As I wrote in the post about my trip to America, Emmanuel and I were interviewed in New York for the Charlie Rose Show . The interview will be showing on TV tonight. The time varies depending on your PBS affiliate, so you should check the exact time for your local channel here.
At the Charlie Rose Studios
I was lucky enough to be invited by the National Geographic Society to come to America to attend the premiere of their documentary “Gorilla Murders.” I first went to Washington DC, where I had some time to do some sight-seeing, including the White House: The premiere was very exciting- Emmanuel and I were on the panel discussion afterwards, along with Brent Stirton the NGS photographer. We were asked many interesting questions about the challenges faced by the rangers of Virunga National Park. I was able to explain how difficult it is for us to carry out our daily activities such as anti-poaching patrols and gorilla monitoring.
Brent, me, and Emmanuel We discussed the charcoal mafia which is destroying the gorilla habitat and its association to the murders of the gorillas last year. One of the main conclusions at the end of the panel discussion was that Nkunda and his troops must leave the Mikeno Sector of the park as soon as possible.
Interviewed by National Geographic We then went to New York, where Emmanuel and I were interviewed by Charlie Rose for PBS television. That has not aired yet, but I will let you know when it does. I also had some time to do some sight-seeing there. New York is so different from Ishango!
Me in Times Square
Last week I reported on the death of a hippo at Kasindi Port on the Lake Edward. However there are some hippos that fare better there, like the one known by local fisherman as “Jackson.”
Jackson Jackson is a solitary male who for the 8 last years has made his home in and around Kasindi. From time to time he gets out of the water and walks through the village to go forage for short grasses. He doesn’t attack the people, and thankfully the villagers ignore him too.
Jackson uses the same beach that fisherman use to get their boats in and out of the water. It is really so amazing to see a wild animal live peacefully side by side with humans. If only it was always the case… You can see the lake behind me and Jackson
Even the chickens aren’t afraid of him!
A female hippo was found dead at Kasindi, on the edge of Lake Edward, East from Ishango right on the border with Uganda. We had been told by locals and the local army that it had died of natural causes.
However, when we went to investigate, we discovered that the hippo had clearly been shot- you can see the one of the bullet injuries in the picture below.
We think that someone shot the hippo and reported it, hoping that we would say that it would be OK to carve up the hippo for meat. However, the inspector stood firm and did not allow anyone to eat the hippo. It may seem like a waste of food in a country where many people are malnourished, but we felt that it would send the wrong message if we allowed the hippo to be eaten.
While on patrol, we have seen many signs that elephants are more and more active in the Ishango area. They strip off leaves and bark from trees, break off branches, and uproot shrubs and small trees. This damage may seem severe, but it is all part of the natural system in which the elephants have a role.
We also come across herds of elephants when we are on our boat on the Semliki River. The herd in these photos was crossing the river, clearly enjoying the bath and drinking the cool water. As you can see, the hippos and elephants do not seem to bother each other!
Hippos live a double life: during the daytime they live in the water, but at night they go on land to graze. So in fact when we see them during the day, their main preoccupation (besides squabbling) is digestion! I have been pleased to notice that most of the female hippos near the Ishango Station have calved recently. There are many baby hippos, including a pair of twins, which is very rare. Lake Edward used to have the highest concentration of hippos in the world, and hopefully this is a good sign that the population is recovering. Lets hope for the best… Here is a video of them in action:
I received a report from an inspector that soldiers stationed at Kasindi, on the western shore of Lake Edward, were involved in illegal activities. Allegedly they were burning charcoal from trees cut from within the park. I contacted the local administration representative and the regional captain of the army, and together we went to Kasindi to see for ourselves. Immediately we discovered several soldiers with charcoal ovens burning near their barracks. Thanks to the presence of the captain and the local representative, we were able to force the soldiers to destroy the ovens. I will be keeping a close eye to make sure they don’t start doing it again…
The other evening we heard lions roaring not far from our station. Ishango has become suitable to carnivores now that animals such as antelope and buffalos have come back to the area.
The day after we heard the lions, we went on patrol and found the remains of a Ugandan Kob, which is the antelope species found here. It was clear that it had become the dinner of the lions we had heard the night before…
This is Godefroid. I have been pleased to notice that buffalos are back in large numbers in Ishango. There is a herd of 35-40 that hangs around the Ishango airstrip, and last week while I was on my motorbike I encountered a herd of more than 100!
Buffalos are what I call a cosmopolitan species because they are not restricted to one habitat, alternating between woodland, grassland, etc. Ishango has an immense potential for these grazers, with water from both Lake Edward and the Semliki River, as well as the availability of evergreen pasture.
Thankfully, buffalos are aggressive and well-known for attacking and killing hunters, so I expect poachers will stay clear from them! We will of course continue to patrol.
On Patrol
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