| July 7, 2008 (Monday) 11:30 P.M. Day 15 Farewell to friends Our last day in the bush began with an interview of an ecologist from Tanazia National Parks. We had stayed the night in the Manyara National Park and wanted to interview a park official about poaching, ecological issues within the region, and possible solutions to the Bushmeat crisis. David John Rukiko gave a great interview as he spoke about various aspects of the national parks, the animals that live there, and the relation between the animals and the people surrounding the area.
He went on to discuss the importance of species identification by stating that [“species identification through trace samples of meat] will be not one step ahead but I would say a million steps ahead of making sure that we are succeeding.” The interview with Mr. Rukiko was a valuable step forward in documenting issues surrounding the Bushmeat crisis.
Then it was time for our last game drive through a strip of land surrounding Lake Manyara to view the wildlife. Manyara is a protected national park of 330 square kilometers, 220 of which comprise the lake. The small ribbon of land that surrounds the lake is an abundant ecosystem that hosts a variety of species protected within Manyaran forests. We snapped photos of Blue monkeys, Black-faced Vervet monkeys, baboons, Maasai giraffe, Forest African elephants, White pelican, River hippos, Nile monitor lizards, Maribou stork, cormorant, and Banded mongoose. We said goodbye to the wildlife of Africa and left the park to stop for a last lunch. During lunch, we sat down with our Dorobo Safari guides to film their impressive messages on conservation. Simon, Miggie, and Killerai were just as great in their interviews as they had been throughout the rest of the journey.
On the way to Moshi we stopped at a souvenir shop to pick up “memory” treasures. At the shop, we found African trinkets and blankets to purchase so we could bring home a small piece of Africa. It was a surreal experience to be thrust into a setting where tourists prowled through rows of carved animals. This is the Africa so many imagine while we had been fortunate to experience the real Africa. In a back corner, we came across wild animal skins piled high for sale. After some investigation, we discovered the skins were government-certified animal byproducts sold for profit to tourists. The highly priced skins of hartebeest, Sable antelope, Plains zebra, and Rock hyrax shocked us, but helped us to understand that there is a high demand for such items by tourists and commercial buyers. After our shopping was completed, we headed to the Dorobo office to change vehicles and drop off our wonderful guides, Maggie, Simon, and Killerai. They are needed for another safari that begins tomorrow. It was sad to say goodbye to our new friends but all of us are very grateful to these wonderful men who have shown us Africa and its animals as well as the constant battle between man and wildlife on these decreasingly abundant lands. We will never forget the guides who welcomed us to their country and taught us to love the beauty of Tanzania. We boarded a large Dorobo bus and headed to Moshi for our last night in Africa. Our hotel rooms with warm showers and power strips are helping us re-acclimate to life before Africa. Tomorrow we will visit Mweka College of African Wildlife Management to share our expedition, our Bay books, and our African experiences. Then, at 8:00 P.M., we will board our plane and begin the first leg of the long journey home. We hope to blog one last time before we leave the continent. We will be home soon…
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