Page 5 - Chiron Calling Autumn 2019
P. 5

 Wildlife and wild places have never been more threatened or more fragile. The conservation of wildlife, especially African wildlife, has always been something I’ve felt passionate about. Which is why I jumped at the chance to volunteer for 5 weeks on a conservation project in the Congo basin collaring forest elephant. Forest elephant are one of two sub- species of elephant which reside on the African continent. They are the lesser known, smaller of the two, which inhabit predominantly the jungles of the Congo basin. Elephants in general are being targeted for their ivory, but none more so than the forest elephant. Not only is the ivory denser than that of its savannah cousins, which makes it more prized for the ability to carve more intricate designs increasing its value on the Asian market, but by their very nature forest elephants live in one of the last great wildernesses, an area which makes law enforcement and the tracking of poachers incredibly difficult. This means that in some of the more remote areas of the forest it is ‘open season’ on forest elephant, with tens of thousands having been slaughtered for their ivory in the past decade. The scale of the tragedy is incomprehensible, in places multiple individuals slaughtered at a time, entire family groups wiped out to make trinkets and ornaments.
Tracking collars contain many of the same devices and electronics you would find in a mobile phone, but these are ruggedized and optimised to facilitate the long periods of time these trackers will be on the elephant. Just like in your phone, these devices can send GPS locations at set intervals, and the accelerometers can tell when the animal is running or static. The collars can last for 2 years + and weigh in at approximately 14kg. This is nothing for a forest elephant, which can weigh up to 2 tonnes, but certainly gives us humans a challenge when we have to carry all kit, food and equipment in to the forest on foot.
The information collected from these collars is used to learn more about the behaviour and habits of the elephant, so they can be better protected, but also as a warning device for when an elephant is attacked. Using this information rapid response teams can be dispatched to
Blood sample collection from an anaesthetised forest elephant
A Ranger surveys a baï (forest clearing) where elephant were recently poached
Conservation of Wildlife and Wilderness is something that is at crisis point
By Capt Richard Harvey – Reserve Veterinary Officer – 101 MWD Sqn
catch the poachers.
We took a 4 x 4 as far as the network
of old logging roads extended, then a pirogue (a small canoe made from a hollowed tree trunk) down the river and through the rapids; from there it was on foot. All kit, food and equipment for the next 10 days on our backs. We set up a temporary camp 10-15km into the forest and from there each day was finding a fresh track and following it until we found an elephant. We kept going until we found them or it got too dark, this could be a couple of hours or it could be all day and many kilometres later, the tracks often winding through thick bush, streams, rivers, swamps and bogs.
The operation to track and collar forest elephant shares many of the same aspects taught and learnt through the military. It is all about leading a team in stressful, austere and dangerous conditions; it is about the physical and mental resilience to get the job done, and the courage to work in an environment filled with threats. There is the threat of poachers, which would more than likely shoot you on sight. Then there is the elephant themselves, who, having faced many years of constant attack coupled with the loss of family members, have grown aggressive and
Capt Harvey takes a venous blood sample from an anaesthetised and recently collared forest elephant
wary of human contact. In such a closed environment, where they are faster, stronger, move silently and with a much superior sense of hearing and smell, they are big risks! Then there is the ever- present threat of the jungle itself, which at times seems it is out to get you: the water, stained brown to black by tannins looks like coffee, there are vines and creepers which trip you at every turn, and thorns which slice hands and face, or embed themselves deep into your flesh only to fester and get infected within a couple of days. The ever-present bite and sting of insects which carry with them the threat of malaria or worse, not to mention snakes, spiders, scorpions. Combine all of this with working in an environment where the only means of communication is a satellite phone, no access by helicopter or vehicle, and the only possible method of extraction is the 30+ km hike you took in, followed by a couple of days on dirt roads to the nearest city. In this environment even a sprained ankle can present a serious risk. The jungle is unforgiving, and requires personal admin, foot care, and equipment care to be on top form.
There is no doubt in my mind that the ability to live and function in this environment has been fostered by the
Home sweet home, a typical temporary camp in the forest
    CHIRON CALLING 3



















































































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