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3rd Quarter 2008 Newsletter: September 2008 | View past newsletters >>
Anti-Poaching
Continued success in the Moyowosi Game Reserve and Uvinza Open Area
The four teams operating in the Moyowosi Game Reserve and Uvinza Open Area have continued to have remarkable success in confiscating illegal firearms. Over forty muzzle loaders and a staggering twenty five fully automatic fire arms have been removed from the Protected Areas and neighboring villages. Special mention must be made to the two leading patrol commanders in the area: John Cleophas of the Fish Eagle Team and Ezekiel Roselian of the Uvinza Team. Keep up the good work, gentlemen!
Special Operation in the Muhesi and Kizigo Game Reserves
At the end of July we sent our light aircraft, the Maule, down to the Kizigo and Muhesi Game Reserves for another joint operation with the Wildlife Division’s Zonal Anti-poaching Unit. In addition, the four teams in the area were complimented by FCF’s Mobile Sables Team. Timber poaching has been particularly rife in these Reserves and a fresh wave of ivory poaching had recently swept through. Surveillance flights were conducted for three to four hours in the morning and again for a couple more hours before sunset. Several timber poaching camps were broken up and arrested, while some valuable leads were obtained regarding the ivory poaching.
An urgent call from the Ugalla Game Reserve was received at the end of the operation and the Maule was diverted to lend her support to efforts out there. Two elephant had been shot on the Koga River and the teams managed to confiscate an AK-47 and five tusks. However, no arrests were made.
Snaring in Maswa Game Reserve
One of the most common forms of poaching encountered in the Maswa Game Reserve is snaring. Snare lines of up to 2 km in length are encountered, especially when the wildebeest migration is found within the Reserve’s boundaries. Snares are indiscriminate in what they kill, are highly effective and extremely wasteful. In the first three weeks of August alone over 1200 snares were removed.
Community Development
Monduli Village Agreement
All five Monduli Villages have now entered into an agreement with Tanzania Game Trackers Safaris (TGTS) which reestablishes the partnership between the public and private stakeholders. The old agreement expired in May 2008 and the negotiations for continued partnership have been on-going since last year. FCF community development has played an important role in mediating and negotiating on behalf of TGTS in the hope of reaching an agreement which provides tangible benefits to both the company and directly to the communities within the Monduli Open Area.
FCF recognizes the importance of engaging the community in establishing a partnership in community development and wildlife conservation. We are pleased to have reached this stage in the agreements and are hopeful to reach a similar agreement on behalf of Wengert Windrose Safaris with the Natron Villages. In order to maintain a positive relationship with the villages TGTS and WWS have increased the benefits which the villages receive. We hope that by involving the villages they will recognize the benefits of operating hunting and photographic safaris on village land and offer their support in conserving their natural resources. In the coming months we hope to finalize agreements with the remaining villages in Natron.
Student Sponsorship Program
Through many generous donations we have been able to fund over 50 secondary school students. Keeping track of these students progress is a challenge but a very important part of ensuring the development and academic success of these students. All of the students who qualify for support have demonstrated a commitment and desire to learn and financial need. Many students come from broken families and have lost one or both of their parents. Due to external pressure many find it difficult to concentrate on their education and it is important for us to support them to make it through. As the year draws to a close we await examination results and hope to report positive results to our generous sponsors.
Project Visits
During the last couple of months FCF Community Development has made it a priority to visit projects from previous years in the Districts around Ugalla and Kizigo and and Muhesi. Through these visits we have been encouraged to develop a closer direct relationship with the villages on the border of the game reserves many of whom do not recognize FCF for their community development initiatives. Up until this year we have been working closely with the District level government to identify and implement projects. We recognize the importance of developing a partnership at the grassroots level and hope to continue to work more directly with the villages to develop projects using the proceeds from hunting as well as the generous contributions from donor organizations and hunting clients.
Olosiva Primary School
Thanks to the continued support of the Mzuri Wildlife Foundation three fuel-efficient Rocket Stoves were installed in August and have been in use every school day to prepare lunches for the on-going Mzuri funded school lunch program. The new stoves are a very welcome improvement to the school, which was cooking on open fires in a wooden shack. Using considerably less wood the stoves have environmental and economic benefits and the cooks able to work in a cleaner more smoke free environment. The stoves are using far less fuel than the open fire system, and the kitchen is a much healthier environment for preparing meals. Headmistress Anna Mallya, explains that the attentiveness of the students and their ability to concentration after lunch is significantly improved by the success of the lunch program.
Though the rainy season delayed the Mzuri funded Sport Program, FCF has now been able to level the sports field using the Eco-grader and though is now working on installing goal posts and netball court at Olosiva Primary School.
Research
5-Year Survey Program with TAWIRI
FCF have continued to implement its joint 5 year wildlife survey program with TAWIRI (Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute) this dry season, and we have just finished our survey season for this year. FCF conducted surveys in the Moyowosi Game Reserve to establish population estimates for buffalo, a modified aerial method to survey the fringe-eared oryx near Lake Natron, and a survey of lions in the Kizigo and Muhesi Game Reserves. Analysis is still ongoing, however the populations remain healthy and the information will be used as a baseline to evaluate trends in the future.
Camera Trapping
In collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Tanzania Mammal Atlas Project (TMAP) FCF continue their camera trapping project. The collaboration has yielded three successful surveys in Moyowosi Game Reserve, on the foothills of Mount Gelai east of Lake Natron and in Maswa Game Reserve, and the TMAP team is currently conducting a survey in Ugalla Game Reserve. These results have captured the presence of a number of cryptic, rare and nocturnal species as well as a relative abundance index for common or conspicuous species. In fact the survey at Gelai, proved to be the most successful for the TMAP team to date in terms of the number of species captured on camera, 37 in total, including aardvark, aardwolf, Egyptian mongoose, leopard, caracal, cheetah and wild dog amongst the unusual for that area.
Field Database
FCF is continuing to work hard to establish a relational database to assist the Research & GIS units to review and analyze data collected – for example to establish if there are any interdependent relationships between wildlife numbers, anti-poaching patrols and community development projects in a specific area.
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