We haven't had an Africa Safari Blogs update in quite a while due to Bill's extensive trips to Africa. Well - it is time to catch up with what is going on in the world of African Wildlife related safari blogs. If you're a chimpanzee fan - you'll find this blog post particularly of interest. As always, you can find all of our updated Africa Safari blog information from around the world in the Africa Safari News section.

Chimpanzees in Mahale National Park
Photo © Bill Given - February 2008

Baby Chimpanzee Born in Mahale

The Greystoke Mahale Blog is reporting about the birth of a newborn baby chimpanzee. Turns out Totsy had given birth to a baby female at the beginning of September. While all other chimpanzees are very curious to see the baby up close, thus far Totsy is being very protective of her newborn and has yet to let any of the others go anywhere near her.

Chimpanzee Refuge Update

J.A.C.K. - a chimpanzee refuge for orphaned chimps in the Congo - has an update on some of the chimps in the refuge. Apparently some of the chimps were ill and needed to be removed from the larger population. This blog post covers their re-introduction. Some great photos in this update and a bit of insight on the inner workings of chimp society - especially among the younger members.

In another recent development from J.A.C.K. - they recently rescued a baby female chimpanzee "Masika" who belonged to a soldier. Here is the story of the transfer of the chimp within the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She wasn't immediately brought into the refuge due to her size .

For more information about chimps in the refuge and the mission of J.A.C.K., be sure to check out the main website for J.A.C.K.

Africa Safari Blog - Client goes to Mahale for Chimpanzees

When it comes to great safari related information and news, the blot you're reading right now - the Africa Safari Blog at TheWildSource.com is a solid source of information. If you haven't seen the guest post by The Wild Source client - it is a must read. Mona Cavalcoli and her father travelled from New York to Tanzania for the trip of a lifetime. While the entire safari was an incredible experience for them - the time spent with the chimpanzees in the Mahale Mountains was the highlight of their trip.

   

Bonobos - What Are They?

Today's Africa Safari Blog Post of the day comes to us from Dr. Terese Hart who is working to preserve the TL2 forest in the Democractic Republic of the Congo. The TL2 forest is home to the bonobos (pictured) - who reside only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While similar to chimpanzees, they differ in the following significant ways (to name just a few):

• smaller rounder heads
• longer rear legs
• bonobos have red lips

A Female Bonobo

For the full description of Bonobos provided on the website - be sure to check out their page describing bonobos in depth.

Today's blog post from Dr. Hart's site - "Searching for Bonobo in Congo" deals primarily with orienteering and I found it an interesting read. While today's post doesn't deal directly with Bonobos or wildlife species in general, it does discuss the troubles of trying to navigate the Congo - even with GPS. The dense forest can sometimes result in sporadic satellite reception. The post discusses hunting - and making sure that no endangered species are being hunted for bushmeat. I strongly encourage visitors to check out the rest of the posts which deal with the project and other issues related to conservation in the Congo.

Bonobos Video

I was able to dig up this short National Geographic video about bonobos. If you're unfamiliar with Bonobos - this provides a decent introduction - but please ignore the title - these are bonobos - not chimps. Although the narrative is a bit on the corny side - the video does reveal some interesting facts about Bonobos. As you can clearly see in the video - Bonobos walk upright frequently. They are also somewhat unique in the mammal world in that it is the females - not the males - that must leave the troop when they reach adulthood.

You can find great blogs like the one at Searching for Bonobo in Congo in our Africa Safari News and Blogs Section.

   

Safari Blog Post of the Day - July 22nd, 2009

Elephants Battle to the Death in Kenya

When we can, we'll be updating you with quick stories from around the wildlife blogosphere - primarily safari blogs - that safari goers may find interesting.

Today's story is from the Milgis Trust. The Milgis Trust was established in 2004 for the purpose of protecting wildlife and the way of life of local people in Northern Kenya. The Milgis Trust comprises 8000 square kilometers, and its location in Kenya can be viewed in the map below:

This blog post is a short read posted by Helen Douglas-Dufresne of the Milgis Trust which recaps a story of two elephants fighting to the death. Apparently one of the elephants was able to pierce the other's lungs with his tusk leading to his death. The tusks were actually removed from the carcas of the loser of the battle to prevent poachers from collecting the tusks. A photo of one of the tusks along with more details is provided within the blog post.

It is once again time to get everyone up to date on what is going on in the world of safari blogs. All of the safari blog posts here, as well as much more safari related information can be found right here at TheWildSource.com in our Africa Safari News section. I'd also like to point out that we have just discovered a few new blogs that we'll be working into our news section in the near future. These are great safari blogs directly from the camps that I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Safari Blogs This Week!

1) National Geographic - Albino Whale

Although this isn't something you'd typically see on the Okavango Delta or in the Serengeti - it is still a very interesting natural phenomenon. Migaloo - an albino humpback whale was spotted off the coast of Australia this week. This post over at Nat Geo provides all of the details - including video of the easy to spot humpback.

2) WWF International - Rhino Horn Poaching on the Rise

This is obviously unfortunate news. This Report from WWF International documents how rhinoceros poaching in Africa and in Asia is on the rise as demand in Asia for the horns continues to be strong. Some countries believe the horns have medicinal value. It is a popular misconception that some in Asia covet the horn for its alleged aphrodisiac properties - this is not the case. I did some digging and found this article over on the Nature website at PBS.org which describes that the horn is primarily used for dagger handles in Yemen and as a fever reducer in traditional Chinese medicine - and a completely ineffective one at that.

3) Wilderness-Safaris.com - Cheetahs, Lions, and African Wild Dogs

Cheetah Catches - and is chased off of Impala Kill
In this blog post, from the Chitabe Camp in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, the story is told how a hungry looking female cheetah is able to take down an impala. The cheetah feeds while a hyena continuously lurks unable to locate her. The cheetah managed to get quite a large meal in despite the screams of nearby animals including vervet monkeys, squirrels, and birds that alerted the hyena to the kill in the first place. Overall, a good description and timeline of a typical Cheetah kill.

New DumaTau Lion Coalition
Also this from Wilderness Safaris - a blog post about a new male Lion coalition beginning to form. Three of the five sub-adult males are slowly starting to break away from the rest of the pride. The lions leave on excursions only to later meet up with the pride. It is thought that in the near future - all 5 sub-adult males who are approximately the same age - will leave to form a nomadic coalition before challenging to take over a pride.

African Bees Overpower Lions
Finally, from Wilderness Safaris, we get this - a blog post about a pride of lions that was chased off their African Cape Buffalo kill by a swarm of bees. Apparently, the lions disturbed the hive and were repeatedly stung until the calf was eventually dragged away from the stinging horde.

4) Tarangire Lion Project - Lion Mating

We last checked in with the Tarnagire Lion Project back when Bill was on his 2009 Tanzania Safari. This installment describes how project members have come across a collared female who had recently had cubs yet was about to mate with a new male lion. The team suspects this new lion was probably responsible for infanticide.

5) Desert and Delta Safaris blog - Lion Tracking on Foot

A really interesting read about lion tracking from Xugana Island Lodge in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. The guide spotted lion footprints of a pride that was most likely stalking African Cape Buffalo that had just moved through the area. The guide was able to take them to within a good viewing distance of both the lions and the Cape Buffalo.

In a related post, be sure to check out my own experiences with wildlife tracking, as well as what is involved with tracking animals on safari in my previous blog post.

   

It has been over 10 days since the last Safari Blogs This Week update - so let's get everyone up to date. As always, keep in mind, you can find a treasure trove of Safari related news and information - not only about animals, but about countries, culture, and camps in our Africa Safari News section right here at TheWildSource.com

1) National Geographic - Closer to Orangutans Than Chimps?

New Species!
This fascinating read from the National Geographic website reveals that numerous new species were recently discovered in the Mozambique mountains including butterflies, crabs, and snakes.

Orangutans Are Closer Human Relatives Than Chimps?
This interesting blog post covers the interesting - and sure to be controversial conclusion made by scientists John Grehan and Jeffrey Schwartz asserts that humans are actually more closely related with orangutans than with chimpanzees.

2) AWF.org - Tracking a Leopard and Finding Cape Buffalo

A recommended read - this is a story about two scientists who were attempting to track a leopard but were repeatedly thwarted by an African Cape Buffalo whose radio collar was operating on the same frequency as the leopard. The post describes the work involved in tracking wild animals, and how - even with the latest and greatest technology - things don't always go as planned. In this case, the problem was a buffalo that migrated over 100 miles from where it was initially collared.

3) Wilderness-Safaris.com - Aquatic Lions, Wild Dogs, and the Skeleton Coast

New African Wild Dog Pack in Zambia?
In this blog post, an African Wild Dog Pack is discussed. It appears that this African Wild Dog pack of at least six animals has settled in within the confines of South Luangwa National Park in Zambia.

Namibia's Skeleton Coast
Also this from Wilderness Safaris - a blog post about the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. Namibia is a truly incredible but often overlooked destination. The harsh desert environment has forced common safari animals to undergo major adaptations in order to survive.

Aquatic Lions
Finally for this week's Wilderness Safaris update, - an interesting story - with some pictures of some muddy lions and cubs. Turns out that the cubs were forced to swim across a channel right in front of the camp's boat.

4) Mahale Greystoke Blog - Self Medicating Chimpanzees

In this fascinating blog post, tracker Suleman Juma reveals that chimpanzees in the Mahale region roll up fig leaves and swallow them whole - not the typical feeding behavior. Chimps are however known to eat fig leaves when they have parasites - worms. Suleman confirmed that this was the case when examining chimp dung and finding worms attached to these rolled up leaves.

5) Discovery Channel Mountain Gorilla Blog - Gorilla Caught in Snare

The story continues at the Discovery Channel blog about the attempt to remove the remnants of a snare from one of the mountain gorillas. Part 2 describes the unsuccessful attempt to dart Nyandwi (the snared gorilla) and how delicate the human-gorilla interaction truly is in such situations. Fortunately things go much better in Part 3 of the blog installment. The darting goes off without a hitch - but there are so many things that can go wrong in an operation like this. In this case the gorilla begins moving in the wrong direction after waking up.