Since the start of this consulting trip to DRC/Congo it was my plan to post more frequently in my blog about our work here with the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS)--see previous two posts #1 and #2. But given the difficult logistics and poor internet connection I will have to do more later. See also the brief photo album on my Facebook page from the first ten days around Lubumbashi, Katanga, DRC.
BLOG POST / UPDATE:
So, to bring my friends and family up to date--over the last ten days, since the meetings in Lubumbashi, Michael McBride and I have had the privilege of visiting "on-the-ground" the two largest parks in SE DRC/Katanga which are the focus of the FZS project--see Upemba National Park Conservation Project.
Some of the last remaining zebra in the DRC--there are somewhere between 10-30
still in the park; back in the early days (1930-50's) there were thousands.
Below are a few photos from both parks that illustrate the conservation values that are truly spectacular and which need protection--I will say much more later. Enjoy and come back for more!
Kundelungu National Park
Miombo Woodland on the Kundelungu Plateau
Mazanza Falls on the escarpment looking east toward Tanzania and Zambia
Wading across the falls to hike down to the bottom with Zacharie the ICCN Guide
who has been here for 32 years
who has been here for 32 years
The Upper Mazanza Falls before it tumbles over the escarpment
Late afternoon on the savanna grassland where we saw a beautiful pair of Crested Cranes doing their mating dance
Upemba National Park
Kyubo Falls outside the park on the Lufira RiverA beautiful lone tree on the savanna--note new green
in foreground from a recent fire
The tall grass savanna & a trail heading off to the right near Lusinga Station
The sun rising in the east as seen from our windows at Lusinga Station
Greetings at the entrance to Lusinga Station
Late afternoon light on the savanna & some lone trees & shrubs
Sunset on at Lusinga Station
Beautiful scraggly trees on the savanna near Lusinga Station
Our local guide--the schoolmaster at Lusinga Station--takes us for a walk on the savanna
Some of the last Zebras in Upemba NP
Some of the last Zebras in Upemba NP
Some of the beautiful small-scale biodiversity which is
still abundant here--if you look for it
still abundant here--if you look for it
Bob Ford on the Upemba savanna near Lusinga Station
Enjoy this brief glimpse of two great parks in the DRC--I will come back later with much more when we have better Internet connection. My best!
Bob Ford, Lusinga Station, Upemba national Park, DRC/Congo, Katanga
Hi there!
ReplyDeletebeautiful park, I'd love to see it one day and hope those Zebras bounce back. More overlooked though are the Upemba lechwe antelopes, a unique species only recently described as a separate species. They're critically endangered, do you know what their current status is in their last refuge in the park? I imagine they don't enjoy the same protection as the zebras as they wouldn't inhabit the plateu habitat?
You're absolutely right! There is a biologist right now starting a biodiversity status survey. In next few weeks we'll have a better understanding of the Lechwe status... Check back with us soon!
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