Chipembele trust
May 29, 2008
I spent a wonderful morning yesterday visiting the Chipembele wildlife education trust in Mfuwe. The centre was established by Steve and Anna Tolan ten years ago and is still run by them. Although it is primarily an education centre for teaching local children about wildlife and conservation they are also involved in a number of other projects. These include anti-poaching operations, forestry protection and archaeological excavations.
It is such an inspiring place to visit as everything has been planned and carried out with such obvious passion and commitment. This is one of the classrooms which holds a vast amount of learning material all set out with meticulous attention to detail.
Chipembele also serves as an orphanage for animals. They do not raise them to keep as pets but try to rehabilitate them back into the wild. They have been very successful with a wide variety of species from warthogs to monkeys. This is Steve sitting on the front step of the centre with their latest addition - a buffalo calf called Elton.
The other orphan currently in residence is this gorgeous (but quite vicious) young serval called Chiko. We don’t often see serval in this area so it was wonderful to see one so close up.
If you are in the Valley and have a chance to visit Chipembele then I highly recommend that you do. You can also check out their website at www.chipembele.org
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Conservation page added
April 3, 2008
A few weeks ago, on a trip down the river to Mfuwe, we came across an elephant stuck up against a tree in the middle of the river. She was already dead and her skin was peeling in great strips from her head and back. The river is very low at the moment and as elephants are good swimmers it is unlikely that she simply drowned. It is more likely that she was shot by poachers and was trying to escape but was too weak to make it across the river.
Living in this remote part of the valley during the rains has made me much more aware of the problem of poaching here. The Park is extremely difficult to patrol at this time of year and poaching increases dramatically. It is not uncommon to hear reports of gunshots on the radio or of drying racks (for meat) discovered. Snaring in the Park and surrounding areas is also common. The little chap in the photo above has lost a large portion of his trunk, probably to a poachers snare. It is a serious problem and one that organisations such as the South Luangwa Conservation Society (SLCS) are striving to control.
I have now added a page to my website through which I hope to raise awareness as well as funds for conservation in the area. You can check it out here. I intend to update this page on a regular basis with a variety of conservation issues so be sure to check back every now and then.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
