THE VIEWFINDERNEWSLETTER: ISSUE NO 35, MARCH 2004 [Nairobi National Park] [Vultures] [Leopards in Zanzibar] [A Noxious Weed] [State of Affairs] The senior warden of Nairobi National Park reports that the park is in good shape at the moment, and has at last recovered from the drought of 2000. The 500 hectares that were burned in October have recovered well due to unexpected rains in January/February, and there are large numbers of zebra with young enjoying the new grass. The lions are doing well (there are sixteen in the park now) and they are moving in and out of the park on the southern side safely since the conflict with the local Maasai has been resolved. Wildebeest numbers are also high at the moment, with most of the animals on the southern edge of the park. Many people have voiced concern about the alignment of the new southern Nairobi bypass road. This will be constructed from a point on the main airport road between St James' Hospital and the former American Embassy, and along the fence bordering Wilson airport. It will be very close to the fence, so that very little of the Park will be affected. According to Munir Virani, one of Kenya's raptor specialists, the decline of India's vultures is no longer thought to have a natural cause, but is due to extensive use of a pain killer/anti-inflammatory drug administered to cattle. Vultures eating cattle carcasses have built up dangerous amounts of the drug. Now that the problem has been identified, efforts are being made to stop the use of this particular medication.
This photo of a healthy, Kenyan vulture, was taken by Sean Hartley at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
The Zanzibar leopard, Panthera pardus adersi, is a possibly extinct subspecies endemic to Unguja (Zanzibar) Island. It has apparently been evolving in isolation from other leopards since Unguja was separated from mainland Africa at the end of the last Ice Age. It is said to be smaller than its mainland relatives and the spots are not arranged in clear rosette patterns. There is a rather faded specimen in the Zanzibar museum, three skins in the Natural History Museum in London, and two more in the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. The animal has never been studied in the wild, and the last one seen by a researcher was in the early 1980s. There is evidence that a few animals were still extant in the mid 1990s but claims of recent sightings have not been substantiated. Two scientists, Martin T Walsh and Helle V Goldman are appealing for any information about the island leopard and/or its products. They are interested in historical records from different periods, both before and after the Zanzibar revolution, including recollections of hunting on Unguja Island. Email: kisutu@btinternet.com or goldman@npolar.no A NOXIOUS WEED OR THE ANSWER TO DESERTIFICATION? As long ago as 6500 BC in Mexico and 2500 BC in Peru, a perennial deciduous thorny shrub or small tree was commonly found in arid areas. It was used for food, fuel and construction materials, and the pods provided food. The plant is called Prosopsis juliflora, and was introduced to Africa in the nineteenth century. It is now widespread in Kenya, having been brought in to control soil erosion and provide a source of wood fuel. The tree is also useful for wood carving, medicine and dyes. It flowers throughout the year, thus providing a constant supply of pollen, which enables the production of honey. It thrives in areas of low rainfall, and has a tap root system that extends 30 metres or more from the stem, therefore absorbing much of the soil's moisture, and choking other plants including the ubiquitous acacia. Now people in Turkana, Garissa, Tana and Baringo districts are asking the government to eradicate this plant. They say that it has completely taken over all other plants and that, over time, it is poisonous to cattle and goats. Other countries have had the same experience, and eradication programmes have been implemented in the USA, Australia, South America, South Africa, Sudan and Pakistan. However these have not been successful due to the fact that the plant has the capacity to 're-invade'. The Ministry for Environment, FAO, Forestry Department, KEFRI, and other organizations are now faced with a huge dilemma, and are looking for 18 million shillings to solve the problem. The year 2004 started off slowly, with a few small crews working on AIDS and malaria. In Olympic years, we usually expect some films about athletes, and so far we have had two. We normally expect people to stay away during the long rains in March/April; this year we have some intrepid film makers who will undoubtedly encounter some very wet weather, as serious floods and landslides have been predicted by the Meteorological Department. Unexpected rains in January and again in early March were caused by cyclones over Madagascar. The American government's travel advisory for Kenya has still not been lifted, 911 days after 9/11, despite strenuous efforts by both Government and the private sector. This situation continues to be very bad news for both the tourist industry and the film industry, as insurance companies will not give cover to people travelling to Kenya. |
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