An Ending...

It is hard to believe that our time at Chipembele has come to an end. The finish was not a perfect '10'. 

The mammalian vertebrae are a marvel of natural selection, that human primates evolved to be bi-pedal and all the attendant adaption over geological time that this entailed is a luminous fact. That each vertebrae is cushioned and connected to the next and working in vertical unison sees us fit to walk, climb, sit, run and recline - all whilst still using our hands at the same time. Amazing! Yet if one or two vertebrae malfunction through stressors, pressure or injury one can only succumb to a state of pain and lameness. Unfortunately, Jude's lumbar spine has paid the price of bumpy roads, uneven ground and "Africa". A prolapsed disc, a conversion event that saw her hit the floor with some heavy duty pain and an aftermath of loss of feeling below the knee and ongoing pain at the prolapsed joint and nerve entrapment, as well as some nasty sciatic issues from a Sacroiliac joint entrapment has seen her have to leave Chipembele early, leave the planned month long Safari and return to Australia for treatment and rehabilitation.

Such is bi-pedal life.

How lucky are we that our Western World income, our insurance, our means – allows treatment and hope for recovery. Having just now worked in a community where the average woman would not see in a lifetime what we earn in wages in a month – who would be hard pressed to afford the malarial medication for her sick child… We are fortunate indeed to have a retreat to the “first” world medicine, treatment and help and the means to procure it.

Kaye is staying on in South Luangwa with Anna and Steve for  few more days and her lovely Mum, Evelyn is joining her on Monday 4^th July for her own “Trip of a Lifetime” at 76 years old – her long held desire to visit the beautiful continent that we have waxed lyrical about each time we have returned from our many journeys. Their imminent trip consists of: Six days in the South Luangwa to show her the wonders of the South Luangwa National Park – this beautiful, diverse and unique habitat full of wildlife – “Lions under every bush, leopards in every tree…” Well, almost! On to Livingstone to visit Mosi-ao-Tunya – The Smoke the Thunders (Vic Falls), across into Botswana to visit the Chobe National Park… Elephants! Elephants! Elephants! Into the Okavngo Delta to mokoro (canoe) across her serene waters. Also in the Okavango so Kaye can revisit and Evelyn meet for the first time Elephants - Jabu, Thembi and Morula the little herd headed by Douglas Groves from Living With Elephants. To Johannesburg to pick up a car and drive for a short 4 day stay in the South of the Kruger National Park, in the hope to seeing Rhino (if there are any left…). Then a week in the most beautiful city on earth… Cape Town.

Kaye and Evelyn’s travels have been arranged by Leanne Wild of the Africa Safari Co. If you are planning a trip to Africa we recommend Leanne’s expertise, good care and thorough knowledge of African safari travel.

So, being at Chipembele has been the most amazing experience – two months of bush living. Of thrilling and awe inspiring daily wildlife encounters. Of giraffe, lion, elephant, puku, impala, baboon, warthog, hippo. Of Bateleur and Fish eagle, vulture, bee-eaters, green whopoes, kingfishers, red waxbills, saddle or yellow billed storks. Of crocodile, lizards, geckos, snakes, scorpions. Of bush-babies, Betty baboon and scrub-hare! Wow! What and amazing parade of natural wonder outside our door every day… We will miss their natural shy company. Everyday was a wildlife wonder.

Living alongside and working with our friends Anna and Steve Tolan, Founders and Directors of Chipembele wildlife Education Trust has been such a privilege, These two amazing individuals are strong, committed, focused and above all do what they do for the love of the wild. The mission is in the best hands possible – and if you are yet to investigate their work please visit our website at:

‘What We Do’

Working with hundreds of children in the Conservation Clubs in preparation for the World Environment Day Event was a great challenge – we had never worked with children before and certainly not in a cross-cultural setting! It was an amazing experience. The hope for the future for the few remaining truly wild places on this finite earth of ours rests in the hands/hearts/minds of the children and young people. May they find the wherewithal in employment, their farming practices and lives to both sustain themselves and their natural heritage for its own sake, for their sake for their children’s sake. Chipembele gives children hope and wildlife a chance…

 Thank you to each one of the 250 children and young people and the Club Patrons from the 6 schools – Kawaza, Kakumbi, Chiwawtala, Mfuwe Basic and Mfuwe Secondary and Yosefe for your participation, energy and enthusiasm for the  World Environment Day Event. 

May your commitment to the stewardship of your beautiful land continue to grow.

Working with Rochelle James – The Chipembele Conservation outreach in Schools Manager and her friend Brooke Mundey over the weeks leading up to the Open Day and World Environment Day events was a joy. Rochelle so generously fitted us in an otherwise already hectic schedule of her teaching, club activities and her own personal Masters studies. To have a couple of Australian gals to share the work, the commitment and to see the job done was of great value. Thanks Rochelle and Brooke!

Meeting and working alongside Eunice Nakachinda – the Chipembele Administration Assistant – getting to know her, her easy and effervescent friendliness and support of us was a real joy! We look forward to working with Eunice on the newly formed Chipembele Girls Clubs activities from afar…Thank you Eunice, your warmth, hand in friendship and genuine engagement made our time there very special.

The final chapter of “Jude and Kaye’s Going for Good” is a little different from how we might have liked it, but we achieved what we set out to do. To Live Life Large, to celebrate the 10 years of solid achievements of Chipembele’s Conservation Education in the heart of the rural Zambian area adjacent to the South Luangwa National Park. To live up close and personal with the wonderful wildlife we love and above all to see survive and thrive in the South Luangwa.

Warm and weary waves from a Jude newly arrived after a 24 hour marathon flight schedule in her own home in chilly Semaphore. And from Kaye – ensconced still in our beautiful little Bushhouse on the banks of the Luangwa.

Thanks all for reading our blog along the way and sharing our adventures…

Jude and Kaye

XXX

PS: If you would like to be part of protecting and conserving the iconic wildlife of the South Luangwa a dedicated work of generational change – please visit our special (secure) ‘10 for 10’ Chipembele cheer squad page here and spread the love around…

http://www.justgiving.com/10-for-10-Cheer-Squad-2011

The Snake, The Scorpion, The Lions and The Scrub Hare

Warm Greetings from the Luangwa…

“Bwangi”  How Are You?

“Bweno, Bwangi”  Fine, How Are You?

Snake

Steve Tolan, Co-founder and director of Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust, where we are staying, is an Honorary Wildlife and Forestry Officer. His work takes him out patrolling the Game Management Area and checking for illegal logging and subsequent work related to the reporting and seizure of illegally cut timber, he can be gone for much of the day. This has meant, with Anna away in the UK following the death of her Dad, that we are surrogate Aunties to busy Betty, who at 7 months is starting to be more and more independent, an absolute joy and now also being weaned – so a ta, tantrum-my. One afternoon Kaye was on the back verandah with Betty, Coco and Molly (the Jack Russell Terriers) and Jude was intermittently working on the Mac in the lounge room at the far end of the house. On one walk back down the central hallway – suddenly Jude saw a movement within centimetres of her falling foot – A Snake! He slithered under the lounge room door; previously shut to keep a marauding Betty from bouncing on the Mac. Carefully, Jude opened the door to try to get a line-of-sight on the snake. Yes! There he was – sliding along the skirting board. 60cms long and as thick as an index finger. 

Oh dear. There is a snake in the house…

Calling out to Kaye to keep Betty and the dogs at the other end of the house, Jude watched (and filmed) the snake for a while – under the lounge, behind the curtains, along every wall - he obviously wanted out! He had great traction on the rugs but the moment he hit the polished concrete he had to work really hard to get any forward movement, looking more like a side-winder! One such foray onto the concrete took him past a small lizard only 10cm’s long – who immediately attacked the snake with three quick strikes on the serpents side, as it slithered by, as if to say “Oi! This is my lounge room.”. Jude tired of the keep-the –snake-in-sight-until-Steve-comes-home game in 20 minutes – so as Snake tried to get a grip on the smooth wall, to no avail but persistently trying - Jude whipped out to the storeroom and grabbed the snake wrangling stick and back in a flash before he could disappear under something. As Snake was so slim – she checked the aperture of the closed grip with her finger to make sure if she did manage to catch him – he wouldn’t boil out the other side and up the stick to take revenge on her! Yep – it looked like the aperture was small enough to hold a finger-diameter snake. Deciding that acting like she knew what she was doing was better than timidity and girly shrieks, she just walked up within sticks length, laid the catching-end open in front of snake who reared gently to go over the bottom of the catcher and then pressed the handle! Walla! Snake-Wrangler! Oh, no. The aperture IS too big for this sized snake – as he wriggled through 10cm, 20cm... With a calm and purposeful stride she popped him out the window and onto the ground, let go of the handle and off he went to Snakey-Freedom.

When Steve got home of course, we were all a-twitter with the Snake-News of the day. Showing him the movie footage, we consulted a Zambian Snake Guide book and identified him as a Stiletto Snake, the most distinguishing feature being how incredibly shiny he was. Dark grey-black, virtually a patent-gloss snake. Highly dangerous. Still he wasn’t aggressive – just worried about being inside.

Scorpions!

There are things that no-one want to encounter inside ones clothes and that is a scorpion. Reading Daphne Sheldricks ‘The Orphans of Tsavo’ last week – Jude read out a story to Kaye (in the absence of TV) where, whilst camping – Daphne was stung by a yellow Scorpion. Sounded horrible, painful and something one fervently wished to never happen!

The weather here has begun to cool at long last – the days are a lovely 27 degrees Celcius and the nights a cool 15! Bliss for sleeping the night through – but this also means wearing long sleeves in the morning for the first time since our arrival. Steve was out and the Chipemble staff were working around the house. Jude and Kaye were on Betty Detail. Jude went back down to the Bushhouse to get some forgotten thing and decided whilst there to visit the ‘loo. Sitting down and then reaching back for the ‘loo paper – suddenly bang, bang, bang – three lightning fire SOMETHING’s sting on the back of her arm inside her shirt. One has NEVER seen anyone get out of a buttoned shirt as fast. Not wanting to take it back over her head in case WHATEVER-it-was came in contact with face or hair. Flinging the shirt down she immediately grabbed some sting-calmative from the First Aid kit and applied it. Then with shirt lying on the ground, she is ashamed to admit it, bought her foot down on the shirt – almost heavily- but wait! Oh – no what was that grinding sound? Her reading glasses in the top pocket started to crush… Pulling the g-forces on the stomp – and saving her glasses she was able to regain some kindness and humanity and figured “Whatever” it was inside did not deserve to die. So, picking the shirt up by the collar and flicking it – revealed the source of the pain. Whew! It was ONLY a black scorpion – 3cms long. All this happened in less than a minute. Catching Scorpion on a piece of thin card and a cup she rescued and relocated it to the bushes a good 5 metres from the bushhouse. The stinging and burning continued for a good hour afterward, but didn’t swell and there were no further side affects.

A few days later, Ruben – who is employed by us to keep-house, bake bread and do laundry and does a terrific job – came up with a match-box in hand saying “Judy – I have something to show you!” he opened the match-box and inside was a yellow scorpion. “EEK! Where was it?” Ruben replied “Under the table in your kitchen. Don’t worry I have caught him now – I check everyday, everywhere for scorpions to make sure they will not sting you”. “Ruben can you do me a favour and walk to the Mozambique border before releasing him please?” “No problem, madam…”   

The Lions and the Warthog

One late afternoon, Steve came racing over to the Bushhouse to tell us that lion had just killed a warthog close by, up on the banks of the Chowo River. Poor Wartie! We grabbed our cameras, binocs and threw our boots on and walked (fast) up to the scene. Positioning this way and that we tried to peer into the bushes to see them. Being within 20 metres of lion – on the ground, on your own two feet feels incredibly… Alive! (Or stupid…) Jude remembered the old Bushman trick of holding a stick above one’s head to make yourself appear bigger – even though at 6’2” she was the tallest of the three of us. Must of worked because they did not come out to see us off! That’s her theory and she is sticking to it! Finding no joy in looking into the deeply shaded bushes, and no kill-commotion happening we headed back to the house – talking, as we walked, about going down to the banks of the Luangwa River for our customary ‘Sundowners’. Then Richarb called us from the men’s house 50 metres away – “Lion!” We hurried over and sure enough a lioness was walking with purpose toward the mopane scrubland across the open ground, she contact called – and another appeared, then another – three lions! Kaye walked a further 10 metres towards them and bracing against a mopane bush to stop her video camera from shaking and took some really good footage. Jude, with her zoom-lens, stayed well back and zoomed up to take a photo - then the red-battery light blinked and the camera turned itself off, of course. Still a great sighting and one to be remembered forever more. Our first ever lion sighting, whilst we were on-foot.

The Hippo and the Scrub Hare 
Poor old hippo in a fast-drying dambo (waterhole) about 10 kms from Chipembele appears to be dying. He has been in basically the same spot for two weeks, he comes, he goes, but he is definitely getting skinnier by the day. This is nature, a natural death, still - each time we drive by and he is there, we say a silent wish that he will die sooner rather than later. This is real nature and nature’s death – the warthog who became the snack-sized meal for the lions, the hippo on his last legs, the scrub hare who screamed in the night on Thursday night as she was hunted and presumably killed by some unknown predator. All of these deaths are part of the life-cycle. In our ritualised, clean, super-marketed existence in the cities and towns of the west – we rarely, if ever, see or experience the raw, powerful, visceral reality of life-death struggle.

On Friday, taking Coco and Molly and Betty for a wander up the red gravel and sand driveway, Coco suddenly stopped and showed a LOT of interest in something nestled at the side, in a small depression. On closer inspection Jude found a tiny rabbit! What to do? Coco was very interested licking Rabbit’s fur and nuzzling, no predatory intent – just interest. Jude picked Rabbit up, because she is human and despite knowing it was probably the wrong thing to do… The rabbit screamed a little rabbity-fear call and then settled perfectly still in her hands. Walking back up to the house Jude showed Steve the rabbit – “It’s a baby scrub hare about a week or so old. Shouldn’t be away from his mother.” What to do? We decided to put him back in the depression in case Mum came looking for him. We later remembered hearing the rabbit scream the night before. Five hours later, Steve was out and scrub hare was spotted by Rodgers wandering about out in the open by himself – easy prey. Coco was ‘guarding’ him and herding him back towards the house. Scrub Hare Rescue sprang into action. He wasn’t dehydrated, so we just popped him in a soft cloth tunnel in a crate to calm him down and make him feel safe. Feeding him long life milk, out of the tiniest bottle we have, he lapped up a little but wasn’t feeding voraciously, trying again at 9PM with a similar result, we settled to bed. We made a nest for him from grass and an old t-shirt and settled him down with a heavy cover over the crate and he went to sleep. First thing, we offered him a bottle and he drank and drank from the teat! As Jude fed him, settled on an old cream-coloured tea towel, 70 little ‘pepper ticks’ leapt off him onto the towel! It was phenomenal. In between sucks Jude squished the tiny blood-filled ticks. No kindness practiced with the ticks!

Later this morning Rodgers and Richarb made a few repairs to one of the bigger rescue cages to ensure safety inside and no escape routes and we relocated him from crate to cage this afternoon. This is the second scrub hare Chipembele has rescued – the first ‘Kally’; which is the chiNyanja name for scrub hare, was successfully rehabilitated after three month and released back to the wild. He will still go in the crate and sleep in the security of the Bushhouse at night for a few weeks. We have named Scrub Hare “Milo” in honour of Coco who found and rescued him.

6 weeks…

We sit and ponder our time here – 6 weeks has rushed by already! Kaye is marvelling at how quickly one becomes accustomed to, but not blasé about, the remarkable African bush. The elephant crossing the river in the golden morning light, seeing giraffe wandering through the bush on the way back from town, warthogs mud-bathing at the edge of the Chipembele Lake just outside our door, lions roaring in the night…the constant, wonderful calls of myriad diurnal birds – and Betty asleep in your lap.

Wasn’t life always like this?
Couldn’t it always be?

Warm Waves and Love from the Luangwa,

Jude and Kaye

Breaking Down in Zambia…

Greetings from the South Luangwa. As I type this at 7h00 the lions are roaring half a kilometre away... as they have been on and off all night. Walking to the long drop 'loo this morning was an adventure. :-)

Personal perspectives – breakdown...

It has been so long since we were able to write – just a few weeks, really - but a long time in cultural learning. Assimilating the lessons, looked and felt a lot like shock. Culture shock is something you hear about and think won’t happen to you, as a resilient, emotionally intelligent human being. Our perceptions of course are totally skewed by our socialisation, ‘western’ civil rules and personal experiences to date. No matter how someone might say “be prepared for frustrations” or “expect delays” or “try not to have expectations then you won’t be disappointed” the reality is harsher than one might expect. We have longed for home and the familiar, for the emotional safety of our ordinary lives. A bit of a private break down later.. Yet we are immersed here and take a step in determination to see it through.

The different (not better or worse – just different) ethical and moral social fabric, the personal openness or lack thereof, the view of the world and personal interactions are so different from our life’s experience that we have had much to think about. The expectation that once a thing is given as a gesture of friendship or assistance that there is a moral responsibility beholden on the giver to keep on giving whether you want to or not, or that the quality of the gift is questioned as wonting, or not enough, or should have been ‘value added’. “Thanks for the buns – but there was a problem; you did not give us sugar”- and that the disapproval and anger (or game) that meets a friendly refusal to ‘keep on giving’ just cruels the original intention and hardens one’s heart to spontaneity and kindness. It is a hard lesson indeed. No one likes to be ‘taken advantage of’ or thought a fool for the colour of their skin, us included.

"Wary" (c) Judith Price

The transisition from openness, generosity and trust to cynicism, reluctance to give and distrust has been hard – and has done our heads in. We have experienced a total loss of sense of humour for a couple of weeks. What happened to us in 5 weeks that we would change so completely? Perhaps though this is a temporary state of affairs for us – a learning curve. We are resilient, forthright and bounce back. It is though, a lesson we will not forget.

Two days ‘on offs’! A different sort of breakdown...

Following the crashing crescendo of the Community Event on Saturday – we arranged two days away. The first night at Flatdogs Camp – the second deep in the SLNP at Shenton’s Kaingo camp. Packing up the Landrover (Rover- the Dog) a 1986 landy with a few ‘issues’ we intended to leave Chipembele early, but one coffee and smoke led to another – and Betty Baboon needed taking care of while Steve was out on business, so we finally chugged away at 11.30. Flatdogs camp is an oasis of civility and peace. A lovely permanent camp; with both chalets and permanent tents, located on the Luangwa River 2kms from the South Luangwa Park gates. The highlight is the restaurant – al la carte – from 7h30 to 21h00. Bliss! Beautifully prepared vegetarian and carnist food AND Icecream! Icecream in the bush has to be one of the best things in the world; unless you were the dairy cow.

Following lunch, a sleep and long, hot shower we had dinner, a night’s sleep, then another totally superfluous but heavenly long hot shower! Following breakfast we packed our kit back into Rover- the Dog and headed into the park to take a days leisurely drive to Shenton's Kaingo Camp for an overnight stay. Rover sounded like he was running on 3 cylinders – we found out later this is because he was. About 2km’s into the park – a massive bang and jerk and shclack!schlack!schlak! an awful slapping sound –  the rear right hand tyre (steel belted radial) had blown out! Using the big lever jack we started to change the tyre – when one of the park lodge vehicles came on by and the driver kindly gave us a hand – see its not all bad... We would have managed – but it was nice for the testosterone boost to get the nuts undone and the tyre lifted into place. The guests on the vehicle were Zambian and asked “Aren’t you afraid of the lions?” to their obvious incredulousness, Jude replied –“Lions are more interested in tasty impala than screaming humans…” as she continued to unscrew the wheel nuts. Bravado or truth? We meandered through the park visiting the Luangwa Wafa – a now empty ‘oxbow’ of the River, where the river once ran but has naturally diverted away from many years ago. The river-bed has grown over with grasses and is banked by trees a green and lush haven for grazers - with many puku and impala. Sadly – no lion to be seen though.

Driving onward and deeper in the park, we stopped for coffee and biscuits on a high banked bend of the Luangwa – watching hippos fight, crocodiles bask and the graceful Bateleur eagle sore overhead.

Kaingo Hippo Territorial Tiff. (c) Judith Price June 2011

We knew we had to cross a ‘sand river’ and followed the track. Izzy, from Kaingo, had sent us a PDF map of the last part of the drive – and we booted up the Mac and checked the map. Yep – this was the sand-river. Remembering Steve’s instructions to engage the wheel locks and shift to 4WD, we approached in second gear and keeping a steady pace – made the crossing with no incident. Whoo Hoo! Lets do it again ! Girl Power! and whew, thank the stars for that… Then three kilometres on the engine died…..

The motor would turn over but not continue running. It was 13h00 and hot on a cotton-soil road, luckily though it was open ground so we could see all approaches. The real bugger was that Rover had died not 20 metres from shade on the road but we wouldn’t leave the relative safety of the vehicle for that luxury. Not so worried about lion in the heat of the day – it was buffalo and elephant we kept an eye out for, but they too were elsewhere, probably in their own patches of shade, sensible beings they are… to our relief. We lifted the bonnet and looked in and noted one of the spark plug leads was off – but that was the “running on 3” we had noted earlier, not the reason for ultimate failure. Checking connections, points, leads and scratching our heads we turned the mobile on in the vain hope of having a connection. Nope. The area we were in was close to private camps but the roads were not used often. We settled in for a long wait, sitting in the shade of the Landy. Not half an hour went by when we heard the welcome sounds of a land cruiser coming our way through the bush. Yee ha! It was a Shenton’s vehicle transferring guests to the afternoon flight out of the Valley. The driver-guide radioed back to Kaingo Camp and help was despatched. Within half an hour we had locked up Rover on the side of the road and were on our way to the oasis of Kaingo. With great thanks to Derek Shenton for taking ‘our’ problem and making it his own. He contacted Steve, to organise the vehicle’s removal out of the park.

Greeted by Izzy, Lisa, guide Mayam and house staff it felt like coming home. We were last at Kaingo in August 2008 – a beautifully situated lodge on a permanent flow area of the Luangwa –hippo, croc and elephant abound. ‘Kaingo’ means Leopard in Nyanja – and the camps’ location and surrounds are renowned for Leopard sightings. Following a welcome cool drink we dumped our kit in our lovely twin room and availed ourselves of the private ‘hanging’ deck overlooking the river. We boarded a game drive vehicle for a night drive at 16h00. (Mayam had been our guide in 2008 when, near Shenton’s Mwamba Camp, he found a hyena den and we were the first people to see the inquisitive and fearless cubs. We were astounded Mayam spoke immediately about that night from 4 years ago. That he would remember us – given the thousands of people he has met and provided guiding services for in the interim was astonishing.) We were accompanied by a community scout, Charles and four other guests, Scott and *Rebecca from West Virginia in the US and Ivana and Peter from Melbourne, Australia – we set out for a peaceful meander through Lion Plain area. No lion this night – but an amazing sighting – close to 100 crocodiles surrounding the last few hide-and-bone remains of a hippo on a sand spit in the river. Fully dark when we arrived, the yellow reflective sheen from the spotlight showed the many crocodiles eyes burning bright, some eating, others chasing each other off the carcass. A seething mass of croc from 3 ft to 8 ft monsters. It was phenomenal. Two days previously the adult hippo had died, succumbing to wounds from fighting, his body immediately a life-giving boon to the scavengers. The other four guests had been witness to lion feeding on the hippo the day he had died– the lionesses - fending off the crocodiles, chasing them away from “their hippo” into the water, the crocs returning relentlessly for their fair share. Many vultures including several of the rare lappet-faced waited patiently for their chance of a meal.

It was a ‘Night of the Genets’ – seeing four, one particularly relaxed and in the open – another great sighting. Following a group dinner back at camp we hit bed at 21h00 trying to get to sleep to the irritating; but 100% natural wildlife, sound of a ‘squeeky wheel’ bird. “Eee-eee (pause) Eee-ee (pause) Eee-ee…” Ad naseum… to awake, all too soon, at 5.30 to drums. Shenton’s kindly transferring us, via a game drive with guide Ian and guests Rebecca and Scott, back to Nkwali Camp which is relatively close to Chipembele. Steve had sent Victor, Chipembele’s driver, and the Landcruiser so we made it home by noon. Rover- The Dog now left in the capable hands of the blokes to arrange removal from the park.

Fully Restored - An Evening with Bookey and Richard Peek

We were beside ourselves happy that **Bookey and Richard were still at Chipembele. Bookey is the author of two fabulous books about life with orphaned wildlife in the Matebele Hills of Zimbabwe on their property Stone Hills. All the Way Home -Tales from African Wildlife Sanctuary and Wild Honey -  More Tales from Stone Hills. We thoroughly recommend them! We had met Bookey in 2009 – when she launched her second book and toured Australia, giving an entertaining talk and presentation about “Badge” the Honey Badger who was the main character in Wild Honey. We had told Anna and Steve in an email that we were going to see Bookey and they asked us to extend a personal invitation to Bookey and Richard to visit Chipembele. Kaye and I made a proper card with a picture of Steve and Anna on it and fancy font extending the ‘formal’ invitation. We gave it to Bookey whilst lined up for her book signing– much to her surprise! So it is serendipitous and really fantastic that two years later we would happen to be AT Chipembele when Bookey and Richard visited. We were so sad that Anna wasn’t here though! They had arrived while we were away in the Park and we were unsure if they would still be here when we got back as the place was deserted. We were so glad when they turned back up after a drive through the Lower Lupande GMA. Jude opened up the centre and showed Bookey and Richard around telling them about the classes, activities and leaving them to marvel at the wonder of the Interpretive Centre. Bookey and Richard also provide Conservation and Wildlife Education in schools in their area for year 7 and 8 pupils. It is such a shame Anna wasn’t here as Bookey was agog with the centre and wanting to find out as much as possible about the curriculum and subjects.

We all shared lively, interesting, diverse and funny conversation over sundowners and continued, unabated, over dinner. Jude cooked up a couple big pots of Vegie curry, Chicken curry and rice. It was a great night. We hope they will return again when Anna is home to share their mutual passion for the unique and diverse wildlife and education of the children and young people of their respective areas, so it may be conserved for current and future generations.

This evening and our two days rest has restored our humour, perspective and energy.

Here's a little series of Busy Betty and life in the Luangwa... Enjoy!

Jude and a short visit by Sprite Bushbuck.

Betty has been busy as this run from this morning shows...

Warm waves and love from the Luangwa

Jude and Kaye

_______________________________________________________________

*Rebecca is the founder of the US based org “Pack for a Purpose”

**Bookey Peek is a Zimbabwe Author (Sanctuary manager and conservationist) and has lived a wonderful wild-life with her husband Richard, her latest book is due for release on 1 July - keep an eye out!

FYI

An earlier interview from ABC (Australia) in 2009 is here: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2009/05/12/2568273.htm

A Quick Catch up!

Greetings from Zambia - Bwangi!


Please forgive the 'silence'... we have been flat chat organising and holding the two big events. There are reports and photos on the Chipembele Wildlife Facebook page. (Apologies for those who are not on FB!)

The first about the Open Day to celebrate Chipembele's 10th anniversary of the opening of the Wildlife Education Centre is here: http://www.facebook.com/notes/chipembele-wildlife-education-trust-cwet/chipembele-open-day-a-huge-success/10150630535830722


























The second, yesterdays community event - the World Environment Day parade and festival is here:  http://www.facebook.com/notes/chipembele-wildlife-education-trust-cwet/hands-up-for-world-environment-day-and-chipembele/10150635913080722


We are having a few days off – staying at the lovely Flatdogs Camp then into the South Luangwa National Park to stay at Shenton’s Kaingo Camp. Looking forward to a few days “in the bush”!


Catch you soon! Love and Waves from the Luangwa...


Jude and Kaye

Practice Runs and Girly Shrieks

Greetings from Zambia,

Well, life here is not the typical holiday... sitting about sipping pina colada’s with little umbrellas, eating biscuits and watching the world go by. But it sure is interesting!

Yosefe Basic School 

Our friend, the Founder and Co-Director of
Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust, Anna Tolan
Puts her "Hand Up for Conservation!"

We have been in to 6 schools, some twice to visit the 11 clubs and talked to 100’s of children about World Environment Day celebrations for our 4 June Community Event – making up the “Hands Up for Conservation!” signs, and meeting all the Club Patrons and Head Teachers. Some schools are over two hours away down twisting rutted roads, encroached by grass and buffalo bean; which we learned is a nasty filament seed that if disturbed by passing vehicles releases spore that on skin contact drive you mad with itching! Luckily, through diligent window winding and Kaye’s immaculate driving by avoiding hitting the vines we have not had to live with that particular local fun-time.

It has been fun and also frustrating at times. Arranging things in Africa – is well, not quite… like arranging things back home. Sometimes a firm arrangement turns out to have been more fluid than you previously thought. Other times – like on Wednesday – the class was all waiting for us, and Kaye and I having done one activity at Kakumbi Basic School, delivered a letter and picked up some supplies then drove home the 45 minutes to Chipembele with the paint and cards – while the class and Rochelle the Conservation Education Outreach in Schools Manager, wondered where we were! It was a misunderstanding – and we are sorry the children from Chiwawatala Basic School Conservation Club missed out on the activity!

Why We Are Here...

Elephant at far left with snare wound. 

On one day as we drove into Mfuwe we were happy to see a relaxed small elephant family, until Kaye spotted one of the younger members, perhaps a 15 year old with a very nasty snare wound quarter of the way up her trunk. It had healed “open’ so one nostril is permanently open and exposed at this point. 

Wire snares and poaching are a major threat to wildlife lives and wellbeing. This particular elephant seems to have adapted and was dust bathing, and using her trunk despite the wound and the obvious nerve damage the stricture had caused.  This kind of encounter is sobering though and puts a colour on the rest of your day/week/year. If she can bear to live with it, we can bear to witness it and try to do something about it for others of her kind. This is why we are here doing what we do.

Open Day Preparations

At home we have been working feverishly to get all ready for the big Open Day. We are expecting anywhere from 20 to 200! There are 110 invited guests who have confirmed attendance, anyway! We are catering on the day for the 110. A challenge for Kaye’s chefing skills – cooking two hot dishes – a vegetarian and meat option, plus rice and Nshima (the local Mealie maize) over open fires. The ordering and storage logistics have been interesting. We have two gas freezers (that double as fridges but tend to freeze anyway) cooler boxes and lots of fresh produce that came in a week early via a great company operating out of Lusaka called Valley Lodgestics – who ‘pick’ orders from wholesalers and supermarkets for delivery to the many tourist lodges and other community based organisations like Chipembele. Local produce has been purchased wherever possible to assist local businesses. One of the event sponsors Flatdogs Camp (an hours drive away) has kindly allowed us to store the more delicate vegetables and fruit in their walk in fridge. Whew! Thanks Flatties!


Practice Runs!

On Thursday twelve young people selected by the Conservation Club Patrons from Grade 8 to 9 came to Chipembele to practice their “job” for Saturday. They are to be “guides” in the Chipembele Wildlife Education Centre. Jude welcomed them from the truck at 9:45 and following biscuits and cordial we had classes and practice runs for the various “stations” in the centre they will be responsible for. There is the “Who came down to the water to drink today?” exhibit outside the centre – made for Chipembele by previous volunteers Michael and Alison. It is a beautifully crafted concrete and blue painted ‘river’ with various realistic footprints of local wildlife stamped from carved woodblocks and painted black in the concrete. The two boys responsible for this exhibit are funny and fabulous – we are worried people will not be able to get away to look at anything else so thorough and engaging are they!

Chipembele team work, refurbishing the "Who Came down to the water to drink today?" exhibit.
From Left to Right: Richarb, Jude, Moses, Rodgers and Victor.

The Classroom and Library each have their “guides” and they talk through what happens in each room. In the interpretive room, three exhibits – “Animals- Skulls, bones and scat” Trees – seeds, wood and habitat” and “Conservation – poaching and anti-poaching” are each ‘guided’ by knowledgeable young people. Many of the children and young people here do not interact with Muzungu’s (White people) often – Anna Tolan of course, Rochelle and occasional visitors. So this will be a really big thing for them to undertake with many Muzungu guests coming on the day. They are all fabulous – the hardest thing to learn was to initiate the conversation. We practiced this part  “Hello, My name is Sunday, from Such and Such School” often and in the end each was confident and stepped forward.  A boy and girl from each school paired up in a Team (The same team names used in class – Leopard, Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo and Zebra) and they worked together in their pairs to come up with what they would say about their area or exhibit. Then we practiced it a few times and refined it all a bit. It was a great day and by the end they were all confident and relaxed with it. Serendipitously, we had guests visit Anna and Steve today and they also kindly came and entered into the spirit of the practice – so the “guides” got to practice 5 times all up with various people wandering in and out of rooms. They did a great job! We know they will be superb on the day and do their schools and Conservation Clubs proud. They will also represent their clubs in a Senior Quiz in front of the gathered guests. The prizes are terrific! But won’t tell you yet ‘cos that would ruin the surprise!

Giraffes

You know how, in the city – where you hardly ever see a Volkswagon Beatle car anymore… when you see one, you end up seeing half a dozen? Well here – that happens with Giraffes. We do not see them everyday – and only ever on the drives from and to Mfuwe. But on Wednesday we were astounded – it appeared that behind every bush, tree and corner was a Giraffe! We suspect there was a Giraffe Convention on in the Lupande Game Management Area! Groups of 8 or 9 which is a big herd (or for the fancier collective nouns… ‘journey’ or ‘elegance’), families of 3 or 4. All seemed intent on heading to the same area. We wondered what the convention might have been about. What do Giraffes talk about in large gatherings? Spots? Neck Ache? How hard it is to get clothes when you are so tall? How all the good leaves seem to be taken by elephants standing on their hind legs these days?

Girly Shrieks

No sure exactly why this has started to happen suddenly – but calm collected and living life in the bush has gone hand in hand… well, almost! Tell us, what would you do when…

You open the wardrobe (half dressed of course) and a spider the size of the bottom of a coke can leaps (yes LEAPS!) out and lands on your chest? Well, Jude found out the hard way, and was astonished to discover that she CAN “Girly Shriek”. Mortified by the loss of dignity and the overt ‘stereo-type’ that this sound and the attendant dance that followed she was determined to never repeat the vocal and physical exercise for anything under the size of breadbox.

Unfortunately, she forgot to tell her brain this new information. The following day, a T-shirt came with its own live frog label. Down the back, on the skin… another ‘Girly Shriek’. Kaye, being made of altogether more ‘manly’ stuff thought this was hilarious until… trying to rescue a praying mantis the size of a baseball bat from inside the bush house before we used the can of “Doom” to kill the malarial mosquitoes – let out a… Girly Shriek when the praying mantis suddenly turned on her, mandibles gnashing and front legs waving!  So we are, in theory – calm in the face of lion, elephant, hippo – but critters that fling themselves at you or decide they are part of your clothes get the “Girly Shriek” treatment whether we want to or not! Please, don’t tell anyone!

Actually, we are not as calm as we like to think we are about lion… One night this week we were, as is a nightly occurrence sitting down at the Chitenge overlooking the river to watch the sunset and drink the obligatory African sundowners… After the sun fully set we were still sitting in the dark, chatting – having moved our chairs a discrete distance from Anna and Steve to have our smokes. From about 500 metres or so away – in the bush came the unmistakable lion call, the deep … “Whaarr, uuugh, uuugh , uuugh. Whaarr, uuugh, uuugh , uuugh”. Trying to look nonchalant about this we crabwalked our chairs the metre and a half sideways to sit up close with Anna and Steve… Hoping they wouldn’t notice. Crabwalking plastic chairs, juggling drinks with fags hanging out of our mouths in a nonchalant manner… makes a LOT of noise! Anna and Steve just laughed at us. At LEAST we didn’t let out ‘Girly Shrieks’!

So another week zooms by – and the big Open Day is almost upon us. Only one more ‘sundowners’ and we are “on!” Wish us luck! Still much to do – but it is coming together and we are confident we have all done as much as we can to make the celebration of Chipembele’s 10^th Birthday a great success. If you would like to make a “10^th Birthday Gift” contribution towards Chipembele’s programmes or projects, please visit: http://www.justgiving.com/10-for-10-Cheer-Squad-2011

Thanks if you do! No worries if you don’t… you know we’ll ask another time anyway …

Waves and Love from the Luangwa.

Jude and Kaye

PS: Kaye drove the ten tonne truck today to help drop the kids back to their various schools. Steve drove it to the “tar’ road and Kaye took it from there! Whooo Hooo! What a hoot. She thought “If only my Mother could see me now…”

PS2: The resident baboon troop came through yesterday. The Bush house is a beautiful “hide”. Here the Alpha male sits relax in the morning sun…