Perching on an air conditioner fan in downtown Luanda.

Interested in birds? Why not get out of the city and do some real birding?!?
The first meeting of the ‘Angola Bird Club’ will be this Thursday, January 26 at 8:00 PM at the Viking Club. It will be a brainstorming and planning meeting – looking at dates etc for weekends away. The outings will be strictly for bird watching. For a map to the Viking Club visit our Join Us page.

To sign up for the Bird Club people should send an email to Chris Hines: chines@lisluanda.com

“The year of 2011 ended in the most tragic fashion, when unexpectedly our dear friend Kalunga Lima, passed away. He was a remarkable filmmaker and photographer who had just about finalized his documentary on the giant sable project. We had made several trips together in the bush, both in Cangandala and Luando, and I feel privileged to have shared those moments with Kalunga. If I lost a great and true friend, the giant sable lost one of its most enthusiastic and relevant supporters. And the country lost simply the best professional in his field, one that cannot be replaced in the foreseeable future.”
- Pedro Vaz Pinto, Environmental Advisor for the Catholic University Centre for Scientific Studies and Research, Founder Palanca Negra Gigante Conservation Project

“This is very very sad. I join all of you in mourning Kalunga’s passing-on. This is a great loss for his family, country, friends, and the scientific community. He was such a role model to many. I wish his family all the strength during this difficult time.”
- Dr. Fredrick Manthi, National Museum of Kenya

Photos of Kalunga Lima by Pedro Vaz Pinto.

“…our friend and colleague in Angola passed away yesterday, December 19, 2011, of a heart attack. This is a tragic blow to his family, his friends, and his country. Kalunga’s video on “Saving the Giant Sable Antelope” and all the effort that has gone into preserving Angola’s national symbol are profoundly important for his country.  This morning I watched once more Kalunga’s short video made with Projecto PaleoAngola and I was grateful for knowing him and proud to be his friend.  He will be honored through our doing our best work to continue the endeavors of which he was such an integral part. He will be missed.  If you wish to view the PaleoAngola video, please go to ProjectoPaleoAngola.org and click on the YouTube link.”
-Dr. Louis L. Jacobs, Paleontologist Projecto Paleoangola and Professor at Southern Methodist University

“What a tragic loss.  I was looking forward to where he (Kalunga) would go with all of us and Angola. Please pass along my sympathies to his family and let them know how much we valued knowing him over a too short time.”
-Dr. John Francis, Vice President Research, Conservation, and Exploration National Geographic Society

“My heart is heavy for all the people in Angola and around the world who Kalunga touched through his talents and dedication and passion to preserve Angola’s biodiversity and future. He was a generous, kind, gregarious friend – one felt close to him almost instantly… I am so heartbroken for his family, especially his two young children and wife. I know his friends and country will miss him so greatly. What a terrible tragedy to lose him so abruptly.”
-Dr. Catherine Workman, Committee for Research and Exploration, National Geographic Society

“I am so sorry to hear this news. In the little time I spent with him he struck me as a person utterly committed to Angola. I thought his productions were quite good and was looking forward to working with him. My heart goes out to his family and other colleagues.”
- John Bredar, Senior Executive Producer, National Geographic SPECIALS

Kalunga aired his first feature length documentary Saving the Giant Sable Antelope on May 13, 2010 to members of the Angola Field Group. His next project was inspired by a presentation he attended of the Angola Field Group at the Viking Club in July of 2009, Uncovering the Hidden Remains of Angola’s Ancient Giants. He was deeply impressed by Dr. Jacobs and the Paleoangola team’s work with discovering dinosaur fossils along the coast of Angola and he wanted to spread the news of these hidden treasures to the rest of Angola. Kalunga was the force behind bringing to Angola the replica of the Angolatitan presently on display at the Geology Museum and became involved in other aspects of the Paleoangola project. He was working on a documentary about the coastal waters of Angola for Expo 2012 in Korea up till his untimely death. He wanted to make Angola a better place by bringing an awareness of nature and wildlfe to Angolans by combining scientific research with documentary film making.

We will all miss Kalunga and we hope the vision he had will be taken up and carried forward by others.

Kalunga, second from left, after putting up the Angolatitan when it first arrived in Angola.

Brian Huntley standing beside a Welwitschia in the Angolan province of Namibe which is probably over 2000 years old - making it the oldest plant in Africa.

Wildlife, wild places and wild times in Angola! – 1970 to 2011. The Angola Field Group invites you to a presentation Thursday, December 15, at 8:00 PM at the Viking Club with renowned conservation scientist Dr. Brian Huntley, one of the fathers of Angolan ecology. He will present an illustrated talk on the rise, fall, and hopefully, resurrection of wildlife conservation in Angola.

Brian Huntley first visited Angola in 1970 and returned with his young wife to spend four years (1971-1975) surveying the entire country as wildlife ecologist for the then Reparticao tecnica da Fauna. After leaving the country in a column of 10,000 refugees in August 1975, he has made repeated visits to Angola from 1992 to the present. Before retirement in 2009, Professor Huntley was, for 20 years, Chief Executive of the South African National Biodiversity Institute, based at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town. He is currently a consultant to various international organisations such as UNEP, UNDP, UNESCO, etc. (Scroll down to previous posting for more details.)

Everybody is welcome to attend the presentation which will be in English. In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are sold at the bar, coupons must be purchased. The Viking Bar opens at 7:30 PM.  If you would like to have a map showing the location of the Club, click here. The Viking Club is on the main floor of Predio Maianaga, Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118, across the street from the new Panela de Barra restaurant.

New Nature Conservation Areas

 One of the fathers of Angolan ecology and conservation is Brian Huntley, a renowned conservation scientist who has worked across Africa and until recently headed the South African National Biodiversity Institute.

Huntley has played a major role in shaping environmental sensibility and research in Angola.  His work includes the development plans for existing and new protected areas, as well as closely examining wildlife populations in the southern Namibe Desert right up to lush Cabinda rainforests in the north.

Huntley’s research has resulted in 28 separate reports on the conservation and management of biodiversity in Angola, many of which serve as the basis for mapping and current scientific research. 

Although officially retired, for the past year Huntley, Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town, has been working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), developing an environmental programme for Angola in partnership with the Angolan Government.

A large part of this is about creating the Angolan Protected Area Expansion Strategy (APAES) to preserve critical areas of natural interest. There are 11 target areas, mainly moist lowland, escarpment and montane forest systems, covering a total of 11800 square kilometers.

Huntley told Universo: “There’s a very narrow window of opportunity left in Angola to identify and protect important areas, as in those which haven’t yet been developed or inhabited, because once development starts, it’s much more difficult to protect an area.”

As part of his APAES work, this year Huntley will be travelling to a remote part of Lunda Norte, one of the target areas, for a mapping exercise.

“It’s a very important area, he explained. “It has the largest lake in Angola, white-water rivers, gallery forests, extensive woodlands, and the landscapes are stunning, and almost completely devoid of human occupation. It is in pristine condition, barely visited by humans and will be perfect for a national park.”

The Lunda Norte team will be made up of mostly Angolan students, hand-picked by Huntley who is passionate about furthering home-grown scientific research.

“For many years, perhaps as many as 30, there have been very few Angolan scientists and very few who have studied their own environment, which has led to some serious gaps in local knowledge” he said.

“But I am quite encouraged by a new generation of Angolan graduates who are showing new enthusiasm to finding out more about their own country.

“Many have been lucky enough to have been educated abroad or have had the chance to travel – but they are certainly more willing to go into the bush to discover their own country.”

Huntley said it was important that Angolans became interested in their own environment because it would foster a great sensibility in the future.

“There are several generations who for various reasons are not familiar with environmental sensibility and until now, there has been a lack of political will to confront the issues,” he explained.

He said much work was required to help Angola protect its valuable natural resources – but he said the outlook was increasingly positive.

“There must be no doubt that this magnificent creature is in desperate condition, on the verge of extinction.”

The largest giant sable herd, led by the dominant bull.

“As result of the last few months’ efforts we know now much better than ever before, the real situation on the ground. I believe we know how many herds there are left, exactly where they are all located, how many animals in each herd, and even the detailed population structure. There must be no doubt that this magnificent creature is in desperate condition, on the verge of extinction.”

The shepherds setting fire on a poacher's camp in Luando.

“What does come across very clearly is that not only was excessive poaching that reduced the giant sable population to the current condition, but also it is still very active at the moment and has been impacting the population very severely during the last few years.”

Logistics provided by the Angolan Air Force.

“With assistance from the military forces we are implementing action against poaching but also preventive measures against animal theft attempts.”

Not all is bad news in Pedro’s report. More pure giant sable are captured in the Luando Reserve and taken to Cangandala National Park …

Trying to put Ivan on the stretcher to be hand carried to the MI-17!

“It took us 10 men and an enormous effort to carry that beast on a stretcher across 300 meters of tall dead grass, hidden termite mounds and fallen wood. It’s a shame we couldn’t weigh the bull but most guys agreed he may weigh well over 300kg.”

The difference in size is immense.

“The operation was a huge success. We managed to establish a new breeding group in Cangandala, including a new bull and six young females.”

UPDATE: THIS TRIP IS NOW FULL.
December 16 – 17. The Angola Field Group will will join biologist Michel Morais and his research team from Agostinho Neto University for our annual Turtle Trip which this year will be to Praia das Oncas which is the beach below Miradouro da Lua, before the Kwanza River. For the past ten years the university’s biology faculty has been tracking turtles south of Luanda.

We will spend Friday night walking up and down the beach in teams hoping to find turtles laying eggs. We will camp on the beach and leave the next morning back for Luanda.

We plan to leave the city at 1400 on Friday to avoid heavy traffic and allow us to pitch our tents in daylight. This is a beach with a locked entrance so if you are not able to leave the city at this time, please do not sign up for the trip. Participants must supply their own food and camping gear. A four wheel drive vehicle is necessary. We must keep numbers to a strict limit so please only sign up if you’re serious about going and if you can comply with the time. Final trip details including our meeting location will be given once you’ve signed up and are confirmed for this trip.

When you are registering for this trip please indicate:

* if you have room in your vehicle for more passengers and how many can you take
* if you do not have transport and need a lift
* if you will be leaving from the city or from Luanda Sul

We are collecting $25.00 from each participant to donate to the Marine Turtle Conservation Project. To register for this trip, email Henriette Koning at angolafieldgroup@gmail.com. All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk. No guarantee of spotting turtles.