THE VIEWFINDERNEWSLETTER: ISSUE No 44, JUNE 2006 [Moving On] [Tanzania's New Primate] [Kenya Wildlife Servicel ] [ Weather] [More Surprises From Sid] After some months of searching for the perfect person, we are happy to tell you that Abbie Sharp joined us in April. Rowena Buxton, who gallantly bridged the gap until we found Abbie, has now returned to her full and busy life, and will never know how much she was appreciated. Abbie was brought up in Kenya, she attended University in Bristol and then studied at the New York Film Academy in Italy. She holds the Bronze medal from the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association, and knows the country and its wildlife well. She has the necessary tenacity and sense of humour to handle the bizarre challenges that are frequently thrown at us, and she looks forward to meeting everyone.
The new species of 'highland mangabey' discovered in Tanzania last year has been named Rungwecebus kipunji, and it is now said to be the first new genus of a living African primate to be identified in 83 years. It seems now to be more closely related to baboons than to mangabeys, and has only been found in two remote areas of Tanzania. Its status is classified as 'endangered', and the entire population is estimated as less than 1,000. As expected, KWS have increased daily entry fees into many National Parks in Kenya. The major parks (Category A: Aberdares, Amboseli, Nakuru, Tsavo East and West, Meru and Nairobi) will charge US$40 pp for non-residents/non-citizens with effect from 1st July 2006. The lesser parks and Mt Kenya will charge US$20 pp. The charge for residents has doubled to KSh 1,000 per day. Filming fees so far have not been changed, but discussions are going on and they are likely to increase before the end of the year The translocation of 400 elephants from Shimba Hills to Tsavo, which was interrupted by weather last year, is set to resume. So far, 150 animals are already in Tsavo, and the remaining 250 will be moved, starting in July this year. Despite the weatherman's forecast of "inadequate" rains, Kenya recorded the wettest March in five years, and the wettest April in nine years. Heavy rain pounded most areas of the country, including the north/north eastern areas that had been so badly hit by the drought. As a result, rivers burst their banks, bridges and roads were washed away, and aid workers are having a hard time getting through with relief supplies. Flooding at the coast continued throughout May, with thousands of people made homeless and several washed away and drowned. There was even a photo in the newspaper of people wading ankle-deep in water in Lamu town, with the caption "heavy rains cause the ocean to overflow" ….. What next? We can't get out of the habit of calling her Sid, but she's certainly out to prove her femininity: 16 eggs on 12 February, 16 eggs on 17 March, another 16 on 19 April and yet another 13 on 20 May. There may yet be more to come, as the male is showing no interest in her at all. Mature leopard tortoises have been known to lay up to six clutches of eggs at approximately monthly intervals, so it could be that the world population is set for quite a dramatic increase in 2007. We have filmed each laying event, and have visions of entering a finished film in various festivals next year. The March of the Tortoises is 'in prep'. We would be interested to know if anyone else has ever filmed this? Survival old-timers Des Bartlett, Alan Root, Bob Campbell and Simon Trevor, who together have been filming in Africa for over 200 years, have never even seen a tortoise laying. It may not be the fastest moving footage, but we think it is unique.
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