 |
October 1991 |
 |
 |
 | |
|
Marula-Puku Camp
October 12, 1991
Dear Everybody:
When we arrived in the park in 1986, elephants were being shot at the rate of 1,000 a year. This year we have seen only twelve poached elephants. For a period of six months not one elephant was shot.
Survivor is much more timid than he was last year, since the poachers shot at him near our camp. Still, he and Camp Group can be seen browsing on the tall grass near the river several times a week. The other animals in our area are also becoming more accustomed to us. A herd of eight buffalo grazes in camp almost every night, sometimes so close to our bedroom cottage that we can hear their horns raking against the stone walls. This is especially remarkable when you consider that our camp was a poacher's camp just before our arrival.
However, elephant and meat poaching is still a threat to North Luangwa, especially because of the dismal economic situation in Zambia. This year it is predicted that the country is going to completely give out of mealie-meal, the staple food of the people. Hunger will surely stimulate more poaching, thus our Community Service Program is more important than ever. To replace the need for illegal bush meat, we are trying to introduce alternative sources of protein to the people. We have helped sponsor a butchery in Mpika. It's sign reads, "Help Save Wildlife, Buy Beef, Not Bush Meat." We have started a fish farm in Katibunga, a rabbit and poultry unit in Mano and Mukungule, and a grinding mill in Mwamfushi and Fulaza.
We have bought a new airplane, a Cessna 206, which will be based in Nabwalya, south of the park. The pilot, Tom Klein and his wife, Anita, from Alaska, will live in Nabwalya and establish our Community Service and Educational Programs there. This is essential because many of the poachers operate from this village. The airstrip, which we built in Nabwalya, can also be used by the Flying Doctor Service -- a blessing on this remote village, because it is completely cut off from civilization in the rainy season. Edward North, one of our young British assistants, is also setting up similar programs in Fulaza, north of the park. So our project is now active on three sides of North Luangwa.
Earlier this year, four poachers entered the park to murder us for interfering with their illegal activities. Quick work by the game guards thwarted them and two who were captured now work for us -- as supervisors on our road crew. In fact, one of them helped capture a third poacher, whom we also hired.
We have opened our new office in Mpika, which makes it easier for villagers to contact us for assistance. We have started a Wildlife Club for adults in Mpika where we show conservation videos. Just to keep their interest high, we also show them a few Indiana Jones films.
The Educational Program is going very well, and we would like to thank the Dallas Zoo for sending us hundreds of boxes of crayons.
Our hope of involving the local people in the conservation of a national park is working better than we ever hoped. However, this still depends completely on our project. If we were forced to leave tomorrow the remaining hard core commercial poachers would reinvade the park tomorrow night. The ultimate objective is to make them self-sustaining by returning money from the budding tourist industry to the local people, so that they can see a value to conserving living wild animals. This will take several more years. We are willing to keep working, but cannot do so without your help. Thanks so much for your continuing support.
Cheers from the bush,
Delia and Mark
|