The ViewFinder
NEWSLETTER : ISSUE NO 57, SEPTEMBER 2009
[ANOTHER YEAR GONE][CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES RETURNS ][THE MAU FOREST][A MILESTONE COMING UP ….]
ANOTHER YEAR GONE
Once again we wonder where the last year went to. We seem to have been consistently busy throughout the year, with no pause for breath. Normally we expect a slight lull during the rainy seasons in April/May and October/November. This has not happened this year, maybe because the rains have been very disappointing. Half way through December, we are still waiting for proper rain, having been warned that El Nino was coming and we should prepare for disastrous floods. So far in this ‘wet’ season the most we have measured is 30mm in one night, and that is the highest for more than a year. The dams are still empty, famine has got worse and more than 5 million people are receiving food aid. Boreholes continue to be drilled despite the fact that the water table is at an all time low.
It’s been a varied year, our projects covering migrations, travel, darkness, art, street kids, leopards, malaria, drought, flamingoes, camels, reality, honeyguides, primates, lions, cheetahs, elephants, baboons, several charities, diabetes, football, geology, climate change, missionaries, Maasai, and endangered rhinos. We’ve had more than 70 film crews this year, bringing just about as much variety as anyone could wish for.
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Our photo this month is by Munir Virani, of the Peregrine Fund.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES RETURNS
When Mark Cawardine and Stephen Fry came last year to film an episode on Northern White Rhinos for the series “Last Chance to See”, there were none left to film. The four that were thought to remain in Garamba (Congo) had not been seen for a very long time, so the BBC had to content themselves with some Southern White Rhinos in northern Kenya. However several organisations, notably “Back to Africa”, the Prague Zoo, the African Rhino Specialist Group, Ol Pejeta Conservancy and Lewa Wildlife Conservancy have joined forces to try and save the species. Only eight of these animals remain in the world, and all of these are in captivity – 2 in San Diego and 6 in the Prague zoo. Later this month, four animals from the Czech Republic are going to be returned to Kenya. They have not bred in captivity, so it is hoped that releasing them into a safe, wild, area will make them realize that they are rhinos after all.
THE MAU FOREST
Things are happening, at last, to save the Mau which is one of Kenya’s main water towers, providing water for the Mara River, Lake Victoria, and many other rivers. The forest has been badly depleted by illegal logging, illegal settlement, and an illegal tea plantation and factory. As a result, the Mara river, many other rivers and also Lake Nakuru have been reduced to a trickle and there are very real fears that the Maasai Mara’s value as one of the greatest wildlife areas in the world will dwindle as desertification and drought set in. This is not only an environmental nightmare, it is also a very hot political issue, as many politicians both past and present have been found to “own” land in a national forest. Over recent weeks, people have been moved out of the forest, so we again have large numbers of ‘displaced’ people. Efforts are being made to replant the forest, but it is thought that recovery could take 30 years.
A MILESTONE COMING UP ….
As we come to the end of 2009, we are fast approaching our 1000th film – only 12 to go. Everyone is saying “when is the party?” We are not quite sure when it will be but we will certainly celebrate when the time comes. It is exactly 23 years since Jean’s first film (November/December 1986). When Viewfinders was formally started in August 1988, Adrian Warren, the director of that very first film said “I’m worried that you won’t get enough work”. How could he have known how wrong he was!
We would like to thank all our film making friends and clients for backing us this far. With only one or two exceptions, we have enjoyed it all and are for the most part very proud to have worked with the many and varied crews that have filmed here over the years. Thankyou ALL for your support.
We take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Festive Season. We are aiming to close the office and take the land lines off the hook on the 23 December, but will be back and raring to go again on 4 January. During this time, Jean also hopes to finish her book.
HAPPY SILLY SEASON & ALL THE BEST FOR 2010