. We need a Hashtag Conservation drive by ordinary South Africans.
“On this expedition I haven’t had to sleep in my tent once because people with a heart for conservation are everywhere. There are enough of us to make a difference.”
Leavening the seriousness of his mission have been beautiful landscapes, crystal dawns and moments of great hilarity.
Still fresh from the Limpopo back roads and trying to choose the shortest route out of Johannesburg he found himself on the N1 highway, waylaid at a toll gate – and billed R16.
“I said, ‘surely not’, but the manager was called and they were adamant and in the end I paid.”
Bolton had no sooner set off and was whizzing down the next hill when two traffic cops leapt out and waved him over, demanding to know why he was cycling on a highway. He produced the toll receipt to show he had in fact paid to do so – and great confusion and debate ensued.
“But then they asked where I had come from and where I was going and why, and I told them, and they caught the vision and gave me their blessing and sent me on my way.”
Bolton did a couple of Argus tours in his youth but is “not really a cyclist” and was at “zero fitness” at the beginning of last year when he started training.
With half a dozen other sponsors that came on board, Addo mountain bike trail pioneer Trevor Hayter donated a top-of-the-range Scott Spark which helped him up the ante. Pumped to 3.5 bars the Spark’s tyres get rock hard on the burning asphalt – but amazingly he has had only one blow-out.
Bolton’s family support team – including his wife of 27 years Nikki, their parents and children Laura and Daniel, both NMMU students – is key to the expedition.
“By having three generations represented we’re saying conservation is the responsibility of all of us and we can all do something positive to help. It’s a matter of joint custody.”
Bolton said while he was lucky enough to learn his love of conservation from his parents, schools should be doing more for those who do not have this benefit.
“We should pressure schools to focus more on conservation and choose the politicians that have this issue at heart.”
By the time readers open their Weekend Post, Bolton should have been through the /Ai/Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park and on his way to Namaqa. He is due to arrive at Addo Elephant National Park on February 13.
