TANZANIA: Lucky Leopard Cub Pampered By Kind Lioness

In a very surprising and unbelievable event a lioness was spotted pampering a leopard cub.

They were spotted by Joop Van Der Linde, a guest at Ndutu Safari Lodge in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The scene is the Serengeti; the attentive mother, five-year-old Nosikitok.

The lioness has a GPS collar fitted by Kope Lion, a conservation NGO, and three young cubs of her own.

Dr Luke Hunter, President and Chief Conservation Officer for Panthera, a global wild cat conservation organisation which supports Kope Lion, said the incident was truly unique.

It's not something that I'm aware has ever happened before between large cats like this, he said.

We know there are cases where lionesses will adopt other lion cubs but this is unprecedented.

I know of no other case,between any large cat for that matter where the species has adopted or nursed the cub of another species.

Most lionesses would normally kill a baby leopard if they found one, seeing just another predator in a competitive food-chain.

Dr Hunter says Nosikitok has cubs the same age as the young leopard, two to three weeks.

She was around a kilometre from her den, where her own cubs are hidden, when she found the spotted leopard cub.

She stumbled upon the leopard cub, and she treated it as her own. She has maternal hormones, and this fierce, protective drive that all lionesses have.

It is not clear yet where the baby leopard's mother is, or if the lioness will try to adopt it full-time.

The local safari lodge say there is a resident female leopard there who almost certainly has cubs. And as Nosikitok's pride are unlikely to prove as indulgent as she is, the best outcome for the leopard would be a safe return to mum.

Dr Hunter says his team are on tenterhooks to see what comes next.

It's a unique thing, it will be fascinating to see what happens next.



Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com

TANZANIA: Selous Game Reserve The Last True Stronghold For The African Wild Dog

The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest faunal reserves of the world, located in the south of Tanzania.

It was named after Englishman Sir Frederick Selous, a famous big game hunter and early conservationist, who died at Beho Beho in this territory in 1917 while fighting against the Germans during World War I.

The Selous was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its wildlife and undisturbed nature.

The reserve covers a total area of 54,600 km2 (21,100 sq mi) and has additional buffer zones.

Within the reserve no permanent human habitation or permanent structures are permitted.

All human entry and exit is carefully controlled by the Wildlife Division of the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

Some of the typical animals of the savanna for example African bush elephants, black rhinos, hippopotamus, Masai lions, East African wild dogs, cheetahs, Cape buffaloes, Masai giraffes, Plains zebras, and crocodiles can be found in this park in larger numbers than in any other African game reserve or national park.

The area was first designated a protected area in 1896 by the German Governor Hermann von Wissmann and became a hunting reserve in 1905.

Most of the reserve remains set aside for game hunting through a number of privately leased hunting concessions, but a section of the northern park along the Rufiji River has been designated a photographic zone and is a popular tourist destination.

There are several high end lodges and camps mainly situated along the river and lake systems in this area. Rather difficult road access means most visitors arrive by small aircraft from Dar es Salaam, though train access is also possible.

Interesting places in the park include the Rufiji River, which flows into the Indian Ocean opposite Mafia Island and the Stiegler Gorge, a canyon of 100 metres depth and 100 metres width.

Habitats include grassland, typical Acacia savanna, wetlands and extensive Miombo woodlands.

Although total wildlife populations are high,the reserve is large and densities of animals are lower than in the more regularly visited northern tourist circuit of Tanzania.

Walking safaris are permitted in the Selous, and boat trips on the Rufiji are a popular activity.

A boundary change to allow the use of uranium deposits has been approved. The approval for the boundary change was given by the UNESCO and seriously criticized by environmentalists and organizations e.g., Uranium-Network and Rainforest Rescue.

In 1976, the Selous Game Reserve contained about 109,000 elephants, then the largest in the world.

By 2013, the numbers had dropped to about 13,000 including a 66% drop from 2009 to 2013.

Sources blame corrupt politicians, officials and businessmen who help poachers.

Activities

Much as the typical game drives are only allowed during the day time, you will only find some of the best boat safaris in Africa .

The lodges have got the very best of the walking operations on the African continent, particularly that is to say, Beho Beho, Siwandu and Sand Rivers Selous.

Fly camping trips including long walking safaris and very daring mobile camp set ups are also run by a number of operators. This is such an amazing venture for those clients that like to spend a night or two under the stars.

Three of the finest camps in Tanzania are found within the Selous.A number of them also consider themselves as the best in Africa.

Camps such as the Beho Beho and the Sand Rivers are unique lodges that are and for all activities that popularize the Selous.

Realize value for money at the Selous Safari camp .It is a magnificent tented camp and noted as the best game area of the park. Next to it is the no frills Lake Manze.

It is a daring small camp which is famous for its being on the elephant highway. Impala camp is a bit faraway from here but gives you a luxurious level of comfort yet at a very affordable price.

Rufiji River camp, The Retreat, The Amara Selous and the two Serena properties are the others where you can stay.

Time to visit the Selous Game Reserve.

Do not assume this park at any time of the year. The Selous being a classic dry season park. The best time to visit is during the months of July to October as there are many animals that gather in this park.

For the season you visit, the game gradually improves. Game viewing is only very good throughout the year and in particular areas.

The animals move away from the fertile feeding grounds during the months of January to February and this is the time for you to wisely choose your place of camping. Whilst, this is the perfect time for the best birding.

Selous Game Reserve is Africa's largest game reserve and one of favourite game viewing areas in Africa. Covering 50,000 square kilometres, is amongst the largest protected areas in Africa and is relatively undisturbed by human impact.

Africa’s largest and oldest game reserve is one of its most scenic wildlife destinations; the Selous is utterly beautiful. The beauty of the park is matched by the quality of a safari here; boating, walking and fly camping compliment standard game driving in thriving wildlife areas.

This is an outrageously good safari park and an essential component of any southern circuit itinerary.

The Selous is a superb safari destination for both family safaris and African honeymoons, all the better for the ease of getting there and the lack of crowds. The park has the widest diversity of safari activities in the country, offering the boating safaris as well as standard game drives, walking safaris and legendary fly camping trips.

The Northern section of Selous is home to a network of channels and lagoons that run off the Rufiji River. This lush landscape provides a water supply for the region’s game and towards the end of the dry season the concentration of animals around these water sources is phenomenal.

It is here, around the river and lakes, that the majority of the camps are based; successfully relying on the animal’s need for water to provide game viewing areas. Selous is in its peak season from July through to the middle of November - this when the dry season is raging and all the game homes in on the few permanent water sources.

The sheer volume of game in the Selous is outstanding with statistics putting most parks in Africa to shame.

Elephant, buffalo and lion are ‘arguably’ found in no greater numbers year round anywhere on the planet.

But it is the Selous’ reputation as the last true stronghold for African wild dog that draws the enthusiasts.



Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com

TANZANIA: Tourism Growth Will Need Plenty Of Initiatives

Airline operations demand a lot of financial investments and thus the government might find itself digging deep into its pockets to keep the operations afloat in the contexts of competition, customer demands, and political interventions here and there.

And with time, salvation may lie in joint venturing with experienced airlines, or raising operational funds through selling shares. In whichever option, for both the government and shareholders, profitability will be watched keenly.

For growth in tourism to be achieved, one must see and evaluate the engagement and effective roles of many more stakeholders private and public.

In this lies the differences in our country's tourism efforts and it should not be lost on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to provide enough funds to enable TTB effect its strategic marketing plan.

And no amount of wishful thinking by the ministry on the need for massive advertising will make Tanzania, as a tourism destination, be known unless those wishes are backed up with sufficient funds for advertising and promotion.

For many years, TTB has been under-funded and now is closing even its strategic offices in America And while Kenya and Zanzibar are registering a growth of cruise ships arrivals, little is known of such type of tourists in Dar es Salaam, Tanga or Mtwara ports.

Only in January 2017, Mombasa received 1,050 visitors from a cruise ship Ms Nautica, operated by Oceania Cruises. If growing the tourist numbers into Tanzania is a tall order for whatever reason, the other option, thus, is to ensure the few tourists in Tanzania spend a considerable amount of money on our services and products.

This needs an elaborate strategy whch is inclusive of as many players as possible. According to an American Marketing Guru, Igor Ansoff, there is a market-growth matrix which articulates this option clearly.

In market penetration, tourists can increase the quantity and frequency of consumption if sufficient marketing efforts on Tanzanian products and services are undertaken.

The synergy between TTB and ATC can ensure Tanzania gets regularly good numbers of tourists but it remains to be seen how other local market collaborators, (including hoteliers, tour operators and national parks) play roles.

A growth in numbers would not impact on many Tanzanians. It is therefore a duty of many more players to be intellectually alert, professionally skillful and strategy oriented.

And this needs a concerted policy by one regulator to see to it that no contradiction is seen from any tourism operator. Yes, the advent of the Bombadier planes is a ma jor tonic in tourism and one which expects others to play the game in equal measure so that a correlation of benefits to more players can be seen in a country of many tourism resources.

But this will make sense only when sufficient efforts are applied in hotel grading, upgrading of tourism and hotel training college, infrastructural face-lifts and more funding to the Tanzania Tourist Board to market Tanzania and sensitize Tanzanians of their role and benefits thereof from tourism.

The monitoring and evaluation of the many-in tourism is one area that does not come to the fore of the public interest in a transparent manner, possibly because of the absence of a regulatory authority and policy or mechanism to hold players accountable for what they plan to do.

Tanzania should scale up this important industry to villagers so that they can feel a sense of belonging as the many natural resources exist near their communities.

The legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali once said "The man who has no imagination, has no wings." Whoever thought the makonde carvings and selling should be delegated to the fringes of the city denies this country a lot of tourist pur chases.

Furthermore, the abolition of the Village Museum dance troupes does not see the frustration of tourist market and appetite for cultural exchange and taste. Most tourists come for the difference that our country can offer and we fail to seize these opportunities because of a deficit in creativity.

And all these happen when Baraza la Sanaa and TASUBA, like TTB or ATC, are fully financied by the government and spends more time in Dar while there is a lot of cultural undertakings upcountry that needs to be marketed when tourists visit.

Positioning strategies in tourism for Tanzania have other opportunities in cultural tourism if the one hundred and twenty tribes could be sensitized along the cultural activities unique to each region or tribe like the Maasai dance, Sukuma snake dance or other music folklores, menus and artifacts.

The tourists will enjoy these issues and spend money on them hence enrich the local people out of their poverty. Equally, Karibu Tourism Fair in Arusha and Kili Tourism Fair in Moshi are a pointer of what the private sectors in other regions can do to join the bandwagon of tourism promotional strategy.

In a country where beer industry has a long and vibrant drinking history, the tourists with their drinking fete background would travel in droves to coincide with a beer festival for the drinking season like it is done in Europe.

All this is said here to show how tourists can spend more money while in Tanzania instead of concentrating on the traditional menu of sea, sand and sun or merely the conventional flora et fauna.

Tourists numbers matter but also how much they spend while touring Tanzania counts more hence a need to strike optimal balance between these two factors.

With bombadier planes, let tourists reach Katavi Region to see the rare white giraffes and Manyara Region to see the tree climbing lions while Kigoma Region offers the chimpanzee and the historical ship, Mv Liemba on the second deepest Lake Tanganyika.

In this manner, tourism will be scaled up to the level of a major employer both in urban and rural areas to provide jobs and reduce poverty.

KENYA: Donkeys To Become Extinct In Africa, Large Exports To China For Traditional Medicine

While other African countries are banning the export of donkey skins, Kenya is doing a brisk trade in the commodity so sought after in China.

Gelatin from the skins is used in traditional Chinese medicine ejiao. So far, five countries in the world, four of them in Africa, have barred sales of donkey products out of concern that demand from Asia will quickly outstrip local supply.

Kenya, home to more than 1.8 million donkeys, vital as beasts of burden, doesn’t appear to be worried about that.

Last year officials approved a $3 million donkey abattoir run by two Chinese entrepreneurs in Baringo county, northwest of Nairobi.

It was the country’s second donkey slaughterhouse, after another built in Naivasha the year before. Today, it processes about 600 donkeys a day, from suppliers in Kenya as well as Tanzania.

Over the last two years, a global trade in donkey skins has emerged as ejiao has become popular among middle-class Chinese who prize it as an anti-aging agent, an aphrodisiac, a cure for insomnia or poor circulation, among other health benefits.

At least 1.8 million donkey hides are traded a year, according to a report last month from the Donkey Sanctuary, a British nonprofit.

China’s own donkey population has more than halved since the 1990s, which has increased global demand—estimated at 4 million skins a year, according to the group.

Other African countries are getting into the hide business—ejiao can sell for up to $360 per kg in China.

Ethiopia, with the continent’s largest donkey population of 7.4 million, has built two large-scale, Chinese-owned slaughterhouses.

Cases of illegal “bush slaughter,” where the animals are usually stolen, have been reported in Tanzania, Egypt, and South Africa and beyond.

Gelatin produced from donkey hide is a key ingredient of one of China's favorite traditional remedies, known as ejiao, which is used to treat a range of ailments from colds to insomnia.

But as the rising power shifts towards advanced industry and away from traditional agriculture, donkeys are in decline. State statistics show the population has fallen from 11 million to six million over the last 20 years.

China is now increasingly looking to Africa to boost its stocks, and imports donkeys from countries across the continent. But flourishing trade has hit several roadblocks.

The donkey trade in Africa threatens to raise prices of an animal that is crucial to the survival of many families, especially in rural areas.

In Burkina Faso, one of two countries to ban exports last year, the cost of a donkey went up to £108 from £60 between 2014 and 2016, according to the Donkey Sanctuary.

It’s estimated that one donkey can support a family of six, according to Brooke, an equine welfare charity that spoke out last year against the growing abuse and theft of donkeys for export to China.

Niger recently became the latest African state to ban exports of donkeys, following a surge in sales to China.

Government officials reported that 80,000 animals had been sold in the first 9 months of 2016, compared with 27,000 in 2015, and warned that the donkey population would be "decimated" on current trends.

In August, Burkina Faso took the same step, after 45,000 donkeys were slaughtered in six months from a total population of 1.4 million.

In both cases, the value of donkeys soared and the fledgling industry delivered a valuable stream of foreign currency. But growth came at a cost.

In Kenya, where drought in several areas is expected to worsen, the situation is even more precarious for donkeys.

Working donkeys are vital to people’s livelihoods here—they carry water and food for families, fuel and building materials.

They help people earn the money they use to put food on the table and children in school, said Dil Peeling, head of animal welfare and sustainability at Brooke.

Beyond the severe damage to donkey populations, the new industry caused environmental and economic problems.

The spread of abattoirs generated a backlash. In the Burkinabe village of Balole, local farmers reportedly attacked and closed a slaughterhouse in protest at blood and offal leaking into their water supplies.

The donkey boom also attracted farmers from other livestock trades, which suffered as a result, and were also affected by inflation.

"In Niger and Burkina Faso the rising value of donkey hide and meat created inflationary impact in other sectors," says Dr. Emmanuel Igbinoba. "The price of other animals rose because of the donkey, not because there was demand for this animal, which caused imbalance in the economy."

The exporting countries suffered from a lack of regulation, according to Eric Olander, co-founder of the China Africa Project and host of the China in Africa podcast.

Just as with other livestock, raw materials and other natural resources, the scale of the demand from China is often so large that it can rapidly overwhelm the supply of any single resource, he says.

Governments that trade with China have an obligation to their people to regulate trade so it does not deplete any single resource to the point where it imposes burdens on their own people.

China's huge appetite for donkeys does create opportunities that exporters can benefit from with careful planning, says Igbinoba.

There is steady demand for the gelatin, he says. If African countries can regulate well, with high standard abattoirs, and train people how to rear these animals, the donkey can be an important source of income.

Burkina has announced plans to regulate donkey sales, but will face competition from continental rivals willing to pick up the trade.

Major economies such as Kenya and South Africa are scaling up their facilities to meet Chinese demand, and a black market is also flourishing across the continent.

Chinese demand is expected to increase with a growing consumer class willing to spend on luxury goods such as ejiao.
The challenge for suppliers is to ensure the trade is a blessing rather than a curse.