Elephants in Tanzania

Monday 8 September 2014

The Village Meetings

Rainbow light strikes pink flocks of distant flamingoes on plains of East Africa
This was not my first village meeting. In fact, I can’t remember how many times I have sat, surrounded by the Masai in their red shukas, discussing land, poaching, charcoal burning and conservation.

This was the first meeting, however, for Liz, my niece and protégé.

We had been called to Ol Tukai village to talk about our leased area and the conservation development work we are doing there.

We left Arusha to arrive for a meeting starting at 10 a.m. We sat outside the village offices, greeting the tribal elders, elected officials and the women as they slowly arrived over the next four hours.

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Positive Steps at Wildlife Reserve's One-Year Mark

Floodplains of Ol Tukai Manyara, with views of the Rift Valley escarpment — part of the
Radilen and Manyara ecosystem that provides protected habitat to wildlife

Wednesday, April 2 will probably go down as the most rewarding day in all my years living and working in East Africa.

This was the day the Monduli District Government met with our East African Safari and Touring Company, other private investors, wildlife NGOs and the six Masai communities we work with to discuss the new Radilen Wildlife Management Area (WMA).

After this meeting, I can at last announce that things are moving ahead in a very positive way.