The Okapi Reserve

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