Pictures from Savannah Land

Finally got a Bush Baby Shot! Looks to be Galago senegalensis

This Blog is gonna be more about pretty pictures then an actual entry, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!


One of the goals of A Rocha Ghana is to really immerse tourists and locals alike into the "Savannah land experience" in order to garner more appreciation and respect for the natural beauty of Africa. By advertising the beauty and importance of the natural eco-systems of Africa, A Rocha is helping to further conservation efforts for African flora and fauna through-out Ghana! With this in mind I present to you, the Savannah!

The African Grey Hornbill Tockus nasutus

As of yet unidentified snake crossing the trail

Gigantic Termite mound just behind my house!

sunset over the Savannah, perfect way to end a day!

A lot of bizarre Mantis species here! One even put an egg case (Ootheca) on my field boot!

Crocodile Rock!

11-23

Hey Everyone gonna post another quick blog here to show off some pictures!

My friend Suk (last name Nuhu) and I went to the Dam to attempt and capture crocodiles tonight for the first time. It was a mixed bag until we checked the last section of the pond,a small run off area that seems to serve as sort of a rookery for juveniles. I was able to snag my first Nile Crocodile from here!

The little beauty measure 62cm on the dot from head to tail and is totally gorgeous! I am on cloud nine right now! I notched the little buggers scutes for future identification purposes and applied some Betadine solution just for precautionary measures.

Just wanted to show this little bugger to everyone back home!  I feel incredibly blessed to be able to see and interact with these animals in their natural habitat!

Ok Peace out everyone and God Bless!

“The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower, the righteous run to it and are safe”- Proverbs  18:10

Which is more fierce, the Crocodile or my Beard?

Notching some scutes with my handy dandy dissection kit!

All finished, Ready to take em back!

Ready to Roll Out!

11-21

Hey Everyone, this is likely to be my last blog for at least two weeks as the network in Kulmasa is very limited. I just wanted to post  a small entry to update you guys on my situation!

I’ll be heading to Kulmasa at 5am Ghana time to get my equipment and supplies set up in my temporary quarters while I’m there performing the crocodile survey. I will be there for two weeks straight meeting with the locals involved with pond and performing the project, before I return to Damongo to report on the site and the progress of the survey.  

They will be letting me stay free of charge in a guesthouse where I will be able to pay for some of the local women to cook my meals for me. This will definitely help me limit the amount of items I bring and thus save me more cash and hassle haha!

This all extremely exciting to me as I will now OFFICIALLY begin the crocodile survey in Kulmasa. Something I cannot wait for!

I hope everything is going wonderful at home! I will probably be unable to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving on the exact day, so a happy early-thanksgiving to everyone back home! GO PACKERS BEAT THE LIONS!

Much Love to Everyone and God Bless!

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth”- 1 John 3:18

P.S. By popular demand here are some updated pictures of  the Ghana beard in Action, as well as few other random pictures for fun! Love you all!

The Beard via Derek Zoolander!

Hand full of baby turtlezzzz!

Close up! Dontcha just wanna pinch his little cheeks!

Getting Scientific….. Or at Least Trying!

11-14 

In the words of the late great Steve Irwin... What a Beauty! Just look at his eyes!

 Hey Everyone!

I’m fresh back from a long but exciting day! Michael (from A Rocha) and I woke up at around 630am today to catch the bus to the upper western village of Kulmasa.  Kulmasa’s name roughly translates to cold pond in the native tongue, and it is the site of a large dam. This dam is where the crocodile survey will be performed.  

 Legend has it a very long time ago,  Kulmasa’s founding chief was on the run from a neighboring country. As he ran from his enemies he came to a lake and used several floating logs to cross it. When he got to the other side he looked back and noticed all the men chasing him we’re being devoured by these “logs” in the water. He realized that these were not logs, but crocodiles that had spared him and allowed him to cross and also protected him from his enemies. From that day on he declared that no one in the newly founded Kulmasa will take crocodile meat, and they shall live in harmony with the animals till the end of time.  Now onto the “sciencey” stuff!

Daryl, Michael, James, the Mole park staff, and I have all been discussing back and forth about the most efficient way(s) and cost effective ways to establish a survey of the crocodile population. Establishing it not only for the short time that I’m here, but for long term so that monitoring can continue long after I have left.

Originally my idea was to work with staff from Mole to trap and mark individuals though well documented means.  However there are two flaws that won’t enable a conventional  “mark-recapture” project to occur. 1) The Mole staff do not have the funds to travel to Kulmasa all the time so I would be with little or no help when attempting to capture adult crocodiles (IE Not a good idea, and not going to happen!), 2) The Adult crocodiles are the Eco-Tourism “Sell” of Kulmasa and potential capture and tagging/marking could hinder their ability to market the “friendliness” and harmonious relationship the crocodiles and people share if said crocodiles were to become people shy after the procedure.

So from here we discussed alternate options and came to an idea I got from watching my best bro Matt Nicholson doing work on Great White Shark fin IDs. He is using special software that works by analyzing the contour and shapes of dorsal fins to distinguish between individuals and thus create a “capture” or sighting history of the individual without even needing to mark or capture it.  As some of you know the crocodiles have large modified scales on their tails known as scutes, a feature that got the wheels in my head turning! I contacted Matt shortly after thinking of  using a similar idea for photo Id work in the crocodiles potentially using color patterns and shape as ID factors. Matt responded with links to the analyzing software as well as a link to a paper the employed a photographic identification key using the natural varied markings of Nile Crocodiles to generate capture histories from afar (Swanepoel, 1996) . 

From here I did a little more digging and was able to contact a Professor from Dartmouth University who had developed a photo analyzing program for African ungulate identification based upon the patterns displayed on their sides. I asked him his thoughts about using the program for my own survey with the crocodiles, and he thought that the program would work reasonably well assuming I was able to good solid pictures.  So ever since I’ve gotten ahold of the software I’ve been fooling around with it, and have found it to be very accurate thus far when using test subjects. 

So for the Adult crocodile population we will be attempting to use photographic Mark-Recapture, something that hasn’t really been done much in regards to crocodilians. However the major flaw involved in this method is the availability of the animal, if they aren’t basking or visible, pictures aren’t going to work out to well, but I am excited to test it out regardless!

We also decided that due to the reported abundance of hatchling and small juvenile crocodiles in the dam, we would attempt to trap and mark these individuals using a scute notching method that has been used by many specialists for several years (I also have experience with this from helping with an Alligator survey back home!).  This will be much more feasible considering the manpower and equipment available.  This however does lead to some biases in terms of recapture potential and what not, considering the potential of the juveniles to be spooked after being captured and marked and the general detectability of smaller crocodillians.  However we have decided to exhaust all options in order to get at least an initial base-line population structure developed, and the go-ahead has been given!

As mentioned before Michael and I traveled there today and did a scouting trip of the dam area, the dam itself is not very big and has a circular path all the way around it allowing for almost unlimited visibility of basking crocodiles. This bodes extremely well for survey potential, along with the fact that the dry season has limited the other water sources to the main dam and a few small pools adjacent to it, likely forcing the crocodiles to congregate in one or two areas along the survey route. 

During our survey one of the gentlemen who will be working with me exclusively (Numu the resident crocodile expert), showed me the interesting relationship the town has with the animals first hand!

He walked near the water and began clapping, and before we knew it a large 7 foot crocodile was on the banks and crawling towards us. I immediately got my camera out and got as close as possible (within 4 feet!).  The crocodile appeared to be content sitting on the bank, with us, however he got a little cranky at one point and took a big lunge at the four of us standing there! I hopped a few steps backwards, while Numu stood unbothered, Michael and his friend Morrison however nearly toppled over each other in surprise! The crocodile was then quick to settle back down, however I will keep in mind for future reference, that despite this “rapport” they share with the people they are still wild animals, and still the definition of an apex predator!

Very excited to get this study underway! Gonna be a lot of trial and error I think, but should be fun to do regardless and most importantly will help the local population of both people and the crocodiles!

Much Love, and Godbless!

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls?- Job 41:1-5

Mole! Mole! Mole! Mole!

Hey Everyone, hope all is treating you well back home.

My trip to Ghana seems to get better and better with each day! The past several days have been focused around meeting with the management and staff at Mole national park near the Kulmasa dam site where the crocodile surveys will be done. Daryl (the head of the Damongo branch of A Rocha) and I put together a small proposal involving the methodology that we will be using to survey the crocodile population to show to the mole staff.  We made the trek up to the park for the first time yesterday (11/8) in order to get the blessing and cooperation of the staff in Mole.The people there are extremely friendly and knowledgeable and I like to think I made several good new friends at Mole this week! A Rocha and the Mole national park service have had a very good relationship for a number of years, so they have offered to help me in any way that I need when doing my work. 

They also very kindly offered me free entry into the national park site at any time along with the option of free safari trips. This was obviously something I could not resist so my friend Braimah and I decided to take them up on the offer! Needless to say we were very glad to have done so!

We began our second trek to Mole very early this morning (11/9) and met up with the guide and safari group. Two students from a university in Kumasi helping with tourism practices, an older couple from San Diego, and two volunteer nurses from Holland rounded out our group.

The safari began with a climb down a very steep “hill” (maybe considered a small mountain!) and from there we moved closer to the primary water hole near the front of the park. The first thing I noticed was the presence of several large crocodiles in the area, and more importantly the presence of smaller one with a slightly different head shape as I’m fairly certain I saw a more rare Slender-Snouted Crocodile! It bolted underwater quickly so I the picture I snapped of it is inconclusive but I’m going to assume it was a Slender-Snout regardless just for my sake! 

As I was gawking at the crocodiles everyone else began to get very excited as I looked to my right, I saw a wild Savannah Elephant for the first time up close! It was an older solitary male and he was taking an early morning dip, it was absolutely amazing to watch him funnel liters of water into his trunk and spray it everywhere. It was truly a blessing to see such an animal up close!

Elephant number one, we were literally less than 50 feet away from this one!

I assumed that might be the only elephant we would see today so I took as many pictures as possible, but man was I wrong! As we continued through the park not only did we see at least 19 more individuals, we saw them in herds! They were moving together, bathing together and doing all sorts of interesting behaviors, from playing in the water, to demonstrating to each other! Besides the elephants we saw many Bushbuck and Waterbuck which are species of Antelope, lots of heron and egret like bird, and the ever common Baboon and Warthog!

The fifth or sixth elephant we saw! This one was leading a group to a water hole!

Braimah and I with the Elephants!

 

 

After the safari ended Braimah and I thanked the gentlemen who offered the safari to us (named Oliver) and the proceeded home where we chowed down on some local dishes like Red-Red and Rice ball stew, all of which are absolutely delicious!

So besides the work on the survey project, Daryl and I have been discussing ways to get the youth of Damongo involved with A Rocha and conservation in general. So we have decided to begin working on a youth wildlife education program which I will be leading. So far we have decided that I will capture and temporarily keep some of the local common wildlife and establish a small education center set up with them and begin doing demonstrations at some point. Once interest grow we will also consider going out on the trails near Damongo at night with Daryl, Braimah and myself leading the way and showing the kids all the cool creatures that are just outside their backyard! I’m very excited for this opportunity, especially considering how much I enjoy working with kids and also blabbing on about wildlife!

Also just wanted to take a moment to dedicate this entry to my late great Mamaw Miriam. She passed away this week and I just wanted to pay my respects to her considering I won’t be able to make it to her memorial this week.

Mamaw I love you very much and will miss you dearly, thank you again for all the support you have given me over the years.

Much Love everyone, and God Bless.

Some lazy days and a Turtle!

10-31 to 11-3


Hey Everyone,




The past couple days have been pretty repetitious so I figured I wouldn't blog for a few days so I could definitely add some interesting stuff in!



The 31st of October was rather uneventful, no Halloween here in Ghana haha. But I hope everyone had a fun night back home!

The 1st of November was slightly more eventful, with Braimah and I traveling through the town, where he introduced me to several residents. I'm Finally starting to get the feel of Damongo, I know most of the major part of town now as well as a lot of great people!

The night of Nov 1st Braimah and I went on one of our night hikes. He really seems to enjoy them and is always asking me questions about the animals we find. He wants to one day work in the wildlife conservation field, so his enthusiasm and company are very welcome! It makes me feel good that I can help teach him about some of the wildlife here considering that was was one of the major reasons I came to Ghana! (To promote the conservation of all God's creation and to educate people about it!).

During our nighthike we came across numerous frog species and millipedes as usual, but the highlight of the night was the presence of at least 10 individual Bush Babies! These tiny little primates are incredible (for a mammal), they scale the tree tops and jump from limb to limb without hesitation even during the pitch black night! I'm hoping to get some better pictures of them, but so far they've eluded me well!

Eyes of a bush baby!

Sadly also on our night hike we came across a butchered Juvenile African Rock Python. It had obvious slash wounds on it from a blade and was near a small campsite at the fishing basin of the dam. So it was obviously a human induced fatality. I was still able to use it in a positive way though I showed Braimah what the Python looked like and how to distinguish it from some of the more venomous species in the area, hopefully even when I leave he will be able to continue spreading the message of live and let live!

Poor little python, hopefully I can help prevent this in the future!

The following day (November 2nd) was largely uneventful, although I was able to learn a lot about the human history of Ghana from Michah another of the members of A Rocha stationed in Damongo. Michah has a great deal of knowledge on the history of the tribes within the country and went into great detail about the former range and habits of the Gonja, Ashanti, and other such tribes that ruled the area for centuries (most of the people in Damongo are descendants of the Gonja tribe).



November 3rd was a whole nother monster now. The day began as a typical day here in Damongo. That is until Braimah came to my door with news of a Turtle crossing the road! They were able to retrieve the turtle and bring it to me before it was injured on the road. Anyone who knows me understands the excitement that experienced when I saw my very first wild African turtle! Pelomedusa subrufa or the African Helmeted Turtle is a species that generally inhabits ephemeral ponds tending to migrate to search for other water sources or moist soil to burrow in during the dry season (AKA Now) so this little guy was likely looking for a new water hole or a place to chill out during the intense heat of the dry season. After I finish taking pictures with him I'll be sure to drop him off in a nice sport near where he was found!

I like turtles

Pelomedusa subrufa, tell me he's not adorable!

Last but surely not least, Daryl Bosu the head of the Damongo branch of A Rocha will be getting back into town tonight following his business in Kumasi. So either tonight or early tomorrow we will begin formulating the final plan of action with the crocodile surveys. I'm very excited to begin this project as it not only plays to my interests, but also will allow me to help others as surveying the population of crocodiles will help to establish eco-tourism practices in the region allowing for another source of income for the people here, thus helping to better their daily lives all the while promoting conservation and coexistence!







 " There is the sea vast and spacious teeming with creatures beyond number-living things both large and small." Psalm 104: 25