A PORT Elizabeth herpetologist has returned from a two-month expedition in the Okavango Delta where he believes he may even have discovered new frog and lizard species.
This is the second time Werner Conradie has travelled to the Okavango Delta – one of the world’s largest inland deltas – on an expedition aimed at studying and protecting animals and plants in Angola.
Conradie, curator of herpetology at Bayworld, has had a passion for frogs and lizards since childhood.
“As a kid I was always running around catching frogs and lizards and then keeping them as pets,” he said.
“When I went to university I did my zoology degree. I then went on to do my masters, majoring in amphibians. I realised there was nothing else I wanted to do with my life.
“People may think we know all there is to know but there are plenty of species out there to discover,” he said. His Okavango trip was tough.
“But finding these new species makes it all worth it,” he says. “The real hard work starts now, with documenting and identifying.”
Conradie was one of just a handful of specialists who took part in the expedition under the auspices of National Geographic and in conjunction with the Wild Bird Trust.
He said the team included botanists, ornithologists and other scientists looking at birds, bats, rodents, small mammals, fish, insects, spiders, scorpions, butterflies and dragonflies.
“Last year’s expedition was along the Cuito River but this time we studied the Cuanavale River, travelling from its source all the way to the town of Cuito Carnavale.
“These expeditions are the first modern expeditions to take place in the area,” he said.
“The area is very remote and I believe the last time anyone has studied it was back when the Portuguese visited in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
“There is evidence of villagers there but I believe the last time anyone used those roads was back in the 1970s.”
Conradie said he had documented 68 different reptiles and amphibians while on the trip and was fascinated to have found species linked to the Congo system which is 600km away.
“We found species representative of the Okavango system but we did not anticipate finding species linked to the Congo system as well so we have some amazing records.”
Conradie said he was part of the land-based team which had to navigate the tough terrain and drive for three days while the waterbased team, travelling in mekoros, negotiated the 450km by river.
He said while last year’s expedition was led by National Geographic explorer Steve Boyce, this year the trip was led by Boyce’s brother, Chris.
“Chris got malaria during the first few days but he recovered and was back again soon,” he said.
“I also got sick from a bad cut and when I returned I was on antibiotics.
“The trip was tough as we had to cut through fallen trees and we got stuck a few times. We ate mostly beans and rice.”
He said Steve is expected to lead another expedition into southern Angola next year.
“The main aim is to document the biodiversity and ecology and to describe new species,” he said.
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