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Moving Images

A Wild Variety Show

There’s been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing of wild things over the past few days so I’m going to have to tell you about them all in fits and starts, as I find the time…one thing which is extraordinary is how much the big beach down at Hippo Bend has changed with the high flood waters while we were away. The high ledge has been cut away completely, and now the beach is just huge and flat, with a sudden very tall step up to the riverine vegetation right at the outer edge. The Vervet Monkeys have bab
Tanya_in_Kenya

Tanya_in_Kenya

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Moving Images

A good reason to make films

The effects of education are difficult to measure in specific terms, for in many ways the results of education are intangible - and yet we all know of its importance. So where do we find proof that our educational films about diverse wildlife and environmental issues really do have resonance with our audiences, really do touch adults and children alike, really do make a lasting impression? Yes, there are surveys that confirm this statistically… But you really get a palpable sense of this when y
Tanya_in_Kenya

Tanya_in_Kenya

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Moving Images

Conservation films currently in production

AEFF’s major new project, currently underway, is a series of half-hour films, under the heading “Inspiration”. Each film focuses on a particular individual (or small organization) who is doing something positive for conservation and the environment, with a view to improving their community’s quality of life, and preserving biodiversity. These people/organizations are presented as role models, and will illustrate that even a single person or a small local project can have an impact and make a rea
Tanya_in_Kenya

Tanya_in_Kenya

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Moving Images

Tales from Kulafumbi

I thought it would be helpful to tell you a little bit about where my husband, Ian Saunders, and I live, as our home will feature in many stories recounted in this blog: ‘Kulafumbi’ is our family home in Kenya, East Africa, situated on the confluence of the Athi and Mtito Rivers. The property borders the Tsavo National Park - with no fences between us and the Park, the wildlife comes and goes of its own free will and treats our land as its own. Ian and I were married here on 22nd September 2
Tanya_in_Kenya

Tanya_in_Kenya

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Moving Images

Conservation Education through Film

The African Environmental Film Foundation (AEFF) is separately registered as a US non-profit organization and as a UK Charity, with its operational base in Kenya, East Africa. The Foundation has a bold vision for transforming the face of environmental education in Africa, primarily through the medium of educational films, supported by modern technology and communication methods. Bringing together the stakeholders in the conservation: the environment, the people, the wildlife Our aim is to sig
Tanya_in_Kenya

Tanya_in_Kenya

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Moving Images

Living Wild & Filming Wild: a brief introduction

Hi Everyone - I had a chat to Matt aka Game Warden who welcomed the idea of a blog about our life here in Kenya and our work with conservation education, so here goes... Welcome to ‘Moving Images’, the new blog featuring the work of The African Environmental Film Foundation (AEFF). My name is Tanya Trevor Saunders, and I work as AEFF’s Director of Strategy. AEFF makes educational films about environmental and conservation issues, for the people of Africa, in their own languages, for free distri
Tanya_in_Kenya

Tanya_in_Kenya

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Dollar Block: The Continuing Story of a Release Pride

Sunday 4th May 2008 At 0615h this morning Kenge, Phyre and Ashanti are chilling by the northern water pan. A few minutes later Nala and Narnia approach the pan walking up north from the centre road. They stop from a drink. Athena is nowhere to be seen, but the other five lionesses rest close to each other. At 0704h Nala follows Narnia back down the centre road and they lead us straight to Athena, and a wildebeest kill. From the evidence seen (the size of Athena’s stomach, the amount of meat t
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Development of Hunting Skill in Captive Bred Lions

With 156 Night Encounters undertaken at Antelope Park to date, we now have sufficient data to start looking at patterns in hunting behaviour. The results from our captive bred lion cubs were compared to those from a study of adult lions in the Kruger National Park to identify similarities or differences. Here is what we found: 1. There was no difference in the probability that females (P= 0.24) or males (P= 0.23) would ignore or make no attempt to hunt prey they had encountered. Our result:
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Stage Two Update

The pride in our release site have made a number of other kills, concentrating exclusively on wildebeest at this time. They are hunting every three to four days getting a meat intake akin to a wild pride. Having spent almost the whole of the first week together we have seen the group split up for periods of time now and then before rejoining during the second week. Athena, Nala & Narnia have all been off exploring together, and every lioness except Kenge has spent some time off on her own.
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Stage Two Release - the first four days

On Sunday 13th April 2008 ALERT released a pride of six females into our stage two release site at Dollar Block in Zimbabwe. Three of these females have been re-released following an initial release into the site in August last year where they have been successfully hunting, including eland, impala, warthog & giraffe. Just before 11am on the 13th the six females (Ashanti, Kenge, Phyre – the original three and Athena, Nala & Narnia) were released and immediately started to explore. A
David Youldon

David Youldon

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Daktari's Blog

Hi all

Having just registered on Safari talk (I didnt know how to do it before!) and after having met Mathew on his recent trip to South Africa, I thought I would start a blog and introduce ourselves: We are Ian and Michele Merrifield...we started a NPO called Daktari in 2002 which is now up and running. Full details of our project are on www.daktaribushschool.org and Mathew has already done an article about Daktari on this site.
Daktari

Daktari

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

The Sunday Times prints a retraction

An article “African lion encounters: a bloody con” printed in the Travel Section of the Sunday Times newspaper on 10 February 10 2008 said that as many as 59 lion cubs raised at Antelope Park had been sold to big game hunting operations to be shot for sport. Antelope Park filed a complaint with the newspaper as well as with the Press Complaints Commission as well as publishing a press release refuting these claims. Evidence to corroborate our position was provided to both the newspaper and th
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Enclosures

A few weeks ago whilst starting to prepare for the publication of a much more comprehensive information pack about the program, I asked the voluntourists at Antelope Park to measure all the enclosures we have - 28 in all and then compare our usage with some recommendations on the required space to care for lions by some of the leading authorities in the field. I was genuinely shocked when I saw how little space many organizations see as suitable for a lion to be kept in. The Zoological Associat
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

What is a Night Encounter?

At 18 months old the lions are retired from walks and begin to take part in our Night Encounter program. The Night Encounter was added to our program in July 2005 in order to give the lions further practice at hunting and therefore a higher chance of survival after release. We stay on the vehicle and use a red filtered spotlight to monitor the lion’s progress (white light was used in the beginning but due to the impact this has on the prey animals I requested that the practice be removed). In
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

An Update on Stage Two & The Latest Newsletter

The six girls at the Dollar Block release site have been mixed together and all are getting on well. Ashanti is maintaining her alpha female role, but this will need to be confirmed once released by our researchers. Due to the election, we have been forced to delay the release and are now hoping to action this on Sunday 13th. This will co-incide with one of our supporters running the London Marathon on that day in suport of the program. It is not known whether she will be wearing a lion suit
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

The lions arrive at the release site

Everything went very smoothly with the move. The three lionesses were offloaded at the site into a large holding enclosure, next to a second enclosure within which Phyre, Ashanti & Kenge are being held. The two groups of three will have a chance to get used to each other over the next few days before we open the gate between them. They will then be given a further few days before being released. We are aiming that this will take place on 6th April at this point.
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Countdown to release

In the cool of an African morning Athena, Nala & Narnia were darted and carefully placed in carrying crates for the move to the Dollar Block stage two release site. Our consultant vets carried out the procedure with the assistance of Antelope Park staff, and in the precence of an official from Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority. The three are now on their way to the release site, a drive of 3 hours, where they will be offloaded into a holding enclosure adjacent to Ashanti,
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Landela does it again

On the night of 24th March the 4Ls of Landela, Lokothula, Langa and Ltalo went out on a Night Encounter. The four were extremely active and we considered for a time that their playfulness would detract from the business at hand; hunting. After 20 minutes or so the brothers calmed down and led us at a determined pace through the long grass. A herd of wildebeest were spotted and all four instantly went into stalking position. Landela took advantage of a road with long grass between him and the
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Amghela: First Kill

The night of 9th March 2008 was only Acacia, Amghela and Chengeta's second Night Encounter, and at only 19 months old they still have a lot to learn. Things started quickly however when Acacia spotted a herd of impala and led the trio towards them. Chengeta took a direct approach whilst Acacia flanked left and Amghela flanked right. Due to their inexperience Acacia broke into a full chase having only stalked as near as 60m to her prey. The others also gave chase and they managed to get within 3
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Mana & Nandi - a lizard, a crab and a very large bird

Both Mana and Nandi on their seperate afternoon walks both had a close encounter today. For Mana, she was coming down to a pool to drink when she heard rustling in the reeds on the opposite bank. She immediately sprang into action and dashed into the reeds. She reemerged with a one metre long monitor lizard in her mouth. This is the first time she has encountered such an animal and its thrashing to escape clearly took her by surprise. She jumped back giving the lizard the chance to race int
David Youldon

David Youldon

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Riz's Ramblings

Bushdate....28-02-08

Its been a busy week so far.. and the Tree plantation fence s are almost complete! Now we work on the gates, adn a new idea i had, to install stiles so that old routes and paths for foot access are not completely blocked off.. Todat the media announced that the government and opposition sides have reached agreement on a power sharing deal in Kenya.. hopefully this will allow us to start re-building what has been left inthe aftermath of the political crisis that has left this country on the brin
Riz Jiwa

Riz Jiwa

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

The 4L's Go Hunting & the lady from NUST arrives

Between them, Lokothula, Langa, Ltalo & Landela went into this Night Encounter with some serious form: Langa has already killed a baboon, Ltalo has taken three birds, a rabbit and an impala, Landela killed a rabbit, two duiker and an impala and Loko has taken a baboon, two warthog and a buffalo. And they are only 21 months old. This was the first time all four had been taken out together, and in fact was Langa's first night encounter. The boys all worked well together on a number of chas
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Stage Two Release - Aiming for 1st April 2008

Now that the rains have subsided the decision to release further lions at our Dollar Block release site is being actioned. Phyre, Ashanti and Kenge have been successfully hunting at the site for six months now and have formed a very close bond with Ashanti as the alpha female. They have brought down a number of species from warthog to adult giraffe. As has been published previously, Luke has been returned to Antelope Park and Maxwell has been held in a holding enclosure for some time now. We
David Youldon

David Youldon

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