Conservation and Community News

4/1/2022

Vaccinating Domestic Dog Populations to Save the Wild Dog

The Natural Selections Foundation has been working together with the Maun Animal Welfare Society (maws) and Botswana Predator Conservation Trust to vaccinate village dogs in order to protect the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) population. 

 

 

 

 

 

African wild dog is the most threatened of Africa's iconic apex predators with a current IUCN status of "endangered." Apart from habitat fragmentation, one of the primary threats to the African wild dog is the species susceptibility to viral diseases such as Canine Distemper Virus (CDV). CDV is easily transmitted from domestic dogs to African wild dogs, especially for a wide-ranging species in an increasingly shrinking environment.

 

 

 

 

 

To date the program has administered a 5-in-1 vaccination which covers Canine Distemper, Adenovirus, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Parainfluenza, to 87 domestic dogs.

Natural Selections Botswana camps include Jack's Camp, San Camp, and Tuludi, and your stay assists its foundation with important conservation initiatives, such as this one. For a full summary of the vaccination program please click here

 

 

 

Amboseli Trust for Elephants Celebrates 50 years of Research and Advocacy

The Amboseli Trust for Elephants is celebrating its golden anniversary! For the past 50 years, the organization has collaborated with over 30 scientists and researchers from international academic institutions to publish over 135 scientific papers, articles, and edited volumes. The organization's contributions to science have covered a wide array of study topics including elephant social dynamics, behavior, reproduction, and population genetics. The Trust has also made significant contributions to conservation and capacity building, as well as the well-being of elephants in captivity. Neighboring Tortilis Camp proudly supports this esteemed organization and the important work that it undertakes for Africa's gentle giants.

 

Wilderness Safaris' Foodprints Initiative

The culinary experience is a highlight of any safari journey, and Wilderness Safaris is ensuring that its camp offerings are healthy, delicious, and sustainable. For example, newly appointed Executive Chef at Botswana's Mombo Camp, Tonderai (Tondi) Chipfupi has created an Earth-to-table menu that embraces the camp's sustainable food ethos: celebrating regional produce, reducing food waste, and collaborating with local farmers and artisans.

 

 

 

 

"Our guests' food experience is a journey in itself, and we want them to feel truly indulged as they discover local ingredients and learn about this spectacular wilderness area," Tondi says. "We believe that the more food is locally grown, the more we can reduce our 'foodprint,' strengthen our ties with the community, and create a healthier, more harmonious environment for all of us."

 

 

  

 

Supporting neighboring communities, Mombo uses heirloom produce from the area to craft memorable dining moments with signature dishes. To reduce food wastage, Tondi endeavors to use whole ingredients from root to stem and balance meat- and plant-based choices on the menu to reduce Mombo's foodprint without sacrificing flavor, whether a traditional Botswanan dish, or sophisticated global fare.

 

 

Female empowerment in the Mara

 

 

In honor of International Women's Day, Kenya's Maa Trust is celebrating the women who are forging change – for themselves, for their families, for their communities, and for the future. The Trust is a non-profit organization empowering communities through various projects in order to increase the benefits of wildlife and conservation to Maasai families.

 

 

 

In Maasai culture, there are few opportunities for women to earn a monetary wage, but generating their own income affords them the means to address their greatest needs at home. The Maa Trust team travels door-to-door and holds meetings with local communities to assess those needs, asking questions such as: What are the greatest challenges the women face in their homesteads? Which chores are most time-consuming and prevent economic productivity? Where could savings make the most meaningful improvement for the future?

 

The Maa Trust projects focus on up-skilling the Maasai women for vital income generation that empowers them to benefit their families and community. To date, Maa Beadwork is The Trust's largest income generating program for women, with 579 women currently engaged. Another successful initiative is elephant-friendly Kitchen Gardens where a group of 15 women from the Maasai Mara have been trained to create and manage kitchen gardens that now supply neighboring camps with fresh vegetables. The Maa Trust's Street Business School has been created to educate women in the art of becoming entrepreneurs.  

 

These are only a few of the many exciting stories emerging from The Maa Trust's projects, where women are being empowered to not only generate income but also reduce household poverty, which has exponential benefits for the future as lives are transformed.

 Ellen DeGeneres Campus

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, established in 1967, works to protect and study gorillas and their habitats and to empower people who live near their forest home. With a team of almost 300 working in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Fossey Fund is the world's longest-running and largest organization dedicated entirely to gorilla conservation. This year, the organization moved to its first permanent, purpose-built home, the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Nestled in a beautiful, reforested landscape near the Volcanoes National Park it can be visited during a stay at Bisate, Kwitonda, Gorilla's Nest, or Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge.

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