|
Mahale
After three days of
traveling by plane and by boat, all eleven of us finally
arrived at our camp in Mahale, on the shores of Lake
Tanganyika. I immediately realized that we are no
longer in the US but in a place that looks like a scene
from a movie (Tarzan). A thousand pictures could not
even begin to capture what I was seeing. Mountains as
far as I could see were covered in lush green trees and
vines. The forest is so dense it looks impenetrable,
the beach is sand scattered with empty shells, quartz
rocks, and yellow baboons. Looking up, birds and bats
share the skies with thousands of red and gold dragon
flies. There are thousands of different plant and
insect species alone in Mahale which reminds me that
human beings are not so special (unique). We are just a
part of the whole system/cycle of life. As a part of
this system, we must always remind ourselves how
precious it is and that we need to always be conscious
of our actions as everything we do has unknown
consequences for other organisms that share our world.
For example, on our third day of chimpanzee tracking in
the rainforests of Mahale, we came across one chimp high
up in the forest and then we crossed paths again later
in the day but much closer to camp. This served as a
reminder that our wild and majestic cousins need a lot
of space to roam and produce natural behaviors. We
humans create problems for wild animals simply by taking
up space. If you think about it, they need much of the
same basic things we need such as food, water, and space
to live. And if by changing our actions, we can help
give other species a better life, than I am willing to
try. I am also eager to let others know how they can
help as well. We have an enormous need for
biodiversity, many different species, on earth.
Biodiversity of plants and animals creates the links
that hold together our world. Without different species
we may not even exist.
The day that really made
me realize this was our last day when we hiked for hours
along the heavily wooded trails behind our campsite. We
had intended to find many different bird species but
instead we filled the whole time by looking at plants
and insects that were all so different than anything
back in the USA. We even had a chimp cross our path.
Everything whether big or small, mammal or mushroom,
should e appreciated and conserved for future
generations.
Gombe
A two-hour boat ride
from the sandy shores of Kigoma will land you at the
entrance to Gombe, the famous research site of Jane
Goodall. The boat that goes to Gombe is truly an
African adventure. Although I am sure it is not as
primitive as the boats Dr Jane Goodall had to take to
get here. The boat is wooden with just enough seating
for the eleven of us with a canvas top, open sides and
only one propeller. Boating along the shoreline gives
us all a view into the lives of the people of Kigoma.
We have often been told, and we see, how much they
depend on the lake. The shores are lined with fishing
villages and the lake is spotted with fishermen. The
people of Kigoma and Mahale have really wowed me with
their kind spirits and hardworking personalities. For
example, the fishermen use wooden boats. most of them
do not have gas engines/props., with small nets and
lines. They spend hours a day fishing out on the lake,
which can become very rough, in the hot sun in order to
make a living for themselves or for their families.
This just serves as a reminder to me that nothing in
life comes easily and we must work hard for everything
that we want. But I especially hope that I am able to
take home with me the kind spirit of these people
instead of getting caught up in my own life too much.
We should all remember our role in life is, in part, to
make our communities a better place – as the people of
Kigoma should work to preserve their natural land and
keep the Lake viable so too should we try to keep
whatever palace we are living in free from too much
human disturbance.
Reflecting on the people
and communities that surround Gombe is important because
these people are critical for conservation efforts. We
can recycle, buy organic and do other eco-friendly
actions as much as we like at home but the people here
have a direct influence on the Gombe wildlife and
especially the chimpanzee.
Stepping off of our
wooden boat onto the shores of Gombe is like stepping
into the pages of one of Jane Goodall’s books. Olive
baboons line the shores as if they are greeting us.
This place already feels magical. We are taken by boat
everywhere we need to go – such as our camp. Our first
hike leads us along the same paths that Dr Jane herself
walked starting in 1960. When the trackers found
chimps, we were guided along a path leading to them.
The first chimp we saw
was famous Gremlin who has been around since Jane
Goodall first started her research. Seeing this
particular chimp reminds me that their longevity is just
another characteristic we share with chimps.
For the rest of that
afternoon, we spent time observing their social
interactions which seem almost as complex as those of
humans. The third and last day of chimp tracking
illuminated another very important aspect of their lives
which is home range. The chimps of the K.K. group were
much further on the last day. This need for a large
home range serves as a reminder that Gombe may
eventually be too small. The park is an isolated pocket
of land which houses 106 chimps with a limited gene
pool. For this reason it is important to involve the
local people to perhaps conserve/preserve land to make
into corridors to promote the survival of these
beautiful creatures that share things such as our
genetics, complex social interactions, and strong
maternal child bonds. We must always remember that we
are just one part of the world and helping to teach
people will promote conservation which I think is a good
job for us CACs to do.
|
