AWF Blog

• Building the Bonobo Center in the Congo

  Posted: September 23, 2008, 2:23 pm by Paul

  In our Congo Heartland, construction on a bonobo research and conservation center is making great progress dispute all odds. The site is at Ndele in the middle of the 3,600 km² Lomako-Yokokala Faunal Reserve, and is not so easy to get to.

  A boat carrying 60 tons of construction materials took 30 days to travel up the Lomako River to the site of the research center. Not one single item was lost along the way.

  Jef Dupain (director of the Heartland) told me “some of our people went swimming upriver Lomako, crossing forest and swamps, to go and get 35 liters of fuel to continue the transport! (I have seen the crocodiles, and I have seen the current, and I know about snakes in swampy area). This is simply heroic work done by our team.”

  People were so happy to see the boat — it’s the first one up the Lomako River in 20-30 years — that they had a dance party. Check out the short video clip on YouTube:

  [www.youtube.com]

  The research and conservation center will consist of a building with a laboratory, a living area and dining room, and office; and housing for scientists and visitors. The center will also be a place to help train and educate Congolese conservationists, strengthening local conservation measures.

  Construction is scheduled to be completed in two months. I’m going to join Jef and the team to do some communications/marketing activities when it’s complete. That is, if I can survive the journey up the river to get there.

  A typical scene along the Lomako River. Photo by Craig R. Sholley

• Fixing the Camera Trap

  Posted: September 23, 2008, 11:14 am by Nakedi

  It is a struggle to capture leopard pictures at this point. We are heading towards the end of the dry season and somehow animal movements have been altered. I cannot say this with confidence because I am currently sampling the southern part of the concession, which is a rugged terrain and has a limited number of roads. At the same time however, water is the limiting factor for most animals and as a result their movements should be in association with the distribution of water points.

  The kudus are hit the worst because there are no leaves for them to browse on, so they are dying. This is further exacerbated by their tendency to panic, which drains them of a lot of energy (I think!). For their sake I hope it rains soon.

  The vultures on the other hand are thriving; this is by far their best time of the year.

  The burnt camera was fixed and it is now working properly, sort of. The problem was with the burnt screen, which was blocking out the lens. I was sitting with Jared Glasson, one of the guides from Singita Kruger National Park when we started brainstorming about fixing the camera.

  Jared used to be an engineer before he decided to become a guide. He is some kind of a brainiac. After throwing ideas around, we decided that the camera’s problem was with the screen. We then decided to remove the screen and replace it with laminating sheets.

  Jared fixing the burnt camera trap.

  Next I took it to the field to test it against the elements and it came up with a very curious pachyderm wondering what he/she had stumbled across.

  A curious hippo examining the camera.

  Next the resilient camera captured a large male leopard, but it will be difficult to identify as the image is kind of blurry.

• Cameras Destroyed in Fires

  Posted: September 17, 2008, 10:27 am by Nakedi

  In the last three weeks I was away at the AWF Biennial Meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya. Before I left I thought it would be prudent to leave cameras in the field so they can do the job while I was away. Upon my return I learned there were runaway fires from Mozambique.

  I got even more worried when I saw burnt areas on the map.  Three of my cameras were in those areas. I then went to visit the camera stations to investigate.

  I managed to visit only two stations and today I’ll visit the last one. One of the cameras was damaged by the fire, but luckily the memory card was not damaged and this is one of the last leopard pictures we got out of it.

  I don’t know if it is possible to fix this camera, but I will give it a try. The number of cameras lost due to non-demonic intrusions is three so far (I don’t know if elephant damage should be included in the category “non-demonic intrusions,” - just a personal feeling!).

  As a result this puts a lot of pressure on our already limited budget.

  We need 50 cameras for this project. Currently we only have seven. We will need a lot of help in order to reach that number.

  A leopard captured by one of the camera traps that got burnt.

• Wedding Warrior

  Posted: September 15, 2008, 11:57 am by Paul

  Sorry for the hiatus - I’m back, and want to share a story best told in photos. A few weekends ago, I had the honor of being the Assistant Best Man in a traditional Samburu wedding near Wamba, Kenya. The groom, Jeremiah, is a wildlife scout I met while visiting Shivani’s lion research and conservation project.

  Decked out in beads and ochre. Ya, I totally blended in.

  The guys got me fully decked out in beads and ochre, a red pigment that is mixed with goat fat to make a paint. This is the traditional look of Samburu warriors, or morans.

  Jeremiah the groom getting ready.

  The groom, Jeremiah on the left, gets his ochre applied with the help of his brother. We definitely spent a good portion of the weekend applying and touching up our make-up. It was definitely a weekend of firsts for me.

  Jeremiah and Raphael, the Best Man.

  Raphael, on the right, was the perfect Best Man. His duties were extensive - from making sure the groom had all the necessary ceremonial accessories, to butchering the cow, to translating for the mzungu (that would be me). My duties were less demanding. Basically my role was to stand around and look awkward.

  Taking a goat to present to the mother of the bride.

  The wedding lasted from Friday to Sunday. On Saturday morning at dawn, we collected a goat to then present to the mother of the bride, as a symbol of the dowry the groom has paid for his bride.

  Slaughtering the cow.

  A cow was slaughtered. It seems that this is the moment the groom passes from warrior (morani) to man (mzee). The cow is carefully butchered, with each cut of meat designated to different people in the village.

  Shivani and Miriam, the bride.

  My friend Shivani with the blushing bride (literally), Miriam.

  Wazee blessing the site of the couple’s new house.

  Saturday afternoon, the men of the village (wazee) cleared a spot that would be the site of the couple’s new home. They lined the site with special plants and dribbled milk over it to lay their blessings.

  The mamas constructing the new house - in about an hour!

  Then the village women (mamas) sprang into action and built the entire house in only an hour. It was incredible to watch their coordinated effort - these ladies were pros. They had spent the previous weeks gathering the materials (saplings for the structure, hides and metal sheeting for the walls, and woven grass mats for the roof). And all of this just for one night.

  The couple spends their first night together in their new house, which was built in the bride’s family’s manyatta (compound). But the couple will live in the groom’s family’s manyatta, so the following morning the house was taken down and packed up into Shivani’s car to be relocated to West Gate.

  On the last day we just threw everything in the car: our luggage, the father of the groom, the bride, and their house. Jeremiah and Miriam, the happy couple.

  Trust me, they smile a lot more than this photo shows!

  Classic manyatta scene.

  End shot: a classic scene of the manyatta (compound where several Samburu families live together, and keep their livestock). Being part of their wedding was an experience of a lifetime and I thank everyone for welcoming me into their homes.

  Special thanks to Shivani Bhalla for her incredible photos.

• Visiting East African Carnivore Projects

  Posted: September 13, 2008, 1:53 pm by Nakedi

  Towards the end of August I visited other AWF’s large carnivore projects. The idea was that I could learn from other well established projects and see how different/similar land-use practices between East Africa and South Africa are. The projects include the lion project in the Maasai Steppe Heartland (Tanzania) and the wild dog project in the Samburu Heartland (Kenya).

  Date: 16 – 19th August
  I first visited Maasai Steppe Heartland where Bernard Kissui is doing lion research in Tarangire National Park. The place is very beautiful. I’ve never seen so many baobab trees in one place. There are also no fences. This means wildlife and humans pretty much share the same resources. That is unheard of where I come from - everything is fenced in!

  A Maasai Boma that Kissui will fortify to make predator-proof.

  Bernard is working with the villagers around the Park. He is working at convincing the locals to fortify their bomas (what we call kraals in South Africa). The problem here is that lions, hyenas, and leopards often raid these kraals, sorry “bomas”. Most of the time however, it is the lions that get to face the sharp ends of the Maasai spears. As a result, the future of the lions is quickly becoming bleak. Bernard is therefore faced with a mammoth task to convince the people (who appreciate him dearly!) to strengthen their kr…bomas.

  I went with Bernard on one of the boma building activities and helped to dig holes for the logs to make a skeleton for the chain link. I tried to dig as well, but came across a rock. I looked at the owner of the boma. I was hoping he would sympathise with me, but instead he mumbled something in Ki-Swahili about a man or woman. Worried that I may be denting the image of my fellow South Africans I dug away at the rock/the hard place. Talk about pressure!
  Results: no results, except of course a huge blister on my hand.

  Kissui (center) at work.

  I was relieved to hear Bernard say it was time to leave. We then went to the other bomas. With the blister in my hand I did very little…more injustice done to southern Africans. We later went back to the place of the “rock” with some of Bernard’s guests who were interested in his work. I was impressed that all the holes were dug and ready for the logs. I secretly examined my abandoned hole to see if somebody had worked on it in my absence. The rock still stood there, strong! I caused myself bodily harm and the locals left the rock in peace, great!

  Lesson learned: Between South Africa and Tanzania ROCKS ARE A CONSTANT.

  I’m now trying to use what I learned from Bernard and attempt to fit it in to the South African context. In South Africa however, everything is fenced in, but cats are not so easy to keep confined. Also, reports of human and wildlife conflicts are sparse and wide.

  Next stop: Samburu Heartland, Kenya.

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

Guess what ... yeah ... fish cakes.

The end of the fish cakes