News 2009
31. December 2009: We have reached one goal for 2009: the first stretch of the electric fence at Thuma is installed and working! WAGI Chairman Georg Kloeble, who supervised and coordinated the project, handed over to the new field manager Paul Dalgarno and his scout team.
We would like to thank you all very much for supporting our work in 2009!
November 2009: A dead elephant was found on the plateau in the centre of the Thuma Forest Reserve. He must have reached at least 60 - 70 years. The WAG scout team could recover the tusks, weighing 57 kg and being 1,75 m in length. On the illegal market those tusks would have had a value of over 50.000 USDollar.
Although we haven't been able to raise the necessary amount for the total 12 km of electric fence yet, the work has gone ahead with the funds already available to erect at least part of the fence. Scouts, villagers and volunteers are supporting the project. You can find more news in our new newsletter here.
22 September 2009: With the first funds raised, WAGI has started with the preparations for the installation of 12 km of solar-powered electric fence at Thuma. The local community has welcomed the activities and supports and helps the project with the clearing of access tracks and the fence line.
For the past two years many of them had to abandon their fields due to the frequent crop raiding by elephants, which has led to a serious food shortage in the area. Several hundred people have been affected. Please do support to raise the funds for to complete the installation of the fence - here.
14 July 2009: WAGI Chairman Georg Kloeble met with traditional leader "Chief Kalonga" who promised his support in installing the electric fence along Thuma.
June - July 2009: While we enjoy frequent elephants sightings - even from Base Camp - for the past months the problem of elephants raiding adjoining farmland along the eastern boundary has increased, which have led to an incident, resulting in the death of a villager from Mphinzi area, almost 3 km outside the Forest Reserve, recently. WAG agreed with the District Commissioner, the DoF and DNPW to support the local community to raise funds to reinstall a solar-powered electric fence to reduce human-wildlife conflicts in future.
Through our volunteer programme Thuma has accommodated five volunteers over the past seven weeks supporting WAG on different tasks, like at the construction site, surveys and joining the scout team on snare patrols. Since a snare bounty for every snare or tool of tree- and bamboo cutters has been reintroduced, between 26 May and 11 July, 208 wire snare have been collected, 7 panga knives, 3 axes and one big saw for ripping planks confiscated.
In addition has been a GPS monitoring system for patrols in Thuma and Dedza-Salima Forest Reserves implemented.
May 2009: WAGI Chairman and WAG trustee Georg Kloeble will be in Malawi for three months supporting the team in the Thuma project with the construction of the news volunteer and scout camp, generously donated by the US Fisheries and Wildlife Service Elephant Conservation Grant. Read about his work - download his Thuma newsletter.
March 2009:
WPE in Cameroon had a great success in the case
of a young mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). An informant gave us
the tip about animal
dealers. We forwarded the case to LAGA (The Great Ape Organization),
which led to the arrest of an old
wildlife-dealer, who was about to hand over the bloody
business to his son. The old man was released, as in
February 2009: The new Mammal Survey 2008 of Thuma Forest Reserve is available now. Have a look by downloading it from here (pdf.-document).
January 2009: Our naturearts onlineshop is online now and we would like to thank everyone involved for setting it up. Have a look!
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WILDLIFE ACTION GROUP INTERNATIONAL
