THE VIEWFINDERNEWSLETTER : ISSUE NO 27, JUNE 2002 [End of an Era] [Kitten Update] [Weather] [And the Lioness Did it Again]
We sadly have to report that one of the female caracals and the young serval have both been killed by a leopard at Borana Ranch. The remaining two caracals are catching small prey on their own now, although they are not yet fully mature. The rains this year have been extraordinary, mainly due to several cyclones off the coast of Madagascar. Rain started falling in March, earlier than usual, and then stopped. Towards the end of April it returned with a vengeance and very heavy downpours hammered the country for some weeks. Areas particularly affected were western Kenya including the Maasai Mara, and around Mt Kenya. Landslides on the eastern side of the mountain washed several villages away, resulting in something like 50 people being killed and many thousands left homeless. The densely populated low lying areas on the shores of Lake Victoria were badly hit, and the Tana River burst its banks and washed away roads in several places along the coast. We now expect grey, cold, overcast weather until early August.
Yes, she did. On 23rd May the Samburu lioness Kamunyak adopted a fourth oryx calf. This time it was a much bigger calf, and it found its way back to its parents unaided after only one day. Extraordinary. Experts agree that she should come into season quite soon and maybe then she will become pregnant and be able to devote her maternal instincts to youngsters of her own species. Whether she can do this successfully, as a lone lioness without the protection of a pride, remains to be seen.
Piers Warren's long awaited book is now out, and it was well worth the wait. For the first time there is a comprehensive guide to the business, with handy tips for those wanting to get 'in' as well as fascinating tales and advice from a varied assortment of those who are already 'in' - and still there. Piers has done a great job, covering every angle of wildlife film making, every job that may or may not be available, every major festival and relevant organisation and a lively discussion about the future of the industry. The book is available for UK£11.95 plus post and packing and can be ordered from its own website, www.wildllifefilmcareers.com. Although apparently written to the sound of very loud music, it should be compulsory for everyone in the business, and for all those on the fringes as well. There is absolutely no doubt that the business is changing, and will continue to change dramatically as technology races forward, so a book like this is an invaluable voice of reason to those newcomers and old timers alike who are totally bewildered by the situation in which we all find ourselves. A new project on cheetah conservation and human impact has been launched on Kenyan farmland in the Rift Valley. Most research on these endangered cats has been restricted to protected areas and game parks, but many farmers are interested in determining the status of cheetah in their areas. Concerns expressed by the Nakuru Wildlife Conservancy triggered interest from the Cheetah Conservation Fund, who have set up their new study base on Delamere Estates' Soysambu Farm near Lake Nakuru National Park. The 350,000 acre study area also includes the Mt Longonot and Hell's Gate National Parks. Mary Wykstra heads the project, and can be contacted on cheetah@africaonline.co.ke. After some really quiet months, film crews seem to be starting to trickle into East Africa again. For a while, we had just one client here, who spent three months filming a decomposing zebra in time lapse. We are about to embark on a blockbuster about measles, and after that some more traditional wildlife subjects may just restore our sanity. August sees the BBC Big Cat Diary team back in the Maasai Mara for ten weeks, so we hope that the migration will actually come to Kenya this year - last year it was somewhat of a non-event. |
|
© Copyright View Finders Limited. All rights reserved |
|
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Hugo van Lawick on Sunday morning 2nd June 2002. He had been suffering from emphysema for many years, and was hospitalised in the ICU in Dar es Salaam in early May. He then contracted a further chest infection with added complications. Hugo spent over quarter of a century filming in the Serengeti, during which time he acted as mentor to many young people trying to get into the business, for instance Patrick and Karni Morris (Hugo introduced them to each other), Linda Bell, Marguerite Smits von Oyen, Sophie Buck, Oswin Nungu and Matt Aeberhard, to name but a few. He received the Wildscreen special award for a lifetime's achievement in film in 2000. We send our sympathies to Grub, Maria and the children at this sad time. This photograph of Hugo was taken at a premiere of "The Leopard Son".