"On foot, the pulse of Africa
comes through your boot"
Peter Matthiessen - "The
Tree Where Man was Born"
James and Jan were invited to
go as guests on a unique adventure to Kenya by LEWA WILDLIFE
CONSERVANCY, to work hands on with researchers, scientists and
wildlife vets for 10 days. James and Jan shadowed these researchers
as they made their daily rounds studying two very endangered
species - the Black Rhino and Grevy's Zebra. They stayed next
to the research station in a cottage and had full use of their
own vehicle and guide. James and Jan were very excited about
this opportunity to get "boots on the ground" in Africa
and work shoulder to shoulder with the researchers and scientists
to learn more about these magnificent creatures. There was also
all the other wildlife one would expect to see in Northern Kenya:
reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, elephant, cape buffalo, common
zebra, lions, cheetahs, leopards (and they were very lucky to
spot wild dogs that had been seen on the property lately - something
they had both been hoping to see for many years).
The trip was March 1 - 10, 2009,
and James and Jan endeavoured to update this area (as was available
in camp) while they were there with real time photos of them
in the field.
James and Jan will document
their adventure with photographs, journals, sketchbooks and ultimately
studio paintings, with the idea of giving lectures and presentations
about the plight of these two endangered species and the work
that LEWA is doing. Ultimately the goal will be to have a museum
exhibition of James' photos and Jan's paintings as a fund raiser
for LEWA. Negotations are in the final stages with a major museum
at this time with the exhibition tentatively planned for May
2010.
Founded in 1995, the Lewa
Wildlife Conservancy (LWC) spans 62,000 acres and serves as a
catalyst for conservation across northern Kenya. Lewa holds 12%
of Kenya's black rhino population and the largest single population
of Grevy's zebras in the world.
Through the protection and
management of endangered species, the initiation and support
of community conservation and development programmes, and the
education of neighbouring areas in the value of wildlife, Lewa
has become Kenya's leading model for wildlife conservation on
private land, leading destination for low-impact conservation
tourism, and leading catalyst for conservation, and its direct
benefits for communities, across the region. The Conservancy
is also home to the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), an innovative
partnership with a number of communities to the North who put
land aside for wildlife conservation. www.lewa.org.
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