A day in the life of CLZ

Niknax | Charity, Conservation Lower Zambezi | 09/11/2011

You have probably observed that the Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) logo sits on the top of every page of our website. This is because they are our chosen charity that we support. Below is an extract from Sarah Davies at CLZ which gives a wonderful insight to the work they do.

Sarah Davies from CLZ

“Yesterday morning I woke up at 5.30 am which seems early for some, but when it’s already light and the children from the Chongwe District school group have been awake and chatting quietly for half an hour already it’s hard to stay asleep much longer. The children are packing their bags after three nights at the CLZ “Nzou” environmental education centre. They are the last of five such groups that have visited the centre this season. Aged between 14 and 16 years old some of these children may live in close proximity to the Lower Zambezi National Park but have very little knowledge or experience of the wealth of biodiversity on their doorstep. CLZ covers all of the costs of transporting, catering for and teaching groups of 24 children and 4 teachers every month of the dry season during term time. After attending the last morning’s prize-giving ceremony where the most outstanding performance award winner is presented with new shorts and a t-shirt, I wave goodbye to the group and send them on the way in our truck back to Chongwe District to help spread their new knowledge of the environment.

Back to the office I breath a small sigh of calm, as I open my computer, which quickly dissipates when my outlook account downloads 49 new emails from that morning. I quickly scan through for anything that needs to be answered urgently. Ian Stevenson, our CEO is busy on the radio already talking to safari camps in the area. This morning we are on the look out for lions as there has been a recent outbreak of Anthrax and some of the lions have been displaying worrying symptoms. Our lion population in the Lower Zambezi is already quite low and doesn’t need any more threats. As our main governmental partner Zambian Wildlife Authorities (ZAWA) are consulted on activities daily and Ian has already spoken to ecologist Howard Maimbo about possible darting today. Previously, with ZAWA approval, a local vet Dr. Ian Parsons has darted and administered both treatments and inoculations to one large pride. Now we are looking for some of the Park’s smaller coalitions. Safari guides have been great at reporting lion sightings and by 8.30am we have confirmed sightings on the Chongwe river and also close to Jeki airstrip. This means that the vet will start off in a small aircraft from his home in Mazabuka to arrive at our local airstrip by 10am.

George Bell and Ian Stevenson

Some guests from one of the camps in the valley have been told about the recent Anthrax response effort and as fellow vets they are intrigued to find out more about what we have been doing. Dr. Parsons kindly produces and explains his equipment including his dart gun and medicine cabinet. I show the rest of the group around the exploratory in our education centre and answer questions about our program and how it runs. As we return my next group of visitors arrive, slightly early, but I am happy to see them. Ten in total, seven head teachers from the Kafue Head Teachers Association and the Kafue District Education Board Secretary Mrs Loveness Mubisi have brought two of their partners from the UK to visit CLZ. As our governmental partners head teachers and the DEBS are the management body of our beneficiaries and communication between us is vital to the operation of our education program.

Once the new visitors have been settled in it is back to the office for another quick email storm. I send out a quick email to our Safari Guide Trainer Rory MacDougall to confirm dates for next year. Each year CLZ organises training and exams for Safari Guides to sit in order to be qualified to work in the Lower Zambezi National Park under ZAWA. Candidates are often already employed in camps, possibly as drivers, but CLZ also runs sponsorship programs for other potential candidates in the local area.

A skype call then comes through from Chiawa Camp in the Park that a baby elephant has been found calling for its mother all alone. The baby is reported to be approximately 2-4 months old, exhausted with blood on its legs and is following one of the vehicles calling for its mother. Ian contacts the ZAWA Area Warden who instructs us that if it is orphaned we must try and rescue it as soon as possible. All alone at night, the baby will be at risk from predators such as lion, hyena, maybe even leopard. It may also be starving. We organise ropes, water and hands on deck and drive down to the area immediately but after two hours of searching we are not able to find the baby ellie. It is 10pm now and we are beginning to feel tired.

The journey back is magical (even though we get a flat tyre). It is coming up to full moon and the hyenas call from the Zimbabwean side of the river as if to say good night As I crawl into bed I hope that the baby ellie is safely tucked up and has found her mother. I am exhausted so for now I must rest as tomorrow it will start all over again.”

To find out more about CLZ visit their website or contact Sarah Davies.

Until next time, ciao from us all.