PATROL OUT IN MONDIAL SECTOR
Category: Epulu, Ranger Patrols | Date: Nov 26 2007 | By: admin
As I expressed in my previous blog , intelligence remains a backbone for conservation in the World. My reason to insist for it is that once you are informed about an illegal activity in a protected area, you decide accordingly, and the result MUST BE positive.
The management was informed about an illegal reinstallation of some miners inside the Reserve , and deployed a section of 4 Rangers who spent 6 days walking and arrested 10 miners . They were conducted at headquarter for judgment.
Illegal exploitation of gold , diamond in the reserve is a threat for Managing, as the Reserve is an inhabitant,….
In this moment, the management decides to create some temporary base where rangers will be shifting, as you know we approch Christmas holliday,people must desturb nature in different forms.
we need your support for purchasing some field equipment for our dedicated rangers especially camping mastress which costs US $ 5 each.We have already 16, but we need 50 of them.
Rangers conduct miners at the Reserve headquarter
The arrested miners carrying their exploitation tools on hand
Okapi in Epulu zoo says ” your donation is warmly welcomed for the protection of my home” Thanks in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Somba
Technorati : congo, okapi. wildlifedirect, wildlifedirect
Your help needed
Category: Community Work, Epulu, Mbuti Pygmies | Date: Nov 13 2007 | By: admin
Makubasi and Issa who worked for us for over ten years collecting leaves for the Okapis are retired today and have a big dream. I would like to help them to make that come true. Issa who is widower and Makubasi divorced have no longer the much needed support which woman in Africa’s society provide to their spouses and society. Although they are still living with their clan the life condition is very sad. This is the reason why I will help them to get their own house and to make sure they will never get wet again. When raining the roof has to be of good material such as corrugated iron. To buy all the building material and hire some people for construction I would need US$ 500.- You can read more about them here.
This are the traditional Mbutie houses
Makubasi with his grand children
This is Issa with his grand children. The house in the background is what I have in my mind. The roof would be irrogated iron and not Mangungu leaves which have to be replaced every couple of month.
Difficult to believe but this is where they sleep today. The only luxury they have at night is the mattresses I gave them a while ago. The last years of their lifes should be more comfortable they deserve it.
Rosie
Preparing the diet for Okapis
Category: Epulu, Mbuti Pygmies, Okapi | Date: Nov 10 2007 | By: admin
Between 9.30 am to 10.00 am the leaves are dropped off at the hangar shown in the picture. The next stage is to prepare 1536 bundles of leaves for the afternoon and the following morning to feed the Okapis.
Electrical wire is used to wrap around every bundle which allows to hang up the leaves on a feeder in the Okapi pen.
Not every animal gets the same number of bundles of leaves.
The leaves will be loaded to wheelbarrow. Every animal has his keeper including myself we are 13 in total. I take care of Karu born in captivity in Epulu 2003
Collecting Okapi leaves
Category: Epulu, Mbuti Pygmies, Okapi | Date: Nov 08 2007 | By: admin
Early in the morning in Makubasi’s camp the day has just started but Baya ‘Makubasi’s son and Apomau ‘Isa’s son are already preparing their machetes before heading out to the forest. They will have to walk around 45 minutes in order to reach the place where they cut the leaves for the todays ration which will be fed in the afternoon to the Okapis.
Baya preparing his machete in the camp at 5.30 am
Baya and Apomau after cutting some ‘Ndulu’ a plant from the Marataceae family. They will later peel this stem and the string will be used to wrap the leaves to bundles
Apomau is very skilled to peel the stem
Baya has already enough strings to wrap the leaves he will cut later
Sometimes they need to climb trees for cutting the leaves
Once the quantity of leaves is cut they start to wrap the bundles
Apomau back from the forest heading to the station.
In less then 3 hours the leaves are collected
Baya is one of 48 Mbuties (Pygmies) who are employed to cut leaves every day for 14 Okapis. This is the place where the rations are prepared for the afternnon and the next morning feeding.
It is amazing how well this people know the forest and are able to find the amount of leaves every day which are needed to feed the Okapis. Seven days a week they are doing this job no matter if is rains or not.
Rosie
WELCOME TO EPULU STATION
Category: Epulu, General | Date: Nov 07 2007 | By: admin
WildlifeDirect, based in Mutsora station of North Virunga
National Park
started working with the Okapi Reserve some months ago on blogs. The aim of this partnership is to see how to promote conservation in the world by exchanging ideas through blogs with some friends of nature .
Samantha and Ephrem were pioneers reaching Epulu and installed Zoundry software in three computers, but today it is Virginia and Kizito for solving some technical problems.
Once arrived, Virginia and Kizito were welcomed by the Assistant warden of Okapi Wildlife Reserve (OWR) Mr. Somba.
from left to rigth: Mr. Kizito, Virginia and Somba
According to Virginia , she had a safe journey despite the impracticable road from Mangina to Mambasa. Both had ridden its motorbike. “We spent 10 hours from Mutsora to Mambasa (145km.),” said Virginia , and her first impression is to bewitched by the ecosystem of the reserve.
Virginia and Kizoto reaching Epulu Station.
So far, we still working with the Wildlife Direct members, and we trust to learn new skills from them, and improving our blogs.
Somba
Technorati : congo, okapi. wildlifedirect, wildlifedirect
ROAD PATROL
Category: Epulu, Ranger Patrols | Date: Nov 04 2007 | By: admin
The road number four is crossing the Reserve, and SINOHYDRO, the Chinese enterprise is fixing it. When Economists are happy for a quick communication from Bunia to
Kisangani
, conservationists are thinking for the future negative impact on the Reserve. Air pollution, poacher’s quick access in the reserve … Still a matter to keep in mind.
The management of the Reserve already set up a team of rangers who were trained on specific skills of a road patrol. Two motorbikes were purchased by UCOP which is in charge of Projects in DRCongo under the Plan Ministry.
Motorbikes allocated for road patrol purchused by UCOP
What the team does is patrolling on the road and organizes an observation point in strategic zones (i.e. village Bandisende, Mamopi Badengaido,) for detecting all suspects people and report to the headquarter.
So far, the result is positive since some elicits activities are apprehended, and last week the team caught a bush meat dealer in East sector of the Reserve.
47 pieces of distinguished antelopes bush meat seized by the team
Once conducted at Epulu (headquarter of the Reserve), the delinquent has passed under interrogation, and then the judge should appreciate the case for fining him? Or transfer him at Bunia.
BC Apamolo Mayi interrogates Mr. Pitchen
Mr. ITOKO Alias Pitchen : bush meat dealer
Far more than, we are only not arresting people, but also to educate them about the rules of the Reserve. As an autochthons of the region, some species as blue antelope ( cephalophus monticola, cercopithecus ascanius ) should be constituted a source of protein for community, but the recent case is a bush meat trade which is forbidden.
More over, we supposed to recruit intellectual rangers who can be able to teach or inform local community about nature and its rules. We also once a year retrain our rangers on some specifics matters (ethics, rules …) . Some budget is needed for yearly retraining of rangers.
Somba
Technorati : congo, epulu., okapi. wildlifedirect, wildlifedirect
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PATROL IN BASIRI SECTOR
Category: Ranger Patrols, Rangers | Date: Nov 01 2007 | By: admin
The Okapi Reserve overlaps in 3 Administrative Territories Mambasa, Watsa and Wamba. It has neighboring with Beni ( in South), Bafwasende ( South -West ) , Isiro ( North ), Komanda - Yedi ( East ).
Since some years, the Reserve is under pression of poaching from neighboring zones. The management organized a mixture operation with the Government military from Mambasa (Rangers and Soldiers). It is not easy to organize such operation, but fortunately the Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation (ICCN) signed a convention with the Military Region of Kisangani. Patrol ration, Medicare care, and bonus were allocated by the Reserve.
.
Rangers and soldiers ready for moving in the bush
After the operation, Captain Mayala praying in front of his team
Since some years, the Reserve is under pression of poaching from neighboring zones. The management organized a mixture operation with the Government military from Mambasa (Rangers and Soldiers). It is not easy to organize such operation, but fortunately the Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation (ICCN) signed a convention with the Military Region of Kisangani. Patrol ration, Medicare care, and bonus were allocated by the Reserve.
However, the South sector was swept and the pression from
Beni
tries minimizing, but we still noticing some incursion of poachers from West sector of the Reserve. Last week, a patrol conducted by Mr. Kembo was out, and succeeded to catch a professional poacher named LOYEMBE alias Zembra with an AK 47. He is under interrogation and we are quietly waiting for the last decision of the prosecutor.
Professional poacher Zembra under prosecution
It is a great effort done by the brave Patrol Post Commander Kembo Lualaba and his team. Any kind of your donation for the protection of this natural Reserve; the only home of the endemic specie okapi ( okapia Johnstoni) is warmly welcomed.
Somba
Technorati : congo, epulu., okapi. wildlifedirect
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