FoASF on Twitter
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 30 2009 | By: davidngala
Friends of Arabuko Sokoke Forest is now on Twitter!
We’ll be updating our daily happenings on the newest social networking site, and David will be able to post his activities directly from his mobile as he continues work in the forest.
Check us out at www.twitter.com/foasf
Recent Snare Survey
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 29 2009 | By: davidngala
On April 9th, our acting manager Lucy Kapombe, David Ngala, and Gede Forester Blessington Maganga and his rangers went on a snare survey in the forest. After traveling down the trail some ways they came upon three poachers carrying saws and a bag of bushmeat. Upon seeing the rangers, the poachers fled, leaving all their things behind. The team recovered a number of tools used to remove trees, and the cooked meat and skin of a red duiker. Along with the meat, they also disassembled 39 snares of various sizes recently set up by poachers in the forest, and uncovered 16 stumps of trees cut down by the poachers for timber.
The snare survey on April 15th involved no such run in with poachers, but did manage to dismantle 20 snares.
FoASF has benefited greatly from the help of the Gede division of the Kenya Forest Service. Mr. Maganga has been more than helpful in providing rangers for the snare surveys, and is quite adept at identifying them himself.
The team with the unfortunate catch of the poachers.
Community Outreach
Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 20 2009 | By: davidngala
Friends of Arabuko Sokoke Forest has teamed up with A Rocha Kenya and Nature Kenya Bush meat Project to organize a community education team, working towards informing the local community about the importance of conserving the forest. This initiative has recently resulted in a number of meetings, both with schools and local communities, on the dangers and adverse effects of hunting bush meat.
The dangers of bush meat are many. Certain diseases such as anthrax and Ebola can be transmitted to humans through the consumption of wild animals. These animals are also part of what draws tourists to the forest. Unfortunately, some of these mammals are both endangered and hunted, including the Adders Duiker, Sokoke Bush Mongoose, and Golden-Rumped Elephant Shrew. The loss of these animals to hunting will also mean a loss of tourism and revenue to the surrounding area.
The schools were happy to have us, and FoASF benefited from a number of volunteers from A Rocha in organizing the lessons. In total, we visited seven schools, reaching over 670 students!
The students were eager to join in on the lesson
Charo Ngumbao, Bushmeat Committee Member from the local community, assisted in the school sessions
A Rocha Kenya volunteer Laura Wise from Reading, UK was there to help out
The team also set out to make aware the community the laws against hunting bush meat. The surrounding villages of the Arabuko-Sokoke have depended upon the forest for hundreds of years as a source of food. Many are still unaware that hunting in the forest is now illegal. For this reason, FoASF, A Rocha and Nature Kenya have strived to provide alternatives to illegal poaching. We have helped to establish small groups within the local community organized to both breed and distribute domesticated animals like goats and chicken. Each group organizes a constitution stipulating the best way to distribute these animals throughout the community. Once the Bushmeat Committee approves these plans, they will distribute a number of animals to the groups.
The meeting in Malanga drew 364 villagers from the local area! We were glad to have such a great turnout and are excited that the community is taking an interest in conservation.
A Rocha even helped out with allowing us to use their projector for our presentation!
Thanks to all who volunteered and participated!
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