2012

SLCS Newsletter Edition 2. (April, May & June)

SLCS 10 KM FUN RUN 2012
Generously supported by the following major donors:

Luangwa Conservation Community Fund Members: Flatdogs

Camp, Robin Pope Safaris, Mfuwe Lodge & the Bush Camp Company, Kafunta Safaris, Remote Africa Safaris and Shenton Safaris.

THE RACE BEGINS..

The winner, Kachaba Susiku from Jumbe with footballers Kalililo Kakonje and Davies Phiri.

Note from Rachel McRobb

CEO SLCS Welcome SLCS friends! Ive got to say the year is flying by and seems to go faster
when it is packed full of such a variety of activities. To start off on a cheerful note, we had a fantastic annual Fun Run and Sports Day event on 30th June with our biggest turn out yet. Over 3000 people attended the sports day and we were lucky to be graced with players from the Zambia National Soccer Team who spiced up the event and took part in relays and Madalas football matches. The event would not have been possible or as successful without the support from the Elephant Charge, Proflight, Lusaka Backpackers and Chris Fenner, USAID and SHARE II who donated all the tshirts, Personal Touch, Flatdogs Camp, Lion Camp, Norman Carr Safaris, The SLCS team, Evans Graph and all his sports team and of course Honor Janza, Kalililo Kakonje and Davies Phiri from the Zambian National Soccer Team. We are already looking forward to next years run. In May, myself and some colleagues from Zambia, Mocambique, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, West and Central Africa attended a bushmeat / snaring workshop in South Africa hosted by Panthera. Experts in different fields gave presentations from different countries followed by a brain storming session on characteristics, drivers, impacts and possible solutions to the snaring and bush meat trade. The general consensus is that it is increasing continent wide and is if not curtailed will lead to massive wildlife and habitat losses. A follow up work shop is planned for later in the year where hopefully decision makers will be present. The past few months we have received visits from major donors and SLCS friends. John Lemon from Painted Dog Inc. in Australia who funds our wild dog anti-snaring team visited us in May. Nolwenn Drouet from Awely in France funds our human wildlife conflict mitigation program also visited for a week in May. Carol and Steve Van Bruggen from Sacramento, California who founded the Africa Hope Fund and also fun SLCS anti-snaring work visited in May and June. Its always great to be able to show people what we do and spend time with everyone and we look forward to seeing them again later in the year and next year. Our joint SLCS / ZCP aircraft is finally in the country, and should be Zambian registered in a couple of weeks. Thanks to Neil McGreev for flying it to Zambia for us. More interesting news in the rest of this newsletter about different aspects of the project but before that we would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of our donors across the globe and a special thanks to our most recent donors; Civil Society Environment Fund Zambia, Murray Katz from Canada, Dazzle Africa from Las and Sea World and Busch Gardens.

Enjoy the read.

SLCS ANNUAL 10 KM FUN RUN 2012 IN PICTURES

WIRE KILLS WILDLIFE, KEEP IT SECURE!!

THE MESSAGE IS SIMPLE AND CLEAR. MOST OF OUR RECOVERED SNARE WIRE COMES
FROM ELECTRICAL SOURCES AND FROM WORKSHOP SOURCES SUCH WINCH CABLE AND PONTOON CABLE. KEEP IT SAFE AND LOCKED UP SO MORE ANIMALS DO NOT END UP LIKE THIS.

FUND RAISING EVENTS FOR SLCS

NEW SNARE WIRE JEWELLERY FOR SALE BY MULBERRY MONGOOSE KATE WILSON

Wire snaring is one of the most devastating forms of poaching in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, killing and injuring many of the area's iconic wildlife species. With the purchase of Mulberry Mongoose beautiful jewellery made from recovered poachers' snares and snare wire cut free from wounded animals in Zambia's Luangwa Valley you will be supporting the anti-snaring efforts of Zambian conservation organisations and protecting the wildlife. Your purchase of Mulberry Mongoose's Snare Wire Jewellery directly contributes to these efforts. Please contact katewilsonjewellery@gmail.com and visit the website: http://www.mulberrymongoose.com/snare-wire-range

SLCS Trustee Carol Van Bruggen and her husband Steve, whose foundation the Africa Hope Fund have recently sponsored two Uyoba Community school teachers to attend teachers training college. Carol and Steve are in Luangwa for about 6 weeks and during this time help out SLCS where they can and also contribute generously to our anti-snaring programs.

Upcoming Fund Raising event in California for all our US based supporters

Africa Hope Fund is hosting

their first major fund raising event in Sacramento California on Sept 23rd in order to raise funds for conservation and education projects in the South Luangwa Valley.

South Luangwa Yoga Retreat with Jada Fire date

Proceeds go towards SLCS Projects African Safari &Yoga Retreat October 26th-31st, 20
October 26th 31st 2012 For info. Contact Stacy James for more info.: 702.332.1501 www.jadafire.com

Safari on the River will be held

at the marina and home of Steve Kuhn and Carol Van Bruggen-Kuhn and will feature music, dance and the foods of Zambia. Art work has been donated by several well known artists and textiles from Tribal Textiles will be auctioned off. Carol and Steve expect over 250 attendees and plan to raise over $50,000 US at the event. Go to http://SafariOnTheRiver.com for more information

email: bloomingvegas@yahoo.com

With generous support from;

Update on Law Enforcement support - Benson Kanyembo, SLCS

Operations Manager
Anti-poaching remains a challenge in South Luangwa and the GMA during the dry season. With 76 ZAWA anti-poaching scouts deployed as escort scouts on walking safaris, a large gap is left in the law enforcement sector. As more and more people flock for job opportunities in Mfuwe, the area continues to feel the impacts of an increasing population including forest destruction, wildlife losses due to snaring, increase landscape change from farming and so forth. A recent combined law enforcement meeting was held in Mfuwe between different regions including Southern, Eastern and Bangweulu Area Management Units to find ways to combat poaching. Our upcoming support of Malama CRB village scouts will also assist in protecting the southern section of the park.

The CEO meets with Malama CRB to finalize a plan for support in Malama. Table 1: SLCS supported patrol results April June 2012 Month April May LP 4 6 SP 4 2 DP 9 14 Snares 84 226 310 Suspects 9 7 16 Firearms 2 5 7 Ammunition 26 199 225 DR 3 1 4 Elephant mortalities 2 2 4 Ivory 1 2 3

Total 10 6 23 Source: SLCS 2012

Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Work to Expand 2012

Visit from Program Director Nolwenn Drouet
Awely has a new Program Director, Nolwenn Drouet who is based in France and has considerable experience working in Africa and on human wildlife conflict. Nolwenn visited us for the first time and spent a week with us in Luangwa getting to know the Rad Caps team, meeting chilli farmers, chilli blasters, owners of the new elephant safe grain stores, meeting community members who experience wildlife conflicts on a regular basis and also coming up with some great new ideas and programs with the team for this year.

In addition to our current work involving human elephant conflict mitigation in Kakumbi, Nsefu and Mkhanya Chiefdoms, we are extending our work to a fourth Chiefdom this year. Malama Chiefdom, on the border of South Luangwa rarely gets any recognition or support and is an important area facing all the same problems as the other Chiefdoms. In addition to setting up a wildlife conflict assessment and monitoring program, our chilli farming program will be extended to Malama and a coordinator will be hired to oversee these activities. Current area of HWC programs. Expanding to Malama Chiefdom.

Visit from Painted Dog Inc Chairman John Lemon

Staunch supporter of three conservation projects in Luangwa (SLCS, Chipembele and Zambia carnivore Program), John Lemon, Chairman of PDC and Geoff from SAVE foundation in Perth spent two weeks with us in May. John and his wife Ange fund SLCSs wild dog anti-snaring team and have done so for the past three years. John and Anges passion and hard work for the wildlife in Luangwa is greatly appreciated. John and I also joined the Zambian Carnivore Program in Liuwa National Park to help with wildebeest work for a week.

Leopard trapping

Two years ago a leopard collared by a research project in Luambe National Park crossed the river and made his way to south Luangwa, settling in near Lion Camp and Kaingo. His collar needed to be removed so plans for this started late last year. Efforts were made last year to locate and immobilize him with no success, I did not even get a glimpse of him. This year we used a trap, got some bait, worked out his movements and territory and built a platform in a tree with help from Lion Camp. Leopard trapping can often takes weeks to be successful and we anticipated spending endless nights nearby waiting to hear the trap shut. On night two we were lucky, he couldnt resist the bait and we were able to immobilize him and take off his collar. Until next time, best wishes, Rachel & Benson.