fbpx

Trunk call: Jim Nyamu walks across East Africa to protect elephants

Have you heard about Jim Justus Nyamu’s cross-continental walks? Read about Ivory Belongs to Elephants’ East-Central Africa campaign walk

An amazing feat! 🐘 (Or should I say feet?) 👣

Jim campaigns tirelessly to protect elephants. He’s walked 1000s of miles / km and this is his 16th Campaign Walk for Elephants. His aim: to encourage African nations to work closely to protect this species that knows no borders. 

Jim Justus Nyamu, *OGW, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Elephant Neighbors Center, a non-profit whose mission is “to protect the African Elephant and secure landscapes for elephants outside protected areas.” The brand Ivory Belongs to Elephants™ focuses on raising awareness locally, nationally, and internationally of the plight of African Elephants, primarily through their advocacy walks.

Giraffe Centre, Nairobi. Jim Nyamu pictured with Charlotte Diary of a Muzungu
Jim Nyamu is one of my conservation heroes! We last met at the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, where he’s one of the directors

The East-Central Africa walk started in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 29th and passed through Nakuru, Mau Forest, Tinderet, Kakamega and Malaba (Mount Elgon). In Uganda, Jim walked through Mabira Forest, Kampala, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mbarara, Lake Mburo and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest; now in Rwanda, Jim will visit Kigali, and Akagera National Park; and onto Goma, Virunga National Park, Okapi Wildlife Reserve, and Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This four-month walk will cover approximately 3,200 km. The walks offer solutions to mitigating human-wildlife conflict and highlight the direct importance of wildlife to affected communities.

Jim Nyamu Ivory belongs to elephants campaign
Jim Nyamu is joined by supporters from Kenya and the East African Community on one of his many Ivory belongs to elephants campaigns
Uganda – and Kenyans living in Uganda – were honoured to meet Jim Nyamu in Kampala and accompany him for a few km walk through the city

This most iconic of African species is being pushed towards extinction – slaughtered by poachers to supply a worldwide ivory trade worth up to US$20 billion a year. Despite a ban in many countries, the killing is only getting worse. There are now estimated to be only 350,000 elephants left in Africa, with approximately 20,000 being killed every year. African elephants will be extinct in our lifetime if this rate of loss continues.

Ivory belongs to elephants press release

Elephants are crucial in:

  • dispersing seeds +
  • keeping the habitat open for grazing animals +
  • fighting climate change by contributing to natural carbon capture +
  • attracting millions of tourists who make substantial contributions to sub-Saharan Africa’s economies +
  • so much more!
ivory belongs to elephants. Jim Nyamu Ugandan school tree planting 2023
Tree-planting at a school in Uganda, September 2023. Jim Nyamu and the ivory belongs to elephants campaign have engaged with 16,000 schools over the last decade

Jim and his team have been walking to raise awareness since 2013. By the end of the current campaign, they will have walked almost 20,000 km across Africa, the United States, and the UK, connecting with over 16,000 schools, and holding over 900 community meetings along the the campaign walks.

Jim also walks in the US and Europe to raise awareness in international communities that are still trading in ivory. For example, despite the 2018 announcement of the UK government’s plans to ban sale and export of most ivory items, the trade in ivory and live elephants is still legal in several countries.

Jim Nyamu with elephant
Jim Justus Nyamu

If you see Jim, why not join the walk for an hour or even a day? 👣

Better still, you can support the team on the ground by making a donation. (I know how grim it is to try and sleep in a soggy tent!)

You can send directly to Jim Justus Nyamu via Momo +256 784755115 or Mpesa +254 713353060 or donate on the Ivory belongs to elephants gofundme page. Find out more on the Ivory belongs to elephants on Facebook.

(*OGW is the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya is an award presented to individuals in recognition of an outstanding service rendered to the country).

Where to travel in Uganda & East Africa in 2016 – the Muzungu’s plans

Where to travel in Uganda & East Africa in 2016

Happy New Year, dear Diary reader!

As we wave goodbye to 2015, I’d like to say a big THANK YOU / WEBALE / ASANTE SANA to everyone who’s read, talked about or voted Diary of a Muzungu ‘Best Tourism Digital Media’ 2015 in Uganda’s inaugural Tourism Excellence Awards.

Diary of a Muzungu ‘Best Tourism Digital Tourism’ in Uganda’s inaugural Tourism Excellence Awards

‘Best Tourism Digital Media’ in Uganda’s inaugural Tourism Excellence Awards.

Here are a few popular stories of 2015, in case you missed them:

On the right track: the Muzungu’s first Ugandan train ride – Rift Valley Railways relaunches Kampala passenger train service after 20 year break. People loved this story.

The drama of dating in Uganda | Expat section of the Daily Telegraph – this one went viral…YIKES!

Karibu! – welcome to East Africa Pope Francis! I’m a bit loved-up if I’m honest! 😉

Karibu! – and welcome to East Africa! – Pope Francis

Karibu! – and welcome to East Africa! – Pope Francis

Do stick around Dear Reader, here’s what’s planned for 2016:

More adventures…

More fun days out…

More culture and conservation experiences from across Uganda and East Africa.

Is there anything cuter than a baby elephant?

In Nairobi, I’ll tell you the story of the adorable baby elephants at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I left streaked in mud, as one nuzzled upto me and flapped his big elephant ear against my arm…

Elephant orphan at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi

Elephant orphan at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi

Aren’t chimps amazing?

I’m very excited at my upcoming return to Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary on Lake Victoria. PANT HOOTS!

Feeding time at Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary

PANT HOOTS! Say the chimps at feeding time, Ngamba Island Chimp Sanctuary

Have you heard of the Marine Big Five? What are they? And where can you see them?

Come dolphin watching and snorkelling with the Muzungu in Watamu on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast. Incredible!

dolphin watching with the Watamu Marine Asociation Kenya

Dolphin watching and snorkelling in the Coral Gardens in Watamu on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast with the Watamu Marine Asociation

What colour is a giraffe’s tongue?

Rothschild's Giraffe Center Nairobi

Feeding a Rothschild’s Giraffe at the Giraffe Center Nairobi

You may be surprised! In 2016, I’ll be telling you how we fed the Rothschild’s giraffes at Nairobi’s Giraffe Center.

 

These are just a few of the places we’ll be discovering together in 2016…

DID YOU KNOW…? Daily updates, Uganda travel advice and random funky photos come thick and fast on my Diary of a Muzungu Facebook page or follow me @CharlieBeau on Twitter.

2016’s going to be a busy year for Diary of a Muzungu – do come along for the ride!

How to feed a baby elephant

Last week I told you the tragic story about the increase in elephant poaching and how Baby Charles came to UWEC. But despite his sad start in life, he’s a very happy little elephant, bringing heaps of fun to anyone who gets a chance to see him – as we did on our elephant encounter.

As you can imagine, feeding baby elephant Charlie is not cheap. He drinks his way through 15 litres of milk a day, a mixture of human baby formula milk (SMA) and fresh diary UHT milk (less the cream), a diet he will have for the next two years.

Just saying hello!

Just saying hello! Like any baby, he wants to experience the new world open-mouthed!

A few fun facts about Charles:

• He loves bathing! Every day!

• He loves drinking water: he can drink up to 10 litres when thirsty! A fully grown elephant can drink a staggering 225 litres in one day.

• He likes running around and playing with his keeper Bruce, between feeds and naps

• He sleeps in a house – just like you and me!

Charles is unlikely to live back in the wild now, although relocation to a protected reserve is possible. He’s happy with his human companions and carers and loves running around and playing (he cries loudly if he is left on his own!) He has become ‘habituated’ (used) to human contact which, back in the park, could make him an easy target for poachers. Last year Mweya’s famous elephant Maria was poisoned, showing that animosity towards elephants is commonplace. Maria was a habituated elephant too, see R.I.P. Mary – elephant entertainer extraordinaire

Would you like to meet baby Charles?

 

You don't have to be a kid to enjoy meeting Charlie the baby elephant!

You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy meeting Charlie the baby elephant! Photo taken a few months ago.

Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (formerly known as Entebbe Zoo) look set to turn tragedy to success, for this little elephant Charlie is sure to become a great ambassador for his species. Hundreds of primary school children visit UWEC every day. They now have the chance to see an elephant, the closest most Ugandans will ever get to see this magnificent animal.

A personal meeting with Charles is the latest addition to the brilliant ‘Behind the scenes’ tour at UWEC. For $50 per person you will be taken around the whole zoo, accompanied by a very knowledgeable guide, for approximately 2 – 3 hours. Morning visitors have a chance to actually feed the hoofed animals such as giraffe, rhino and waterbuck. Afternoon visitors may see and participate in feeding the Big Cats: Lion, Leopard and Serval cat – up close. If there are specific feedings you wish to see, please check timings when you book.

All it took was a phone call the day before we wanted to visit to see the zoo’s latest – and most famous – resident, Hamukungu Charles. It’s the chance of a lifetime, to come up close and actually touch this magnificent animal. Even in miniature, there’s something very special about elephants. Charles loves company will be very excited to meet you!

Tours are available 7 days a week and there is a 10% discount for group bookings. To visit Charles or donate milk to feed him, contact UWEC on 0414 320 520 or 0414 320 169. UWEC is open every day from 8 am till 6 pm.

Imagine: elephants swimming to an island!

Last week I had an elephant encounter  at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe.

Baby elephant Charles at five months old

Baby elephant Charles loves to play football! Here he is at five months old

When you first encounter this baby elephant Charlie, thoughts of murder are far from your mind.

Originally from Queen Elizabeth National Park, Charles was brought to UWEC (a.k.a. the zoo) at the tender age of three weeks old, a victim of poachers that tragically saw him orphaned and then abandoned.

Fishermen of Hamukungu fishing village found baby Charles  abandoned on the shores of an island on Lake George, trying to swim. Since there were no other elephants nearby, and the baby was about to drown, the rescuers loaded Charles into their wooden dugout canoe and paddled him back to Hamukungu.

Can you imagine – seeing a baby elephant being paddled across the lake!

The fishermen were compensated for their quick-thinking by the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and fisherman Charles was delighted for the elephant to be named after him!

Two days after the dramatic marine rescue, the carcass of an adult male elephant with six bullet wounds to the head and thoracic regions (indicative of poachers) was found submerged, next to the same island. It’s suspected that ivory poachers may have scared the elephant family away, leaving behind the newborn baby.

On arrival at UWEC a week later, baby Charles was weak, exhausted, and extremely thirsty. He was believed to be about a week old, as the umbilical cord was still attached. He did not know how to suckle; neither did he know the taste of milk.

Bull elephant along the Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Bull elephant feeding along the Kazinga Channel. Can you spot the hippo?

Organisations like the Uganda Conservation Foundation are working hard with UWA to stop poaching, remind local people of  the penalties for poaching and the benefits of community conservation. UCF is building the capacity of UWA to work on the waterways of Queen Elizabeth by providing boats, professional marine ranger training and ranger accommodation posts. Uganda’s National Parks were once teeming with wildlife but the politically unstable years of the 1970s and 80s killed off all the rhino and Queen Elizabeth’s elephant population dropped by approximately 80%. The population has been slowly recovering but tragically, the international trade in ivory is undergoing an unprecedented increase. At least 13 Ugandan elephants were killed for ivory in 2011 and they desperately need more protection.

To visit Charles or donate milk to feed him, contact UWEC on 0414 320 520 or 0414 320 169. UWEC is open every day from 8 am till 6 pm. You can also find UWEC on Facebook.

So how do you feed a baby elephant? 

An elephant encounter!

We were all excited at the thought of seeing – and touching – a baby elephant. As we arrived, this jolly little creature, with his long, thick eyelashes came trotting along behind his keeper and soul mate Bruce, his carer at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe.

Charlie the elephant and Bruce his keeper

These two are inseparable! Charlie the elephant and Bruce his keeper

These two have become inseparable. They even sleep together (in a house of course!)

I’d made the mistake of wearing open toed sandals for the day, so I was a bit wary of getting too close to him. In his enthusiasm to sniff everyone with his curly trunk, he trod on the toes of one of the teenage girls in our group – luckily she had trainers on. He may be a baby but he already weighs 153kg!

The Muzungu meets the elephant

A right couple of Charlies - Charlie the Muzungu meets Charlie the elephant

You can almost cuddle Charles, he’s so small. He’s a cute little thing – for now! A mere 100 to 120 kg when born, an elephant will weigh an incredible 2,000 to 3,000 kg when fully grown.

I worked in conservation in Uganda for 2 ½ years, written elephant reports, elephant stories and an elephant obituary but this was my first time to come up close with the famous Loxodonta Africana.

To visit Charles or donate milk to feed him, contact UWEC on 0414 320 520 or 0414 320 169. UWEC is open every day from 8 am till 6 pm.

Charles was not born in captivity. Next, read the tragic story behind this elephant-sized bundle of fun… Imagine: elephants swimming to an island!

A ticking off – ringing birds in Kibale Forest

According to Roussouw, Kibale Forest harbours the greatest variety and concentration of primates found anywhere in East Africa.”

Well, thumbs up to that. Kibale is where the muzungu saw her first wild Chimpanzee, and the apparently ‘elusive’ Red Colobus monkey (although I’m not sure whether the staff at Kibale Forest Camp would agree, hearing them crash through the forest while they’re serving the guests sundowners).

Incredibly rich in animal life, Kibale is a place of many firsts for me. Even after three years in Uganda working in conservation, Mother Nature’s still been holding back on me: my first wild chimp, my first Red Colobus Monkey, my first Green Mamba! But these were all unexpected bonuses – we’d actually travelled to Kibale to ring birds.

Malcolm Wilson setting up the mist nets at the edge of Kibale Forest
Malcolm Wilson sets up the mist nets at the edge of Kibale Forest

The previous day Julia had instructed the boys to hack a pathway through the high grass at the edge of the forest. Four-metre high bamboo poles were hung with a fine nylon ‘mist net’ barely visible at dusk or dawn, gently ensnaring unsuspecting birds. Off with the anoraks and on with the Ipod – there’s as much technology in 21st-century birding as in any walk of life . (Bird calls are stored on the iPod, which is hung strategically close to the forest to attract the birds). Every few minutes, one of the team would disappear into the Bush to check the net, returning excitedly a few minutes later with their feathered booty in a little cloth bag.

bird ringing Malcolm Wilson Kibale
Bird ringing is an exact science! Monitoring the bird population of Kibale Forest edge

On our feet since dawn, ringing birds is harder than it looks: concentrating on the welfare of the birds, not leaving them in the net for more than 20 minutes, keeping them cool.

No-one had slept much the night before. We’d been woken at two in the morning by a gargantuan face-off between the chimps in the forest and three dogs tearing around the compound – all set off by a hungry elephant! It was the chimps that had woken Mandela. He’d then quickly woken Bahati and off they ran to chase the elephants away from the precious pineapple field.

That morning, expert birder and tour guide Malcolm was very excited at rumours of a White Collared Oliveback – “Ooooh, put it back in the bag,” he said, savouring the moment.

Dawn looked nervous when advised she was about to pull ‘a new bird’ out of the bag. It’s a bit like lucky dip really! Or not so lucky in Dawn’s case: she dipped her hand in – and winced in agony as an enormous beak bit her hand! The Blue Breasted Kingfisher was one of the weekend’s top finds, with the most experienced ringer ‘getting the tick first.’ If there was envy, no-one let on!

Blue Breasted Kingfisher Sunbird Hill Kibale
Malcolm displays the Blue Breasted Kingfisher – one of the weekend’s top catches – before letting it fly back into the forest

Malcolm gave Dawn more warning about the Grosbeak (Thickbilled) Weaver: “Beware Dawn, this one has an 80 pound per square inch peck!” i.e. don’t be fooled by the small beak, it can exert a painfully powerful peck!

Bird guide Nathan weighs bird
A young helper watches Nathan record the bird’s biodata at Sunbird Hill

“The secret is to get the kids involved” said Richard, encouraging Hope and Amos to hold the birds and help identify them. He was less positive about the Marsh Tchagra: “they bite a lot, like all Shrikes – nasty birds.”

Klaas' Cuckoo Kibale Forest edge Sunbird Hill
Dillon eyes up a spectacular Diederick’s’ Cuckoo

Eager to see the birds in the nets (before anyone else!) – I got lost – twice!

Malcolm waved his finger at me sternly as Nathan and I rejoined the group back in the shade by the house.

“Don’t spend so much time by the nets,” he said. I felt embarrassed. (I didn’t mean to get lost!)

Highlights of the two days’ ringing included a pair of exquisite Grey-headed Negrofinches (now known as Negritas), Green-backed Twinspots, a Little Greenbul (I was relieved to hear the experts struggle to identify birds too!) and a Brown-chested Alethe (a species of forest thrush that can only be caught with an iPod and a mist net); a Green Hylia (a type of warbler), an Olive-bellied Sunbird and a tiny White-ringed Prinia.

You can read a full trip report from the visiting birders on the Teifi Ringing Group’s blog.

Identifying Sunbird Kibale Forest edge
Identifying a Sunbird – not always easy, even with the bird guide!

It was a real treat for an amateur birder like me to see such wonderful birdlife come out of the forest. Everyone pointed out birds flying overhead and in trees around us: an emerald green Diederick’s Cuckoo, Lesser Striped Swallows, African Grey parrots, a Superb Sunbird; a Black Crowned Tchagra (a shrike) in the long grass.

The Roussouw guide says “watch for flocks of rare and localised White Naped Pigeons in-flight overhead or sunning themselves in treetops in the early morning” and lo and behold, the White Naped Pigeons were in front of us.

Fascinating and fun too, the two days’ information collected is baseline data for a study of the biodiversity of the forest edge. The data’s being shared with NatureUganda, one of the partners in a new East African bird ringing scheme.

TICK! bird list Kibale Forest
TICK! Here’s the full list of the birds I saw on the edge of Kibale Forest (R = ringed)
  • African Blue Flycatcher
  • African Grey Parrots
  • African Yellow Whiteye (R)
  • Black Crowned Tchagra
  • Blue Breasted Kingfisher (R)
  • Bronze Mannikin
  • Bronze Sunbird
  • Brown-chested Alethe (R)
  • Brown-throated Wattle-eye
  • Diederick’s Cuckoo
  • Dusky Blue Flycatcher
  • Green Crombec (R)
  • Green Hylia (R)
  • Green Twinspot (R)
  • Green-backed Twinspots (R)
  • Grey-backed Camaroptera (R)
  • Grey-headed Negrofinch (R)
  • Grosbeak (Thick-billed) Weaver (R)
  • Klaas’s Cuckoo (R)
  • Lesser Striped Swallow
  • Little Greenbul (R)
  • Marsh Tchagra (R)
  • Northern Double-collared Sunbird
  • Olive-bellied Sunbird (R)
  • Pygmy Kingfisher (R)
  • Ross’s Turaco
  • Slender-billed Weaver (R)
  • Snowy-headed Robinchat (R)
  • Superb Sunbird
  • Vieillot’s Black Weaver
  • White-naped Pigeon
  • White-collared Oliveback (R)
  • White Chinned Prinia (R)
  • White-headed Sawwing
  • Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird (R)
  • Yellow-whiskered Greenbul (R)

NOTE 2021: Since writing this blog, the 40 acres of regenerating farmland have developed into Sunbird Hill, a site for birders, ornithologists, lepidopterists, entomologists, primatologists and tourists who want to be immersed in nature. Sunbird Hill supports the work of In the Shadow of Chimpanzees, a small NGO that is training young people in conservation and developing village tourism along the edge of the National Park.

How do you deal with an elephant in your garden?

Human wildlife conflict – the reality of living with wild animals

A herd of elephants, slowly ambling along, is the ideal way to admire elephants. This photo was taken at sunset on safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. But when elephants invade your crops, the picture isn’t so pretty: if you’re a subsistence farmer, it can be an issue of life or death.

A big part of Uganda Conservation Foundation’s work focuses on “mitigating Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC),” that is stopping humans and elephants from killing each other. Simply put, if we can protect the humans, we can protect the wildlife.

It’s a big problem – you try dealing with an elephant in your garden! – and it’s going to get worse.

The fact is, in most cases, humans are encroaching on wildlife territory. As you cut back the forest for firewood or clear bush to grow more crops for your expanding family, you enter the habitat of the baboons.

man shooting at elephants. PHOTO Edgar Kaeslin
Man shooting at elephants. PHOTO FAO / Edgar Kaeslin

This situation is made worse in areas of northern Uganda where, after the war, people have been returning to their homes after 20 years living in IDP camps (temporary camps for Internally Displaced people). Elephants have become used to wandering unhindered and eating the fruits from the trees planted by the farmers 20+ years ago. Based on UCF’s success in Queen Elizabeth Protected Area (trying to manage elephants and buffalo) and in Budongo Forest (baboons and wild pigs), we’re now doing a Feasibility Study on mitigation projects in northern Uganda, specifically in the Murchison Falls region, an area of over 4,000 square kilometres.

A toolkit produced by the Food and Agriculture unit of the UN is designed to help resolve, prevent and mitigate the growing problem of conflict between humans and wild animals.

According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture unit of the UN) “With the world’s population growing at some 75 million a year, humans and wildlife are having to squeeze ever more tightly together, thereby increasing the risk of conflict between them.”

Uganda Conservation Foundation (the organisation I work for) continues to trial different solutions to mitigate Human Wildlife Conflict. Conflict can be either direct (e.g. attacks on humans or livestock by predators) or indirect (crop raiding); its effects overt (e.g. financial, starvation) or hidden (children missing out on education to guard crops or family members being sick). [Source – Thirgood].

The people most likely to be affected are those least able to cope, either physically or financially and those who usually benefit least financially from the presence of wildlife. It’s for this reason that UCF, in partnership with the Uganda Wildlife Authority, invests in a programme of sensitisation to the potential benefits of conservation-based tourism.

elephant trench Ishasha Queen Elizabeth National Park
My first visit to the elephant trench in Kikarara, Ishasha Queen Elizabeth National Park

UCF’s experience in Ishasha in southern Queen Elizabeth Protected Area, tells us that there is no single solution to mitigating Human Wildlife Conflict: a number of complementary measures are needed. For example, the excavation of 20 km elephant trenches and erection of fencing create a physical barrier which makes all the difference to the survival of both the human and elephant populations. In valley areas, in the nearby Kikarara Parish, UCF is using bee-keeping as a deterrent to help prevent elephants crop raiding. (Elephants will generally avoid angry bees).

As the human population increases – Uganda has the third highest birth rate in the world – and the elephant population does the same – thanks in part to our anti-poaching work – mitigating HWC will become ever more of a priority.

This is one of many blogs I’ve written about the Uganda Conservation Foundation, human wildlife conflict, the Uganda Wildlife Authority, hippo poaching and conservation in general. Why I love elephant dung is a perennial favourite!