When in my favorite Argentinian radio talk show I heard the terrible news that a crocodile had taken a young boy at the Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando, Florida a few days ago I thought that they really wanted to say that an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) was the culprit.

However, checking on the crocodilian fauna in the Americas I was surprised that in fact there is a crocodile there! It is known as the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and it is distributed from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of southern Mexico to South America as far as Peru and Venezuela. It is also reported to occur in the Caribbean. In the United States it is found in Puerto Rico and the southern half of Florida.

Orlando is therefore to far North in Florida for an American crocodile to have been the culprit so it was probably an alligator and they were saying crocodile in error. Irrespective of the culprit an attack by any of these rather prehistoric animals is always terrifying because of their suddenness and viciousness.

I must confess that during my early days in Kenya I was not really aware of the danger posed by Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) in the wild. I was lucky not to have had any accidents despite the number of activities near water I carried out (in the wild!). However, through reading and observation, I started to respect them more and more as time passed. In particular, when our children arrived, very strict rules on how to behave near water were imposed that luckily allowed us to enjoy the proximity of water while fishing and walking. These strict rules still apply to all of us and they are as critical as not crossing a red light!

Crocodile feeding at Masuma dam in Hwange National Park.

One of the earlier “eye openers” on the subject of Nile crocodiles took place after some time of being in Kenya, while enjoying time at Joe Murumbi’s library at Intona ranch in the Transmara. Among the many treasures it contained I found a book called “Eyelids of Morning” by Alistair Graham and Peter Beard. This “coffee table” book attracted my attention not only by its peculiar title but also by the picture in the cover showing a truly gigantic crocodile being held by a man in lake Turkana.

As soon as I opened it I realized that it was a truly unique volume for several reasons. It was an early copy clearly sent by the authors to Joe before publication and that Joe had clearly proof-red, judging by the annotations he had made. In it, there was a graphic testimony of the dangers of crocodiles in Africa with the most amazing collection of stories and pictures.

It narrated and graphically illustrated the fate of an American Peace Corps volunteer that decided to take a swim on Ethiopia’s Baro River, a place I was able to visit in the late eighties while working in Ethiopia. This young man, after swimming in its muddy waters, sat with his legs in the river to enjoy the sunshine. Suddenly, a very large crocodile, seen by some observers, dragged him into the water and disappeared. The following day his remains were recovered when the crocodile was shot by a hunter and cut open. I will not forget the pictures of his remains the book contains.

Later on I also learnt of the unfortunate accident of the son of a colleague that was attacked by a relatively small crocodile at a really small stream at the Buffalo Springs game reserve where the presence of such an animal was very unlikely. The story went that luckily hearing the commotion, the mother managed to hold on to the boy while the father manhandled him away from the predator. Although he was severely injured, the boy survived the attack after a long recovery due to the injuries and infections associated with the crocodile tearing bites. I visited the exact spot where the incident took place and it was hard to believe that it could have taken place there!

Crocodiles are responsible for killing 2,500 people per year[1], mainly in Africa where most victims are people collecting water, fishing or washing clothes. Sharks kill or maim 15 people in the same period but these gets much wider world coverage!

Luckily, a number of conservation and humanitarian organizations are working in the introduction of palliative measures to minimize this on-going tragedy. In particular, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Crocodile Specialist Group[2] is not only involved in the conservation of wild crocodilians worldwide but also in protecting the people that are exposed to them. Among several initiatives, they are introducing Crocodile Exclusion Enclosures, a rather academic name for fenced areas in the water that exclude crocodilians and reduce the risk of attack to human users.

For the fishing lovers in Africa, crocodiles (and hippos) are the main blatant threats while on a boat. Crocodiles are mainly a threat near the shores while hippos are hazardous everywhere and a much more dangerous animal. I have heard many stories of hippos attacking boats but none involving crocodiles and boats.

My first fishing experience in Kenya was trying for bass on board a rubber dinghy at lake Naivasha with our friend Paul. Although there were numerous hippos, there were no crocodiles there despite a rumour that one had been released at the lake but never seen.

We fished in lake Naivasha quite often and then we went on to fish for trout at Sasamua dam and for Nile perch in Lakes Victoria and Turkana both having sizeable crocodile populations, particularly the latter. Although we saw them frequently, many at close quarter, they did not show any interest on our boat and always kept their distance.

A baby crocodile at the Okavango River.

Although I will return to some of my fishing exploits in future posts, our experience fishing in Kenya convinced me that rubber dinghies were safe and I eventually bought one that we used extensively in Southern Africa. Being portable, we took it everywhere and it became a new medium that opened up a different field of wildlife enjoyment while fishing but always having a “crocodile and hippo spotter” -usually my wife with her keen eyes- to keep us out of trouble.

[1] http://www.pravdareport.com/society/stories/13-12-2010/116179-crocodiles-0/#sthash.SpjslxCj.dpuf

[2] http://www.iucncsg.org/pages/About-the-CSG.html

As described in earlier posts on my Kenya days, part of the two-pronged approach to study the impact of ticks on cattle was to take place at the Isolation Unit of the Kenya Veterinary Research Institute (KEVRI) at Muguga. The place, reserved for possible outbreaks of some of the dangerous diseases the place worked on, was unoccupied at the time so it was allocated to my research as there was no other suitable place.

The facility had several pens, water, a storeroom, a weigh bridge and a good crush pen where we could work with the cattle, as the trial would require intensive animal monitoring. I was pleased with the place as it saved me not only the time and effort needed to build something similar but also, as my budget was meagre, spared me valuable funds. Luckily, on the understanding that the animals would be returned at the end of the trial, Matt and I also managed to negotiate the loan of the animals from the Director of KEVRI, saving substantial funds that I could keep for any future contingencies.

With minor improvements, the Isolation Unit became suitable.

Once the facility was settled, I brought in the cattle and formed the three experimental groups. The trial was ready to start but, before this could take place, I needed to find two herdsmen to help me managing the experiment, planned to last for six months.

Some of the experimental cattle at the start of the trial.

More negotiations, this time internal -with Matt and Robin- yielded Kevin, the lowest ranked herdsmen at the ICIPE laboratory at Muguga. He was considered suitable for the job so I accepted him. The second one, Karungu, was identified almost immediately as he was the brother of another ICIPE herdsman. Karungu was unemployed and willing to join the project. Kevin knew Karungu and agreed that they could work together so I was ready to go!

I had already procured in advance most of the needed supplies for the trial and the store was full of veterinary essentials as well as feed. As the latter was critical, I had procured a large amount of both concentrates and hay. I estimated to have sufficient feed to last for three months and during this time I trusted that I would secure the rest. The rat population at the unit was abundant so I spent lots of time and effort making the place rat-proof until I thought it to be unassailable!

The following morning Kevin and Karungu reported to work in my new “laboratory” and soon they were wearing first hand uniforms and boots and getting on with the work of cleaning and watering the animals. Trying to establish a good rapport with them from the onset, I decided to treat them to a hot cup of tea that I prepared the usual “English” way. Muguga was a cold place, nestled in the Kikuyu highlands so I thought that a hot drink would be welcome in that chilly morning.

Tea in Kenya was cheap and abundant at the time so I prepared a strong black tea and called my new assistants to share it with me. I thought it was strong but drinkable but, to my surprise and disappointment, they took a sip and at unison they asserted that it was too bitter and undrinkable! I tried to convince them otherwise but they flatly refused to have a second sip making animated comments in Kikuyu language that I missed! I later understood that, in general, Kenyans would boil the milk and add the tea directly to it and continue boiling the mixture. The milk gradually acquires a pale brown tinge and it is then judged to be ready. In addition, sugar is added generously making the beverage very sweet. I refrained from offering my kind of tea to them again and I did not like their milk tea so, although we shared tea time, we kept our tea making separate!

In preparation for the work to come I spent long hours explaining the new employees the fundamentals of what we were doing and why and how we needed to work the way I was instructing them. Among other issues, it was essential that the animals were kept separate and the feed was weighed and given to them according to the experimental protocol. From early work done in Australia I knew that I would be dealing with small differences between tick-infested and tick-free animals so I needed to take great care with the way the animals were fed in order to compare them validly.

Apart from this trial, I was also running a similar field trial at Intona ranch. This meant that I would be absent for some days travelling to Intona so it was essential that the basics of running the experiment were understood as well as the daily tasks of cleaning the pens, watering and other regular jobs.

The trial started by monitoring all the animals for about a month both to get their baseline weight gain and to allow time for the ticks to be bred artificially. The trial needed large numbers of adult ticks and this, in turn, required a boost to the ICIPE tick colony. Despite my impatience to start, to produce the necessary tick amounts took a great deal of work and time. The latter was critical as if applied too young they would still be soft and unable to attach and you would get the same result if too old as they would not have enough energy reserves to attach. Luckily I had Robin to advise me about the right timing!

Tommi, my Maasai herdsmen, placing ear bags to one of the animals.

Eventually, the day arrived when we were ready to apply the first batch of ticks and to start the trial. The ticks are known as the Brown Ear ticks for a reason so the use of the normal application method by means of ear bags was chosen over other possible techniques considered. We managed to apply them successfully and the trial “officially” started. It was a great feeling as I was finally working!

I was aware that we needed to repeat the infestations every week for six months and hoped that the tick supply would be well planned. For that to happen, again I trusted Robin’s knowledge and fully depended on him. Luckily, we also had the support and skills of Fred that managed to prepare all ticks needed at the right time with only one exception because of a problem with an incubator that went bonkers and “cooked” all the ticks!

Earbags applied.

Ticks attached.

After a couple of weeks of work Karungu and Kevin took the opportunity of a break during the work to come and talk to me. They were requesting “the project” to buy them bicycles on account of the long distance they needed to travel to come to work. Their argument was that the time they saved travelling during mornings and afternoons would be invested in the project. I thought that the request was reasonable and the following day, we went to a bicycle repair shop in Kikuyu town where, after a protracted discussion and the expected bargaining -as they later informed me as it was in Kikuyu- they managed to get a good deal for two good second hand ones. Little I knew at the time that this, regrettably, would be the beginning of the end

It all went well with the work for a couple of months afterwards until one morning that neither Kevin nor Karungu turned up! It had happened that one of them was absent or late but never both of them. Luckily I was there that week as this was a real problem for the continiuity of the work. After feeding and watering the animals myself I went to talk to my ICIPE colleagues to get some assistance and to see if Karungu’s brother knew anything.

I managed to get temporary help but I got no news so, hoping that the double absence was due to chance; I went back to my laboratory to continue with the job. Involved in the work and having others to help me, I soon forgot their absence until I had an unexpected visitor: a KEVRI watchman. He had been sent to notify me that both my employees had been caught stealing cattle feed! Shocked and dismayed I asked for details. He explained that they were caught leaving KEVRI on the bicycles I had agreed to buy for them, carrying a bag of feed each!

I felt a real fool and enraged for what, at the time, I perceived as a betrayal by people I was beginning to trust and shared time with. I also knew that I was in trouble since I had bought the bicycles against Matt’s advice! Despite that, I also somehow admired their planning skills and wicked dexterity! The information given left me in no doubt that the report was true and also that this would bring potentially serious complications, as I urgently needed to find new people to continue the work as these two would not come back.

Before leaving, the guard informed me that the pair was under arrest at the Kikuyu Police Station charged with theft. The trial would take place on the morrow afternoon and I was summoned to appear at the trial to press the charges. He was coming with me so, after making arrangements to travel together, I left for home. I have had a long day and I felt tired and upset at what had taken place.

As usually happens, the following morning things were clearer and I made up my mind on what to do next and how to handle the situation. First, I reported the incident to Matt who, to put it mildly, was unhappy. Although the only comment he made was “Yulio, you should have listened to me when I told you not to buy them the bicycles as you cannot trust these people”, his face spoke much more! I thought about arguing back on poverty and its needs but I knew that it would be futile so I remained silent and accepted his wrath. He told me to sack them immediately and to go to court and deal with the issue severely.

The tough meeting with Matt and the impending drama that expected me in the afternoon kept me unsettled for the rest of the morning. I had never been to a court, as I had not committed any offence anywhere, so it was to be my debut! At the agreed time I picked the security guard and drove to Kikuyu for my “court experience”.

Judging by the number of people outside the court building, this was a busy place and I would be there for a while. I followed the security guard inside the building, his uniform opening us the way through the crowd. The room was really jam-packed with people of all ages and I could just distinguish a judge sitting at the very front of the room. He was a mature judge, and to my surprise, he worn the white and woolly wig that I had seen British British judges wear on movies and that I find funny. “A legacy from the British rule” I thought while waiting to learn what was expected from me.

The security guard had clearly been there before and, after talking to a court employee, he soon returned to tell me that we were the next case. We sat at the back and I instantly became a distracting factor in the proceeds as it was, apparently, not common that a mzungu[1] would be in a Kenyan court! Expecting to be asked to leave the room to avoid disrupting the process of law I took the time available to watch the events that surrounded me.

The room was large, similar to a chapel, with a desk at the front where the judge sat. Next to him there were other smaller desks and tables where defence and prosecution were located. The public sat in long benches and there was little room left. It was cold and, the open windows did not help to save the only source of warmth: the body heat. It may as well as the place was rather stuffy already.

Once I settled down I identified a rather small man looking battered and contrite that I imagined being the accused. However, as I did not understand Kikuyu, I started imagining why he was there and the crime committed. Before long, the security guard, himself from the Akamba ethnic group and able to understand Kikuyu, started to translate for me. I was right about the man being the accused but, instead of my thoughts that placed him at the receiving end of his wife, he was there because he had stolen money from a market lady. He had been caught by the crowd and given a hiding before the Police detained him, saving him from further damage.

A rather plump Kikuyu lady looking fierce and very upset, the victim, was charging him with theft. The guilty verdict came fast and the man was sentenced to spend time in jail, despite his own defence arguments, as he had no defence lawyer. Once that case ended, part of the public moved out and, after a few minutes, Karungu and Kevin, both handcuffed, were brought in. The two bicycles -still with the bags tied up on them- as evidence followed. Both walked looking at the floor and they did not return my gaze.

To my relief, and clearly for my benefit, the clerk in charge of the cases spoke better English than me and so did everybody else! The charges were read and I was then asked if I recognized them, their bicycles and the feed. I replied that I did. The time then came for me to press charges. I did not. I had already thought about the issue at length and decided that sacking them was sufficient punishment. I knew that the Kenya Law was rather harsh on thieves and I did not wish them to spend a long time in jail or worse! They were freed and the case was quickly closed. The security guard was surprised at my decision but he did not say anything. Clearly, he also knew the fate of thieves. We loaded the bicycles and feed on the kombi and returned to the laboratory.

Later that day when Matt came to see me, I explained what I had done. He was livid and proceeded to give me a long lecture on why I had been wrong and that people should be punished for their crimes. I knew that he was probably right and listened in silence and, although I apologized, I did not regret my decision. I also underwent another similar session with the Director of KEVRI. Luckily, the incident was soon forgotten and the work continued. I sold the two bicycles and soon had new herdsmen to help me!

I never saw Karungu or Kevin again.

[1] A common Ki-Swahili term used to call a white person.

After our early experience with baboons at lake Bogoria[1] many others followed.

Although we all know that animals in parks and reserves are wild and that they should be treated as such, there is a strong temptation to give them food either to attract them closer for a picture or because we believe -wrongly of course- that they need food “poor little things”! Because of that the animals expect to be fed and if they do not get it they look for it! In so doing, they become a pest and, as the situation worsens, they are destroyed by the wildlife authorities to protect the same people that sentenced them to death! Although the worse offenders are the primates, other species such as elephants and hyenas can also get rather daring and hazardous.

Hmmmm…

So, over the many years on safari you experience an encounter with monkeys almost every time you camp. Most of these are just commonplace incidents of small theft that get resolved by “common agreement”. Although not funny at the time, I recall one of the first we experienced when my wife, while walking in Mzima springs in Tsavo West, was aggressively approached by a troop of vervet monkeys that left her shaken but, luckily, not scared or discouraged about walking in the bush!

Sometimes, however, we had gone through some “special” encounters that are -I believe- worth mentioning and it is on a few of these that this posts focuses on.

Whether you stay at a fenced or unfenced camp does not make any difference for the monkeys: they are watching you, waiting for an opportunity!

Baboons keeping an eye on campers.

Most incidents take place on arrival, while the offloading of you car means open doors! The instant that you leave the car unattended for a few seconds, something is taken and it is often the only item of this kind you have! “There goes our butter for the fruit crumble”, or “we’ll drink coffee without sugar” are some of the remarks often heard while trying to cope with the incidents! In addition, to witness the various members of the party running after the interlopers shouting abuse at them is both funny and tragic as we have never recovered anything that had been taken!

Whispering instructions on how to proceed!

Although food is their usual target, we have lost various other objects to monkeys and I always remember the case of a friend whose wallet was taken at a hotel in Diani beach. She needed to follow the monkeys through the hotel’s garden collecting money and credit cards as, after tasting them, they dropped them! Unfortunately she could not pay her bill as her credit card showed a magnetic band with a tooth hole in it! My worst nightmare, however, is that they get the car keys and for this reason I never leave them unattended and always carry a spare key in my luggage, away from food.

One of our early camps at Meru National Park, very vulnerable to monkey incursions.

A well armed local escort helping to keep the camp “monkey-free”!

My first close encounter with a monkey took place at the Nairobi National Park in Kenya in the early 80’s. I was “monkey-naive” at the time. In the park there is an area known as Hippo Pools where you can leave your car and walk along the Athi River watching water birds and, if you are lucky, catch a glimpse of a hippo’s bottom. It was a warm afternoon and, at the time of getting out of the car, I was -stupidly you may correctly think- eating the universally-known favourite monkey food: a banana! I had not yet closed the door when I heard a slight noise in the tree above me and “magically” my banana was no longer! Once I recovered my wits, my surprise turned to anger when I realized that a vervet monkey was, far above me, enjoying its favourite meal!

A vervet monkey, a cousin of the one that took my banana!

Unbelievably enough, either I did not learn or I forgot this incident as some time later a similar but perhaps potentially more serious encounter took place at the Man-Eaters Petrol Station in the Mombasa road, a place hosting lots of baboons walking about. These are rather long-legged and slim animals that I believe to be yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus). I was out of the car waiting for the tank to get full and walking about watching the baboons, this time I was -again unwisely- eating a packet of crisps! I was busy putting back the fuel cap when I first noticed the beast. A very tall and mean-looking male baboon was sizing me up.

I did not believe that it would do anything to an ape twice its size so I did not pay much notice of it. It was only when it kept coming that I realize that I could be in its sights! My suspicion was regrettably right but only partially. It was after my crisps and it looked seriously interested in them! I tried to scare the bully but it insisted and at some point it bared his teeth at me! I am not sure that you have come face to face with a large threating baboon but I am quite sure that you would have undergone the same reaction I did and surrendered whatever you had in your hands if that would make it go away! I offered it my crisps showing phony pleasure.

Despite my friendly, if forced offering, the brute had no manners and it snatched them rather violently from my hand and I would swear that it also slapped me on the face although this may have been a panic-driven sequel. Luckily for me, satisfied, the thief just turned its back on me and walked away casually disposing of the empty bag with its mouth overstuffed! All I could do was to wish (in other words, of course) that it suffered from a severe enteritis for the rest of the day!

Monkeys can also damage equipment and one of the first things the camper learns is not to leave food inside the tent when going for a walk or a game drive. Many first-time visitors are completely unaware of this and they are not forgiven! This was the case of a European couple at the now closed Serondela camp site at Chobe National Park in Botswana. It was our first time in that beautiful elephant heaven and, by then, we were monkey-wiser, but they were not and the baboons there were “tourist-wise” and excelled in their malice!

That time we took our baby daughter so we were extra careful with monkeys just in case. We got to Serondela -from Victoria Falls- at lunchtime and, after setting up camp and resting for a while, we went for an afternoon game drive leaving behind an empty tent. We had a great time by the riverfront but, as our daughter needed to be fed early, we came back to our camp. To get to our tent we needed to pass by the camp of the European couple. The place had been turned into mayhem by the baboons.

The beasts had reduced the tent to tatters and they had taken all their belongings out and scattered them far and wide. While the dominant monkeys ate, the lower ranking individuals waited performing acrobatic jumps between the tent and the trees! We managed to chase them away and collected what we could. It was a complete mess as the place had also been used as a toilet by the large troop!

After a while, shouts and lamentation heralded the arrival of our neighbours-victims. Moved, we walked over to offer help. We learnt that they had arrived from Europe a couple of days early and rented a car and camping gear. This was their first night camping in Africa and, clearly, not a very good start! However, they put a brave face to their predicament, washed and sorted out the usable stuff. Luckily, they still had part of their gear and food in the car with them and they could also sleep in it until the following day when they could get some new gear and food from Kasane, the nearest town.

In later years, when our family expanded to the four of us, our young son was given the job of “monkey slayer” and provided with a catapult and stones to perform his duties. Although he enjoyed the concept, his success was limited, not only because of his bad aim but also because he would tire fast and get easily distracted!

The “monkey-slayer” not doing his job!

So, the only solution is to prepare for them by being attentive as more violent means such as “stone throwing” or “scary” ones such as spreading rubber snakes all over the camp do not bring the expected results but only amusement to our relatives!

The latest anti-monkey technology -the rubber snake- protecting the bushsnob from at siesta time!

[1] Pink gem (but smelly!)

Two days ago the sun appeared at our farm in “El Gallinato” in Salta for the first time since we came, seventeen days ago! Luckily it was still sunny this morning when we left for Uruguay via the Argentinian Chaco. The temperature in the farm dropped and last night it reached 5°C, already too cold for me. However, as usual, at about midday we do have beautiful sunshine so we can walk around in the garden.

Taking advantage of the nice weather, we got busy outside as we have had only very short spells without rain earlier. It was at lunchtime that I spotted this beast. As you know, it is usually my wife that spots things in the bush and/or garden (in fact all over the place!).

However, this time she was focusing on gardening and telling our caretaker/gardener what to do and how with plants and trees so she was distracted. I took the opportunity to spot this particular beast sunning itself to the surprise of all, including the beast itself! After dancing around it in celebration, I took a few pictures. 

Here I zoom it in so that you can actually see it well:

I trust that you will agree with me that is a lovely frog. It was very sluggish under the sun with its eyes closed when I spotted it. I assume that I only beat my wife to finding it because of some law of physics that a green object interfered with her usually very sharp eyes of the same colour as I have already described before… Whatever the reason, this event enabled me to score some useful points on the game-spotting department and I am about to be selected as “green frog spotter” for the future!

As for its identity, this is also interesting, as I believe it to be the Waxy Monkey Frog Phyllomedusa sauvagi a frog that is reluctant to jump but rather walks like a monkey, hence his name! I am still reading about its distribution and other biological data and I will revert to you accordingly.

In the meantime, enjoy some more pictures of the frog that the bushsnob spotted alone!