Poaching Publicity

Again, I have veered from consistent posting, as I have been out of Africa.  Each time I leave for an extended period of time, there is a refreshing and re-energizing aspect of being in the first world, yet at the same time, I suffer from a loss of creativity (not that I am really that creative in the first place)....Africa keeps my juices flowing.  I have been home in lovely Virginia and although I think of and yearn for Africa, I have not felt I had anything to write about, until recently.  

What has re-inspired me is the great publicity that poaching, namely ivory & rhino horn, is getting.  Although a dire and depressing subject, it is positive that it is finally out there.  Generally speaking, a year ago, many conservationists and people in the conservation/eco-tourism world of Africa (Tanzania in particular), were frustrated by how serious of a situation the wildlife of the region and continent was in and yet it was getting no publicity in first world/influencing countries.  However, the tide has now changed.  Since I have been home, I have noticed more and more the issue being presented on a public stage, reaching not just conservation minded people, but the public.  From National Geographic, to NPR to the State Department and the New York Times, people and important people (both American diplomats and journalists, as well as Tanzanian Ministers) are saying that yes there is a problem, it is a problem not just because of the degradation of important and key stone species, but also from a diplomatic and security perspective - money coming from these illegal wildlife activities is the same money going into other human, drug & weapon trafficking, increasing added threats to those other than the animals being killed.  Over the past 6 months, the Tanzanian Wildlife Division has stepped up to the table and broken out of the mold of many other African countries, by admitting that there is a crisis in their country.  This is a first and crucial step to solving the problem and it has allowed and encouraged people and governments from various parts of the world to also recognize the problem and hopefully all come together to find a solution in the near future....because there is not a lot of time.  

Here are the links to some of these articles. 

http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/wildlife_and_foreign_policy 

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/11/200354.htm

http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/wildlife_and_conservation

http://m.npr.org/news/World/163563426 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/10/ivory/christy-text

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/04/world/africa/africas-elephants-are-being-slaughtered-in-poaching-frenzy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Since this post is about enjoying other peoples words and comments on Africa, I will stick with the theme and end with a quote by Colleen Begg, who is conducting carnivore research in Niassa Game Reserve (a spectacular and largely unknown reserve in Mozambique, where my husband Grant also happens to be based at the moment....). She says in her last blog: 

“In the city there is this constant “like me, want me, buy me, I’ll make you happy” pressure that I find exhausting, disorienting and stressful until I again become habituated to it. Here it is a much more subtle selling of virtues, more of a “come closer, sit quietly, appreciate me” whisper.  There is just as much stress out here and little of the romance many people imagine, but there are more moments of simply joy. Compared to the big city, life seems tougher and harsher but somehow more real and sane.”

African Parks Network, elephant relocation (2008). Liwonde National Park - Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi. 

A. Barclay Giving Has Arrived!

A. Barclay Giving has completed its first "buy and supply" with Matonyok Parents Trust.  Through the generosity of A. Barclay clients, we were able to supply the orphans and disabled children of Matonyok with blankets for their beds.  It was a very special event and all of the Matonyok children were covered in smiles and showered us with gratitude…I selfishly felt as if I got more out of it than them (I hope I am wrong!).  The basis of A. Barclay Giving’s buy and supply is that for every scarf purchased through A. Barclay, an item in need is donated to a Tanzanian orphan.  However, it goes beyond just giving, because we also ensure that the items are purchased in Tanzania and if possible also manufactured in country.  We were very pleased that our first buy and supply of blankets matched all the criteria (made and purchased in Tanzania)!  For this particular orphanage, the benefit will be that each child will now have a better night’s sleep, ensuring their minds and bodies are rested for the next day.  So, a huge thanks to Anna and all the people who made this possible by buying a scarf from A. Barclay! 

Matonyok Parents Trust orphanage is particularly motivating and the 34 children living there, under the care of Emmy, are a huge inspiration.  They live in humble circumstances, but in a healthy and happy way.  They grow their own food, from corn to cows to chickens and cook all of their meals off of environmentally sustainable energy, bio-gas. They warm their showers with solar panels and have a nursery and first grade class that is more uplifting than any other Tanzanian school I have visited.  Emmy started as a nurse for the mentally disabled and after she had four girls of her own, opened Matonyok. She has recently been registered by the education board and will be extending her classrooms and in time be able to teach the majority of Matonyok children (ages 3-17), as well as other children from the area.  Please email me for details of how to donate to Matonyok and help Emmy and the kids find enough backing to open and run her new school!

Also with us for the buy and supply  was my good friend and photographer, Lizzie Halloran….she always takes stunning pics, so please scroll through the moments she captured at Matonyok and get your fill of happy thoughts for the day!  Check out Lizzie’s website, to see more of her amazing photos! www.lizziehalloran.com

Thanks so much to Anna and A. Barclay for initiating this cause and to everyone who is purchasing A.Barclay scarves….please visit www.abarclaydesigns.com to see these stunners and to learn more about A. BarclayGiving and stay tuned for who and what our next buy and supply  will support. 

Make Your Safari Memorable (Stu Levine Safaris)

Going on a safari is a big deal and an expensive deal, so it best to get the most out of it that you can. If you go without pre-arranging a guide you have a 50/50 chance of getting someone at each of your stops who will either make your trip a great one or an average one...However, if you go with a private/professional guide, you are much more guaranteed to have an experience of a lifetime (would you rather go on a blind date or on a date with someone who all of your friends are crazy about?).  If you are the latter type of person, then the professional guide who will make your trip fun, educational and worth it…ensuring that when leaving for home you go with more than just a checklist of animal sightings, but with stories and knowledge of the African bush, is Stu Levine. Stu has worked in the bush for fifteen years in some of the very best locations (Londolozi and Singita).  From this, he has incredible wildlife and safari experience and knowledge but just as or maybe even more importantly, he loves the bush.  His knowledge and areas of expertise basically encompass all of southern and eastern Africa.  His understanding and connection to the conservation efforts on the ground will help to enlighten you as to the ups and downs and future of African wildlife.  His tailor made kids safari, Khaki Kids will help engage the littler ones, exposing them to all things great and small and making sure they understand the bigger meaning.  If you have kids, or maybe if you feel like a kid yourself (me!), then Stu is your guy. Please check out his website and start thinking about your next (or first) safari to Africa! Email me or get in touch with Stu (info@stulevinesafaris.com) directly for more info! www.stulevinesafaris.com OR https://www.facebook.com/StuLevineSafaris

Here are some photos of Stu and by Stu...to see more of his pics, visit the gallery on his website or Facebook page. 

Summer Break Is Over

My delay in writing on Bush Bees is due a very relaxing 6 weeks in Virginia, where I couldn’t be bothered to write much.  However, as I am now back in Tanzania I feel that I would like to pay a quick tribute to a chapter of our lives which has come to a close and to get very excited about the new one we are starting. 

Grant and I have sadly left Mwiba, but are staying in a similar field still in Tanzania.  Mwiba has meant a lot of things to me and the 18 months which I spent there were filled with experiences that I would not have had anywhere else…Although a relatively short period of our life and careers, it has added many more tools to our tool box.

If peoples lives can be compared to an art collection, each piece representing an aspect, job, relationship and so on, which in the end can be compiled into a complete collection, each piece symbolizing something individually but all together telling a bigger story, then to me Mwiba is a distinctive piece of my collection.  If this is a fathomable idea, then the Mwiba piece may look simple and may not have taken long to create, but it is a piece which means a lot and in some ways has defined my “style”.  Mwiba will always be an important piece of our lives, but all artists, whether they are completely satisfied or not eventually have to move on to another piece of work.   My next piece may be comprised of more mediums or colors, but will definitely build on the style of what was created in Mwiba.  

Stay tuned for some more exciting Wildlife Conservation, Community Development and Safari Info coming soon!

Below is some of my cousin Bailey Jones’ artwork (Bailey sadly passed away in early June, at the age of 25 and is missed dearly).   

A.Barclay Designs – A Scarf For Many Reasons!

I am so excited to finally get to put this post up, as I have eagerly been awaiting the launch of an awesome new company started by a good friend, Anna Sibley! Anna has started a scarf line called A.Barclay.   She has designed scarves and wraps that are to die for- silk and linen fabrics with screen printed designs, made in Italy….what more could a girl want? These factors are enough to want to buy one of her luxuriously oversized, winsome scarves BUT there is more! Anna decided to combine her line with a philanthropic cause.  This is when we got in touch…after many emails and a skype call from Vail to Arusha, the cause was conceived: for every scarf purchased, an item of necessity is given to a Tanzanian orphan.  The fact that a child in need will receive an item which will make life just that much easier is not where it ends…. The second and just as exciting aspect of the project is that the items will all be purchased within Tanzania, which means A. Barclay and its customers will be contributing to the stimulation of markets in Tanzania.  Buy an A.Barclay scarf and you will be the ultimate glam giver!  

In a similar vein, I’d also like to share with you all the new community development jewelry project which we have started in Mwiba: 

The Mang’ati Jewelry Co-op.

"The Mang’ati Jewelry Co-op was started in early 2012.  Inspired by their musical language, unique ceremonies, colorful and meticulously crafted bead and brass jewelry we asked a local family if they would like to begin a project.  Together, we decided to share their art, through a micro-finance loan project. 

A tribe which few visitors see and who many mistake as Masai, the Mang’ati pride themselves on their familial structures, bush prowess, cattle and warrior status.  Although there are several branches of the Mang’ati tribe, each who specialize in a particular craftsmanship, all branches wear each others jewelry. The Mang’ati Jewelry Co-op is made of up six women and two men, each who bring different talents to the group. By purchasing this jewelry, you are taking home a unique piece of Africa and helping to financially empower a very special community."

                             

How to Help

Following advice from one of my oldest and best friends, Selina Stanfield, who works for the company Big Bang Strategy, which assists companies in branding or re-branding themselves to truly portray their identity, I am putting up a short list of organizations who are doing important work on the ground in order to combat wildlife poaching.  Not everything is depressing! There is a great group of people and organizations doing great and exciting work to ensure these stunning places and wildlife are around for future generations! All of these groups are in need of support for what they are doing - so if you want to become a part of solving not only the ivory poaching crisis, but wildlife poaching in general, these are some of the guys to check out. There are many organizations, individuals, companies, etc working to fight this battle, but these are a few of the ones which are on the ground fighting it face to face against the poachers committing the crimes. This is short and sweet as I am rushing out the door, back to the bush!

Friedkin Conservation Fund

International Anti-Poaching Foundation

African Parks Network

PAMS Foundation

Virunga National Park

A Serious Threat

Elephant Poaching in Africa continues to be a serious threat. What local conservation organizations are finding on a weekly basis seems to becoming more and more severe.  Below is a blurb from an elephant poaching piece I am working on, describing a typical poaching scenario.

Some East African conservationists have projected, that as a keystone species, the rate at which elephants are being removed will have a far greater impact on African ecosystems as a whole than any other large mammal poaching problem.  The threat is serious, and unfortunately, ivory poaching is not cut and dry, elephants are not selectively taken off, and it is not being executed on a sustainable level.  Elephant poaching operations usually include a team of poachers (5-15 men), carrying AK 47’s and/or heavy caliber hunting rifles, buckets or bags of ammunition (sometimes up to 400 or 500 rounds), weighing scales, axes, food and water, carrying bags, etc.  Once the poachers have located a herd they will move in and regardless of size or age open fire into the group.  One or two or more elephants may die immediately.  The rest will move off in a panic, some having been wounded, protecting their family members and calves from imminent death.  The dead elephants’ faces are hacked off with an axe, their tusks removed.  Depending on the weight of ivory they were tasked with collecting, the poachers will return to their hub of business or continue until they have collected the amount of ivory requested.  The herd of elephants will continue on in a panic and those who were caught in the crossfire will die days or weeks later.  This scenario is happening on a daily basis not only in Tanzania but in many protected areas across the continent.

  email me for the entire piece.

In addition, below are articles that have been written in the last couple of months, addressing ivory poaching in East Africa. 

BBC: Kenya Rangers Shoot Dead Five Suspected Poachers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17798914

Ivory Poaching in Kenya

http://www.eawildlife.org/the-news/eawlsnews/235-ivorypoachinginkenya

The Economist: Black Ivory – Last year was dreadful for elephants. This year may be worse.

http://www.economist.com/node/21549969

http://www.bloodyivory.org/

Rueters: Elephant Populations in Tanzanian Sanctuaries Drops

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/03/us-tanzania-elephants-idUSTRE8020QD20120103

All Africa.com: Tanzania: House Committee Rejects Poaching Report

http://allafrica.com/stories/201204060879.html

Center for Conservation Biology: Effects of Poaching on African Elephants

http://conservationbiology.net/research-programs/effects-of-poaching-on-african-elephants/

Goodbye Bush, Hello London

For the past 15 months I have been happily living in a tent....there have actually been multiple tents, the amenities of which continue to increase with each change. It started with no running water and a drop toilet

to a tent with a bucket shower and a bed off the ground, but no zipper, 

to one with running water, hangers for my clothes and some artwork on the walls (pictures are all a little skew, seeing as canvas is not great wall hanging material).

It has been an adventure and 90% of the time a fun one.  However, there come certain points when living in a tent just gets to be too much....this past week was one of them...from the possible parasites in my stomach to a hyena stealing our laundry basket (try hand washing hyena slobber out of your clothes...not effective) to a sudden onslaught of tons of teeny tiny bugs all over the tent to 8 months without a refrigerator and limited electricity and being exhausted from attempting to build a house and office for almost a year, only each time we get close there is some unknown obstacle that pops out of nowhere....ok, now I am just whining (which is unattractive, especially considering that I do spend about a third of my time in town).

What I am really getting to is how my 5 day trip to London (the 12th-17th), where I will be getting all long overdue doctor appointments out of the way (including killing whatever weird African stomach disease I have picked up), could not come at a better time! In my imagination, my parents London flat is like a corner of heaven that is just waiting for me...a bed with a real mattress and refrigerator full of a variety of organic foods, a neighborhood with amazing boutiques, plays and museums just around the corner...and on top of it all, seeing my parents and sneaking in an out of the ordinary visit! What a delight!  At first I felt guilty, because I am going alone and leaving my husband in our tent in the bush....however, the guilt subsided slightly when I said, "Don't you want to take a couple days off and have a little break?  Hope you are not mad that I am going to London without you?" and he replied, "What I would just love to do is pack a bedroll (camping mattress) and cooler box and go for a five day road trip in Tanzania."  Now, usually I would be game and say, "Me too. We should totally go!"....but not today, not this week.  This week you could not pay me to do a trip like that.

Although I have just done a fare share of complaining, I do happen to consider myself an optimistic person, which is why I will end with a bunch of pics of some of the fun things that have happened/we have done since we started living in a tent:

Beautiful Sunsets

Family and Friends Come to Visit! 

Ryan and Lizzie come for Thanksgiving- they met at our wedding (totally claiming matchmaking responsibility for this!) and now are working at an amazing lodge in Tanzania: www.chemchemsafari.com 

Close Encounters 

Getting My Flying Fix....or at least pretending to! 

The Half Marathon

Our Wedding! Cannot believe it has been over 10 months!

And More Sundowners!

Before I go, here are a couple new links worth checking out!

www.chemchemsafari.com : What it is: This fantastic location is perfect for unforgettable walking safaris and bird watching excursions.
http://wolfganghthome.wordpress.com/ : What it is: THE AVIATION, HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM NEWS SITE FOR EASTERN AFRICA AND THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION
http://www.ngojobsonline.com/ : this site was started by the CFO/COO of African Parks Network. What it is: A job seeking website dedicated to the global NGO sector. Jobseekers can search jobs below or use the jobseekers page to register on the site. Employers may also register, which is required in order to list jobs and access our unique hubbing technology. Happy searching!