A Family tradition.

"Believe half of what you read & disregard half the rest!"

My earlier post was not aimed at the Douglas Hamiltons in particular ....But I know of no man, that with a personal interest, can honestly say that, that interest has not clouded his judgment!

No - it is actually the other way around. These well settled camp/lodge owners are actually feeling threatened by the hightened competition around. The new investors are coming in with newer ideas, more exclusive properties and are matching the standards of these well settled camps, thus threatening their survival. The reaction? Get them out - no matter what the cost.
Furthermore, Mr Hamilton was given the authority to set up a research centre. His camp, i understand was a side project that was running from the same grounds as the research centre. Since the camp was probably not known to the government and their regulatory boards, where did he obtain the guidelines that had to be met with regards to protecting the environment when setting up such a facility - the same guidelines he is so vocal about with respect to the other camps? The same question can be asked for these "temporary" camps set up in other parks. Many do not have the right licenses, don\'t pay the taxes or provide any benefit to the local communities other than paying them a minimal salary for long hours and limited leave time.
And now to the issue of his research - where are the findings? A search on the internet does not bring anything other than sales sites for the camp. Does the government and KWS have any of the findings on record. What exactly was being done from this reserach centre? There are numerous centres countrywide from who one can get accurate data and infomartion regarding the various wildlife. But nothing on the Samburu elephants is available. From what i gather, some of the claims made by the research centre have no basis nor any solid proof to back it up.
So again, i must ask what was being done at this research centre and what are the true motives of going after these new investors? Yes, if the camps/lodges are not inline with the given guidelines, stop them. But if they meet the requirements, if they have the necessary licenses and documentation and are paying the taxes as required by the law, then why are these well settled camp/lodge owners under the disguise of conservationists trying to stop these developments?
Hidden agendas!!!

Taz - looks like you are quite well informed in the business which is great for us as this will only help providing better understanding of the situation.

Please place a note on yourself - under "Member Introduction" so we can know some basic history of yourself.
Ciao

Nico

I cannot sit here any longer and keep my mouth shut. I have to dispute a lot of what you have stated.

You are correct is saying some camp/lodge owners might feel threatened. However, none of them are taking into account the resources of the area in which they reside as Iain is.

When you have people who do know what the outcome will be, and who speak out, you cannot assume they are doing it to protect their interests. Doubling the number of beds in Samburu WILL be a disaster. There is a real shortage of water in the area currently. It will also force the elephants from their normal range into human settlements which will cause even further problems. Somak is the one pushing for this in Samburu and in Tsavo as well. At Aruba Dam, a small area, they are building an 80 bed lodge !!- far too big for that small area. As you know, the Aruba Dam area is the heaviest traveled in Tsavo. To add another 160 or so people running around in that area will indeed harrass wildlife. A 20 or 30 unit lodge should have been the maximum allowed in that area. The problem is, no-one with any sense is taking these things into account in Kenya. All they are thinking of is the dollar!

Iain's camp is research only. His wife's camp is not on the same site. It is about 3 - 4 miles down the road. The camp attached to his reseach center IS for researchers only.

As to your not finding any research, look at Save the Elephants.org. Some of the research project he does are:
Pioneering Animal Tracking Project using mobile phone technology (Supported by Safaricom Foundation)
Elephants wearing our new GSM collars send regular text messages to let us know their movements. The technique is revolutionising elephant tracking and may be extended for use with other species.

Elephants Bees and Trees Project
How trees can gain protection from the little against the large

Baseline data collection in Congo and Gabon
Collecting vital data on the little-understood forest elephants of Central Africa whose populations are in steep decline. Range and movement data is essential to curb illegal poaching and logging that threatens their habitat

Longterm tracking in northern Kenya
Tracking free-ranging elephants with GPS collars in the Samburu and Laikipia ragelands reveals how home areas, hotspots and connecting corridors are used.

Population and ranging studies in Meru, Kenya
Assisting the Kenya Wildlife Service in monitoring the Meru elephant population. 80% of KWS success down to knowing where the elephants are. Studies of population dynamics reveal encouraging growth in the late 1990s.

Ranging behaviour of the desert elephants in Timbuktu, Mali
The astonishing distances travelled by desert elephants are revealed for the first time

Long-term monitoring in Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Radio-tracking Amboseli's elephants in collaboration with Cynthia Moss

Green Hunting and Population Dynamics in APNR & Kruger National Park, South Africa
A collaborative project investigating elephant movements and dynamics using GPS collars. The research is also assessing attitudes to culling, sport hunting and green hunting.

Elephant-Human confrontations in Kenya's Ewaso-Ngiro ecosystem
The Elephant Research and Conservation Project in Laikipia is studying elephant-human confrontations (like crop-raiding), their impact and how to minimise the problem.

Studying elephant-induced habitat damage in Kenya's Shimba Hills Reserve
Investigating tree damage by elephants in this forest reserve and how to prevent it.

Spatial and social structure of the elephant population in Samburu, Kenya
A long-running and detailed genetic, behavioural and spatial study of the Samburu elephants reveal the most complex social structure seen in any (non-human) animal yet studied.

Individual elephant identification and monitoring in northern Kenya
Over 800 individual elephants have been identified in the greater Laikipia-Samburu region, many of whom spend large amounts of time outside protected areas.

Olfactory signalling in elephants
Olfactory signalling amongst wild elephants is compared to that of their captive counterparts.

Male mating strategies in the African elephant
Pioneering work combining behavioural, ranging, physiological and genetic analyses produces surprising results

Seasonal dietary changes in elephants using isotopic analysis of tail hair
Hairs growing from one end of an elephant give clues as to what went in the other.

Elephant Hormones
Dr. Keith Hodges is carrying out hormone analysis in elephant dung samples collected by STE researchers Henrik Rasmussen and George Wittemyer.

Vegetation Monitoring
Taking stock of the impact of elephant grazing

In addition to the above research projects, Iain created a position for a lion researcher who studies all the lions in all of the Samburu area. She also lives in the RESEARCH camp - not in the private camp.

Whenever anyone, government included, needs a census of elephants in a given area, Iain is the first to volunteer - not only in Kenya but other African countries also. No-one has spoken up on behalf of elephants, other than Daphne Sheldrick, for as long as Iain has. His collaring and tracking herds will be helpful in trying to determine where the natural elephant corridors were and should be.

As to your statement "Yes, if the camps/lodges are not in line with the given guidelines, stop them" this is laughable. There really aren't any guidelines for wildlife in Kenya. Back in the 50 - 60's when the wildlife authority was totally separate from the government, they could control what was happening. Now that KWS is under the umbrella of the government, the "guidelines" change at the whim of the government - not always in the best interest of wildlife.

I know for a fact you are totally wrong on the Douglas-Hamilton's. They do not feel threatened for themselves and their income. They own two places in Lake Naivasha which I'm sure pay them well. They are only thinking of protecting wildlife and preventing further damage to wildlife - something more in Africa should start worrying about.