Bush meat survey in Arabuko-Sokoke forest
Category: Forest surveys, Forest wildlife, Poaching wildlife | Date: Jan 28 2009 | By: davidngala
Bush meat hunting in Arabuko-Sokoke forest is a major problem. Past conservation actions did not fully address the problem hence its recurrence. The most targeted species include Aders duiker, Golden Rumped Sengi, and Sokoke bush tailed mongoose.
Illegal bush meat.
Two past surveys done in October and November, 2006 revealed an alarming situation on the game meat hunting. In just three weeks, 1087 snares were located and destroyed in the nature reserve. To estimate the number of traps in the entire forest may be difficult but there are all indications that there could be thousands of snares and other traps in which hundreds of animals are caught annually.
Local community has low awareness of the impact of their actions, the risk of catching insurable diseases and the legal implications of engaging in Bushmeat practices. Alternative sources of proteins do exist but they either are not aware of them or lack the resources and skills to adopt them.
Just three weeks ago David Ngala and Lucy Kapombe carried out a bush meat survey at the nature reserve in Arabuko-Sokoke forest and they were able to retrieve 113 snares.
David Ngala - facilitating a bushmeat awareness meeting.
With support from KNH-NABU (Birdlife Germany), Nature Kenya together
with the bush meat awareness committee are carrying out a bush meat awareness programme in Arabuko-Sokoke forest and the surrounding communities.
This programme is aimed to create awareness on the negative effects of bushmeat hunting to the community and alternatives the community can use. Bushmeat hunting has led to various health implications such as the Ebola virus, rift valley fever, rabies, yellow fever among others, these infection have jumped from primates to people on at least seven separate occasions in recent history.
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illegal hunting of game meat in Dakatcha - Marafa.
Category: Forest surveys, Forest wildlife, Poaching wildlife | Date: Dec 02 2008 | By: davidngala
David Ngala accompanied Albert Baya of A Rocha Kenya to survey the Clarke weaver nests in Marafa. Marafa is located north of Arabuko- Sokoke forest in the Brachystegia woodland. This is where the weavers prefer to nest and feed. Dakatcha woodland is the main breeding site for the weaver. It is approximately 29 Kilometres from Sokoke forest.
The main problem in Dakatcha woodland is charcoal burning and hunting of game meat. David was able to find some young duikers that were hunted and sold illegally.
Duiker meat, hanged to be sold illegally.
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Tracing the tracks of the dead man (poacher).
Category: Forest surveys, Forest wildlife, Poaching wildlife | Date: Nov 17 2008 | By: davidngala
Tracing the tracks of the dead man (poacher).
In an earlier blog I had mentioned the story of the poacher who died in the forest after he accidentally stepped on an elephant snare that was set by another poacher who was targeting to kill an elephant. I later on when to do a follow up of that story and retraced the path taken by that poacher. I started by visiting the dead man’s family, I was taken to his family by some community members. I however did not refer to the dead man as a poacher this was to show some respect to the family. The family gave me their view of what they thought happened. I was also informed that on that fateful day the dead man was accompanied to the forest by his elder brother, his elder brother retraced the last moment and he even agreed to take me to the forest and show me the path where it all happened.
The household of the man.
The grave.
We followed the path that the dead man took, as we continued following the path I came across 31 snares they seemed to be snares for small animals such as Sunis, however most of them were dismantled. The path we took lead us to the road from Kararacha to Nyari view point. At this particular spot the elder brother showed me the path that he had marked, it was sort of an agreement between him and his brother on which route not to take. Unfortunately it seemed the dead took a wrong path and ended up stepping on the snare. After stepping on the snare he tried to walk for a while however he could not go far as the poison on the snare was quickly running through his body, he decide to sit down and he asked his brother to go get help, when his brother returned with help unfortunately he was already dead. He quickly went back home to inform the rest what had happened and they found a way to carry his body from the forest.
Me being shown the path.
The sign.
When I asked his brother what they were looking for in the forest he simply said mushrooms, I was not full convinced that they were looking for mushrooms, as why would they go deep in the forest to look for that and secondly why would they take the paths that are restricted, and why take the elephant tracks? I kept on wondering this but I did not want to raise it up with his brother as it would be pointless to argue with him on that.
The brother of the dead man holding mushrooms.
The mushrooms.
Personally I am very sorry that his brother died, am mostly sorry for his family. However I still feel that they had ill intentions especially where the elephants were concerned. The elephant trap has not been found till now and this poses a big risk not only to the elephants but to those who use the forest daily such as researchers, tourists and even me!
It was helpful to be shown the path and to follow it, we now have a clue where the traps could be located for we also took the GPS coordinates, it just a matter of time before we actually locate the them, in as much as we have a clue where to start from, no one is willing to take the risk of going to look for the traps without the proper equipment for fear of being the next victims. We tend to think that they are many snares in the forest.
As we lack the necessary equipment such as metal detectors to enable us to locate the traps quickly, the snare continue to pose a big risk. We are kindly requesting for your help in purchasing a metal detector and good walking boots, to be used for patrols in the forest, these equipment will assist us to remove the metal snare that are normally targeted for elephants and make the forest much safer for them and for people as well.
Yous David Ngala
Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest
Conservation Officer.
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Day one of the forest trail clearing.
Category: Forest surveys, Forest wildlife | Date: Nov 12 2008 | By: davidngala
Day one of the forest trail clearing.
So this group of young guys from Nature kenya - Nairobi decided to come all the way to the coast in Arabuko-Sokoke forest, and to do what? To help clear the nature trails in Arabuko-Sokoke forest.
The camp site at sokoke pipit at the forest.
They set up camp at the forest camp site, they would be there for four days so they better have things set up right, from putting up the tents, to the kitchen and assigning duties of cooking and washing, everything had to be in order.
setting up the tents.
who knows how to cook best? Onesmus or Susan?
watch me cook! Tony seems to be telling the crew.
I must admit the first thing that came into my mind when I saw them was - will they really do it?, can they really manage?, how about the heat will it drain them before they begin?, and the women can they make it?, so to give them the benefit of the doubt we set out to the elephant track a trail in the forest that is used to tourist who especially want to see the elephant. The elephant roam around the area freely and many times we find elephant dung on the roads, fallen trees and huge mountains of dug up sand, this was one of the trails that really needed a lot of work and this is an intriguing trail as well, as elephant can surprise you any time.
Fresh elephnat dung on the trail.
So off we went, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) provides a truck to ferry the 18 volunteers to the site, the long journey to the site was really tiresome and I kept on praying that we don’t say “hallo to mr ndovu” - the elephants. A trained ranger accompanied us to the site, but still my heart was in my mouth. Since I was somehow leading the team I had to show some sign of bravery, and not my fear be revealed.
Preparing to be ferried to the site.
The trail were in such a state that needed help like yesterday, trees overgrown blocking the roads, all types of trees, thorny trees, shrubs and even dead logs.
And the work began, it didn’t take me long before I thought I think they will make it…….will they?
And the work began!
To be continued…….
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Nature trail clearing at Arabuko-Sokoke forest
Category: Forest surveys, Forest wildlife, General | Date: Nov 11 2008 | By: davidngala
Nature trail clearing at Arabuko-Sokoke Forest.
This past week has been a hectic and busy week for us here at FoASF. The nature trails in Arabuko-Sokoke forest have been overgrown with trees. Elephants have not made it easy either, by trampling on trees and blocking the roads. The trails have hence not been used for a while especially the elephant track which has long needed some work to be done on it.
one of the overgrown trails at the forest.
From 6th November 2008 to 10th November we had a visit from the Nature Kenya Youth committee from Nairobi, who came with an aim to help out clear the nature trails and create awareness on the importance of the forest.
Arrival day - all clean and smart!
This group was a fun some group which energized youth ready to help out in the forest. So could these urbanists (most of them were from the big city- Nairobi) really slash and cut trees, considering they are not used to this, how were they to cope with high temperatures of 30˚C and above at the coast, would they really make it? The next four days were days well spend in the forest and can only be described visually.
We are here to work - (part of the team)
To be continued……
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Can you guess how big this elephant is?
Category: Forest surveys, Forest wildlife | Date: Oct 23 2008 | By: davidngala
The African elephants are among the largest mammals found in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. They are rarely seen during the day, preferring to hide deep in the forest thickets. Nevertheless elephant dung is evident along the forest tracks and other signs such as fallen trees, trees rubbed with mud among other signs.
Falling trees and branches - signs of elaphants.
Elephnat dung - another sign of elephant activity.
During a forest survey for the spotted ground thrush, we came across, signs of elephant activity.
The tree is bend due to elepmaths rubbing themseleves on it often.
Some times elephants rub their backs against trees to help them remove insects that hide on their body, this is their own way of scratching .
A close up of the tree and the mud left on the tree by elephants.
This was event as we came across several trees which had mud on a specific part of its branches. Sometimes this is used to estimated the height of the elephants. So can you guess how big this elephant is?
close up of mud on tree branch.
David estimating the height.
Wide area of the same tree.
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Tree poaching & green mambas
Category: Forest wildlife, Tree poaching | Date: Feb 09 2008 | By: admin
One morning recently, I travelled for about 30 kilometres around the edge of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest with fellow forest guide Albert Baya. When we reached a place called Chumani, I got the feeling that we should stop and study the forest there more closely.
We went into the forest which at that point is what we call “Mixed Forest” as it isn’t dominated by any one type of tree. Only about 40 metres in we found many trees that had been freshly cut for timber and removed. I counted a total of about 39 new stumps (see picture).
This is me recording details of one of the cut trees.
Another of the cut trees we found - one of these trees would have taken probably 100 years to get to this size… and only 20 mins to cut down.
After we had finished the survey and after Albert had gone (with the camera), I was near the elephant fence on the edge of the forest and I saw a Green Mamba - a long, bright green, and deadly poisonous snake - which had recently swallowed a Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew. All I could see of the elephant-shrew was the tail sticking out of the snake’s mouth! Pole sana fugu! (”Very sorry, elephant-shrew!”)
I was really upset about the cut tree situation. When I returned to the Forest Station at Gede after my survey, I reported the cut trees to the Assistant Warden, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) for the forest. About three days later he sent me back to the site with Sergeant Musa to show him the cut trees. Apparently they had also just caught a tree poacher the day before in the forest.
We urgently need to do more patrolling in the forest and to support KWS and the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) in protecting it. Since that day I have found further cut trees but have not been able to take photos as Friends of ASF doesn’t have a digital camera for me to use - the pictures above were with a borrowed one. If anyone would like to contribute to purchasing a camera, it would make a huge difference as we need photographic evidence to support the reports we do.
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