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Cybertracker
In words and pictures Anthony Bannister is on the trail of a new tracker system in South Africa.

As I drove into the Palabora mine property, two giraffe blocked the road ahead, gently browsing the crown of an acacia. Waiting for them to move off I was struck, as always, by the contrasts of the place; here was a modern mine in the heart of its own African wildlife reserve, successfully co-existing with the surrounding wilderness.

There was no hint of the activity in progress a thousand metres below me as contractors and staff race to metamorphose Palabora from a massive open pit operation into a wholly underground mine, to be producing 30,000 tonnes of ore each day by the end the year.

Palabora has always enjoyed a close relationship with the surrounding African bush and its wildlife; after all, it borders on Africa’s famous Kruger National Park. Herds of elephants and buffalo, lions, baboons, and giraffe, freely roam the mine property with complete disregard for man and his amazing technology.

The reason for my visit to Palabora on this occasion was not to report on the massive re-development of the mine, but to cover CyberTracker, a remarkable high-tech tool that is bringing about a revolution in the mine’s responsible management of its environment and wildlife, and holds promise of many other uses.

Comprising a hand-held computer with an attached GPS (Global Positioning System) module and special software, CyberTracker began as the brainchild of South African scientist and world authority on tracking, Louis Liebenberg.



Cybertracker In words and pictures Anthony Bannister is on the trail of a new tracker system in South Africa. As I drove into the Palabora mine property, two giraffe blocked the road ahead, gently browsing the crown of an acacia. Waiting for them to move off I was struck, as always, by the contrasts of the place; here was a modern mine in the heart of its own African wildlife reserve, successfully co-existing with the surrounding wilderness. There was no hint of the activity in progress a thousand metres below me as contractors and staff race to metamorphose Palabora from a massive open pit operation into a wholly underground mine, to be producing 30,000 tonnes of ore each day by the end the year. Palabora has always enjoyed a close relationship with the surrounding African bush and its wildlife; after all, it borders on Africa’s famous Kruger National Park. Herds of elephants and buffalo, lions, baboons, and giraffe, freely roam the mine property with complete disregard for man and his amazing technology. The reason for my visit to Palabora on this occasion was not to report on the massive re-development of the mine, but to cover CyberTracker, a remarkable high-tech tool that is bringing about a revolution in the mine’s responsible management of its environment and wildlife, and holds promise of many other uses. Comprising a hand-held computer with an attached GPS (Global Positioning System) module and special software, CyberTracker began as the brainchild of South African scientist and world authority on tracking, Louis Liebenberg.
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Review is published by Rio Tinto, 6 St James' Square, London SW1Y 4LD, England Telephone +44 (0)20 7930 2399 Editor: Cherry DeGeer