AWF Blog

• Ch-Ch-Charge It!

  Posted: July 31, 2009, 9:44 pm by admin

  “Hi, Erin! I have an AWF credit card and I would like to know what percentage of each purchase I make actually goes towards AWF? Does my using an AWF credit card help AWF and the animals of Africa at all?”
  –Monica, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.

  Monica, thank you very much for helping the wildlife of Africa and AWF by owning an AWF credit card!

  For those of you who may not be aware, a few years ago AWF developed a VISA credit card in partnership with the U.S. Bank. The cards come with an array of reward programs as well as designs featuring some of your favorite African species: elephant, lion, giraffe and mountain gorilla.

  The application of and use of an AWF credit card truly does help AWF, and here’s how:

  (1) AWF receives $3.00 for each new credit card account opened.

  (2) In addition, AWF receives $3.00 for each credit card account that has a balance greater than zero on the last business day of every 12th month after the account was opened (i.e. $3 per c/c per year); and

  (3) AWF receives 0.20% of every purchase made using the AWF U.S. Bank VISA Card.

  For more information on the AWF VISA credit card or to apply for an AWF VISA credit card, please visit us here.

  The four faces of AWF: card designs for AWF’s VISA credit card.

  Wait! Before You Go…

  With school still a few weeks away, a great activity for kids is just a mouse click away — adopt an African animal through AWF. In addition to receiving a great plush toy, our four-color newsletter, and other educational information, you’ll be helping a child learn an important lesson–that African wildlife needs all of our help if it is to survive. In the fall, you might even encourage your child’s whole class to get involved in spreading the word about the plight of Africa’s wildlife. I’ll have more ideas on that in future posts.

• First week — removing camera traps, sighting a leopard

  Posted: July 30, 2009, 4:53 pm by Nakedi

  I would like to say hi to all of you who have been following and supporting Nakedi’s work. My name is Nnzumbeni Tshikalange — Nakedi introduced me in the previous blog. I am going to share with you my first experience in the bush.

  I spotted this beautiful leopard during my first week on the project.

  On my first day I had to remove all the cameras Nakedi had installed so that they could be moved to new positions.  I went out early in the morning with one of the trackers. We drove around so I could see the roads and know my way around. The road network in the concession can be confusing for a new person in the area. I managed to get three of the cameras and then took the tracker back to the lodge. I later had to go back on my own, but with the maze of road network that I was in, it was difficult to find the cameras. Luckily Nakedi programmed the position of all the cameras in the GPS. That made it possible to look for and find the cameras. It all got interesting when I realized that some of the cameras were placed up to two kilometers in the bush. How was I to get those cameras? I was given the rules that I don’t have to off road because it damages vegetation. I had to park the car and walk to the cameras. I was nervous during the walk, even though I was with a tracker with a rifle. Honestly walking in the bush for the first time was scary. I was asking myself a lot of questions, like what is going to happen next? What if we come across a lion? How about a buffalo or most of all an elephant?

  The ranger urged me to relax and concentrate on my job. The walking got better with the day because I had to remove lots of cameras. When we moved to the next camera I felt more confident than the first one. On one of the cameras I came across a crèche of rhinos standing exactly where the camera was, we had to wait for them to move. In short my first exercise was very exciting.

  Thanks to all the trackers who have been of great help and some rangers from the concession and the Kruger National Park rangers. Most of all working in the bush is a great adventure and good experience as I learn a lot, including different animal behaviour. Sorry for the long the long delay — I know you’ve always enjoyed reading Nakedi’s blog and I will always do my best to keep you updated.

• Maasai Steppe Lion

  Posted: July 23, 2009, 11:51 pm by admin

  Here's a photo of one of the lions we observed recently in the Maasai Steppe. © Rae Wynn-Grant

  Hi, this is Rae Winn again.  I wanted to quickly share a photo of one of the lions  I wrote about recently.  No news yet on the missing cubs.  We are out on field exercises for much of July, but I’ll write as soon as there is an update on the cubs or a chance to share some field notes.  I hope you enjoy the photo.

• We Are Equine Family!

  Posted: July 17, 2009, 9:57 pm by Erin

  “One of my favorite animals in the world is the horse. I love horses! Since you started this blog, I wanted to ask the question I have always wanted to ask: are there any horses native to Africa?”

  -Jen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

  Well, yes and no. There are horses that are native to Africa but they did not originate in Africa.

  The Barb horses of northern Africa (they get their name as they were developed along the Barbary Coast of northern Africa in roughly the 8^th Century) probably originated from the nearby middle eastern region and — like camels — came to Africa with the migrating people of this region. The Barb horses — of which there are three breeds: the Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian — are native to Africa, but they did not originate on the continent.

  That being said, there are a quite a few beautiful and wonderful animals within the equine family that are native to AND originate on the African continent: the African wild ass (Equus africanus), the Nubian wild ass (Equus africanus africanus), the Somali wild ass (Equus africanus somaicus), the Plains zebra (Equus quagga), Grevy’s zebra (Equus Grevy), Mountain zebra (Equus sebra), Burchell’s zebra (Equus quagga burchellii), Grant’s zebra (Equus quagga boehmi), Selous’ zebra (Equus quagga borensis), Chapman’s zebra (Equus quagga chapmani), Crawshay’s zebra (Equus quagga crawshayi), the Cape Mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) and Hartmann’s mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae).

  Not a horse but still family: a dazzle of Grevy’s zebras

  Did You Know…?

  - The Grevy’s zebra is also known as the Imperial zebra

  - Zebras are more closely related to the African wild ass than horses

  - The name ‘zebra’ comes from the Old Portuguese word ‘zevra’ meaning ‘wild ass’

  - The Swahili word for zebra is punda milia which literally means striped donkey

  - The Plains zebra (aka the Common zebra) has six sub-species in its genealogy, including the extinct Quagga

  Wait! Before You Go…

  Although not a horse, zebras are, indeed, a part of the equine family and you can take action to help protect them. Feel free to drop on by our adoption center here http://www.awf.org/adopt where you can adopt Leperit the zebra, a herd of zebras or an acre (or more) of land to give the zebras room to roam like the wild stallions (and mares) they are. You can also help AWF help the endangered Grevy’s zebra by supporting AWF’s Grevy’s Zebra Research Project.

• Launching the Kinigi Cultural Center

  Posted: July 13, 2009, 6:15 pm by admin

  Wellard here again.  In my last post I wrote about my first visit back to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in my capacity as Enterprise Officer for the IGCP Congo Program after the long civil conflict there. Today I want to share with you a more celebratory and team-oriented reflection from our Rwanda Program:

  “You did it!” we all screamed towards her, “no, WE did it.., IGCP did it” was the response from Salvatrice, IGCP’s Rwanda Program Enterprise Officer. After all the efforts, time spent, uncountable number of trips from Musanze to Kinigi, discussions with the contractors, meetings with local communities….and still, she was very humble. The day was finally here. And somehow it was her day – a day of reckoning – a day when an IGCP project becomes reality.  The day the Kinigi Cultural Center was launched.

  One of IGCP’s main pillars is to help local people develop interests in commercial enterprises, especially the rural communities who live in the areas bordering the national parks, and to find creative ways for them to reap viable economic benefits from the presence of wildlife. This is the community incentive context under which the local Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge was constructed. Similarly, the Kinigi Cultural Center and Community Walk have now been realized, and serve to diversify tourism revenues, and thus improve livelihoods, for the communities in the shadows of Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

  Here is the entrance of the King's hut--a main feature of the Cultural Center.

  The Cultural Center is a fascinating step back into Rwanda’s not-too-distant past.  Its attractions include a local king’s compound known as igikari.  At the entrance to the huge round hut constructed from locally sourced materials is the place where the King would sit on a stool and hear his people’s grievances, with the queen to this left. In between the King and Queen stands a very important pole: if anyone accused of any wrongdoing was able to touch it after evading the soldiers posted at the door, he or she would be forgiven of their crime. Further inside the hut is the meeting place, or ikiramb, where the King would sit with his guests over a fire as they drank local brews.

  A SACOLA guide talks with a guest outside the King's hut.

  Just beyond the ikirambi, is the mu mbere, a waiting room of sorts where selected girls would sit as they waited to go to the King’s bed, or uburiri.

  The queen had her own hut a little further away from the king’s hut. The compound also included a hut for the king’s main servant in charge of drinks and the main maid in charge of food. One needed permission as well to enter these huts, and they are represented in the Cultural Center complex by a small hut behind that of the King. Expert SACOLA (Sabyinyo Community Livelihoods Association) guides recount the fascinating story of the King and his charges to all visitors.

  This traditional dance troupe performed at the opening.

  A drumming contingent provided the music for the dance troupe.

  Back to the launching day: it started pretty early for the IGCP team present in Kinigi. The community and our team were busy putting final touches on the event up until the last minute. Everything had to be perfect, as we were expecting dignitaries such as the Governor of Rwanda’s Northern Province, the Mayor of Musanze and the deputy CEO of the Rwandan Development Board, as well as IGCP leadership spearheaded by Director Eugene Rutagarama himself. Our gracious donors did not miss the bus either as they were also present.

  Guests and SACOLA guides get in on the dancing action!

  Our hero, Salvatrice, joins the traditional dancers

  Wow! Quite an event, and our team ensured that perfection was the order of the day: you might be surprised to hear that we even helped out with the cleaning beforehand and afterward.

• Member…with benefits!

  Posted: July 2, 2009, 1:03 am by admin

  “Hi, Erin! I recently donated to AWF and would like to know if there any benefits that come with my donation.” –Chris, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.

  First, thank you Chris for your generous support of AWF. You are officially now an AWF member! Everyone who donates $15 or more automatically becomes a member.

  Your membership will last for 12 months and is chock full of great benefits. For starters, you will receive our quarterly newsletter, African Wildlife News (AWN). This beautiful, four-color newsletter informs our supporters about AWF programs (recent stories covered Dr. Bernard Kissui’s lion collaring project, Alfred Kikoti’s development of the Kilimanjaro Elephant Research Project, our partnership with Endangered Species Chocolate, and much more). At the end of every issue of AWN, there is a special section titled Wildlife Watch that spotlights a particular African species (that’s my favorite section, by the way). If you have never seen an issue of AWN, you may access past issues on our website.

  This year's AWF wall calendar celebrates the Year of the Gorilla and features many never-before-seen photos of the magnificent species. © AWF

  In addition to AWN (which mails four times a year), members receive our annual wall calendar featuring 12 magnificent African species – one per month (this year we did a special one-species issue on mountain gorillas in honor of the UN’s “Year of the Gorilla” campaign), get discounts of 10% on most merchandise in our online store, and receive notifications about AWF events in their area.  Members can opt to receive news updates regarding African wildlife by signing up at our website.

  Of course, the greatest benefit of supporting AWF is the impact you are having on conserving the wildlife and wild lands of Africa.  Thanks again for supporting us!

  To learn about other ways to help AWF, please feel free to visit us here.

  Wait!  Before You Go . . .
  As previously mentioned, 2009 is  the Year of the Gorilla.  To honor this amazing species, AWF has dedicated its 2009-2010 16-month calendar to this imperiled great ape.  To order your copy today, CLICK HERE, or call, toll-free, 1-888-494-5354.

• Whisker Patterns, Lion Mating, and the Missing Cubs

  Posted: July 2, 2009, 5:29 pm by admin

  I’m pleased to note that the Tarangire Lion project has some additional help this summer–Rae Wynn-Grant, a master’s candidate at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Here she tells about her experiences in the field so far.

  My first two weeks of lion tracking with the Tarangire Lion Project team has been exciting beyond anything I could have imagined as well as hugely enriching to my education in wildlife ecology.  Each day after a breakfast of chai and homemade bread, we’ve left camp at sunrise to check on our first pride, spending the entire day – often past sunset – driving both within and outside of Tarangire National Park boundaries looking for these amazing creatures.

  This is a picture of main camp -- it's quite comfortable! © AWF

  Working with the team, I’ve learned how to identify a lion based on distinct marks on the ears and the pattern of dots above the whisker lines that are unique to each individual.  The team has taught me how to estimate a lion’s age from the amount of pink or black skin present on the nose, and I’ve even begun to understand the different migratory patterns of the prides.  Every encounter with one of the lion prides is new and different and is always worth the hours of driving off-road, swatting tse-tse flies, and sweating in the hot sun that undoubtedly constitutes a typical day of lion tracking.

  This particular morning, our team headed out in the AWF Land Rover with lion tracking gear in tow (large metal antenna and a radio to pick up signals of nearby prides).  At what felt like the very beginning of our hunt we picked up a faint signal of the pride Altapiano, a pride that often stays within park boundaries, especially during the dry season when water resources are scarce in other parts of the Maasai Steppe.  Tracking them through the bush, we finally found our collared female, Celestine, a mature lioness with a beautiful tan coat of fur and a dark nose, just off of one of the dirt roads that winds through the park.  Relaxing under one of Tarangire’s famous Baobab trees, she was joined by a male with a full, dark mane and matching fur on his tail.

  This is not Celestine but another collared lioness. I hope to photograph Celestine soon. © AWF

  We parked the car a safe distance from the pair and observed their behavior while also using the AWF’s collection of lion identification cards to see if Celestine’s male friend was new to the pride.

  While we watched and waited, the pair approached each other, preparing to mate.  This was surprising, as Celestine recently gave birth to two cubs within the last two months.  In the last few weeks of tracking Celestine and the Altapiano pride, the team had not acquired any visual clues to the whereabouts of the cubs, who normally wouldn’t be far from their mother.  This information along with the willingness of Celestine to mate again gave us the sense that perhaps this new male lion had killed her cubs in an act of infanticide.

  It wasn’t long before Celestine and her partner became annoyed with our intrusion. Both animals looked our way and growled.  We made note of the GPS location, drew a sketch of the whisker pattern of the new male, took some pictures for further identification and respectfully drove off to leave the pair in peace.

  Here's Bernard taking notes -- he has been a great mentor. © AWF

  The Tarangire Lion Project Team is an excellent group of Tanzanian researchers doing great work that requires diligence, patience, and lots of skill.  As a visiting American student, I am honored to be a part of this project and will return to the U.S. with a much broader and richer understanding of general Tanzanian conservation issues, and specifically lion behavior in the Maasai Steppe region of the country.  Bernard Kissui and the rest of the team have been absolutely warm and welcoming to me, and I am truly having an unforgettable experience.

Blah blah blah

Fish cakes

Alas a fish cake.

Yet more fish cakes

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

The end of the fish cakes