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1 Credit & Debit card DONATIONS can be made by visiting and entering African Lion under the charity keyword search. Alternatively, simply click on the CAF image below. July 2009 NEWSLETTER Click any item to be taken directly to that section. ALERT Chief Operating Officer David Youldon A long walk for Antelope Park s 2Ss ended their walking career with an exceptional accomplishment... Sango and Swahili return to Antelope Park Luangwa moves into fourth place Leya s first kill... The 2KLs take on the buffalo Stage one welcomes Damisi, Dhakiya, Kanu and Kosey Medical and teaching assistance in Gweru Health education Ground Hornbill and large predator studies updates Conservation education Facilitated research update The last roar: Bhubesi & Batoka Late breaking news: After months of ongoing negotiations, Antelope Park management have received a draft lease agreement from Gweru City Council s Town Clerk. The lease gives the Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild program the right to fence areas of the proposed Ngamo Land, adjacent to the Park, for the purpose of conservation as of 1 st July. African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 1

2 ALERT Chief Operating Officer David Youldon In a recent article in the Standard newspaper in Kenya Patrick Omondi, Head of Species Conservation and Management for the Kenyan Wildlife Service is quoted as saying that Kenya had more than 20,000 African lions in It dropped to 2,749 in 2002 and stood at 1,970 last year. If these estimates are accurate then Kenya has seen a frightening 28% drop in lion numbers in just the last six years to This is a significantly faster decline in populations than what the IUCN suggests in the lions red list classification where the rate of decline is based on the period up to 2002 (when the most recent continent wide estimates were published) a species population reduction of approximately 30% is suspected over the past two decades So that is 30% decline in the 1980s and 90s and then a further 28% drop in this decade so far. If you were not worried about the fate of lions before you should be now! Let us not forget that vast amounts of conservation funding is spent in Kenya on habitat protection and I would guess that less protected populations may have suffered even greater losses over the same time period. And do not think for a second that the problem is limited to lions! This past month I was invited to Ghana my first visit to this very beautiful country. West Africa is not known for wildlife tourism but this is something that the Ghanaian government is very interested in changing. The 2002 lion estimates by Chardonnet and Bauer & van der Merwe suggested that only lions exist in the country but that the population is increasing. Talking to the wildlife managers of the Parks where these lions are supposedly living refutes these claims however. The lion is effectively extinct with a two year camera trap study in the Mole National park showing an unexpected number of hyena and leopard but not one single lion. There has only been one sighting of lion in the Park this year, although granted, the thick bush reduces the chance of locating them. So it s very early stages for this project but we hope to work with the authorities to develop a management plan for the species as well as discuss tourism capacity building to fund the programs and take advantage of their outcomes. There is so much more to come. David Youldon ALERT Chief Operating Officer African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 2

3 A final morning long walk for Antelope Park s 2S grouping of Sahara and Soriah ended their walking career with quite an accomplishment. From the start of the walk, both of the Ss seemed up for the hunt, warming up with a zebra chase. As the walk continued with Sahara leading the way, a rustle in the bushes saw both cubs chase after the source. The handlers caught up with Soriah first who led them further on to Sahara, who was in the process of subduing an adult male impala. Due to their speed and agility, catching an adult impala is very rare in cubs so young. An adult male is even more unlikely as they will often try to fend off the cubs with their horns. After some tussling over the kill, Soriah began eating, as Sahara played for a while with the impala s head, but soon settled down to feed as well. The cubs were allowed to eat first, before being driven off the kill and the remains taken back to the enclosure. This is common practice in Night Encounters on large kills, as it is difficult to move the cubs if they have gorged themselves. Three days after the kill, Sahara s brother and sister, Sango and Swahili, returned to the Park from our Victoria Falls stage one. The 3S litter was split at the end of July last year when Sahara was re grouped with Soriah, and Sango and Swahili moved to the Falls. As the litter had not seen one another for almost a year, Sahara and Soriah were placed in the management area of Waterfall enclosure while Sango and Swahili were moved into the main enclosure on their return. Above: Sango bounds out into Waterfall enclosure, while Swahili is a little more hesitant It was apparent though that the now 4Ss would have no trouble bonding, and on the 14 th June, the management gates were opened up. While Swahili remained a little protective of Sango for a time, all are getting on well and will soon start Night Encounters together. As the Ss begin their hunting careers, coming up on two and a half years old, brothers Lozi and Luangwa are approaching the end of theirs and it looks like they re going to finish in style. After their last successful Night Encounter at the end of May when their brother, Lungile, killed a warthog, the 25 th June saw Lozi and Luangwa out by themselves. And a mere five minutes after leaving the enclosure Luangwa made his seventh kill on a young male impala. This puts Luangwa into joint 4 th place with Narnia and Ltalo for the most kills made over the course of stage one, just two more will take him to joint 3 rd with Kwali. It also means that Luangwa moves into joint 3 rd place as the most successful individual on Night Encounters, along with Nala. The grouping of Lozi and Luangwa as a hunting combination now moves into joint 2 nd place as the most successful group on Night Encounters, alongside Athena and the 3Ks of Kwali, Kenge and Kwezi. The only question is, reaching retirement age on the 19 th July, does Luangwa have enough time left to move himself even higher up the ratings? African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 3

4 Just two days shy of her 13 month anniversary, Leya showed that you don t need to wait until the end of your walking career to steal the limelight. Leya, who as part of the LZT walking group at our Zambian stage one along with Zulu and Toka, was on her afternoon walk down by the Zambezi River in the Mosi oa Tunya National Park. Spotting a herd of some 15 impala in very dense cover, Leya only took a few steps towards the group before charging them head on from 20 metres away. Incredibly she managed to bring an adult female down by herself, with no assistance from either Toka or Zulu. After a few minutes, Toka who had not made any attempt to chase, while Zulu had gone after the rest of the herd found Leya with the impala. At first, the young cubs seemed a little unsure what to do with Leya s catch but after a couple of attempts, Leya finally found the right spot on the neck and completed the chase, catch and kill all by herself. However, after sometime it was clear that the LZTs were having trouble breaking through the impala s skin and were unable to begin feeding. As the kill had taken place only a few minutes walk away from the enclosures, the decision was then made to bring out the big guns Kela and Kwandi to help the younger cubs. On seeing the two oldest members of the group, Leya was visibly excited and was eager to show them what she had been up to that afternoon and within a few minutes the 2Ks had the carcass open and all settled down to dinner, on Leya. The 2KL group comprising Kela, Kwandi and Leya s sister, Loma, have been showing off their hunting skills over the last month too. Their afternoon walk on the 15 th June led the cubs to a herd of buffalo. Showing the same kind of fearlessness as her sister, Loma raced towards the herd without any hesitation, while Kela and Kwandi took a more measured approach by flanking the group to either side. As Loma neared, the buffalo seemed to realize that what was chasing them was of little threat and turned the tables to chase her, while Kela and Kwandi chased them! Once all three cubs had regrouped and settled to a safe distance they launched a second attack and so it went on for the next half anhour with the KLs chasing the buffalo before the increasingly agitated bovine retaliated. Eventually, Kela and Kwandi separated a bull from the herd and followed it at lazy trot for some distance. Kwandi was the first to lose patience in the game, and jumped onto its back immediately followed by Kela. Startling the bull, he let out a mighty bellow and bucked the cubs from his back and raced off into the distance. But the Ks weren t finished yet. On their way back to find Loma, they spotted a giraffe. Chasing once again, they were clearly tired from the previous encounter but still got to within 10 metres of it! African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 4

5 Introducing... Stage one welcomed four new cubs last month to Antelope Park and Victoria Falls. The two males and two females are now 10 months old and were housed in the Park s Lodge enclosure. The 2Ds of Damisi (m) and Dhakiya (f) will remain at Antelope Park for the remainder of their walking career while the 2Ks of Kosey (m) and Kanu (f) have since relocated to our Victoria Falls project. While still as a four at the Park, the 4DKs were taken on their first walks in early June. All seemed eager to explore, running off to investigate but always returning to the safety of the group. After several walks with handlers and volunteers, the 4DKs were ready for their first client walk and it was certainly eventful. By the Park s dam, Dhakiya suddenly wandered off into the reeds and reappeared a few minutes later with a young grey heron in her mouth! Making her first kill less than two weeks after arriving at the program she then proceeded to be incredibly defensive of her prize and wouldn t allow any of the other DKs near it! Dhakiya (f), meaning smart in Swahili. Housed at: Antelope Park s Lodge enclosure with Damisi. Described as: a bit cheeky! First kill: a grey heron, 7 th June Kanu (f), meaning wild cat in Swahili. Housed at: Masuwe Lodge, Victoria Falls with Kosey. Described as: shy, but friendly. Damisi (m), meaning happy in Swahili. Housed at: Antelope Park s Lodge enclosure with Dhakiya. Described as: a clown. First chase: on two giraffe on a morning walk on the 12 th June. Kosey (m), meaning lion in Swahili. Housed at: Masuwe Lodge, Victoria Falls with Kanu. Described as: nervous at first of strangers, but very quick to warm up. African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 5

6 Medical & Teaching Assistance Programs in Gweru Expanding the scope of our involvement with the communities surrounding our program s base in Gweru, Antelope Park and ACT staff identified a local clinic and two primary schools which the project has now formed a partnership with. In time, the intention is to develop the program s role with these organisations such that volunteer programs for medical and teaching assistance can be established. Medical assistance: The instigation of the pilot stage of this program coincided with a nation wide scheme throughout Zimbabwe to vaccinate children under five against measles, Tuberculosis and Polio. Mkoba, a neighbouring village to the Park where many staff live, was identified as a prime candidate to offer assistance to. A team of nurses from Mkoba Poly Clinic faced a challenge in that their mobile vaccination unit was not so mobile. Antelope Park provided vehicles to the nurses for the entire operation from 8 th 14 th June. In addition, the Park s Assistant Camp Manager, Simba Giya, and ALERT s Sibo Ncube and Lorraine Mpunzi assisted nurses as they toured the region s pre schools vaccinating the children. Future volunteers to the medical program will be involved in a variety of work with Gweru s medical establishments, from making patient s beds, taking temperatures and recording patient chart information, allowing the over worked nurses and doctors more time to effectively treat their patients. Teaching assistance: Simba, Lorraine and Sibo headed next to Mkoba 4 Primary School to present a proposal to the headmaster, Mr Mandiziva, for the start of a teaching project at the school. At present, Mkoba 4 Primary has 200 pre schoolers as part of the government s early child development scheme but only one classroom to teach them in. Staff shortages have also taken their toll on the school s 2,000 other pupils. After an introduction about African Encounter and the various community projects that are already operational, as well as ACT s Conservation Education program, the school s staff were keen to take up the offer of assistance that a volunteer based program would give. Antelope Park s teaching program is being structured to provide the stretched staff with classroom assistance as well as helping to maintain and expand existing infrastructure. Further, volunteers would help implement ACT s Conservation Education program with the hope that through these lessons, not only will pupils gain an appreciation for their country s wildlife, but that a Conservation Club can be formed which will take part in Wildlife Environment Zimbabwe s (WEZ) annual National Environment Quiz for Primary Schools, which sees entrants from all over the country take part. Health Education Lion Encounter Zambia volunteers held the first of our new health education classes in the local community this month by presenting a lesson on cholera followed by a question and answer session. The meeting was held at Twabuka Primary School where we have already established our conservation education program with pupils. This time, it was the parents turn and attendance was high with over 60 people from the local area listening to the talk, perhaps demonstrating the lack of information that has so far been provided to those in rural communities and the desire to be better informed. There were plenty of questions, feedback and advice, and at the end everyone was pleased with the results. We intend this to be the first of many such sessions and it will be followed by lessons on malaria, bilharzias, HIV/AIDS amongst others. We then hope to extend the program to other neighbouring communities of Lion Encounter in the near future. African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 6

7 Ground Hornbill study and large predator updates On the 13 th of June a team comprising Alert Research Technician Zibusiso Ncube, Victoria Falls voluntourists and project coordinators went in search of Ground Hornbills in the Zambezi National Park (ZNP) as part of a new study aimed at investigating their status, distribution and habitat preference in the area. While the Ground Hornbill is commonly found in many parts of Africa, their numbers are rapidly decreasing to the extent that they are now regarded as vulnerable in South Africa and populations in Zimbabwe are also in decline. The ZNP measures a total of 562 km² and the Ground Hornbill is estimated to have a territory of some 100km², so the hope was that at least five family groups of Hornbills will call the Park home. The first survey produced an encouraging start to the study with four birds being observed which were then classified to one adult male, one adult female and two sub adults. The team also focused on a more general animal population survey within the Park along established transects. This will enable us to get baseline information on the population of the different species within ZNP to assess how the distribution of mammals differs between the wet and dry seasons. Large predator population assessment Carnivores play a pivotal role in the ecosystem, and as such must be conserved. An approach to conserving and managing large predator populations requires knowledge of the status and distribution of these mammals. To determine the population trends of the large carnivores in the Zambezi National Park, the Conservation Centre for Wild Africa focuses at the moment on using indirect methods to estimate these population trends but is looking to gain funding for a more intensive program. Indirect methods involve measuring traces of secondary evidence of wildlife and then deriving an estimate of the population or population trends based on the observations. On the same transect where animal sightings are conducted, another group was focusing on secondary evidence of the carnivores. Only droppings and spoor were identified as signs of the presence of the hyenas, lions and the African wild dog. The hyena spoors were at frequent intervals and six spoor sightings were recorded as well as two communal droppings and one single dropping of the hyenas. Spoor of lions were recorded on two sites with one identified as that of an adult male and the second of two adult females and one adult male. The only evidence of the wild dog was droppings identified on one site which were thought to be less than 24 hours old. Our ongoing spoor measurement program at all three stage one locations is assisting us in being able to estimate the pride structure of unseen lions. African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 7

8 Conservation Education The second conservation education lesson at our Livingstone stage one is well underway with pupils at Twabuka Primary. Forty pupils a week are hosted by our program s volunteers and they have recently been learning about the different National Parks across Zambia, their role in conserving different species and the importance of the Parks to Zambia. Each week, the lesson has finished off with a game drive through the Mosi oa Tunya National Park guided by the volunteers and Lion Encounter staff, to learn a bit more about the animals that live there. A big favourite with the children was the buffalo, of which there are many herds some, as mentioned on page four, have already met the cubs in stage one and had their own induction to the lion program! Facilitated research update What role do volunteer workers play in conservation in sub Saharan Africa? That is the question UK based student, John Murphy, has been investigating over the past month at our stage one in Livingstone for an MSc in Environmental & International Development. Through a series of interviews with volunteers and program staff members, plus with external organisations with which we work alongside such as the Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), John has even fitted in a couple of lion walks, the odd conservation education class and joined volunteers on our elephant research program in the Mosi oa Tunya National Park to find out what the program is all about, plus the extent of the contribution of our program s volunteers. The first study hosted by LE Zam was conducted over six weeks during March and April by University of Oslo student, Andreas Dopplemeyer. On this occasion, the focus was on the economic impacts of tourism in the Livingstone area, or more specifically how do the Victoria Falls and Mosi oa Tunya National Park help generate tourist revenue, and what are the main economic benefits and disadvantages to tourism in the area? Open ended interviews with a number of informants associated with the tourism industry in Livingstone, from street vendors and souvenir salesmen, to lodge managers and ZAWA officers, were conducted in addition to recording observations of tourism activities. Andreas found a broad consensus among the informants that the Mosi oa Tunya and Victoria Falls National Parks are the main source of revenue in the area, despite their different occupations and social statuses; the interviews revealed that without tourism there would be little income generated in the area due to the geographical position, infrastructure and education levels of the area. However, while he concluded that the net economic benefit of tourism in Livingstone is mainly positive, the study did not encompass the socio economic, environmental and cultural impact which would perhaps have yielded different results. If you are interested in studying with us at any of our program locations, please click here for more information, or us at research@lionalert.org African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 8

9 The Last Roar You may have read on our Facebook site that this month that two of our cubs at the Victoria Falls stage one, Batoka and Bhubesi, had a run in with a puff adder on one of their daily walks in the Zambezi National Park. Bhubesi had initially spotted it on top of an anthill and as it moved away she ran after it, snatched it up and ran off into the bushes and Batoka followed. Both cubs were bitten, with Bhubesi suffering the brunt of the snake s attack having been bitten on the left side of her face and repeatedly on the legs. Batoka also received a bite to his jaw. Within minutes the cubs faces began to swell and Bhubesi especially was obviously in some distress. The 2Bs were walked back to their enclosure and staff immediately contacted our consultant vets who prescribed Dexamethasone by injection and a course of anti biotics. A local vet was called to administer the treatment. The most serious threat from puff adder bites is the resulting infection of the tissue, such as gangrene, and this is not the first time lions within the program have been bitten by snakes indeed some have not survived. Bhubesi was monitored throughout the night and by the following morning seemed a little perkier. Over the following hours and days, the swelling continued to recede and Bhubesi s condition and temperament improved, to the extent that just two days later she was greeting staff members as they checked on her in the enclosure. Having been grounded from walks during their recovery, the 2Bs went on their first (very) short walk since the incident just four days later. Happily, both Bhubesi and Batoka seem completely back to their old selves and are making big steps towards a full recovery. You can keep up to date with all the news from across the programs between newsletters by joining The African Lion & Environmental Research Trust on Facebook. African Lion & Environmental Research Trust 9