Poaching in Africa, and everywhere else in the world, has resulted in devastating consequences for wildlife numbers, even leading to the extinction of some species. Wildlife authorities, such as the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), work hand in hand with cooperating partners to address this illegal activity. Many men and women have served, and some are still serving, prison sentences which is the main punishment for poaching. But, what happens after they complete their sentence?
Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) has been reforming poachers since 2002. Their Poacher Transformation program includes empowering individuals in new skill sets for sustainable livelihoods – such as conservation farming, bee keeping and carpentry. They do this because they found that once a poacher had completed their jail sentence, they often went back to poaching. It became clear that the main driver for this was poverty and food insecurity, especially among people living in game management areas.
To-date, COMACO has reformed over 1,700 poachers who have become productive members of their communities and who are now earning legal incomes from sustainable sources.
The COMACO Poacher Transformation program has spearheaded the formation of the Transformed Poachers Association of Zambia. This was established to look at the welfare of its members and help to reform people who are still engaged in poaching.
Their program has given hope for more sensitisation on the importance of conservation within local communities, providing an ally to the DNPW and other organisations involved with wildlife conservation. It also promotes a peer-driven transformation of poachers into productive citizens that positively contribute to healthy wildlife populations.
To find out more about the Transformed Poachers Association of Zambia visit COMACO at itswild.org
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Helicopter Operations & Elephant Collaring
Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ), along with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), have been fortunate to receive support for helicopter operations in and around Lower Zambezi National Park since 2019. This program has proven to be a very effective and beneficial tool in assisting their Wildlife Protection Programme.
During October, CLZ under took a successful helicopter operation, which included the collaring of six local elephants. The main aim of the collaring is to gain an insight into their movements in the local area by collecting and analysing useful data. This data will then help to keep track of elephant movements to both ensure increased protection against poachers and to assist the local community in human-wildlife conflicts.
CLZ thanked the Frankfurt Zoological Society for supporting the helicopter program through INL funding and the Elephant Crisis Fund for funding of the elephant collaring.
Wildlife Ranger Challenge
CLZ was one of the many conservation NGOs that took part in the Tusk UK’s Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2020. Their objective was to raise funds for conservation organisations across Africa. Their scout team joined in the gruelling challenge by running 21kms, carrying backpacks weighing a hefty 22kgs.
The team proved their strength and were proud to announce that they finished 9th, out of the 41 Africa wide teams who took part. This was a huge accomplishment, especially during the hot October temperature. CLZ also thanked Tusk UK for assisting with much needed funds.
Workshops in Rufunsa
This year CLZ conducted their first ever Anti–Snare Campaign and Living with Elephants Community workshops in the Rufunsa GMA. An incredible 115 community members participated, including the Chief in Mphuka. The purpose of their workshops are to increase conservation awareness – and included showing the negative effects that wire snares have on their local wildlife. They also taught different ways on how people can live harmoniously with their wildlife – particularly elephants. CLZ thanked the International Elephant Foundation for their support in holding these workshops.
You can read more news from CLZ in their online October Newsletter and on their Facebook Page
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A recent report from BBC News says that Scientists have been able to sequence and record the genomes (the genetic make-up or ‘code of life’) of bird species from almost every branch of their family tree. The 363 species’ genomes, which include 267 that have been sequenced for the first time, have been catalogued in a paper in the Journal of Nature.
The list features more than 92% of the world’s avian families, revealing the code for things “Darwin was intrigued by and wrote about”, Dr Michael Braun from the Smithsonian Institution told BBC News. From their diversely coloured feathers, to the huge range in body sizes and flight speeds, “it’s all coded for in the genome”, he said. He added that this milestone is “just the beginning”.
The Bird 10,000 Genomes (B10K) Project aims to include genomes from every living bird species. Dr Braun said it was the domestic chicken that was used as the “model species” to study some of the more extreme examples of avian evolution which included how huge flightless birds, like the ostrich, has evolved.
The humble chicken was used as their ‘model species’
“We’ve intensively studied limb development in the chicken,” he said, “and we can apply that to this group of birds called the ratites – birds like the ostrich and emu. With the evolution of flightlessness, there were a lot to changes in the limb anatomy – wings get short, flight feathers become useless, their legs get longer and they lose toes, because they’re running instead of perching. With these resources, you have the detail – the code – of how that happened.”
The project is finding new data on globally threatened species which could be used by conservation geneticists to help reduce the extinction of bird species, especially those with tiny population sizes.
You can read the full article – Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics – in The Nature Journal
Feng, S., Stiller, J., Deng, Y. et al. Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics. Nature 587, 252–257 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2873-9
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This week, two new ebooks, dedicated to bats, have just been published
Bats About Kasanka
“One of Africa’s greatest wildlife spectacles” – every year the world’s largest mammal migration takes place in Zambia – when an estimated 10 million African straw-coloured fruit bats gather at the picturesque Kasanka National Park. But did you know that Kasanka is also home to a wide variety of bat species, ranging from the tiny Banana bat to the rare Dobson’s pipistrelle?
Your dedicated 2020 Bat Season safari eguide is now available online. This handy ebook has been fully updated with colour photos, descriptions and fascinating facts on all the diverse bat species that live and visit Kasanka, including a full bat guide and useful bat species check-list. It is also includes detailed park maps, a history of how the bats became famous, advice on planning your Kasanka Bat Safari, listing all the accommodation and activities on offer, along with handy travel tips and useful links.
Bats About Kasanka is available in epub format for ereaders and the static pdf format for your laptop and mobile devices from www.arczambia.com and on www.amazon.co.uk for your Kindle.
This year, park visitors can receive a free copy to download before they go on their Bat Safari adventure – so don’t forget to ask about how to download a copy when booking. The price has also been reduced to US $2.99, making it affordable for anyone wanting to find out more about these amazing mammals. Bats About Kasanka is a Zambian publication with all proceeds going directly into conservation projects.
So, whether you are planning to visit, or just want to find out more about the world’s largest mammal migration and the wide variety of bats that live at Kasanka, then the Bats About Kasanka fact-filled eguide is your ideal bat safari companion.
Bats of Southern and Central Africa
The 2nd edition of Bats and Southern and Central Africa is now available. It is a must-read for everyone wanting an in-depth understanding of the biology and natural history of bats, including bat biologists, students, naturalists, enthusiasts, and for those of us considering conservation of these fascinating and ecologically important, but highly misunderstood mammals.
This revised edition supplements the previous 2010 edition, with full accounts of the then known 166 bat species found in Southern and Central Africa and now includes eight newly described species.
There are chapters on evolution, biogeography, ecology and echolocation which have all been updated, citing dozens of recently published papers. It covers the latest systematic and taxonomic studies, ensuring that the names and relationships of bats reflect current scientific knowledge. Species accounts provide descriptions, measurements and diagnostic characters as well as detailed information about the distribution, habitat, roosting habits, foraging ecology and reproduction of each species. The updated species distribution maps are based on six 100 recorded localities.
This new edition also includes new photographs with an updated sonograms aid with bat identification in acoustic surveys. The bibliography, containing more than 700 entries, is an invaluable aid to students and scientists wishing to track down original research.
You can find out more information and get your copy of Bats of Southern and Central Africa at Wits University Press
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Today’s Bats Without Borders Webinar
Don’t miss today’s Bats Without Borders Webinar about Bats in the Namib Desert. Dr Theresa Laverty is today’s guest speaker and will be sharing her stories about bats in the desert in Namibia at 15 hrs (CAT). Being mostly desert, Namibia has its own unique and fascinating biodiversity, and its wildlife live within its spectacular and rugged landscapes.
To join in, please pre-register at www.batswithoutborders.org. You can also catch and watch again all their previous Winged Wednesdays Webinars on their website.
Watch Moses Chibesa being interviewed about Kitwe’s visiting bats
If you would like to find out more about the bats which are currently migrating to Zambia then watch Moses Chibesa’s interview with journalist Mrs Phiri, about the straw-coloured fruit bats that are currently roosting in the urban areas of Kitwe and at Kasanka National Park. You can find his interview on his Facebook Page
Do you have bat stories to share?
Bat Conservation Africa (BCA) would love to hear your bat stories. They are starting a new project – #bat conservation and storytelling and would love to hear your favourite stories about bats and your personal experiences with bats.
To find out more visit Bat Conservation Africa’s Facebook Page and you can share your story by visiting Technische Universität Berlin. You could even win a prize for sharing your bat stories!
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