Conservation...

What do you see when you look over  the Chada plains?  Do you see more than a herd of elephants?  Does this landscape give you a sense of satisfaction when you think of the protection wildlife enjoys in Africa’s national parks and reserves? If so, then you have a conservationist’s heart, and it is time for you to see more...

Read on with care, for this may be disturbing.  If you do not wish to see the fate that befalls many of our wild animals at the hands of men, go no further.  The lust for ivory and the greed that fuels the quest for it is nothing for the faint of heart to look upon.

But if you can’t bear to look, what can you possibly do to help?

Where does a lion go to hunt?  Where the prey is, of course.  And where does a man go to find ivory?  He goes where the elephants are.

This is the body of a bull who was in his prime.  He was shot 15 times.  His face was taken off with an axe and a machete, because a third of an elephant’s tusk length is imbedded in his skull, and greed dictates that not an ounce of ivory is left behind.

Do you wonder where the rangers are?  They are here, of that you can be sure.  They are fighting this war every day.  They are the reason you can visit our parks, the reason for the existence of what remains.  They are the reason that only two elephants were killed from a herd of many.  A poacher knows his shots may be heard, so he attacks swiftly and retreats into the vastness.  He is a needle in a haystack.

For two weeks every month, each ranger lives in the bush, away from his post, sheltered by a rain poncho and subsisting on field rations.  He spends his days standing guard over what he believes to be the future of his nation.

Ranger

 A ranger also fights an enemy he cannot see.  Asian demand for ivory continues unabated.  The tusks of this elephant will be carried on shoulders, bicycles, vehicles, boats and airplanes until they reach the ultimate buyer. 

Through informant networks, the net closes around poaching rings, uncovering ivory shipments while more poachers step up to fill the void. 

If you are a conservationist, next time you are on safari, remember to appreciate each idyllic scene with a deeper understanding of the price being paid to protect it.  Every ranger you meet, at every park gate or airstrip, give him a nod and tell him “Thank you.”  

Ranger in a swamp, returning from the scene

The Nomad Trust is one avenue for you to also fight poaching.  Visit our projects on your next safari to see how community education and development can help to combat poverty and reduce reliance on income that is derived from poaching.

Too Many Lion Blogs

Lest we forget...Katavi is getting greener, to say the least, and a short stroll around the camp can yield some spectacular birding opportunities.

 

On the edge of camp, a female African grey hornbill tries to deal with a tasty praying mantis...

...and skulking in the undergrowth, an elusive Collared Palm Thrush sings a tune...

...more often heard than seen, this Red-chested Cuckoo inflates it's throat to call, "It will rain!"

Peering out from camp to the edge of the grassland, we see a Southern Ground Hornbill on a stroll of her own.  The lovely blue throat patch is a female characteristic. 

 

Scanning the Chada plain beyond the hornbill, we can easily spot this Black Coucal, contrasting its surroundings in its striking, seasonal breeding plumage.

Turning back to scan the bushes, my first ever photo opportunity with a Yellow-bellied Greenbul presents itself.  A real highlight of the walk!  Rarely does this bird show itself in the open.

I know, I know, but what is a bird walk without a few seconds to stop and admire the very common but no less stunning Lilac-breasted Roller.

And, the piece de resistance, Bohm's Bee-eater!  A common species in some parts of Africa, including at our own Sand Rivers Selous camp, but in Katavi they seem to be isolated to a single bend in the Kavuu river at the very end of the Chada plains.

Thanks for joining our bird walk.  Til next time...

Growing Up

Mataya, 2010

Another year later, have a look at the Mapacha brothers, so named because they look like twins.  Last year they were nomads.  Now they have taken over the Katisunga North Pride.

Mataya, 2011

Macho, 2010

Macho, 2011

 They are turning out to be magnificent beasts.  You may recognize them as the elephant killers from last year's blog.

One year later...

Last year we had a day to remember...Chada blog followers will recall the night we spent listening to lions taking down a hippo in camp.  Newsletters and blogs and photos flew, and we told and retold the story over dinner in the mess tent, the very tent that was partially knocked down by the hippo and the lions as they fought.  To this day, despite being folded away in the off-season, the mess tent still has some blood stains and a few lion hairs stuck to the outside wall.

Chada camp, 2010

Remarkably, one of the most beautiful wildlife sightings of the season took place on the very same day, but was understandably overshadowed by the events in camp.  After watching the lions feeding on the hippo, waiting for them to leave, and putting the tent back together, we found a lovely young female leopard in a tamarind tree not far from Chada.
She was the most relaxed Katavi leopard we had so far seen, completely at ease on her branch above the vehicle.

Delilah, 2010

Yesterday, as we sat watching hippos in a pool, we saw a leopard draped over one of the lower branches of a rain tree not far away.  We drove closer.  So relaxed was this cat that she barely looked up when we approached her tree.  Then we noticed an impala she had stashed in the branches above her.

She looked familiar.  Even cats have distinct features, expressions, ear notches, and whisker marks that make identifying them easier.  After two hours of photographing her as she alternated between resting and eating, we were pretty sure she was the same leopard from the day of the lion vs. hippo battle last year.

 Last year, we had named her Delilah for her beauty and poised, sultry nonchalance.  Back in camp, we went through our old photos and sure enough, this was our cat, now much more filled out and muscular, but no more nervous around a car than she had been before.  What a reunion!

 

Delilah, one year later...comparing her facial spots with the photo above was the clincher.

 

 And for her grand finale...a special look at the tools of her trade.