safari 2.0

Bigger and better than our first drive through Mikumi on the main highway, shooting pictures of giraffes on the side of the road with semis nearly riding up our ass, this time we stopped for 2 nights to stay in the park. We were taking Tom back to catch his flight from Dar after a productive 2 weeks advising Ruth on her research project. Tom pretty much insisted that we spend some time there to get away from our normal routine and why would we refuse? Also, by pulling his ‘silverback’ mountain gorilla routine on his friend that ran the main lodge within the park, he was also able to get us ½ off on spectacular rooms. We had proper views of the nearby watering hole from our front porch, free meals, and the most knowledgeable guide that anyone could ask for, Doctor Zoologist-Tom. He knows the name of every bird beast or insect that you can point to. We were able to drive our own car throughout the park and we spent two days hitting all the prime spots. This park isn’t necessarily as big or as populated as Serengeti, but it was still impressive how many animals can live on the dry hot grassy plains with predators and grazers in such close proximity to each other. Here are some of the better photos that Ruth and I took.























We got back to Mang’ula last week re-energized for the regular work schedule. It has to be regular to fit within the parameters of her study. Each day is either a colobus group follow, a tree survey or a primate survey. Data must be collected. It will be interesting to stand back at the end and see all the graphs and charts summarizing the 4 colobus group’s behavior. I expect that they will confirm our gut feelings about what’s going on. But, while it may have been OK for the leader of the free world to spend 8 years using his gut feelings to run the US into the ground, it’s not an acceptable way to draw conclusions within the scientific community. While sometimes it seems like we’re slaves to Data, there are other times when it feels like the forest is where the action is and where else would we be? I spent quite a few days recently stuck at our house due to car troubles and it got boring quickly.

The major current drama is a rising confrontation between the wood cutters and those who want to save the Magombera forest (we thought was just basically us). Aside from all the government meetings with the local sugar cane company and proposals by Selous game reserve to annex the land, where progress appears interminably stalled, there has been local action which was precipitated by the cutting down of a big Mpoloto tree 3 weeks ago. Aloyce and I discovered the tree freshly cut and took some photos of it. Babu Tom was there in the forest with Ruth and I and we all got sufficiently white liberal enraged and took pictures and gps coordinates that we went home and did nothing. Not to say that we might not have eventually got a ball rolling in the right direction and I certainly recognize that Tom spent decades actually physically arresting poachers and wood cutters at his forest site in Uganda and even though he is now about 70 he probably would have leg tackled a fleeing woodcutter into the thorny Kitanula plants if given the chance. However, we went back to the station that night and mulled over the options to stop the out of control cutting before it was too late.
MEANWHILE, back in Katurukila, Aloyce went to see the chairman (read ‘chief’ here) of the village. This we learned later. He spoke to the chairman and told him about the tree and about all of the other people that we now were seeing every day in there cutting down the smaller trees. Then he went back to see the chairman with our other guide Alan again the next day. These guys were able to convince the chairman to issue a proclamation to the village that anybody caught cutting ANYTHING in the forest is in deep doo-doo. This has earned Aloyce some enemies in Katurukila who view him only as friend of the wazungu and who don’t understand his desire to save the forest for the future of the local villages. The chairman hired a guard and I think unofficially deputized Alan and Aloyce as forest protectors because over the last few days I’ve watched Alan pick up our machete and run off into the forest towards any sound of chopping after which he returns laughing to tell me how the people ran off heedlessly into the thorny vines, dropping their loads of wood, to get away from him. Hahaha.., in fact the other day Aloyce hid in the bushes and waited for a cutter to return, after initially turning tail, to pick up his load of wood- and he grabbed the dude by the shirt. Alas, he too blazed off suicidally into the thorny kitanula where no sane person would give chase, and escaped. But Aloyce recognized him and he went to see the chairman again with the name. We all felt a little sorry for the guy who would have to spend the Nane-Nane holiday huddled in the thorn bushes afraid to go home and face the chief’s strongman. I have to say, that perhaps the most effective way to preserve the forest in the short term is exactly this tactic. It’s better for Aloyce and Alan and the chairman, along with other locals to take up the fight to save their own trees. The last few days have been very quiet in Magombera so it seems to be working. Only time will tell though. Hopefully there will be some political progress from on high to officially protect Magombera forest and to back up our two hero’s local efforts. Ruth is informing all of the major bigwigs of what’s been happening on the ground and we’ll perhaps meet the chairman soon and offer to help pay for the forest guard.

Well, there’s plenty more drama at the research station where people are dropping like flies from malaria, appendicitis and other maladies but Ruth and I are hanging in there hoping to stay healthy. I’m on a strict food and drug regimen to keep my body relaxed and my mind clear. Rice and beans and mchicha for breakfast lunch and dinner every day so that the body is never ‘surprised’ by new food and poo is ALWAYS the same golden color. Beer has recently been replaced by pastis to settle the nerves and make the food seem better- scored on our last trip to Dar which I discovered is now good for something. I’ve started adding iodine to my water after an unreliable self diagnosis- lack of iodine. And perhaps the most important drug- 3 cups of green tea per day to keep me from falling asleep on the forest floor midway through a 12 hour monkey follow, drooling in the dirt and becoming a feast for the army ants and mosquitoes.

I HAVE received some awesome soccer balls from Carolyn and Ryan. Thanks guys. I’ll be giving those away at the first good opportunity. Preferably, not to Katurukila since now when we drive through there everyone just yells “mpira!” at us which means “give us a soccer ball!” It used to be “WAZUNGU!” We need to let the expectation die down that we are going to drive through the village every day tossing soccer balls out the windows. For now, I’m thinking that it’ll have to be more of a random untraceable act of generosity at places where we frequent less often – but still just as fun.

There was a beautiful mdudu that visited us one night while we were sitting on the porch. Another phasmid I believe. Tom probably gave me the latin and common names but I forgot them immediately thinking I’ll always have the picture-