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Riz's Ramblings

Bushdate....21-02-08

..having endured YET another night of screeching, murmuring and chattering Baboons in the Fig tree approximately all of 10 meters outside the house...i awake to a bright clear day, and after a quick breakfast of toast and a cuppa... out to the Tree Plantation... the new fence is coming along like a dream.. something HAS to give soon..it doesnt make sense that everything is going according to plan. In Africa, the plan is always that 'there is no plan'! anyhow, we've reconfirmed the beacons for t
Riz Jiwa

Riz Jiwa

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

The problem with Hinglish, or, re-naming the Model T…

I am miraculously in touch with my fellow trustee of the Luembe Conservancy Trust in the Luangwa Valley, Axon Lungu, by mobile phone. He stands behind his mud hut in the Luangwa and sends me a message, and as is the way with language, we do occasionally get our wires crossed. I had congratulated him on showing great courage in standing up to his chief – who happens to be a co-director of the Trust and the repository of fearful powers of witchcraft, in a matter affecting the land rights of his pe
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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Riz's Ramblings

Bushdate...23-02-08...

I have really sore forearms...from more or less totall dismantling an electric water pump that is totally unknown to the entire internet. Not a single reference could be found to a Linz Electic brand of submersible water pump. all the same, it is as i type lifting what i hope will be about 2000 litres of fresh clean water from the new hand dug well in the tree plantation. sadly, it runs on ac power, meaning the genny is currently running too..but its the starting point of calculating well capc
Riz Jiwa

Riz Jiwa

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Riz's Ramblings

Bushdate...22-02-08

.. today... fixing a solar water pump to install in the new well...AFTER i find it hopefully somewhere in the bowels of the equipment store... other than that.. a pretty normal day.. except the cows are now in camp...the eaiest way to keep the grass short when there's no one around.
Riz Jiwa

Riz Jiwa

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Riz's Ramblings

Bushdate..... 20-02-08....

George is definitely outside the house in the river.. i can hear him... now there's been no rain for the last 4 days the water level's dropped to.. what, can't be more than a metre....so where is he?! how can an animal that size conceal itself in that little water? there he goes again, snorting and huffuing away....strange...
Riz Jiwa

Riz Jiwa

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Project Updates

With so much rain this wet season, the wettest for 120 years some people have said, it has been very difficult for us to safely take the lions out at night to practice their hunting skills. However we have had some successes nevertheless. Ltalo & Landela are continuing their good form with another recent kill by Landela, taking a duiker. This is his third kill, and the eighth for the pairing. They are maintaining an astonishing 78% success rate which is a remarkable achievement. On
David Youldon

David Youldon

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

Of lion, walkies, ex-plorers and humbug

I recently received a press statement put out on 14 February jointly by Antelope Park, ALERT, and Ranulph Fiennes in response to the Sunday Times article by Chris Haslam "African lion encounters: a bloody con," published on February 10, 2008. Haslam had contacted me on 20 January, saying, “I'm a reporter working the conservation and travel beats for the Sunday Times in London. Canned hunting is not a big issue to British readers - most would agree it's abhorrent but few would ever know anybody w
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Press Statement

P R E S S S T A T E M E N T ISSUED JOINTLY BY ANTELOPE PARK, ALERT, AND SIR RANULPH FIENNES IN RESPONSE TO THE SUNDAY TIMES ARTICLE “AFRICAN LION ENCOUNTERS: A BLOODY CON,” PUBLISHED ON FEBRUARY 10, 2008 To: online.editor@timesonline.co.uk newsdesk@sunday-times.co.uk travel@sunday-times.co.uk Chris_Haslam@ipcmedia.com Date: 11th February 2008 Contact: Marleen Lammers, PR Manager, Antelope Park, Gweru, Zimbabwe Email: marleen@africanencounter.org David Youldon, Chief Operating Officer, ALER
David Youldon

David Youldon

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

Roger Rory McKay, ever onward.

When wearying of the seemingly constant and unbridgeable cultural divide in Africa, I think of old friends, good food and drink, and of a quiet place in good game country. Two of these good friends are Roger McKay and John Eaton, regular habitués at midday noggin-time at the Memorable Order of Tin Hats club (M.O.T.H.) in Lusaka: John, a veteran of the Burma campaign - who had escaped capture by the Japanese by taking a long walk through part of China, and for many years a charter pilot in Africa
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

A profound sense of woozle disorientation

THE ZAMBIA Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) announced recently that it will offer Tourism Concession Agreements (TCAs) of between 15,000 to 45,000 hectares of land in national parks to property developers. “We want big hotels and lodges in national parks,” the Director-General of ZAWA, Dr Lewis Saiwana was reported as saying. Now this reminds me of Winnie-the-Pooh tracking what he thought was a Woozle. You will recall Pooh telling Piglet that he was tracking something. “Tracking what?” said Piglet,
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

And another Zambian thing...

The news that Zambia’s National Movement Against Corruption (NAMAC) is once more pursuing a case against four Zambian hunting safari companies for allegedly overshooting their game quotas is further evidence that some investors in the industry are being targeted for ‘termination’ – that being the ominous term now in vogue describing the removal of a hunting concession from an investor-concessionaire. After all, NAMAC lost their case against the same four in both the High Court and the Supreme C
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

Zambia Wildlife Authority continues to trash elephant conservation

As the Zambian safari hunting industry grapples with the increasingly Mad-Hatter decisions of its Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) Director-General – doubtless squeezed by his inexperienced Board and the python of poor policy requiring ZAWA to raise its own funds, he is once more issuing licenses to safari operators to hunt elephant in 2008. I am reminded that on 10 January 2006, the Natural Resources Consultative Forum of Zambia (NRCF) met to discuss the question of Elephant Sport Hunting (ESH
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

People who trust African governments to care for their nations’ natural resources delude themselves

Paraphrasing the incomparable historian, Paul Johnson (People who put their trust in human power delude themselves), who wrote recently in The Spectator magazine, “One thing history teaches is the transience and futility of power, and the ultimate impotence of those who exercise it”, it is quite clear that African Governments, these highly centralized spawn of western civilization where duty, principle, humanity are trampled in the concupiscence for absolute power, are simply replaced and repl
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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I. P. A. Manning's Blog

A lady called Fred

One of the best and dearest friends I ever had was a lady called Fred. She was tall and wonderfully soft to the touch, and brilliantly white with a yellowish tinge to her down breast and sides, and with pink webbed feet. But it was her eyes that I remember, eyes that would soften - and on special occasions, allow the nictitating membranes to swim completely over, a sign that she trusted me absolutely. At other times her eyes would glint with the murder in her heart for all who approached me o
I. P. A. Manning

I. P. A. Manning

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The Game Warden's Editorial

Was it worth it? 2007 and Safaritalk.

Well my blog has been a disappointing affair: there are few field notes worth reading from where I am situated and thus entries have been few and far between this last year. There are many more knowledgeable and experienced people out there, and this can be evidenced with a flick through the recent posts on Safaritalk: slowly is a participating audience developing and I'd like to thank all those who have joined and posted - it is my hope that this continues through the New Year and so in 365 da
Game Warden

Game Warden

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

2007: A Year in Review

Dear Friends, As 2007 draws to a close it gives us all a chance to reflect. For ALERT, that is a look back at the most exciting and challenging year in the program’s history. In stage one we have seen the lions make six kills on walks during the day, including an African Jacarna, two warthog, two baboons and a buffalo. However it is at night with lions aged between 18 months and two a half years old that we have seen the most progress. Lions on Night Encounters have achieved a hunting succ
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Why should we act now to save the African lion?

One of the greatest threats to global biodiversity is the degradation of ecosystems. The lion, Panthera leo, occurs in all African habitats and is therefore an important element of those eco-systems; its presence is an indicator of an areas wild and natural integrity. Historically, lions were widely distributed in Africa from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, to the Cape of South Africa, from the coastal regions of the Gambia and to the vast savannahs of Tanzania, but their range has been dramat
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

Special Update from Stage Two

After 10 days without eating, our pioneering trio Phyre, Ashanti & Kenge in stage two at the Dollar Block site have made history. The evidence was all around, large scuff marks in the mud, broken trees and three VERY fat females showing an almighty struggle. Luke was also in attendence, having gorged himself into immobility. (Maxwell is currently held in a holding enclosure) I am extremely pleased to announce to you that these three girls have taken down and killed an adult giraffe. This
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

More about stage two of the release program

In August 2007 we felt we had enough experience and a group of lions that were ready for our first ever stage two release. The aim of stage two is to provide a bridging opportunity for the lions between the human contact and captive environment of stage one and the wild situation in stage three. The lions are released into an area of no less than 500 acres where they have to become self-sustaining with no human contact except a monitoring team and to build a socially stable pride. On the morn
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

More about stage one of the release program

Stage one of the Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Program has been operating at Antelope Park in Gweru, Zimbabwe since 1999, and since 2005 in Victoria Falls. Stage one starts with the breeding lions. At present we have a total of 19 that are currently of breeding age or are being kept as future breeding stock, representing 13 different patriarchal and 13 different matriarchal blood lines. These blood lines, except one from Tanzania originate within Zimbabwe. It has taken time
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

What is different about this release program?

Several reasons have been put forward as the main causes for the limited success of past predator release programs; 1. that the animals were given no pre-release training, 2. that their reliance on humans was not curtailed, 3. that lions were released as individuals with no natural pride social organization, 4. and that they had no experience of competitive and predatory species. Our program seeks to rectify these problems by using a staged rehabilitation program during which the lions are
David Youldon

David Youldon

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ALERT - the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

An introduction to ALERT

First of all we extend our gratitude to Safaritalk.net for giving organizations, such as ALERT, the opportunity to build awareness about our programs and a forum to discuss conservation issues. We at ALERT have always welcomed comments about our program, and through those comments, both positive and negative, we seek to ensure that our programs are as valid and effective as possible. So, please allow me the chance to introduce ALERT and what we do. Over the coming days and weeks I will offer
David Youldon

David Youldon

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The Game Warden's Editorial

Notes from the Game Warden.

To be able to devote your life to wildlife conservation is the dream of many people: playing a part, making a difference. Safaritalk's long term ambition is to be able to provide a means through which people can donate to a number of different causes, causes which because of their personal interests spur them on to help. Things are slow moving now but who knows where things might end up in a year's time. Ghandi was quoted as saying "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." This is my
Game Warden

Game Warden

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