984) South Africa: "The Big Five Silver Coin Series": 1) First Coin in the Series brought out by the South African Mint features the African Elephant on a Five Rand Silver Coin as the first variant issued in 02/2019:
2) Later coin issues will feature the Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros and the Buffalo:
2) Later coin issues will feature the Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros and the Buffalo:
The South African Mint, a wholly owned subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank has announced a multi-year fine Silver - "Big Five Coin Series" which will feature wildlife synonymous with Southern Africa - The Elephant, The Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros and the Buffalo.
The first Coin in the Series titled "The Big Five silver coin Series" features the African Bush Elephant or the "African Savanna Elephant".
The Reverse of the 5 Rand Silver Coin showing identical features of two African Bush Elephants placed against a description of the coin - "FIVE RAND. 1 OZ. Ag 999"
The African Elephant ("Loxodonta africana"):
The first Coin in the Series titled "The Big Five silver coin Series" features the African Bush Elephant or the "African Savanna Elephant".
The African Elephant ("Loxodonta africana"):
The African Bush Elephant is found in the Sub-Sahara Africa including in - Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia etc.
They primarily inhabit plains and grasslands, but are also found in woodlands, dense forests, mountain slopes, oceanic beachesand semi-arid deserts. They range from altitudes of sea-levels to high mountains.
The African Bush Elephant, also known as the "African Savanna Elephant" is the larger of the two species of African elephants, the smaller one being the "African Forest Elephant". The African Bush Elephant is much larger in height and weight than the Forest Elephant, while the Forest Elephant has rounder ears and a trunk that tends to be more hairy.
The African Bush Elephant is the largest and heaviest land animal on Planet Earth, being upto 3.96 metres (or 13.0 feet) tall at the shoulder and 10.4 tonnes (11.5 short tons) in weight. The females are much smaller at about 2.6 metres (or 8.5 feet) tall at the shoulder and 6.0 tonnes (6.6 short tons) in weight.
African Bush Elephants have long tusks - upto 3.4 metres (or 11.0 feet) in length which are used to help them adapt to their surroundings - digging, fighting, marking and feeding and even lifting objects weighing upto 180 kilograms (or about 400 pounds).
Bush Elephants use their large, flat ears to create air currents, which allow them to reduce their body heat and cool off during hot seasons of the year. Another cooling technique is using their trunks, to squirt water over their bodies or throw dirt onto their backs to reduce sun and insect exposure. Their trunks along with their mouths, also allows them to breathe and pick up heavy objects or food.
Although they spend most of their time roaming and looking for food, they can communicate over long distances and use vocalisations that even humans cannot hear. Other means in which the elephants can communicate is through changes in posture and positure and positions of the body. They present visual signals and messages through body movement, along with smell to remain in contact with other herd members.
Females and the young live in herds of 6 to 70 members. A herd is led by the eldest female called the "matriarch".
Males leave the herd upon adolescence to form bachelor herds with other males of the same age. Older males lead a solitary life, approaching female herds only during the mating season. Nevertheless, elephants do not get far from their families and recognise them when re-encountered. The African Bush Elephant is a very active social animal, as it is constantly on the move in search of food. Bush elephants have very strong social bonds and when their herds are faced with danger, they tend to form a close, protective circle around their young calves. The elephants also tend to use their trunks to engage in physical greetings and behaviour.
The African Bush Elephant is herbivorous. Its diet varies according to its habitat. Elephants living in forests, partial deserts and grasslands all eat different proportions of herbs and tree or shrubbery leaves. Elephants living on shores of lakes, sea etc have been known to consume underwater plant life.
On an average the African Bush Elephant consumes upto 225 kilograms (or 500 pounds) of vegetable matter daily.
The African Bush Elephant has no natural predators, due to its massive size, although juveniles are vulnerable to attacks by lions and crocodiles, particularly during the drought months and by leopards and hyenas.
Poaching:
Humans are the elephant's major "predators", hunting them for meat, skin, bones and their ivory tusks. Trophy hunting increased in the 19th and 20th Centuries, when tourism and plantations increasingly attracted sports hunters.
In 1989, hunting of the African Bush Elephant for ivory trading was forbidden, after the elephant population fell from several million at the beginning of the 20th Century to fewer than 700,000 in the 1980s.
Nevertheless, the African Bush Elephant is still categorised as a high-risk endangered animal, with the constant threats of poaching and predators. With the high demand for ivory, the black-market trade network poaches some 17,000 elephants in various habitats. This has brought the species closer to extinction. Human interference with elephant habitats, by bringing them under agricultural cultivation, leading to shrinking water bodies as well. In many cases, the elephants are killed instantly when they disturb or raid a village or forage on a farmer's crops.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has now listed less than 111,000 elephants with their number declining fast. The present IUCN status for this species is "Vulnerable".
We visited the Mole National Park, Ghana, West Africa in February 2013. Sumita's post on our trip to the National Park on her blog "Footloose" can be accessed at the following link: Colours of Africa: Mole National Park
Excerpts from Sumita's post on our trip to the Mole National Park:
"After going through the forest for some 3 hours we turned back. On the way we were stopped by some guards on foot who had found three animal traps in the forest for trapping buffalos/elephants. Hideous!! Poaching is a major problem in the Park as the human population is now located only a little distance away from the park boundaries. The guards requested us to carry the heavy traps in our vehicle back to the Park Office:
The Forest guards with the Animal Traps and our group of Arvind & myself. (Sumita is the photographer)
The Coins:
This Coin Series titled "Big Five" - celebrates Africa's unique natural heritage by embodying the "Big Five" and is a reminder to do more for conservation of Africa's wildlife.
The exquisite range of silver coins will see each one of the majestic animals being featured on a collectable silver coin.
The Coin Series consists of a Brilliant Uncirculated Quality Coin struck from 999.9 Fine silver (Ag) and a Proof Quality version of the coin. In 03/2019, a 24-carat 1 Oz Gold Coin, a 1 Oz Fine Platinum (Pt) coin and two combination sets.
Of the two combination sets - one will have the maiden 1 Oz Silver Proof Quality Elephant Coin, with a 1 Oz Fine Silver Proof Krugerrand which bears a special elephant mint-mark paying a tribute to the new Wildlife Coin Series. The second set features a single 1 Oz Fine Silver Elephant Coin together with a 1 Oz Gold Proof Krugerrand.
The demand for silver coins has grown steadily over the years and one of the key factors working inits favour is the affordability of the metal. Silver has both - a real value and a numismatic value - as such it was the first choice metal to showcase the "Big Five".
The various Coin variants of the "Elephant Coin" were released as per the undernoted schedule:
a) 1 Oz Fine Silver Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) - single Coin and 1 Oz Fine Silver Proof Coin - 02/2019.
b) 1 Oz 24 Carat Gold (Au) - single coin - Combination Set 1: One 1 Oz Fine Silver Big 5 Proof Coin and 1 Oz Fine Silver Krugerrand Proof Coin; Combination Set 2: One 1 Oz 24 Carat Gold (Au) Big 5 Proof Coin and 1 Oz 22 Carat Krugerrand Proof Coin - 03/2019".
The first Coin of the of the Series was launched at the World Money Fair in Berlin in 02/2019:
The Reverse and Obverse faces of the 5 Rand Silver Coin placed side by side
On the Reverse of the 5 Rand Silver Coin features a breath-taking design of the mighty African Bush Elephant, filling up most of the surface area on this face.
The Reverse design is quite ingenious in that it shows two halves of the Elephant's face - side-by-side. The ear, tusk, eyes and part of the nose of each of these halves are prominent and the design is meant to give one complete face, when two coins are placed next to each other. When multiple coins are placed next to each other, a herd is formed.
On The Obverse of the 5 Rand Silver Coin is seen an African Bush Elephant with its face accentuated and tusks bordering the lower periphery.
On the lower periphery are inscribed the words - "SOUTH AFRICA" and "BIG 5 2019". Also seen on the lower periphery is South Africa's National Coat of Arms in the centre.
An African Bush or Savanna Elephant
The African Lion will be the next image featuring on a Silver Coin in this coin series scheduled to be released in 08/2019.
The coins in this Series will be launched bi-annually, with a new animal featuring on the coins every six months.
Of the two combination sets - one will have the maiden 1 Oz Silver Proof Quality Elephant Coin, with a 1 Oz Fine Silver Proof Krugerrand which bears a special elephant mint-mark paying a tribute to the new Wildlife Coin Series. The second set features a single 1 Oz Fine Silver Elephant Coin together with a 1 Oz Gold Proof Krugerrand.
The demand for silver coins has grown steadily over the years and one of the key factors working inits favour is the affordability of the metal. Silver has both - a real value and a numismatic value - as such it was the first choice metal to showcase the "Big Five".
The various Coin variants of the "Elephant Coin" were released as per the undernoted schedule:
a) 1 Oz Fine Silver Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) - single Coin and 1 Oz Fine Silver Proof Coin - 02/2019.
b) 1 Oz 24 Carat Gold (Au) - single coin - Combination Set 1: One 1 Oz Fine Silver Big 5 Proof Coin and 1 Oz Fine Silver Krugerrand Proof Coin; Combination Set 2: One 1 Oz 24 Carat Gold (Au) Big 5 Proof Coin and 1 Oz 22 Carat Krugerrand Proof Coin - 03/2019".
The first Coin of the of the Series was launched at the World Money Fair in Berlin in 02/2019:
The Reverse design is quite ingenious in that it shows two halves of the Elephant's face - side-by-side. The ear, tusk, eyes and part of the nose of each of these halves are prominent and the design is meant to give one complete face, when two coins are placed next to each other. When multiple coins are placed next to each other, a herd is formed.
On the lower periphery are inscribed the words - "SOUTH AFRICA" and "BIG 5 2019". Also seen on the lower periphery is South Africa's National Coat of Arms in the centre.
The coins in this Series will be launched bi-annually, with a new animal featuring on the coins every six months.
Some other interesting posts from the African Continent on this blog:
15) Archosauria (The Rise of the Dinosaurs): "Natura series" of Five Gold Coins from the "Palaeontology Collection": A set of Gold Coins brought out by the South african Mint in 2018
16) New Circulation coins Series, Kenya: introduced by the Central Bank of Kenya on 11.12.2018
17) Sudan: A 100 Pounds Banknote being issued by the Central Bank of Sudan by End February 2019
18) Algeria: i) Introduction of two new denominations of 500 and 1,000 Algerian Dinars (AD), which will kick-start the new "Fifth Series of Algerian Dinar Banknotes" ii) A 100 Algerian Dinar tri-metallic coin which wil replace the 100 Dinar circulating Banknote of the same denomination
19) South Africa: "The Big Five Silver Coin Series": 1) First Coin in the Series brought out by the South African Mint features the African Elephant on a Five Rand Coin as the first variant issued in 02/2019: 2) Later Coin issues will feature the Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros and the Buffalo
16) New Circulation coins Series, Kenya: introduced by the Central Bank of Kenya on 11.12.2018
17) Sudan: A 100 Pounds Banknote being issued by the Central Bank of Sudan by End February 2019
18) Algeria: i) Introduction of two new denominations of 500 and 1,000 Algerian Dinars (AD), which will kick-start the new "Fifth Series of Algerian Dinar Banknotes" ii) A 100 Algerian Dinar tri-metallic coin which wil replace the 100 Dinar circulating Banknote of the same denomination
19) South Africa: "The Big Five Silver Coin Series": 1) First Coin in the Series brought out by the South African Mint features the African Elephant on a Five Rand Coin as the first variant issued in 02/2019: 2) Later Coin issues will feature the Lion, Leopard, Rhinoceros and the Buffalo
Some other interesting links to posts on this blog on Currencies of the Middle-East:
Currencies in Africa
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