Elephants of Botswana

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Nov 19 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

As I write this a rain thunders down onto the tin roof of our office and takes away the oppressive heat of the day. The storm has been building for a few days now and the humidity has been bearing down on us, it is wonderful to welcome the rain.

This morning we struggled out of bed at 0600 as we had had a late night trying to email a large document. Our internet has been playing up and in the end we had to go to the neighbouring camp, Abu, to use theirs as it is much faster.

After a quick bite to eat we headed out and did route one, we saw lots of game at the beginning; pregnant impala, zebra’s with a foal, giraffe everywhere and three old buffalo’s.  It was only when we were near the end of the route did we spot an elephant, a young male walking along the road. We were able to get a ½ hour focal and a poop sample, so we were very pleased. I have yet to ID him but he does have fairly distinctive ears and I am sure I recognise him.

As I am stuck in the office, due to the rain, I will get on with the back log of 120 emails I need to work through, before heading out again this evening to see if anyone else is about.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Nov 15 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

Wednesday 12^th November.

After a very successful fundraising trip to the states, Sim and I drove our personal vehicle back to camp, an 8 hour journey from Maun, through the endless Mopane forest which inhabits the sand tongue that leads us to our camp at the end of the delta waters. I had not driven the route for a long time and so we followed the truck driver, Simon to near the gate through the buffalo fence and the single road which was made to be able to get supplies to camp. Simon drives an age old Mercedes truck that just keeps going, but through the thick hot sand of the Okavango Delta, he can only go incredibly slowly. So after following him for two hours we were glad to receive directions from him and be on our way, I was disappointed not to be able to take Mhosi with us (who was getting a lift back to camp after a trip to the doctors) to relieve him of the 12 hour journey and the heat and un-comfort of having three people in the cab, but we were chocker with all our things and had no space. Six hours after leaving Simon, we rolled into a quiet camp, as everyone was enjoying siesta in the terrific heat that characterises this time of year, which draws and saps your energy. After eight hours driving, and a terrible night’s sleep thanks to the dogs and donkeys of Maun town, I was exhausted upon arrival so took a cold shower and fell asleep.

The delta has changed dramatically since we have been away, the flora has changed from the tired, browns and leafless trees and plants into the startling bright greens of summer time. The undergrowth is thick, so once were we could see through we are now crowded in. Alongside the changes of the flora, come the changes of the fauna and the first bird I heard was the Woodland kingfisher, a beautiful bird, with a distinctive call. I have always loved kingfishers since my dad and I spent magical hours watching them perch and fish from our houseboat in the now war ravaged district of Kashmir. These were blissful times, of priceless father-daughter time, and so whenever I see or hear a kingfisher I think of my wonderful dad.  They make a very characteristic call and signify the arrival of the rains, a time of plenty and rejoicing.

I am desperate to get out and see which elephant are around (although Robin Hood and Vashna have already visited us here in camp) but the research vehicle is down with a broken gearbox and so we await a replacement from town. In the mean time I am busy pulling together a proposal for our next five years of research and so have more than enough to keep me busy.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Nov 13 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

We did it……… we RAN the marathon….. and we actually enjoyed it!!! Which was not what I was expecting at all. The day started early with the alarm going off at 0430 as we had to get a bus at 0530. So we ate our porridge and then headed for the Metro station, where we waited with other runners for the train. The nearer we got to the collection point the more runners we saw from all over the world, New Zealand, Australia, UK, Germany, Philippines… it really was an international event. It was an early start as they shut the bridges at 0700 hence the buses had to get across beforehand. It was rather frustrating as we only started running at 1020, so we had a long wait in the cold and damp. We were in the Orange Village and thankfully managed to squeeze into a tent where we read and tried to get some sleep. Eventually we were making our way to the start line, a last stop off at the loo and then more waiting surrounded by hundreds of people. A lot of people wear old clothes to the start and then take them off and these are donated to the 40,000 plus homeless people in New York. I find it shocking that so many people are homeless in this world, and felt a little better that at least some of them would be a little warmer this winter.

As the start time got closer, I was just desperate to get going. I was a little apprehensive as I had no idea whether I could run this far. We had in our mind to run it and to do so under five hours. The start was very busy and so you could not run that fast but then people started to spread out as we headed from Staten Island into Brooklyn, we got carried away with the pace at first but pulled back as we had been advised not to go fast – but to keep the pace throughout the race. Our pace was 11min miles and so we slowed up and let the crowds over take us. After three miles the water and energy drinks started to be available every mile and this was a great target, soon the miles were slipping past and we had completed a ½ marathon, we were feeling good and kept plodding on. We were wearing elephant hats and had our names on our shirts, so the crowds were shouting our names or ‘go elephant guys’ ‘love the elephant hats’ it was fantastic and I felt like a star for the day. The crowds were incredible and we would both like to thank all the New Yorkers who came out that day – you really made the event a real experience and helped us through it all. The only time there was no one shouting was the Queensboro Bridge and that was when I felt a little pain, otherwise you were so busy enjoying the experience listening to the bands playing, and the people shouting and taking in the scenery of New York City. 

The other inspiration was the people running for various reasons, photos of their relatives pinned to their backs with in memory of mum or dad. There was lots of less able people running, blind people, a lady with MS on crutches, people with one leg, no arms, seeing them power on really made me chock up and appreciate my abilities and inspired me in more ways than just running.

Soon we were at the 18 mile mark and we made a mental note that this was the furthest either of us had run, and yes we were still running and feeling good. When would we hit the wall? It would appear never as we managed to run all the way and not hit crisis point. As we headed out of the Bronx we met up with Nat, Linda and Babs. Nat and Linda had visited Seba camp and learnt about the research then, Babs was Nat’s sister and they had been busy making signs for us. We stopped to meet them and get some photos taken.

Once back in Manhattan, we longed to get into Central Park and start really heading towards the finish. One the stretch up to Central Park, I heard by name being called more frantically and spotted Liat shouting and waving on the opposite side, I dodged between the people and gave her a sweaty hug. I meet Liat when she visited camp with her parents. Born in Cape Town she lives and works in NYC as a speech therapist. Since her trip to camp, I have stayed in touch with her, she has put me up in NY and become friends. She is a lovely person.

Soon we were in Central Park and I upped the pace, I was feeling good and triumphant, a little early perhaps and Sim got me to slow down. For the second half of the marathon we had been over taking people, as we had managed to keep our 11min mile pace throughout and here we were at the 21 mile mark still feeling good. I was up for a sprint finish.

As we rounded the last corner and we saw the finish mark, I welled up… we were about to complete our first marathon and raise money for the elephants. As we crossed the finish line, a HUGE sense of achievement passed through me, and I left good.

Our goals were to finish, to do so under five hours (we managed 4:53:52) and to raise money and awareness for and about Elephants For Africa. We are now ¼ of the way to our target to be able to get a 4×4 for the research. You can still donate at www.justgiving.com/KateandSimsMarathonChallenge/

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Category: Fund Raising | Date: Oct 31 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

Sim and I have been taking it easy today, staying at a friends in NYC. Yesterday we went to the Expo to register and collect our numbers. We walked along 34th street and as we got closer there were more and more fit people carrying bags.  It was about then that I got my first nerves. Unfortunately Sim had not been receiving any of the emails and so had not been allocated any transport. they managed to fix him some but it means we have to leave tomorrow morning at 0450 to get to the bus for 0530 for a 1020 start!!!! I am not sure what is going to tire us out for the race or the time before we start. I was originally booked on the Staten Island Ferry at 0800 (a much more reasonable time) but I guess I am going to have to travel with Sim.

We will have lots of supporters tomorrow - not just the crowds but specifically friends will be cheering us on - and I know that this will help the 26.2 miles feel a little easier.

Wish us luck - we are going to need it. 

I am looking forward to seeing Central Park and realising that it is almost over!

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 24 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

Hello all,

Sim and I have had a rather hectic schedule on our fund-raising tour of America. First stop was the Elephant Managers Association conference in Houston, then we visited and spoke to the Chicago Zoological Society, next was the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, who have supported our work for the last 2 years and now we are heading to Syracruse.

With one week to go before our Marathon debut in NYC we are getting a little nervous and excited about the challenge ahead. 26.2 miles does not sound like a lot but I know that it is going to hurt….. alot.

If you would like to sponsor this event and help us reach our target goal and contribute to a 4×4 vehicel for the research then please donate through

http://www.justgiving.com/KateandSimsMarathonChallenge/

If you would rather donate another way then get in touch on info@ElephantsForAfrica.org and we shall provide you with the details.

Best wishes

Kate

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 06 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

Mafunyane was last sighted in May 2009. There after he disappeared until he emerged again at end of September. Mafunyane’s collar had not been functioning so we had been relying on visual sightings to gather data. We heard first of his presence by guides at Horseback (a nearby camp), it was a relief. Surprisingly the following day he was spotted near Seba Camp. We were delighted to see him though he looked bit skinny. It was imperative that we act promptly to re-collar him before he moved out of the area. We were bearing in mind that he had come before and disappeared for about four months. This was worrying as we did not know where he was at all. So we did not want to be in the situation again. The team took an immediate decision to re-collar him and went about getting Rob-The-Vet up.

On the 28^th of September he was re-collared; we went at dawn to locate him. Mainly looking for Mafunyane in his favourite spots, he was later spotted at Dec. 26 near Abu Camp.

The collaring went well, but whilst he was down it was discovered that Mafunyane he had an infection on the left tusk, his left lip was very swollen. An antibiotic was administered for the infection. We were glad that we re-collared him. Though he is smart he has now moved to Seba West where water level too high for us to access, but at least we now have the satellite downloads to know where he is.  

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Oct 02 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

This week has been terribly busy, soooo busy in fact that we have not had time to blog about it, but we will get there. We have had aerial surveys, two collarings and we started the soft release process on an adult male elephants……. so come back soon to find out what happened.

Kate

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Sep 26 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

Hi  Everyone,

I am living camp for a few days to help out with some aerial surveys that are taking place over the concession where we work and the neighbouring one.

I am very excited about it as I have only ever read about aerial surveys and the methodologies involved so I am looking forward to learning a new skill and helping out with this important work.

We work in a concession which is 1/2 a million hectares, the largest in the delta, so we shall be sampling it as it is too large to cover in the time that we have. I hope to see lots of animals and also see the affect of the buffalo fence on the western side.

We have had an increase in poaching in the area and so this will also be an opportunity to see what is going on there and if there is any patterns.

We have had three nights of early rains and storms and we shall also be able to see if the lightening has started any fires in the area.

So I will be very busy until Wedneday, but I am sure the rest of the team will be keeping you updated.

TTFN

Kate

3 responses so far

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Sep 26 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

So, sorry about the double upload last time. Our current satellite Internet connection is intermittent and very slow. The upload didn’t appear to have worked at the first attempt, so we tried again and now we have two! Oh well.

I’ve been writing down some very short notes from each day, nothing more than bullet points as memory joggers and it’s already quite amazing to look back to see what’s happened and how my life has changed in such a short space of time.

In the UK I used to commute for about 40mins in the car, each way, now I simply walk for a couple of minutes from our tent up to the office. Our camp is completely unfenced and as we left our tent in the early morning gloom a couple of days ago we hit our first traffic jam, in the form of a male elephant (I’m reliably informed that he was around 20yrs old). There he was, stood right on the path, enjoying his breakfast which was one of the large trees that provide some shade for us. For me it was a surprise and a great sight, although perhaps a little inconvenient. For Kate this was fantastic, a focal before breakfast without even having to get into the car!

The wildlife is literally all around us here. Just around camp I’ve seen Banded mongoose chattering away, groups of Yellow hornbills picking through the leaves, Kurrichane Thrush’s running around gathering nesting material, Vervet monkeys using the tent roofs as trampolines, the list goes on. Simply walking back from dinner the other night we saw a juvenile Baboon Spider, a Solifuge racing around (they’re know as “Kalahari Ferrari’s” here) and a large Scorpion trying to catch a moth.

During the intense heat of the afternoon I’ve started working in our tent as it’s almost unbearable in the tin roofed office, despite having the windows open and fans running. We’re very fortunate as our tent has a beautiful view over a lagoon and I can see the various water channels stretching away, interspersed by densely foliated islands.

There are two Fish Eagles that like to sit in the tree next to our tent, overlooking the water. Yesterday, one swooped down out of the tree, I didn’t see him, but I did hear the splash. Did he get something? I couldn’t see through the bino’s as he flew off, but he was soon perched in another tree and I could tell that there was nothing in his talons. He stood there and shook his tail feathers and had a preen. It was almost as if he knew that I was watching and was saying “Yeah, I’m cool. I wasn’t going for a fish or anything just then, just cooling my feet off.” As I lowered the bino’s I spotted an elephant emerging from an island about 250m away. I have to ask myself, could the view from an office window get much better than this?

We’re pushing on with our marathon training, putting the miles in as best we can on the airstrip, with one of us driving whilst the other runs. We’ve done a couple of late afternoon sessions when the car wasn’t being used for research. The temperatures are edging towards 40degC in the shade and needless to say I’m finding it hot, dusty and difficult. It would be more pleasant running in the mornings, but it’s even more dangerous because the predators have been moving during the night and at first light we haven’t had a chance to figure out where they are yet.

We’ve also started doing circuit training on our balcony; improvising by using 1l bottles of water as weights for lateral raises and a 5l container for tricep curls. The steps to our tent have been utilised for shuttle runs and dips. I hope that it’ll be enough on the day. Don’t forget to sponsor us at http://www.justgiving.com/KateandSimsMarathonChallenge/

It’s time for me to sign off for now, I’ve got lots to tell you about the days that I’ve be spending with the researchers gathering data for their projects, but it’ll have to wait until my next post. I really must get back to the important job of incorporating our ideas and aspirations into the business plan that I’m writing.

Stay in touch,

Sim

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Sep 23 2009 | By: elephantsofbotswana

I first meet Diana on the 22^nd of November 2008, whilst I was out doing field work with Kate and Joseph. We could tell something was wrong the minute we saw her as she was limping quite badly. We soon discovered that her leg was – or had been broken at some stage. At the time she was with her juvenile babies who were taking good care of her. When she crossed the road she was shielded by them. On the 16^th of September 2009 she was spotted again, almost a year since she was last seen. She was back with her natal herd and it seems like she is able to keep up with them. The herd is very protective, they must know that she is in need of a little extra help and they, shield her whenever she crosses exposed areas. Elephants are very resilient and it is incredible to think that she managed to survive, especially that when we saw her it was after the harsh October month of 2008 when the area is very dry and food scarce and we all await the arrival of the rains. Elephants caring for each other had saved her from predators who could have taken advantage of her weak state. I am glad she made it through thick and thin and I was very happy to see her again.

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