Team’s bid to save rare antelopes

Published on March 9, 2008, 12:00 am - http://www.eastandard.net

By Francis Ngige

They brave the dense forests, steep ravines, gushing rivers and high altitudes to track down an endangered species of antelopes.

With little sunlight seeping through the indigenous Aberdare and Mt Kenya forests, the “bush babies” put up with the extreme wet and cold weather to help save the endangered Mountain Bongos.

The six-man surveillance team goes through harrowing experiences in the course of its work but they take it all in their stride.

Recently, The Saturday Standard caught up with Mr Boniface Nderitu and Mr Hiram Mwangi, members of the “bush babies” team. The villagers work with conservationists to protect the rare animal.

Nderitu and Mwangi concede that although their work is dangerous, they are motivated by a desire to protect their environment.

“Game rangers track us during our missions to save us from attacks by wild animals,” says Nderitu, 42.

The members, drawn from villages on the fringes of the forests, take up to three weeks in the wilderness tracking down the species. Part of their work involves helping conservationists learn the behaviours of the animals.

The conservationists like working with the locals because of their extraordinary knowledge of the forests and the beautiful animals.

Dressed in heavy fatigues akin to those of Kenya Wildlife Service rangers, the volunteers converge at Sangare Tourist Camp, owned by chief conservationist, Mr Mike Prettejohn.

They carry with them sleeping bags, tents, heavy jackets, gumboots, backpacks and food to last them in the forest.

Nderitu and Mwangi joined the ominous task in 2003, when they met Prettejohn, a renowned conservationist.

They endure cold spells in the thick vegetation to track down the animals.

Nderitu says before venturing into the forest, they get permission from KWS, which mans the game reserves.

After securing a permit, the group goes through the logistics.

“We make sure our sleeping bags, heavy jungle jackets, tents and lamps are ready before we set out for the three-week sojourn in the wilderness,” says Nderitu.

They are then driven to the game park and disembark at some point, to start the long walk deep in the forest. To get a vantage point to view the Mountain Bongos and study their behaviour, the “bush babies” pitch tent near water sources.

“We have to monitor animal movement at a radius of five kilometres,” Nderitu says.

For the time they are in the forest, they shift positions at least two times to ensure they do not limit the animal movement.

Apart from harsh weather, the trackers also face communication problems.

“Sometimes, we use mobile phones to send text messages, but there are places without network, forcing us to rely on radio calls,” says Mwangi.

Their mission includes tracing the Bongo footprints and placing surveillance cameras in specific positions to capture the movement of the animals.

While the team largely relies on information from locals, they also make use of new technology.

For instance, the bush trackers have used global positioning systems to pinpoint areas of tracking and sighting, which are mapped.

Facing extinction

They mount special cameras on trees near watering points frequented by the animals.

“The cameras, which can take more than 500 exposures, click whenever they sense movement,” says Mwangi.

They also collect the Mountain Bongos’ dung for analysis.

When not camping in the forest, the surveillance team uses a fixed wing aircraft to view the site areas. They also use a helicopter to drop personal items and food supplies to their colleagues.

Apart from helping to conserve the endangered animals, the “bush babies” report to KWS any form of forest destruction or poaching they encounter.

Prettejohn says a survey they have conducted for the past three years reveals that only about100 of the beautiful antelopes are in existence.

The survey, he says, also found out that the rare animals only exist in the Aberdares, with smaller isolated groups in Mau, Eburru and southern Mt Kenya.

“The near disappearance of the Bongo over the past 40 years is compounded by destructive human activities on these vital ecosystems,” says Prettejohn.

He says his surveillance team has undertaken detailed surveys in the past decade.

“We carried out the survey in the Bongos’ natural habitat essentially in the Aberdares, one of the largest indigenous forests in East Africa. “We have spent time tracking these beautiful creatures and have an in depth knowledge of where they live and feed,” he says.

The team has also incorporated a researcher from the US.

Mr Lyndon D Estes, of Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, assists the team with his scientific skills and equipment, says Prettejohn.

“We also use a helicopter to drop personnel in the remotest and inaccessible areas,” he says.

Prettejohn says with the camera traps, the surveillance team uses photographic evidence to give visual records about the Bongos.

“Such recordings are made from actual animal sightings or from their tracks and faecal droppings. The data is used to show the potential Bongo habitat and distribution,” he says.

The conservationist adds that the first picture of a Mountain Bongo was taken in 2004 in the Aberdares by a KWS ranger. After an extensive surveillance by the team in 2006, the first trap camera was used to take a picture of a wild Bongo bull near Honi River in the Aberdares.

“Additional camera traps were placed in Mt Kenya and the Aberdares,” he says.

Although the physical surveillance is important in efforts to save the few remaining animals, the final resort lies with DNA monitoring, explains Prettejohn. “Since the Bongo can travel for long distances to feed, the DNA monitoring is fundamental to give the most realistic results of numbers, identification of species and individuals,” he says.

“DNA is key to securing factual data by observing individual Bongos.”

The surveillance team, jointly with the International Livestock Research Institute, University of Cardiff and the University of Nairobi, has collected fresh dung for analysis.

“The dung is preserved and sent to Cardiff University for sampling,” says Prettejohn.

DNA sampling helps determine the sex, age and relationship between the animals.

It also gives a more accurate population density than physical counting.

The conservationist says of the 212 tested dung samples, 113 were from Bongos while the others appeared to be from waterbucks.

Prettejohn says they have involved villagers in the conservation efforts to teach them environmental management.

“The local communities is paramount to the success of our conservation efforts,” he says.

He says the project finances four wildlife clubs in schools along the eastern Aberdare forest edge. The schools include Kamburaini, Karurumo, Bondeni and Gichami in Mweiga division.