Following the tremendous support I got from family, friends and colleagues in the USFWS MENTOR program, I was able to resume my bushmeat field assessment last Saturday, on full time basis. That day I interviewed two high profile personalities in Kenya;

1. Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick of David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

2. Dr Mike Norton-Griffiths, a well-known Wildlife economist in East Africa.

Sunday is usually my family day and I spent the day at Sheldrick’s Orphanage. I was touched by what I saw when I saw the elephant Orphans first hand after the Interview with Dr Dame Daphne the previous day. The elephant orphans at the orphanage are brought from all corners of the country after they lose their parents. They are taken care of and brought up by keepers who from a strong bond with these orphans. Most of them are orphaned by escalating human-elephant conflict in Kenya.

Iregi Mwenja and Iregi Mwenja Jnr. holding an elephant calf at the Sheldrick’s

Calves drinking milk

This project offers the public an excellent chance to interact with elephants and see how tenders and gentle these magnificent animals are. My son and daughter had a great time playing with calves and also watching them drink milk, wallow in shallow pool, play soccer and communicate with their keepers.

Today, I spent the entire morning talking to Ian Parker, who served as a warden in Kenya in the 1950s and most of his life working on wildlife sector.

Tomorrow morning I will be joining a desnaring team at Tsavo East to get first hand experience on anti-poaching efforts, interact with poachers and bushmeat traders and bushmeat consumers. This is an opportunity I have not had since starting my field assessment.

Life goes on.

Iregi Mwenja

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