Cape fires ignite new effort to save fynbos.

The spice islands of Pemba and Zanzibar conjure up images of white-sailed dhows on a sea of azure blue. But the reality behind the postcard perfection is one of large-scale destruction.

'Vandalism of the Oceans" is what Jacques Cousteau called the negative human impact.

Shark Finning. Drumlines and shark nets

"Om Rabiya, our hostess and a member of the Muzayna tribe, watches her goats grazing in the scorched landscape as we wait for lunch. Her mother, over 80 and blind, is kneading the dough that will be baked under coals in the sand. Children play beneath an oppressive sun.

The scene is traditional Bedouin, as if caught in a time warp - but much is amiss. Between puffing on a Marlborough and sipping a Coke, Om Rabiya plays her homemade flute while her mother sings."

I wrote this article before Maxine was released and before I had secured any funding. It outlined my intentions for the Programme, my movitation and my ambitious future plans and resulted in a great deal of interest. After Maxine was released I wrote updates for the magazine on her progress, as well as that of the other sharks released.

Text and some photos: Lesley Rochat

In 2004, Africa Geographic reported on the remarkable story of Maxine, a raggedtooth shark on the verge of release from the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, South Africa, into the wild. Her subsequent return to the sea, though dramatic, was successful and precipitated the release of several other captive raggies. Lesley Rochat, the woman behind what would become a phenomenon, reflects on the successes and lessons of the past five years. Download a PDF copy of the article.