Giant Sable

The Angola Field Group looks forward to bringing you the latest developments from Cangandala National Park and Luando Special Reserve with monthly updates and photos, on what’s happening with Angola’s national symbol, the Palanca Negra Gigante or Giant Sable. Pedro Vaz Pinto, the man who re-discovered the Palanca Negra Gigante after Angola’s 27 years of civil war, heads up the Conservation Program to protect this animal which is on the list of the world’s critically endangered animals.

Scroll down or click on the links below to read the English and versão Portugês versions of Pedro Vaz Pinto’s reports. All photos and text © Pedro Vaz Pinto.

  • 2020 Report
    VERSAO PORTUGUES
    Dear friends,

    Crazy year, with less to document than usual and for this reason only one annual report was prepared and is hereby presented. Due to the global pandemic, and more specifically to the measures adopted by most governments in the world in attempting to crush it – Angola being no exception, field activities were severely constrained. For several months I could not travel to the giant sable areas, and this hiatus covered the entire dry season, precisely the most important period to develop field work. I had never been away from the parks for such an extended period in at least the past 15 years. A hugely frustrating situation. Having several sables carrying GPS satellite collars and therefore tracked remotely from home provided modest compensation, but at least allowed me daily to keep a sort of ethereal link with the animals in the bush. Crucially, we were able to ensure the rangers’ routine work with the least possible disruption and communications were always maintained. Nevertheless, some important work could not be carried out, such as the reinforcement and amelioration of the remote ranger outpost. We had new equipment such as solar panels and batteries, but we could not get additional items and deploy the stuff to the bush before the first rains, so effectively and in this respect one full year was lost.

    The extraordinary events of 2020 are also threatening to take a huge toll on the giant sable conservation, which may be nefariously affected in different ways. Most notably, there is an immediate contraction in economic activity which has caused some of our more reliable and long-lasting donors operating in Angola, to announce that they may not renew their contributions and even previously agreed commitments have been put on hold. But possibly even more worryingly, the economic strangulation is obviously much increasing the strain on people’s livelihoods, which in turn makes the prospect of adopting illegal activities such as poaching, more attractive and in some cases unavoidable. Sure enough, an increased poaching pressure has already been felt and is a major cause of concern these days.

    Palanca Report 2021-94

    Our ranger Mulundika with shotgun apprehended from poachers.

    Adding to all our headaches in 2020, the previous rainy season and for a second year in a row, turned out to be very mild and we ended up facing a severe drought arriving early in the dry season and persisting until recently.

    In Cangandala National Park, we were unable to monitor the herd on site throughout the whole of the dry season, which stopped us from recording breeding indicators and much hindered our understanding of the ongoing social dynamics. This was not so much of a crisis in the sense that all giant sables in Cangandala, except maybe some odd escapee, are contained inside the 4,400 ha fenced camp and at least reasonably well protected. So, unless there was some emergency happening, the herd should be progressing relatively well. In Cangandala, and generally, no news is good news.

    It wasn’t until early October when I was finally able to assess the situation and track the sables on the ground. First rains had already started in Cangandala Park, and the animals were less approachable than usual, likely a result of many months of “abandonment”. They had understandably became less accustomed to people, and reacting a bit more nervously on the approach of the white Land Cruiser. But this was half-expected, and can soon be reverted. The visit coincided with the peak of breeding season, when sable bulls are most active and tend to converge towards and around the female herds. However, and unlike the previous breeding season when we observed one very large herd concentrated together and comprising of the majority of the female stock and including most bulls orbiting around them, on this occasion it appears that the females were dispersed into smaller-sized groups, and each dominated by a single bull. Difficult to say if this was a temporary arrangement or an inevitable step on a naturally evolving dynamic as the groups tend to break when the herds become larger in number. I’m inclined to believe it was probably the latter and facilitated by increased antagonistic behaviour among females and/or bulls’ insisting and aggressive efforts to chase and isolate some of them.

    Interestingly, the oldest bull Mercury was in top form and clearly in charge of one group and apparently undisputed, when at the same time last year he was under a lot of pressure from very impressive younger competitors that seemed to be more aggressive and well capable of overtaking him as number one. And we were able to also find a few young bulls, some hugely impressive, apparently stabilized on new territories.

    Palanca Report 2021-18

    Vicente, very self-confident and imposing at just 5 years of age.

    It suggests that most of the breeding season action may had already taken place, including some skirmishes between bulls, and therefore hierarchical relationships might be relatively stabilized in the sanctuary. Of course, this was just a very limited snapshot, a week of data after months of absence, and we are surely missing most of the data to build the narrative. Still, we know for a fact that at least some clashes have definitely turned violent, as the rangers found in July a relatively young bull, estimated age 5, killed as result of fighting – he showed clear signs of having been speared by the horn tips of another bull. It was an unfortunate but quite unavoidable event, and at the end of the day, a natural phenomenon that helps the populations to regulate their numbers while selecting for the fittest, strongest and more driven bulls to pass on their genes to the next generation.

    Palanca Report 2021-2

    Remains of a young giant sable bull that was killed by an intolerant older bull in Cangandala.

    In Luando Reserve and failing the opportunities to monitor the herds properly in the dry season, we were able nevertheless to return in late October, and this time focused on trying to assess the condition of the herds, hopefully by filming them with drones, something we had done successfully in the past but not since 2017. That would only be possible thanks to the kind and enthusiastic participation of Jorge Ferreira, who came along with us and by bringing his drones and skillfully piloting these in the bush.

    Palanca Report 2021-31

    Jorge preparing the launch of the drone in an attempt to fly over a given giant sable herd, which had been previously tracked by GPS satellite, and triangulated from the ground via VHF telemetry.

    It should be stressed that this operation could only be feasible because, contrary to the norm, rains had not yet arrived steadily by then in Luando, which following a very pronounced dry season, allowed us to make progress with vehicles outside the few existing roads. The plan relied on our team, which included the head of the law enforcement unit Fox and four more rangers, driving cross-country for about one week with two Land Cruisers and three bikes, to assess the mostly remote core areas of each of the five free-ranging giant sable herds in the reserve.

    Palanca Report 2021-23

    The rangers proudly display their bikes before we initiate our surveillance mission.

    Although, and thanks to the daily GPS collar tracking over several years, we now have a pretty good idea of the home range of each herd, the areas covered by them are quite extensive, without access roads and the often thick bush makes visibility poor. We would maintain daily communications via satellite phone, to be informed of the most updated positions for a given herd recorded by the GPS collars. Usually, it took at least four to five hours (one day in practical terms) of off-country driving to get to each of the herd’s area, where we would set camp for the night. Early in the following morning, we would get the latest GPS position and make an approach to track and pinpoint the location of the herd by using VHF telemetry while keeping a “safe” distance estimated at around 500 to 1,000 m; once the first signal is picked, it becomes a straightforward process to do the triangulation. The final push would be sending a drone and trying to locate the herd from above and filming them for a while. Hopefully, this should give us updated metrics on the herd composition and recent breeding success over last couple seasons, etc. The droning process could take several hours, and if successful in filming the herd, we would return to unpack camp and drive off towards the site of the following herd, otherwise we tried again in the afternoon or the following day.

    We have only five sable herds in Luando, and because of collar malfunction we lost contact with one of the herds – precisely the one in which only one cow had been collared, soon after it was marked. For this reason, we left this herd for last and focused on the other four groups. We did a poor approach to the first herd, which got spooked and forced us to postpone operations to the following day, but by then they had moved to a much thicker woodland. We eventually managed to film this herd with the drone, counting some 12 animals, but no conclusive data was possible to retrieve, because the tree canopy was dense and because we suspect that the herd being disturbed had split in two smaller groups. The second herd was a hugely disappointing experience, especially more so because we were dealing with the putative largest giant sable herd, numbering 40 animals in 2019. After some effort in locating and doing a proper approach, we then got the drone to fly over them in near perfect conditions, and we shot what we believed then to be beautiful and fairly long sequences with the animals in open ground. Great stuff, except that when we downloaded and tried to play back the films, we were shocked to realize that all the files were corrupted and were subsequently confirmed as non-recoverable! All effort was wasted, except for what we could see from the drone’s bird eye view in real time and which suggested the herd was healthy and probably numbered in excess of 35-40 individuals, including calves. We also did not succeed in obtaining footage from herd 03 but for very different reasons: after several unsuccessful attempts to visualize them from above following ground-triangulation, and during a short lunch break, the herd actually crossed at short distance an open savanna area right in front of us, which allowed for a fantastic sighting and a reasonable count. The group comprised of 21 individuals, plus the usual bull, which corresponded to a slight increase from 19 counted in the dry season of 2019. A herd increase of roughly 10% is within expectations. The fourth herd gave us some good footage, even though it was also a short sequence as they were a bit nervous and we located them with the drone running at low battery. We could only count 22 animals, which is a reduction from 27 recorded in 2019, but it is quite possible that we missed a few sables, especially calves. Overall, and strictly based on our footage and ground data, we believe the situation has remained broadly stable in terms of population numbers. Finally, we had to abort the survey of the fifth herd, as it was located in a much more remote region and without GPS tracking it could prove very difficult to find, but the main reason was that one of the Land Cruisers was overheating due to the radiator becoming clogged with grass and the weather was threatening rainstorms at any moment soon… so we decided best not to push our luck!

    A new visit was made in November hopefully to try and approach sables again in Luando, but in the meantime the rains, although arriving late had by then started to fall with intensity.

  • Palanca Report 2021-102

    Well into the last rainy season, the water overflowing and flooding roads and grasslands in Luando, making progress for rangers very challenging even with bikes (Photos by Fox).

    To make things more complicated, construction works to improve the old roads connecting the main villages inside the reserve were being executed, but the result of these actions was pretty much the opposite. By enlarging the roads and throwing in layers of uncompacted red clay, it was possible to transform narrow and tortuous but well-compacted old roads, into very wide mud tracks where under the rain our vehicles attained as much traction as in an ice-skating ring. I ended up stuck near the main village, and the only way to make progress was on foot or in bikes, and be prepared to endure tough wet and muddy conditions. Field work was very much hampered and trying to approach the herds was out of the question. All I could do, was to enjoy a few days in the bush and spend some time photographing plants and smaller-sized fauna.

    smart

    Bubbling kassina (Kassina senegalensis), more often heard than seen.

    smart

    Common flap-necked chameleon (Chamaleo dilepis) on a ground journey.

    smart

    Almost exclusively ground-dwelling Bocage’s tree-frog (Leptopelis bocagii) – following months of concealment buried in the ground, these tree-frogs “explode” in visible numbers by sprouting out of their hidings immediately after the first heavy shower in September or October.

    As referred earlier, poaching is still a major cause of concern in Luando, and this in spite of our growing efforts in recent years in strengthening the law-enforcement reach and effectiveness. Of course, poaching is an illegal activity that may never be eliminated, and its incidence is also a dynamic process responding not only to the relative success of our combating actions but also to external factors such as the demand for bush meat and influenced by socio-economic pressures. Given the very serious and partly pandemic-linked economic crisis that we are experiencing in Angola, it is not surprising that we believe to have detected a surge in poaching activities intensifying during 2020. During the course of the year, various poachers were intercepted or detained, and several shotguns apprehended. Crucially, and following the work initiated in previous years, we were able to keep the most important water holes well-secured from traps throughout the dry season. There is little doubt that the herd access to water points in the dry season is when they are at the most vulnerable, and we have long concluded that intense poaching with snares in these strategic sites for several years in a row was probably the single most important mechanism that led to the collapse and near extinction of giant sable in the post-war period, and even more so than the indiscriminate use of firearms. On the other hand, this is not to say that snares don’t still pose a serious threat, and the fact remains that rangers regularly come across “snare lines” – these typically consist of relatively straight artificial blockages arranged with bushes and cut trees crisscrossing the woodland and extending in length for a few hundred meters, in which every 20 to 50m an “opening” is made and duly trapped with a steel-cable snare attached to a 6m long flexible pole cut from a small tree.

    Palanca Report 2021-39

    Snare line in which we dismantled 16 traps, was found well within the grazing area of one of the sable herds.

    These “snare lines” are usually placed in such a way that they surround patches where the grass was deliberately burnt a few weeks earlier to attract ungulates to the fresh regenerating grass. Such a system can be highly efficient throughout the dry season and during the early stages of the rainy season. Although we believe that sables are generally wary of these traps, and we actually witnessed one of the herds making a 90º turn in front of us to avoid crossing a snare line, this learning is surely acquired at a high cost. To illustrate this point, just a few weeks prior to our encounter with the herd and the referred snare line, the rangers had tracked down and observed one cow belonging to this group, with a severely injured leg and not far from the site.

    Palanca Report 2021-116

    Ranger setting out for patrol in distant areas in Luando Reserve, preparing for several days outing (Photos by Fox).

    The battle continues.

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    P.S. Photographic records and a couple sequences from drone footage can be accessed via the following links:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/BLkAcYqaBp4hEUKXA
    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UKTwwjGo3nar4jyHd5F5_7XVsb2i2eiq

    • Second Trimester 2019 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊS
    Dear friends,

    Following the July aerial operation implemented in Luando Reserve, we kept ourselves busy throughout the remaining second half of 2019, which included the reinforcement of anti-poaching activities and the remote monitoring of collared sables in Luando, but notably we also carried out a darting and collaring exercise in Cangandala in October.

    Looking back, we have moved a long way in Cangandala National Park, sixteen years since our first hesitant and quite unsuccessful on-foot survey. By then we weren’t even sure if giant sable had survived the civil war, and it took us a few years to conclude that only a few old cows were left, and all males had been poached in the park. Ten years have now passed since a bull from Luando reserve was flown from Luando to join the surviving nine females in a fenced camp, and nine years completed since the first little calf was born to mark the start of the new era. Being a male, the calf received the name of Mercury, a roman god of communication, travelling and soul-guiding, and also the planet closest to the sun. A lot of hopes and responsibility was laid on Mercury’s shoulders, but over the years he has certainly risen to the occasion, becoming the master bull in Cangandala and making a significant contribution to the breeding success of the local herd.

    We estimate the current numbers in Cangandala to be around 80 animals, all still confined inside the 4,400-hectare sanctuary. All evidence and observations suggest that the herd is doing extremely well, as inferred by physical condition of animals, breeding rate and success, low mortality, and no indications of overgrazing or excess of antagonistic behavior. The last breeding season appears to have been exceptional, and quite well-synchronized, which likely reflects an ideal life cycle and we may interpret as the result of good conditions and adequate management of this population.

    Nursing a young calf.

    Calving peaked in June, and it was quite rewarding to observe in July and August, the formation of a large crèche with many young calves of similar age. This crèche comprised at one stage 20 little ones, which may well be the largest concentration of giant sable calves ever recorded. Adding a few off-season births in subsequent months, gives us good reason to consider 2019 as hugely successful year in Cangandala! Remarkably and confirming previous experiences, the giant sable herd seemed to be quite relaxed and tolerant of our presence when the calves are young and in crèches. The group-behavior appears to give them extra confidence, and even if the calves are still very vulnerable. This is in marked contrast with the period of May/ June, just before and during calving, when females tend to isolate themselves and generally become much more wary, and often not tolerating approach.

    September/ October coincided with the onset of the annual breeding period, when males are increasingly more excitable, and females get in estrus. During this period, we witnessed very interesting behavior in Cangandala, some of which somewhat unexpected or at least not text-book material, but quite consistent with drone footage that we had obtained in Luando in previous years. This had mostly to do with the behavior of bulls and how they evolved and interacted within the herd. Instead of an increased fighting among males and dominance behavior that could be expected to lead to an inevitable situation of having one dominant bull removing all contenders from the herd vicinity, and being therefore more exclusive than during the rest of the year, we actually have is a bit of the opposite. We found all males present and cohabiting the same area, including the large master bulls, the younger territorial contenders and even the much younger from bachelor groups. It seems they all converge to the herd and orbit around the breeding cows. Sure enough, they’re not exactly all friends and there are obvious dominance rituals in play, but yet they manage to behave in a much more peacefully fashion than one would think considering their fierce reputation and being in the presence of those beautiful and receptive females. One can clearly see a hierarchy very well established, but everyone seems to know their rank, and its as if they’re not really interested in wasting energy in fighting with the bounty so near. Instead, it’s more of a free-for-all situation, with various bulls trying to corner different cows according to their rank, and we see even very young males sneaking around females when the other bulls are distracted.

    A 2-year old young male trying to seduce a young cow.

    This provided an opportunity for us to keep track of many bulls and younger males, including the majority of individuals born in the first few years of the program and some we had not seen in a long time. And we came across no males injured or in bad physical condition. I believe this deconstructs the notion that it is not possible nor advisable to keep more than one bull in a fenced camp with females because various males will waste too much of their focus in fighting, affecting breeding efficiency and will eventually kill each other. On the contrary, I believe that, at least providing the camp is big enough in size and the habitat conditions ideal, keeping the bull population increasing naturally can be beneficial, as the dominance hierarchy is likely an important selection tool to keep functioning which does not necessarily ends up in tragedy and may even stimulate breeding. Besides, it may also distribute the breeding opportunities across a larger number of males, thus maximizing genetic diversity and in a fair (and naturally selected) way. At the end of the day, it is likely that the exceptional breeding success and remarkable calving synchronization may be at least partially correlated to a healthy competition among existing bulls. If there is a lesson to be learned here, is to keep things natural as much as possible. Providing ideal natural conditions, from habitat to keeping social structure, appears to be the way to produce the best results!

    Another “natural” development had to do with Mercury’s role in the herd. Assuming that he had been performing well as the main breeding bull for three to four years, we had decided it was probably a good time now to alleviate him of this burden. However, and much to our surprise, by observing the social interactions during the breeding season it became apparent that he had moved down the ladder, being now number three in the bull hierarchy! Not only his younger sibling Eolo is the current number one, but the number two position is now taken by an even younger bull, we estimate around seven years old, and tentatively identified as Ramses, a male we had lost track of a few years back.

    Surprisingly the herd was now being controlled not by Mercury or Eolo, but by a younger, yet quite impressive male – Ramses.

    There is still another very large bull and a serious contender for number one in Cangandala, which we saw a couple times far from the herd and apparently not interested in challenging the established hierarchies, and possibly it will be another “lost” bull, Apollo. As for Mercury, in truth he didn’t seem too concerned or demoralized for having been demoted, not even he behaved like a defeated or vengeful bull. He was still as imposing and noble-looking as ever, transmitting the serenity and authority of a true leader, except when Eolo or Ramses approached and lowered their horn tips, in which case Mercury would calmly relinquish his position and move off calmly. Mercury still behaving as the herd bull most of the time, but it’s also as if he feels that it is not really worth it to challenge these young, powerful and testosterone-inflated bulls.

    One cause for concern was observing one female with a very serious limp, which was clearly reflecting on her physical condition, and had very recently recently calved.

    The poor female Nicole soon after being discharged to initiate recovery.

    This female had a badly injured left hindfoot which she constantly licked, and she often stayed behind and struggled to keep up with the rest of the herd. Our previous experience in Luando demonstrate that leg injuries are frequent, but pretty much always caused by snares set by poachers. Would it be possible that there were active snares being set inside the sanctuary in Cangandala, even though we’re dealing with a fenced camp which should be reasonably well-patrolled regularly? We couldn’t believe that! Maybe, an alternative scenario could also explain the injury, like some sort of localized wound followed by infection… we followed the female a few times and took plenty of photos, but the cause remained inconclusive. We would need to dart the poor cow, and the opportunity would present itself in October during the second collaring operation in 2019.

    We had initially intended to dart and move a small group of animals, including Mercury, from the main sanctuary to a new smaller camp and destined for tourism. However, frustrating delays in finishing some complementing yet crucial components, such as water hole and support and observation infrastructures inside the camp, adding the start of the seasonal rains, made it unadvisable to translocate these animals in October. On the other hand, we were concerned with the fact that our VHF collars were reaching the end of their battery life, which could soon make regular monitoring and future darting exercises much harder. All considered, we decided too still carry out a darting operation and focusing on marking animals and deploying new VHF collars. As always, and to implement this highly specialized veterinarian effort, we enjoyed the privilege of having Dr. Pete Morkel and this time co-adjuvated by Dr. Charlotte Moueix. We had also a reinforced support team present throughout the operation, with rangers and young researchers from Kissama Foundation.

    Young researcher Isilda handling a female sable.

    The plan was to try to approach the herd from the Land Cruiser to dart the animals and deploy up to seven VHF collars, including females and bulls. Charlotte would do the shooting and Pete supervise all veterinarian procedures. We felt confident that it would be possible to approach and dart the first few animals, but if the animals started reacting and responding nervously it could prove difficult to dart more than a few individuals.

    The first animal we darted was Nicole, the poor six-year-old female that was limping. Unfortunately, our worst fears were confirmed… she had been victim of a poaching incident, and still carried a steel cable deeply wrapped inside her foot!

    Our worst fears were confirmed when the leg injury proved to be the result of a cable snare!

    It was a nasty injury, and with a cable knot tightly stuck between tendons, it took Pete and Charlotte more than one hour of stressful hard work, to remove the cable. Shocking, terrible stuff. Still, she was duly treated and should make a full recovery now. We estimate the poaching incident to have occurred less than six months ago and, of course, the worst part is now knowing for sure that there is active poaching with snares going on inside the sanctuary. It is hard to ignore that this sort of action in such a supposedly well-protected site, is likely done by locals with the participation or complicity of rangers, so this is a highly sensitive matter which we hope to tackle in the near future. Subsequently we darted a second female that also had been victim of a snare, although it had likely been a nylon rope more than one year ago and she had recovered well. Nevertheless, it proved we weren’t dealing with an isolated incident.

    Other than the recorded injuries, the operation went extremely well and beyond our expectations. The darting went like clockwork, as we were always able to approach the herd and Charlotte didn’t miss one shot. Typically, the first Land Cruiser would approach first and dart one sable, which would soon go down calmly near the herd, and we would then park the two vehicles as to semi-block the view and handle the individual, often only a few dozen meters from remaining animals which pretty much ignored our presence. In just a few days we darted a total of nine females and seven males, all measured, photographed and ear tagged. We were able to deploy our seven new VHF collars and recycled two old units. All animals were sampled for future DNA-extraction and we were also able to obtain biopsies from ten additional individuals. We expect this way to fill in the blanks on our studbook and much improve our knowledge on how the diversity of the genetic pool in Cangandala is evolving. Although we didn’t immobilize the two older bulls, in general all males were very impressive, giving us the impression that successive generations of bulls are growing larger and with more powerful horns, possibly as result of increased competition? The largest horns measured were those of Ramses, at 54.5 inch horns, but a young 3-year-old male carrying 46.5 inch horns was equally impressive.

    A well-placed dart on this cow.

    In Luando reserve and during this second semester we focused our attention in remote monitoring of the animals and anti-poaching on the ground. Having sables with GPS collars that can be tracked permanently has proved an invaluable source of information on their habits and movements and ultimately on stepping up their security. In July we had deployed two GPS collars on females in each of the five existing herds, except on the fifth herd (KI) that was only located on the last day of the aerial operation and for this reason in this case we could only mark one cow. In addition, six collars had been used on males, two on young animals in bachelor groups, and four on territorial bulls. Unfortunately, we have been facing some technical problems, and four collars ceased transmitting data before end of December, including precisely the two collars deployed on the young males and the one used on the only female collared in herd KI. The areas were thoroughly patrolled by the rangers soon after the collars stopped working, but we found no signs of foul play, so it was likely malfunction. A bit disappointing the fact that, once again, we lost track of the most elusive of our five herds. To make things worse, it is the largest herd and its home range is possibly in the now less secured area… pity. In compensation, the remaining herds are being very well monitored, and we could even observe interesting group splits in two of these herds, that occurred during the breeding season and have been maintained since. We might be witnessing for the first time how and when new herds are formed, but in alternative the split may also be explained by seasonal changes in the social dynamics. It will be fascinating to keep track of these movements over the next few months. As for the males they’ve been pretty much behaving as expected. One of the males is a herd bull and stays most of the time accompanying the cows, while three others appear solitary and were holding territories not too far from herds.

    The herd foraging in the woodland at close range.

    In order to increase our anti-poaching response, we have installed a brand-new military tent in the advanced post in Luando, and we have also purchased a solar-powered system with solar panels and batteries to be installed on site. Resulting from poaching incidents and poachers that were intercepted by the rangers, two motorbikes, three bicycles and two shotguns were apprehended.

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    Photos can be accessed through the link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/991JsFdosLnUPKs18

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    • First Trimester 2019 Report & July Capture Operation

    VERSAO PORTUGUESE

    Dear Friend,

    July Capture Operation

    In July we carried out the 2019 aerial capture operation, another crucial milestone and the corollary of many months of preparation. Resorting to specialized game capture team, including veterinary services and helicopter rental, it was the fifth such exercised implemented in 10 years. As in all previous operations, the key role on the team was played by our good friend Dr. Pete Morkel, one of the most experienced wildlife veterinarians and a legend in his field.

    Veterinarian Dr. Pete Morkel administering the antidote on a giant sable bull.

    Just as in 2016, the pilot was Namibian-based Frans Henning. Unlike the previous exercises though, this time we could not hire a Hughes 500 chopper, the machine of choice for this job with our particular conditions. As alternative, we rented a Jet Ranger Bell 206, a somewhat larger, powerful and highly efficient and reliable chopper, but lacking the maneuverability of a Hughes 500.

    The chopper parked in the woods.

    We take here the opportunity to thank our main sponsors, namely (alphabetically): Angola LNG, ExxonMobil Foundation, Segré Foundation, Tusk Trust and Whitley Fund; and also smaller, and some in-kind, but relevant contributions for this operation, received from: Ecotur, Geigert family, NSCC, Oceaneering, Safari Enterprises and Step Ahead. We also recognize the role played by INBAC and the Provincial Government of Malanje in ensuring support at various levels, and, as always, a very special acknowledgement is due to the Angolan military (air force and army), who have assisted with fuel, logistics and organization details. Finally, we must also thank some individuals, who provided crucial support in organizing, advice, networking and logistics, namely Carlos Cunha, Genls Hanga, Sousa and Traguedo, and the Schaads (David and Ruth).

    The 2019 capture operation was to focus exclusively in Luando Reserve and had pre-set the following main objectives: 1) an updated census of the giant sable population; locating the five known existing herds and, through a detailed photographic record, evaluating population demographic parameters such as sex ratios and age structure. 2) dart up to 20 giant sable and deploy up to 15 new GPS/Iridium collars and, if necessary, a few additional VHF collars; ideally, we wanted to put two GPS collars in two females on each of the five herds, and five GPS collars in bulls. 3) an assessment on threats, especially focusing on poaching evidence; an effort was to be made in visiting most of the water holes, and when appropriate, take action against poachers. As an extra, last minute addition, we would try to put a lion GPS collar if, during our operational flights, we were to be given such opportunity.

    Bulls being immobilized.

    The operation went exceptionally well and almost all objectives matched our expectations. The only relevant shortcoming was that the lions didn’t come to the party, when none was spotted even though we did make a bit of flying over the areas where they had been last recorded. It would have been nice to dart and collar one lion, a first for Angola, but we knew it would probably be very unlikely and it wasn’t our main focus anyway. In brief, the operation was a huge success! In total, we darted 17 sable and deployed all our 15 GPS collars, distributed in nine females and six bulls.

    Wilbur, the largest bull collared on this operation.

    No casualties, or incidents affecting the health of local animals as result of our actions, was to be recorded. Un updated survey was concluded, plus detailed demographic data and threat assessment.

    We collared four mature bulls, presumed territorial, and one of them was accompanying one of the herds.

    Bulls being chased and immobilized.

    The territorial bulls were chosen randomly, and their estimated age was six, seven, eight and 12 years old, the latter, Ngola, had been darted but not collared in 2016. All these mature bulls were very nice healthy specimens, with average horns that measured between 52 and 56 inches in length. The largest specimen seen, however, was photographed twice in the first few days, but we didn’t have the chance to dart.

    One magnificent territorial bull, surely the most impressive seen in 2019, but which we could not dart.

    We also came across several bachelor groups – dispersing young males tend to aggregate in small groups for some time before eventually becoming solitary and establish their own territory. The bachelor groups seen had between two and seven males, of ages three and four.

    An amazing bachelor group with seven beautiful young males of ages 3 and 4 years old – one would be darted later on.

    Although we’ve never done it before, this year we decided to collar two four-year-old bulls from different bachelor groups. They were both very nice powerful young specimens, with horn lengths between 46 and 48 inches. There is quite some risk involved here, as these young boys may roam aimlessly and easily get in trouble – they are surely more vulnerable animals to poaching or may also be killed by older bulls. On the other hand, by tracking a four-year-old we hope to detect and document the moment when they settle down and become territorial, a phenomenon that is still poorly understood. Regarding the bulls, the biggest surprise, by far, was finding Bruno alive, a bull that had been collared in 2013 and then estimated to be around 12, which would make him today 18 years old!

    To our surprise we found and darted Bruno, a bull now at the estimated age of 18… he doesn’t have much more time to live; we removed his 2013 collar and wished him a peaceful ending.

    Considering that we had never found a bull older than 15, this was quite a shocker. We darted ol’ Bruno and relieved him from his battered neck collar. As one would expect, he was in terrible physical condition, and most of his teeth were worn out down to the gums. He must not have more than a few more months to live… we let him go and wished him luck!

    Checking the teeth wear to help determine the age of individuals.

    Always fascinating to report on the bulls, but the females are the crucial component, and we were eager to tackle the herds. The first four herds were relatively easy to locate and at the end of the seventh day of flying we had collared two cows on each of these herds, plus a couple territorial bulls.

    Cow on the run.

    The fifth herd (named KI), however, proved much harder to find, but very much like in previous exercises. This is the herd that occupies a home range furthest from our base of operations and furthest from the other groups, but it also the one for which we hold less information. Although this is one of our two largest groups and located in a region characterized by extensive anharas (natural clearings) and relatively open woodland, for some reason we tend to struggle in finding them. In 2009 and 2013 we couldn’t locate them, while in 2011 we found only a very small subgroup that had temporarily split, and in 2016 we only got them on the very last day of flying. In addition, we have also been unlucky with collars, as the only two GPS collars we managed to put in this group in the past, lasted only a few months before one collar broke and in the other case it was the female that died. The last remote data from this herd is more than two years old. As result, our knowledge about the routines of this herd is relatively poor when compared with remaining herds. To make things worse, even one additional VHF collar left in 2016 is missing in action (cow likely poached). So early on, we started looking for herd KI, but without much luck… we kept finding bulls in the region but not the females! After several consecutive days and many hours of relentless searches we came to the last effort on the very last day of flying… and that’s when we found them! This was a relief, but just like in 2016, by then we had only one GPS collar left, so we darted two cows and the second was released with VHF only. Now let’s hope we get better luck with these collars!

    Another female marked – Henriette.

    Comparing 2016 and 2019 demographic data for the five herds, we estimate a population increase of roughly 15%, which I consider a fairly good result. True that a well-protected healthy population could probably grow at a rate of 15% annually, which is how the Cangandala herd is performing, but given the insecurity in Luando and empiric data reporting the continuation of poaching activities, we feared it could be much worse, and even a population decrease could not be ruled out until we now pulled this survey. Equally important was determining that the demographic parameters in terms of age structure and ratios in every herd are now much better than ever recorded in the past 10 years. In short, the number of cows have remained stable or even reduced slightly, but in compensation the average age of females has dropped and the number of yearlings and immatures has increased significantly.

    And a little calf.

    These parameters suggest a much healthier population, with a higher potential for growth in the short term, and one that appears to have suffered a lot less pressure from snaring over the last three years. As we had documented previously, snares affect primarily young animals, and were responsible for an unbalanced population with skewed age structure, when we had more old females than younger ones, and few yearlings made it to adult classes. During this survey, the age of darted females averaged seven years old, and only one cow was estimated to be over 10 years.

    The impact of traps can also be inferred from scars carried by survivors.

    Effects of poaching with snares, visible in the foot of this poor cow.

    In previous operations, the average of injured individuals among darted animals has been calculated between 20 to 25%. These have always included specimens with either extremely nasty leg injuries, such as with signs of necrosis or amputated legs, or active wounds that forced Dr. Morkel to perform emergency surgical procedures in the bush to remove ropes and steel cable snares, etc. In 2019, three handled animals had leg injuries, corresponding to roughly 18%, but on this occasion the wounds had healed and the incidents that caused them were estimated to have occurred several years ago. Also, two of the affected individuals – one bull and one cow, were older animals with estimated age of 12, and only the third was a eight year old female. So, the fact that the general population is now on average younger, and yet the older animals carry a much larger proportion of injuries when we know for a fact that young animals are the most vulnerable, is a very encouraging result because it is consistent with a recent reduction in poaching.

    We did find less signs of poaching than in previous surveys, and not surprisingly, the herds closest to our new advanced post within the areas that have been patrolled more efficiently, are the ones that show the clearest increase in numbers! This not to say that there were no worrying signs. Especially in the region where the furthest herd resides – KI, and which have been rarely patrolled by our rangers, poaching was still rampant, and we found plenty of traps around water holes.

    Although possibly less than in previous years, poaching is still a major concern in some areas, where the water holes were often full of traps aiming to catch sable.

    Some of these traps were clearly targeting the giant sable herd, situated within a few hundred meters from where we eventually found the group, and also evidenced by the use of huge poles with steel cables or very large iron gin traps.

    Including cable snares and nasty gin traps!

    We cleared these sites, and a joint incursion with military for anti-poaching was prepared and will be carried out in subsequent weeks. On the other hand, and although we concluded that poaching with snares around water holes – the most damaging method, has been possibly efficiently eliminated in the regions where we have based the rangers, still we did find some poaching camps and it appears that here the poachers are now mostly resorting to nocturnal hunting with spotlights and shotguns.

    Overall, the situation seems to have improved, and not only the giant sable population show a perceived increase.

    The orbi…

    An incredibly fast and maneuverable antelope…

    …and quite a challenge to photograph on the run!

    Two other species in particular, appeared much more common than in any previous survey, the roan antelope and the reedbuck, which were easily recorded and daily. It is likely that they are responding well to the increased security in the reserve, and this probably also helps explain the resurgence of lions.

    First Trimester 2019 Report

    Not only the rains had initiated late in the last quarter of 2018, but they also ended early this year. Although there was plenty of localized variation, with some sites actually receiving a lot of rainfall, in most areas the rain had stopped by mid-March and soon after it had become apparent that we should prepare for a drought in the dry season.

    In Cangandala things have remained relatively quiet, with the animals well adapted and protected inside the main sanctuary. The improvements to finalize the construction of the new tourism sanctuary were delayed due to bureaucratic issues and may well compromise the initial plan of translocating in the dry season the bull Mercury with couple young females, as part of his retirement package. Following several years of being the dominant bull, Mercury needs to give way to younger contenders. Of notice in this period, was the arrest made by rangers, of one poacher that had killed one waterbuck in the south of the park.

    Rangers with shotguns, bicycles and motor bikes apprehended from poachers in recent months.

    Regarding Luando we had started the year still battling with the consequences of the December poaching incident, when three poachers who our rangers had arrested red-handed with the remains of a freshly killed giant sable female, were shamelessly set free by the judicial system. Although in the previous report I blamed a judge for the unfortunate outcome, that was an incorrect statement. Instead, they were sent home by a local prosecutor with whom the poachers and respective families, managed to negotiate a friendly release. This of course raises some worrying issues regarding the conduct of local police authorities, but also means that the incident is not necessarily closed from a formal legal standpoint. We have since been trying hard to follow through the process at higher level, and we still hope the poachers will be called back and receive the well-deserved exemplary punishment. At the very least, we need to ensure that a similar chain of events will not happen again!

    At least the incident stirred the waters and we felt poaching was temporarily reduced in Luando. On the other hand, it took some effort but we managed to maintain the advanced post with permanent ranger presence throughout the whole rainy season, now completing one full year. Reaching the post to ensure supplies and ranger rotations proved increasingly difficult as the rains progressed and the landscape became flooded, so we had to open alternative routes. In any case this was a crucial achievement, allowing us to much extend our effective security reach and establish a permanent presence within close distance to three of the five local giant sable herds. Before end of the year we expect to much reinforce this post with better equipment, such as a brand new military tent and a solar kit. In the future, possibly during 2020, we expect to expand further our presence by opening a new service tracks and establishing a new advanced post, but first we need to strengthen our management and logistics capacity.

    Hoof deformity as result of untreated injury caused by snare trap.

    At the end of first semester, still four GPS collars were still active and about to complete three years of work, which is quite remarkable. These included two collars in territorial bulls and another two in females, although the latter were both on the same herd. These collars proved instrumental in allowing us to better understand the whereabouts and behavior of giant sable, and much improved surveillance and targeted security.

    This poaching camp had just been abandoned in haste when they sensed the chopper.

    If poachers appeared to reduce their activity markedly in our increasing area of influence, the most significant happening was the unexpected return of four-legged predators: lions! It had been a few years since our last recorded evidence of lions, but they now finally made a comeback. The first event took place in early June, when our three rangers based on the advanced post spent a sleepless night subject to the mighty roaring of a male lion. A lion roar can be a frightening experience as it triggers a visceral sense of fear in human beings, and this can be worse when heard for the first time ever. Our rangers are still inexperienced in many respects and for them a lion is a creature of tales, of which they had never seen, heard or smelled! They were totally unprepared, and it is therefore not surprising that they panicked, and then, against better advice, one even made random shots into the woods at night! In the words of one of the brave survivors: ‘- when the lion roared the ground trembled beneath our feet”, and ‘- the roaring was so loud that the leaves were falling from the trees all around us!’ So, a lion male was back! But, remarkably, and even more striking experienced was reserved for another ranger team a couple weeks later, when two rangers that had left the camp for a routine patrol, stumbled onto a pride of lions chasing bushpigs! They saw a male, a lioness, and four cubs. This is the first evidence of resident lion breeding in Luando for many decades! Needless to say, that the rangers got the scare of their lives. They made a hastily return, while setting the grass on fire on their rear. The return of lions can surely pose some risks to the giant sable herds, but it is likely a reflection of the increase in wildlife populations as the local ecosystems may be recovering some of its lost functions. In any case, this new development was most unexpected, and brings up a new set of challenges and opportunities that we expect to tackle in the future.

    A magnificent sight- the largest sable herd in which we counted 40 individuals!

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    Photos can be accessed through the link:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/UZ7qyRVGHC8c4H4J9

    A short video can be accessed here:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/m3y8i2jmkAX7ZvKK7

    Quite common in the giant sable areas, this leaf-toed gecko appears to be a yet undescribed species and is the subject of ongoing research.

    _________________________________________________________________

      • Second Trimester 2018 Report

    VERSAO PORTUGUESE

    Dear Friend,

    Second half of the year is typically busier for us on the ground than the previous and this one was no exception. As the dry season progresses and eventually gives way to a spring-of-sorts shortly followed by the early rainy season, the conditions on the ground tend to be the most favourable in terms of our own mobility, while the local ecosystems evolve in remarkable fashion.In July the climate is dry and harsh, the early mornings can be very cold and we witness the last seasonal wild fires; the landscape looks desolate and is marked by the burnt colours mostly greys, black and browns, there is no grass and the naked trees seem deceivingly moribund; this a time when sable cows have just finished calving and the herds reunite and are drawn to the anharas. During August the trees start regenerating the leaf cover and new grass is sprouting in pockets while the days are typically very hot, dry and windy; it is a good time to observe the sables, when the herds feast on the new grass and the little calves can be seen in créches.

    A magnificent sight: plenty of young and respective mums.

    September is the closest we have of a spring, characterized by a spectacular explosion of colours in trees and bushes, from light greens and yellows to deep reds; this is when the skies start accumulating clouds and energy and may release the first odd discharges.

    Violent storms at the advanced post in Luando.

    It is also the period when bulls become increasingly agitated, challenging each other and moving great distances in search of receptive cows. In October we witness the first serious showers, but these are still very irregular in space and time; the breeding season has reached its peak and bulls remain nervous and excitable. During November the rains finally set in, becoming more frequent and generous, and this is when the bright colours fade and give way to the deep greens; bulls are now exhausted, they isolate themselves and have ceased the harassment of females. December can be considered a typical wet season month – the first of a few more to come, the grass is now well developed everywhere, the soil muddy and waterlogged, and a homogenous green blanket covers the landscape; the sable herds tend now to move deeper into the woodland but spending long periods in smaller areas, while bulls will routinely re-attend and patrol their territories.

    In Cangandala we were able to testify once again the excellent results of the previous breeding season, confirmed by the large number of young healthy calves, which were often observed in créches. But possibly the most striking note the abundance of young males that can now be seen, forming several bachelor groups spread across the sanctuary.

    Handsome young males.

    Some of these males are quite young, under three years of age and having recently abandoned the respective herds, but others are reaching six years old and are quite handsome, even though they’re not yet ready to challenge Mercury, the resident territorial bull. As the mature and self-confident bull he is, Mercury is a pleasure to watch, as he is very tolerant of our presence and often allows the LandCruiser to approach to within 30 meters.

    Mercury letting us get to within 20 meters.

    However, his dominant status can’t be taken for granted anymore and he is spending more time patrolling the territory and less time accompanying the herd. The main reason for his increasing restlessness is surely the presence of Eolo, who’s becoming stronger and more imposing by the day. Mercury is being challenged and by the end of the year it was no longer obvious who was the number one in Cangandala. In fact, one way or the other, Mercury’s retiring time is approaching fast, as we intend to move him in 2019 to a newly built sanctuary.

    The recent appointment of a warden in Cangandala NP has proved very beneficial, improving general management in the park and culminated with the detention of a group of local poachers. These were caught while carrying bushmeat from several duikers and bushbucks killed in the park. The poachers were well infiltrated in the local villages and we have reason to believe that they had been doing their business for a few years with total impunity.

    It is in Luando reserve, however, that most of our work is focusing these days, and where the tasks are more challenging. But here is also where our progress is becoming more significant. Our recently-appointed head of rangers for Luando, senior ranger whose war name is Fox, is doing an excellent job in training and organizing the sable shepherds and turning them into functional rangers. Our actions are finally having a direct impact in terms of law enforcement in the reserve.

    Senior ranger Fox planning patrols.

    The first crucial tasks that we had devised was fully implemented during this period. We opened up several bush roads and built an advanced ranger post 50 kms into the bush. This camp is situated on a scenic spot near a major temporary stream and a permanent lake, strategically close to three of the five surviving sable herds, and consists of a large tent placed on dry ground under the shade of large Brachystegia trees. Here we stationed teams of four rangers on two-week rotations. In the absence of radio repeaters and cell coverage in the reserve, we keep daily communications via satellite phones. The rangers keep motorbikes for routine transport, and logistics have been ensured weekly, initially by LandCruiser, and by quad bikes since November, when the rains made local roads impassable for regular vehicles.

    By using this new post as an advanced base, we were able to penetrate much further in routine patrols and reach critical spots that required investigation. One of our first missions was rescuing two GPS collars from animals we knew had died a few months earlier. We had remotely tracked one bull and one female as they stopped moving, which usually can only mean one thing: death. They should have been both healthy animals, the bull was nine years old and the female was quite young at six years of age. Mature bulls can often fight to death, but in the absence of natural predation, the death of a young female is always a major worry – not only we lose an animal of greatest potential for breeding, but it also is a likely indication of poaching. In both occasions simply by tracing the remote data, we could only infer the death to have been sudden and without warning, so it was inconclusive as for the cause. Ideally, we should have been able to react immediately after the events were identified, but unfortunately it occurred in a very remote location and during the rainy season, and we lacked resources to react promptly. We had attempted a couple previous incursions but failed to reach the sites, which were relatively close to each other. Now that we finally got there, we were shocked to confirm that the female had indeed been poached and it was actually dismembered and smoked on site, and the poachers had camped there for a few days and didn’t even bother to destroy the collar or hide the evidence.

    Intervening and recovering evidence on a poaching camp where a giant sable female was dispatched and smoked.

    Very sad indeed, and we had arrived too late. We also recovered the collar and remains of the bull, but could not determine any obvious cause of death. It may have been a natural death, nevertheless, being a mere 4 km from where the female was killed is very suspicious, and it appears very likely that both animals were shot by poachers.

    We believe, however, that from now on, we are better prepared to react immediately on future alarming signs obtained from GPS tracking, and reach most critical locations within 48 hours after an incident occurs and is detected. We are on standby at the moment, with a permanent team deep in the bush, with transport means and communications in place.

    An unusual incident happened in Luando, when local witnesses reported the sighting of an allegedly “ill” big bull that entered some agricultural fields near one of the main villages in the reserve. This was somewhat unexpected as it took place in an area quite far from any recent confirmed records of giant sable. A team was sent to the site and the bull was located, but it had died a few hours earlier. Upon inspection it proved to be a very old bull, and there were no signs of foul play, and nor even fresh injuries that could suggest he had recently battled another bull.

    The one-horned skull of the old bull recovered.

    On the other hand, his body condition was poor and his teeth were almost completely worn down to the gums. In all likeliness, this bull must have died of old age, unable to feed as his teeth lost their function once and for all. He was an old warrior with only one horn, as the other had likely been long lost in battle. Still, it was a very respectable horn, well-arched and measuring 57 inches long. Being found relatively far from the remaining sable population is consistent with it being a dispersing old bull, who has lost his fair share of skirmishes and may have been now looking for a quiet retirement spot to end his days.

    The step-up of ranger presence and anti-poaching measures produced measurable results in several occasions throughout the past few months. Apart from localizing various temporary poaching camps that were duly destroyed, on one given patrol in October, a group of three poachers were intercepted near a camp site. These poachers managed to escape but their bicycle, ammunition and one shotgun was apprehended.

    Giant sable skull next to bicycle, shotgun, ammunition and snare traps apprehended from poachers.

    In their camp we found remains of duikers and warthog. However, we were still preparing for December, a month that is reputed to be the one most preferred by poachers, eager to enhance their earnings before Christmas. Every year it is claimed that poaching reaches a peak during December, so we wanted to be ready this time, and our senior rangers sacrificed their family obligations in favour of staying in the bush without interruption from mid-November till mid-January. And this bold move would produce results!

    Benefiting from preliminary undercover intelligence work and with firm collaboration received from local villagers, we were informed in early December, that a serious poaching team had crossed the Luando river and was operating in a given region. The area in question happened to be the most remote location in relation to where our bases are established, and yet too close to our largest giant sable herd. This herd is therefore the more vulnerable, as it occupies a home range about 30km away from the next nearest group, and for this reason it has remained less protected. We reacted by sending our six best rangers to survey the area and prepare an ambush if possible. Sure enough, six poachers were intercepted and following a few shots fired, three got away but the other three were detained, plus one weapon, ammunition and three well maintained motor bikes. Significantly they were carrying various animal parts and remains and included the skin of a giant sable female. This was simply the first time in 50 years that poachers are arrested with evidence of killing a giant sable! Upon interrogation, the poachers confessed killing the giant sable in the previous weekend and reported that the smoked meat had already been sold and sent to local markets in the neighbouring province of Bié. They were returning to resume their activities when we caught them.

    The success of this operation was a major achievement, and the rangers were very proud and motivated, and even the local villagers cheered the arrest of the trespassers. We had reasons to be optimistic, but unfortunately, despite all our efforts, subsequent events were to be a shocking disappointment and to cast a dark cloud over the current situation. Although we worked in close collaboration with provincial authorities, government, police and military and we thought that all the necessary steps had been taken to make sure the poachers would receive exemplary punishment, the judge ruled that the poachers should be released upon paying fine of AKZ 250,000.00, which was worth less than US $250.00 per person. This was a ridiculous amount, and worth much less than what they had already profited from selling the bush meat! This ruling blatantly ignored that the act of killing of a giant sable – our natural national symbol, had recently been criminalized and the fine set at the very impressive and dissuasive amount of AKZ 22,000,000. And yet they got away paying only 1% of what the law recommends because the judge took pity of them or possibly didn’t think this was such a serious offense. Needless to say, this was huge blow to the morale of the rangers, and even the local villagers feel frustrated and revolted against the judicial system. We are now trying to minimize the damage, and hopefully use this as leverage to force changes that may take effect in the future.

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    Photos can be accessed through the link:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/vFMgziEbUhWDZwoq7

    _____________________________________________________________

            • First Trimester 2018 Report

    VERSAO PORTUGUES

    Dear friends,

    The new year started as it had ended the previous one… wet, very wet! And so continued until the very late end of the rainy season in May. After the drought in the previous year and seasons, the generous rains must have been quite welcomed by the animals, and allowed the regeneration of critical functions within the local ecosystems, by promoting abundant regrowth of the vegetation and replenishing of the water table, with streams and dry rivers coming back to life, filling of water holes and inundation of floodplains. These were excellent news and make us feel and make us feel optimistic for the ensuing recovery of sable populations, but didn’t exactly make our lives any easier on the ground, in terms of field monitoring. Indeed quite the opposite, and this was especially troublesome in Luando Reserve, where progress was slow and critical activities had to be put on hold for a few months.

    In Cangandala, the copious rains gave way to abundant grass, a lot of grass really, tall, thick, and everywhere. In the end of May the soil was still too moist and the floodplains full of water, and by mid-June, when we finally could venture the LandCruiser off track, a thick wall of grass made it a nightmare for us to make progress, and the unavoidable tiny grass seeds released in millions quickly clotted the radiator, in spite of double protective nets.

    Explosion of grass making progress a nightmare in May and June.

    It happens every year, but this season was worst than usual, started later and was more prolonged in time. But anyway, in the park things are simply going very well and at cruise speed. Sable are breeding exceptionally well, they are well protected and the area of the sanctuary is still big enough to sustain a fast growing population. We may have to consider in the future enlarging the full-protection area or releasing some pressure by moving part of animals, but these decisions may wait for at least a couple years.

    Lots of young animals make the majority of the herd.

    The long and intense rainy season has various and additional predictable consequences, one of which is that the controlled burnings and wild fires are likely delayed and less frequent. Probably a lot less surface will burn in 2018 both in Cangandala and Luando, although there is a risk that if the next rainy season is delayed, then the unusual accumulation of combustible material in the form dead grass may facilitate exceptionally severe wild fires in September, and these should be avoided if possible, particularly in Cangandala. Another not so good consequence, was that in the park we struggled to make preventive fires and controlled burnings to promote mosaic micro-habitats and regrowth of vegetation in strategic places, which tended to be highly favoured feeding spots by sable in the dry season. As the grass remained relatively moister than usual, very little was burned until end of June in the sanctuary. Still, we managed to partially burn some patches on the main floodplain and some small areas on a couple anharas, so these will surely become grazing and browsing hotspots for the animals shortly after in the dry season.

    As result of the terrain conditions, we struggled to approach the sable herds in Cangandala, and the visibility was always blocked by the almost impenetrable wall of grass. In addition, the females were also quite dispersed and behaving shyly, surely a consequence of being calving or preparing to calve, or nursing their new-borns. We could confirm that Mercury was still routinely patrolling his favourite area, suggesting he still maintains an undisputed position of dominant bull. Nevertheless, we could testify that Eolo is definitely becoming more impressive by the day… his horns are beautifully arched and more imposing the Mercury’s, but he is also putting on weight and clearly appearing less slender and rather displaying a more muscular build, while showing a darker and shinier coat. It is probably a matter of time until Eolo challenges his elder sibling, and I suspect it may not take that long for him to become number one and the new master bull in Cangandala.

    For Luando we had high expectations to increase monitoring and extend security measures across its vast wilderness areas, but the rainy season much limited our movements and as result various activities had to be put on hold. An effort was made in terms of increasing manoeuvrability, and a critical component was to solve the transport constrains. Throughout most of the rainy seasons it is impossible to drive a 4×4 vehicle off road in the reserve, and even the few main sand roads become quickly impassable, so the most efficient solution is resorting to bikes. In February we deployed three brand new Honda bikes, which we hoped would allow the rangers to reach remote locations in the bush, at least by driving through existing foot paths as penetration routes followed by foot patrols.

    The brand new bikes arriving in Luando.

    However, we had underestimated how wet the conditions would become this year, and soon after the bikes arrived it was evident that things would not work out as planned. Although the bikes are performing very well, they are not amphibious, and with the woodland becoming completely flooded in many places, the bikes had to be carried too often and long patrols turned into a nightmare.

    Luando inundated in March during patrols.

    This was disappointing, as we had to freeze some important activities, but on the other hand the generous rains are encouraging as they must have replenish by now all the temporary water holes and this might be crucial for the local breeding herds. A new plan is now on the works to be implemented in the dry season, which will evolve around building access roads and deploying advanced ranger camps deep in the bush. These camps will be reached with 4×4 vehicle in the dry season and quad bikes in the rainy season.

    In spite of the described constrains in movements, the step up of security measures initiated in the previous year is producing encouraging signs. In particular, the semi-permanent presence of two senior rangers, well equipped and maintained, and fully motivated has been a game changer in the reserve. And the fact that our senior rangers maintain a direct link and have been endorsed by the Angolan military, give us additional strength.

    Senior ranger Fox charging the sat phone and GPS with solar panels.

    Although so far only minor offenders (small game poachers) have been detained, the senior rangers are already well respected and feared. The message is clear: the giant sable is a national symbol and sacred, so Government and partners want to take seriously the mission to protect the species. Surely there will be problems ahead, poaching is far from eliminated and poachers are likely lurking and readjusting to the increased pressure, but we feel we are finally getting a grip on the situation. With training exercises scheduled to the second semester we hope to further increase security on the ground.

    In the meantime, seven animals, four males and three females were still being tracked via GPS satellite collars until the end of June, which was quite rewarding as these collars thus completed two full years operating, sending a GPS position every four hours. They may not last much longer now, but their impact has been extraordinary, by giving us in-depth knowledge and pioneering data on the biology and behaviour of giant sable, and by allowing us to pinpoint with extreme accuracy the home ranges of various herds, the latter aspect being critical to improve security.

    Mercury with his collar.

    Throughout the first semester we were able to witness how different bulls moved across their territories and interacted spatially with other bulls and herds, and we could even infer interesting breeding and calving behaviour in females.

    A lot of activities are planned for the remainder of 2018, and will be dealt with in the next report.

    Photos can be accessed at the link:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jrwc95p28s7CgFZ38

    Best wishes,

    Pedro
    _______________________________________________________________

            • Second Semester 2017 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊS

    Dear friends,

    The year of 2017 was possibly the most atypical in terms of weather conditions that we have witnessed since the start of the project. A most severe draught caused by very little rainfall between January and March gave way to a prolonged and very stressful dry season, which in turn was followed by precocious heavy rains starting in September at full-throttle.
    In Cangandala I have sad news to report: Ivan the Terrible passed away on July 10th 2017, inside the sanctuary.

    Corpse of Ivan.

    The death of an old warrior who lived a most eventful life. Here’s a synopsis of his bio: An imposing bull, massively built and scarred from battles at age 8 when we first found him in Luando in July 2011; was then darted twice, collared, flown inside a military MI-17 chopper, taken for a ride on the back of a pick-up and released inside the sanctuary in Cangandala; within one week upon release he killed a young innocent 2 year-old bull stabbing him several times, and soon after broke through the sanctuary fence and escaped; established his new territory in Cangandala outside the fence and showed little interest in joining other sable – social skills weren’t his strength; proved to be elusive as a ghost, never allowing approach from the ground, and eventually managed to break his radio collar; in May 2012 he fought the patriarch bull Duarte through the fence, leaving the latter in a pitiful state, badly injured and humiliated; but even after defeating the dominant bull Ivan didn’t take the bounty and apparently ignored the unattended females; in March 2013 challenged again the old bull Duarte, who had taken many months to recover, and once more a terrible fight occurred across the sanctuary fence but this time it must have been too much for good ol’ Duarte and he was never seen again – surely Ivan finished him off; in August 2013 we flew several hours with helicopter over his territory hoping to recapture him, but never got a glimpse; before the end of the same year he was victim of a snare trap that barely took his life – he was caught by the left front hock and must have endured immense suffering; throughout 2014 he was a shadow of the former Ivan, skinny and limping, he lost his jet-black coloration and his bravado; by end of 2014 however he seemed to have recovered to a relatively good condition, but then he mysteriously disappeared for over one year – we have no idea where did he go and at the time feared for his life; he resurfaced early in 2016, now apparently fully recovered, and then endured a couple skirmishes across the sanctuary fence with the bull Mercury; in July 2016 we darted him from helicopter and he was then released with a GPS collar; in March 2017 he went into a terrible battle again through the fence, and resulting from it he ended up moving into the sanctuary – after six years of freedom and adventure in Cangandala, he decided to return to captivity, where he finally died. R.I.P. Ivan!

    His death appears to have been “natural” and peaceful, although we suspect that it may have been caused by the fight that resulted in his return to the sanctuary in March. At the respectful age of 14 and after having endured so many battles and life-threatening situations, he should have settled down, but I supposed that would have been against his nature: a life on the edge and always to the limit… in that sense one has to wonder how he managed to live this long! Our first suspicion was that he had last fought Mercury, but we have now concluded that most likely it was the latter’s younger sibling Eolo, age 5, who finally defeated Ivan, as he was established in a territory that includes the area where the battle took place. Poetic justice could be claimed as Eolo revenged the death of his father Duarte, which took place when he was just a few months old.

    Magnificent Eolo.

    Eolo succeeded in completing the task where his two older brothers have failed – we know that Mercury had a few encounters with Ivan but they never came to anything, likely because Mercury was too smart (or coward?) to push things further; and Apollo has long disappeared without a trace, very possibly killed by Ivan.

    Before recovering Ivan’s skull we placed a trap camera, and the absence of specialist scavengers in Cangandala became once again evident, when only warthogs visited the site to pick some rotten flesh and gnaw on the bones.

    Sable breeding in the sanctuary is going exceptionally well and the population is steadily increasing. We have surely more than 60 pure animals at the moment and with a very healthy age structure – these days, calves and young make up for the majority of giant sables in Cangandala.

    New calves in Cangandala.

    A malfunctioning water pump forced us to manually supply water in basins during part of the dry season, but the animals soon adjusted to the change and were often observed congregating around water. Mercury has assumed his leading role, and inherited the gentle nature, tolerance and serenity from his father Duarte, which exerts a relaxing influencing over the females, and is most convenient in allowing us to approach the herd at close range. We therefore achieved plenty of good group observations.

    Little calves following Mercury.

    On one occasion we witnessed a short skirmish between Mercury and Eolo, when the former made an incursion into the latter’s territory. It didn’t last long and had no consequences, as the animals seemed to be probing each other and dispersed when we tried to approach further, but I still got a few lousy photos.

    A skirmish between Eolo and Mercury.

    Eolo is more elusive and nervous than Mercury, but he promises to soon become an exceptional specimen: he is still lighter in weight, more elegant and with much less muscular built when compared to Mercury, but he is a beautiful animal and his horns are very impressive and quite larger and more handsomely arched than Mercury’s. Eolo’s horns were measured at 49 inches when he was collared in 2016, but he must now be well above 50 inches in length. We were able once to approach him and get some very nice photographs as he browsed on their favourite species “kinzole” Diplorhynchus condylocarpon.

    In Luando the giant sables are being tracked remotely, and the data obtained are allowing us to keep a daily surveillance achieved via satellite communications with the shepherds. We have invested through training in capacitating some of them in the use of new technology.

    Training session in Luando.

    Basically they have been given a Thuraya satellite phone and have been trained in the use of maps and GPS. The equipment is charged with foldable solar panels and portable power banks, and the system is performing very well. We keep regular communications and a red flag is issued when abnormal movement patterns are detected from the remote data transmitted by the GPS collars. This has allowed us to investigate quickly suspicious events, and at least once this lead to poachers being intercepted and one shot gun apprehension. One freshly killed female, Samra, was located soon after her death and all evidence point to a poaching incident. Analysing the remote data we could see that she stopped moving suddenly, and strangely the collar ceased transmitting upon 24 hours – it would be a strange coincidence if the collar had a malfunction so soon after the animal’s death. When we performed our CSI on the ground we realized that everything was in place but the collar was missing! There was no evidence of snaring as the legs were in perfect condition, and the animal also appeared in good physical shape prior to the incident. We concluded, even if the wounds weren’t obvious, that she must have been shot; then the poachers only found the carcass one day later and decided to abandon the scene (was the meat too rotten, or were they afraid of being caught and accused of killing a giant sable, is anyone’s guess) not before destroying the GPS collar and getting rid of it to avoid leaving traces. It makes it two the number of collared giant sable poached in 2017. On the other hand, our CSI performed to the old cow Jinga led us to believe that she died of natural causes, likely of disease, as she was in very poor condition when she died and even in the previous year she had shown signs of disease.

    With two other collars ceasing transmission, possibly due to malfunction or batteries running flat, we ended up 2017 with still 10 active GPS collars, which is not bad at all. These allow us to still keep four of the herds under close permanent surveillance. An interesting finding from the remote data was observing how the herds changed their behaviour in response to the severe draught that affected Luando this year. As all the water holes dried up early in the season, most of the herds shifted their home ranges towards permanent rivers or water courses, with the exception of one herd which, to the best of our knowledge, had no access to water throughout the dry season.

    Herd moving towards the floodplain for afternoon grazing.

    The complete drying up of water holes must have been stressful for the animals and was also disappointing for us, as we had previously invested in mapping them all and had planned a thorough cleaning operation and permanent security monitoring of these hotspots during the 2017 dry season. From our previous experience, these water holes are by far the most dangerous places for young sable, where they frequently fall victim of snares and foot traps, and this time when we were finally prepared to make an impact the climatic conditions changed the rules of the game. The animals moving towards river courses may reduce the risk of them getting into snares, but on the other hand it forced them to explore new areas of sub-optimal habitat and where there’s a lot more chances of encountering people, including poachers. In addition it made it much harder and less efficient for us to patrol them on the ground.

    While monitoring on the ground one of the herds that we kept under remote surveillance, the shepherds located two sables that tend to stay apart and eventually got behind when the herd moved a few km away. They reported that one of the animals appeared to be injured and had a severe limp. Over a few days in August we tracked down the herd and photographed these animals. One turned out to be a known adult female, Helena – age 8, which had been darted in 2013 with an amputated leg caused by a snare a few years earlier; and the other a yearling male also limping from a snare injury. The fact that Helena is still alive a few years later, even though three-legged is incredible, and if nothing else it suggests that natural predation on sable is likely insignificant as she would have been an easy target. On the other hand, coming across the yearling male with injured leg was shocking and another reminder of what we’re facing in Luando. We suspect that he must have been caught while attempting to drink in one of the water holes at the end of the rainy season, before they had dried up and before we had implemented the surveillance system in July. Once more providing further evidence to our previous findings, it’s the yearling and 2yo animals the ones most vulnerable to snares.

    Another casualty was the one-horned old bull that we droned in 2016 when he was dominating our herd BO and remarkably keeping at bay a couple of monster bulls, including the 59 incher Lucas. On a routine patrol the shepherds came across the skeleton of the one-horned bull, but there were no signs suggesting foul play, and his teeth were worn out, meaning that he must have been a very old bull, likely over 14 years old, and probably died of natural causes.

    The recovered skull of the one-horned bull.

    Once again we flew the drone over two herds, this time in the dry season, and while we intended to do it on all of the five groups during the breeding season we were forced to abort due to sustained heavy rains that made it impossible to drive off-road still early in October. In any case we got good footage of one herd in August, and we were happy to record that it had increased from 21 to 26 animals in one year. This result was mostly due to a remarkable recruitment rate and no mortality of yearlings – at least this group had not affected by snaring.

    Following national elections in September, a new President and Government was appointed in Angola. Changes are happening at various levels, some being most promising for the future of our natural heritage, and a special commission was created in December by presidential decree for the protection of the giant sable.

    Lactating females drinking in water basin.

    Photos and short video sequence can be accessed via the following link:
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ma1zh4QaZd1A1A2z1

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    _______________________________________________________________

              • First Semester 2017 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊS

    Dear Friends,

    This report is long due, and I apologise for delayed communication. I intend to make up for the lost time and get things back on schedule for the remaining of 2017. Anyway, here goes an update for the past few months.

    Following the 2016 capture operation we had plenty of things to do in both reserves. In Luando we started by remotely tracking eight females and seven males. The collared females had been distributed by all five surviving herds, while the males were all solitary bulls. Thirteen GPS collars were still active and going strong by end of May 2017, but we were forced to stop tracking two animals when the signals became stationary. It is almost guaranteed that both specimens have died, but they are located in very remote areas, and until we get the chance to retrieve the collars and inspect the scene we won’t be able to determine the causes. The last few days of activity recorded by these collars did not denounce any suspicious movement patterns. Animals suffering from injuries or sickness tend to leave specific movement signatures, but none was here detected… it seemed like a sudden death! One of the casualties was a seven year-old male, a bull at the prime of his age, although one of the least impressive specimens we had handled. Unfortunately the other casualty was not only a female, 13 year old Jinga, but she happened to be the old dominant cow and only animal GPS collared in herd 5, which in turn proved to be the largest group of sable. So in one sweep we lost access to our largest herd. Although she was an old female, she had been healthy and lactating back in August, and the teeth wear did not suggest she could be approaching her last year.

    Very worrying observations obtained from satellite imagery show that based on the water levels and flooding patterns of the upper Kwanza and Luando drainage basins, the last rainy season has been, by far, the driest on our ten-year-long records. Some woodland patches started losing the leaves even before the “formal” end of the rainy season. This means that the dry season that has just started will likely be extremely challenging for the animals, and we may expect more and earlier fires, less food and less water available. Of particular concern is a scenario in which most water holes will dry up quite soon, and the herds will be forced to utilize few, distantly located, suboptimal and dangerous points to drink. We will need to upgrade the anti-poaching measures and take the new conditions into account. A plan is being devised at the moment.

    A most spectacular experience was flying a drone over a few sable herds.

    A remarkable drone photo of the largest herd! E uma notável foto a partir do drone da maior manada!

    I confess that I had been sceptical about the feasibility of filming wild herds with a drone in the remoteness of Luando reserve, but I was proved wrong, indeed very wrong. I travelled to Luando with my good friend and professional photographer Kostadin Louchanski (you can check some of his work on www.angolaimagebank.com), and who is without a doubt a very skilful drone-pilot.

    Aerial view of where we stand. Vista aérea de onde estávamos

    We then used a strategy to approach the herds in stages. Firstly we set advanced camps within the known home range for a given herd. Then early in the following morning we used a sat phone to get in touch with a colleague in Luanda who was monitoring the remote tracking and was able to forward us the latest GPS locations. The next stage was driving the Landcruiser off-track to the given spot, and use the VHF radio signals to triangulate on the ground the herd location to an approximate 1-2 km, close enough to reach with drone and far enough to keep the animals unaware of our presence. Then the final stage was flying the drone slowly towards the sable at around 50 m height, until we saw them and then attempting final approach. This worked very well and results were above expectations. Herd 5 for example allowed us to count a total of 41 animals, which was fantastic. In most cases, the sable reacted a bit nervously when the drone flew over, trotting away as a group but somewhat hesitantly, surely not understanding how much of a threat the drone poses (maybe the sound is reminiscent of a giant bee swarm?). Still, when we push the drone higher the animals get more relaxed and so we obtained nice footage. But when we tackled herd 4, magic happened: a relatively small group composed of females, calves and bulls, entered an anhara (grassland opening) and completely ignored the drone even when we lowered the aircraft to 12 m above their heads! We were able to film amazing behavioural scenes, including hierarchical interactions among three master bulls and pre-mating behaviour with females. Pretty unique stuff!

    In Cangandala the breeding signs have been excellent with plenty of calving, and also with a notably increase of many young bachelor males. Ivan the Terrible has been successfully tracked remotely since August on a daily basis, and as always, he never ceases to impress and surprise us. For the first few months he made very interesting movements, sometimes visiting far away sites, but most often spending the majority of his “free” time patrolling the outside of the sanctuary fence. So far so good. But in late March Ivan clicked: he broke through the fence and entered the sanctuary! We still don’t know exactly what happened, other than there was a huge bull-fight through the fence and into the sanctuary. We can’t confirm yet if the fight was with Mercury or with one of the younger bulls, and we can only wonder if Ivan didn’t kill another contender… Coincidentally, it had also been in March a few years back, when Ivan killed the old bull Duarte on a fight through the fence, so let’s hope Mercury didn’t follow the footsteps of his father too far.

    Mercury, the dominant bull, has become remarkably similar to his father Duarte, both in body shape and horn curvature, and also displaying a confident gentle nature; O macho dominante Mercúrio, tornou-se notavelmente parecido com o seu pai Duarte

    Interestingly, and since he got in, Ivan has showed little interest in exploring the sanctuary or, apparently, interacting with the herds. Rather, he seems obsessed in trying to get out again, tirelessly patrolling the fence and hoping to return to his former comfort zone. Mad Ivan, was born to be wild, born to be free. Only in the last couple weeks of May, Ivan made some limited exploring inside the sanctuary, but not much. At an estimated age of 14, Ivan is, whether he accepts it or not, a very old bull. He must definitely be declining on his physical prowess, and not forgetting that he had to recover from near-death snare-inflicted wounds in the recent past, so I find it hard to believe that he can remain a threat to the younger boys for much longer… and on the other hand would be nice, or at least entertaining, to have some of his twisted genes passed on to the future generations!

    See this website’s home page for two videos taken by the drones in the Luando Reserve. Trap cameras in Park Cangandala capture intriguing images also as per slideshow below:

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

    A very significant event unfolded in December, when our leading giant sable shepherd from Luando, the remarkable Manuel Sacaia, received the prestigious Tusk Trust Ranger Award. The award ceremony took place at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and Manuel received the award from the hands of Sir David Attenborough and Prince William, not bad! Manuel Sacaia is most deserving of this recognition, and you can find additional details on the ceremony, and about the person (including a short film) on the following links:

    
http://tuskawards.com
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/safaris-and-wildlife/tusk-conservation-awards-2016-winners
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anx1qjdethI

    Links for the report photos and a couple compressed drone film sequences: https://goo.gl/photos/qNoviUh3ce7SrHEz9
    _______________________________________________________________

            • Third Semester 2016 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUES (Download)

    Dear friends,

    This quarterly newsletter actually reports to July and August, as September will be transferred to the last quarter. Between July and August we carried out an ambitious aerial census and capture operation in Luando and Cangandala, and this alone more than justified this report. This operation had been planned for several months and was only possible with specific international funding received from Fondatión Segré and ExxonMobil Foundation, adding to the local funds of which the two main contributors are currently Sonangol and Angola LNG. Instrumental for the success of this operation, and similarly to the exercises we carried out in 2009, 2011 and 2013, was the reliable support received from the Angolan Army. Particularly FAN (Angolan Air Force) who supplied the Jet A1 fuel drums, and the army in Malanje who provided additional crucial logistics. This activity was integrated into the Action Plan for the Giant Sable Conservation, developed in collaboration between the Kissama Foundation and the Ministry of Environment.

    The Angolan military, here represented by General Sousa participated and provided critical support; As FAA representadas pelo Gen. Sousa participaram e deram importante contributo

    As usual Dr Peter Morkel was the vet chosen, and of course we (including the sable!) couldn’t have been in better hands. As Barney O’Hara retired and sold his chopper, we arranged for an alternative in Namibia, where we hired another Hughes 500 piloted by the experienced and skilful Frans Henning. The team was set. Technicians from the Ministry of Environment, and local administrators also participated actively throughout the whole operation. Ruth and David Schaad kindly helped us while camping in Luando, and my son Afonso also joined and much enjoyed the ride. The objective for the 2016 capture operation would be, over the course of three weeks, to make an updated sable population census in Luando Reserve and place up to 16 GPS collars and 5 VHF collars on giant sable, both in Cangandala and Luando. A complementing objective was to survey as many as possible of previously identified (from satellite imagery) sable hotspots in Luando, including water holes, critical anharas, while assessing and acting against poaching whenever justified.

    Dr. Morkel preparing a new dart; O Dr. Morkel preparando um novo dardo

    Pilot Frans Henning and chopper parked in the woods; O piloto Frans Henning e o helicóptero estacionado na mata

    The shepherds Bernardo, Gabriel and Manuel Sacaia, and Afonso at the camp site; Os pastores Bernardo, Gabriel e Manuel Sacaia, e Afonso no acampamento

    The environmental conditions this year weren’t easy for the purpose of this operation, particularly in Cangandala, as the abundant rains in the previous season delayed the burnings throughout 2016 and the tree, bush and grass cover was much more luxuriant than in previous years.

    000-0025-059-0-108-

    In Cangandala National Park there was no need for censing the sable population as it is being regularly well monitored on the ground. Also the poaching situation isn’t brilliant in Cangandala but at least it is fairly under control, besides the fact that with a couple exceptions all giant sables are contained inside the fenced sanctuary. Therefore the flights in Cangandala were done mainly with the purpose of capturing at least a couple young males and put them VHF collars. The flying conditions in Cangandala proved quite challenging because of thick canopy cover, but eventually we were able to locate the bachelor herd composed of four young males. After some effort and some risky chases we managed to immobilize two of them, Apollo (younger sibling of Mercury and the third sable born in the sanctuary, back in 2011), and a younger 3-year old male now called Xyami. Both were released with VHF collars as planned.

    The largest giant sable herd! A maior manada de palancas negras gigantes!

    Two old collars visible in this group; Duas velhas coleiras visíveis neste grupo

    Additional patrol flights were carried out outside the sanctuary and, against all expectations, this time we stumbled with Ivan the Terrible! What a nice surprise this was. We hadn’t been able to see him since released in the sanctuary back in 2011, and all we know of his behaviour has derived from his more or less regular appearances in the trap camera record. But this time the ghost couldn’t hide and we reacted promptly – he was captured and then released with a GPS collar! He seems to have fully recovered from the poaching incident at the end of 2013 that almost cost him his life. His injury seems to have healed and although he is limping, at least regained most of his former muscular built. We had discussed previously what to do with Ivan in case we ever found him, and all agreed that it would be too risky to release him inside the sanctuary… he has proven to be a loose cannon and at least he now seems settled and content outside so better let him be, and from now on we can track him remotely – and this might be an interesting task!

    Ivan still a magnificent specimen; Ivan ainda um exemplar magnífico

    Another surprise in Cangandala was coming across a young male forest buffalo which was well seen and photographed. However, a later inspection of the photographs revealed a shocking fact: the poor buffalo had a steel wire snare around his neck! Apart from the obvious poaching proof and the animal suffering, this event brought in two novel elements: it was the first time that we recorded steel fencing wire as material for snare traps (mostly used are steel cables from motor bikes), and the first time we faced neck snares instead of foot snares. Of course there is a good reason for this, as the interrupted and temporarily abandoned fencing work around the park boundary, using steel wire instead of bonnox-type mesh, provided an unlimited supply of this type of wire for snare traps; and the neck snares might simply be an adaptation to the new materials available and presence of buffalos. Sure enough in subsequent days the ranges raided those signalled poaching areas and recovered dozens of snares built with the steel wire stolen from the border fence.

    A forest buffalo! Uma pacaça!

    Muloge with rangers presenting traps and guns apprehended from poachers; Muloge e fiscais apresentando armas e armadilhas apreendidas aos caçadores

    In Luando the operation was a huge success. Before the exercise we knew of three confirmed herds in the reserve to which we could add two more that remained in doubt (both hadn’t been located in five years and one of them was also presumed to be very small anyway). During this operation we were able to locate the three better known herds and also the two “missing” groups, totalling now five confirmed herds. Not only this but, much to our surprise, the latter group that we thought was very small, actually proved to be the largest giant sable herd! It turns out this group had been much underestimated in 2009 and 2011 and we should have invested more energy tracking them in recent years. It comprised, at the time of our capture in early August, 31 animals but the local number may even increase in forthcoming weeks, until all cows calve and re-join the herd. The other herds totalled 26, 21, 19 and 18 sables (when counting I always include calves present but exclude territorial bulls). On the other hand, the existence of a sixth herd is now ever more unlikely, as many hours were spent surveying adjacent areas of suitable habitat without results.

    This large bull required two darts; Este grande macho exigiu dois dardos

    Administering the antidote; Administrando o antídoto

    Interestingly, when analysing the group structure all herds included between 8 and 10 breeding females and 4 to 6 calves (almost half of the cows were still pregnant), but what seems determinant to explain the difference among herds is the number of yearlings and immatures (2-year olds). The largest herd had many and the two smaller herds had few yearlings and immatures. These results very much consistent with our earlier findings that the young animals are the most vulnerable to snare-type poaching and this is reflected in the age structure of different groups according to the poaching pressure they suffer. Young animals are confiding, adventurous and physically not particularly strong so they make ideal victims. The smaller herds are recruiting less than two animals a year into the adult age class and this is unsustainable as the herd becomes progressively older and reducing in numbers. Not surprisingly around the area of these two herds is where we recorded most cases related to snare poaching recently and during the operation.

    A beautiful créche in Cangandala; Uma linda creche na Cangandala

    Little calf, just a few weeks old; Uma pequena cria, com apenas algumas semanas de idade

    In each of the five herds we collared two cows, at least one with GPS collar. In total we collared eight females with GPS and two with VHF collars. Nine bulls were darted and seven were also collared with GPS devices. Among these bulls a few were outstanding, including Lucas, carrying over 59 inch horns, and but not least Ngola, with horns no longer than 56 inches, but arguably the most powerfully built, strongest and well proportionated bull we ever handled. Ngola appeared to be stronger than Ivan, a true masterpiece of nature, the ultimate sculptural icon and a worthy representative of this superior antelope! And Ngola was found escorting the largest herd.

    The bull Ngola might well be the most powerful we ever handled; Ngola pode bem ser o macho mais poderoso que alguma vez manipulámos

    Lucas a massive bull with 59” horns; Lucas um macho enorme com cornos de 59”

    Displaying in front of the chopper; Desfilando em frente do helicóptero

    During this operation a lot less poaching signs were recorded as compared to 2009, 2011 and 2013. This may indeed reflect a reduction in poaching incidence, but may also result from a delayed dry season in 2016, and the fact that the local poachers seem to have learned that the presence of helicopter means trouble and immediately react by removing temporarily their snares and hiding the camps. True enough we only found active snares in the first few days of flying and subsequently we only came across half-hiding materials and camps left abandoned in a rush. Unfortunately the effects of poaching to the giant sables are still too evident, and not only reflected in demographics and herd age structure.

    One active collar led us to the skeleton of a large bull; Uma coleira activa levou-nos ao esqueleto dum grande macho

    One of the first animals darted in Luando this year was poor Dr Morkel had to improvise on Nadia, the young female (born in 2011) that we had tried to dart on foot in October 2015 when, based on the GPS data, we suspected she was injured and must had fallen in a snare trap. Unfortunately this suspicion was now vividly confirmed: she was limping and in poor condition, and carried a nasty wound in her right front foot.gical intervention to be able to remove a steel cable snare that was constraining blood flow in her foot and threatening gangrene and amputation. She must have gone through unspeakable suffering over the last few months. At least we may have at least mitigated her suffering and giving her now a reasonable chance for recovery. Miraculously she was lactating, meaning that she had had a calf recently. This could only be possible because she must have been impregnated just a few days before falling into the trap. It is doubtful if the calf will make it giving Nadia’s poor condition, but at least she has maintained her normal breeding cycle even during her worst year.

    As suspected since last year, Nadia had fallen in a snare trap! Como suspeitávamos desde o ano passado, a Nadia caiu numa armadilha de laço!

    Nadia released; Nadia libertada

    A python digesting a large prey in the presence of a bushbuck!!! Uma jibóia digerindo uma grande presa na presença dum golungo!!!

    _______________________________________________________________

                • Second Trimester 2016 Report
    Pond covered with lilies

    Pond covered with lilies

    Dear friends,

    The second quarter always marks the transition from the end of the rainy season into the dry season. It is never a period that I look forward to, usually with too much water in April and too much grass in May and only improving a bit well into June. This is however the time when sable calves, with calving peak typically reached in May. Therefore it is hardly surprising that it tends to be very difficult to approach and observe the animals in these months. To make things worse, the abnormally generous rainy season of 2015/2016 in Cangandala and Luando, made conditions even harder with very wet conditions in May and an ocean of tall unhospitable grass right to the end of June.

    Herd behind the dry grass

    Herd behind the dry grass

    And if this wasn’t enough the old radio-tracking VHF antenna fell apart and it became pointless to try monitoring the sable on the ground.

    Instead we focused on various other activities, supporting management components in Cangandala such as repairing the water hole system and start building a new fenced sanctuary, which will be destined in the future to contain bulls for tourism visits.

    Putting up a new fence

    Putting up a new fence

    The animals were simply monitored indirectly in Cangandala via the trap camera records as usual. Ivan the Terrible was recorded again, marking the territory outside the sanctuary, and at one stage the rangers on patrol reported to have seen Ivan once accompanied by a sole female… he doesn’t seem to enjoy too much the company of females, as he has ignored plenty of opportunities to lead herds, and until now had never been seen near a cow… but we can only assume that being a loner doesn’t make him less of a bull and hopefully the now lonely female will bear his seed!

    Ivan scraping the soil with his front leg

    Ivan scraping the soil with his front leg

    Inside the sanctuary the most striking records reflect a steep increase in the number of young males. Apollo, just a few months younger than Mercury is back and might soon be a real challenger for the dominant bull role.

    Apolo has turned into a fine bull

    Apollo has turned into a fine bull

    A bachelor herd was also recorded with three 2-year old young males (young males between 2 and 3 years old tend to abandon the comfort of their herds and wonder off forming bachelor herds of males before establishing territories later in life and then challenging mature bulls),

    The three bulls make up a bachelor herd

    The three bulls make up a bachelor herd

    and plenty of male yearling and male calves. Mercury’s succession is guaranteed, but we can also expect that the rise in testosterone inside the sanctuary will result in more conflicts, fence challenging and possibly some injuries and deaths of inexperienced bulls. The plan eventually is to remove some of these males to the new sanctuary, as soon as it is finished.

    Male calf

    Male calf

    In Luando Reserve a few things have shown progress, but there are a lot of worrying signs suggesting increase in poaching, and we lack updated hard data on the condition and status of different herds. One positive development was the support received in previous months by Angolan military, which has very much boosted the confidence on the shepherds and allow them to make more patrols and to penetrate deeper into less covered areas.

    Shepherds with apprehended AK-47

    Shepherds with apprehended AK-47

    There were a couple of incidents reported of encounters with poachers, and on one of them there were several shots fired, and it ended with a shotgun and an Ak-47 apprehended. On a sad note, some shepherds reported encountering an injured female with a severe leg wound, possibly amputated. They could not see ear tags so it is possible that she was an unmarked female and another recent victim of a snare or foot trap. The shepherds also claimed that the poor female was accompanied by a small calf which would be consistent with a very recent incident.

    The next quarter will be crucial as we are preparing for another capture operation, designed to put collars in animals in Cangandala and Luando, but also to make an updated aerial census of herds in Luando Reserve and, with assistance from military, to support anti-poaching activities also in Luando.

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    Photos can be seen in the following link:
    https://picasaweb.google.com/113384424565470443034/6309025463335166961?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPDKnZeXw7jz-gE&feat=directlink
    _______________________________________________________________

    Dear friends,

    The 2015 El Niño was being responsible for an extreme drought condition across southern Africa, particularly in Mozambique and South Africa, but in many parts of Angola if anything it’s been the opposite. At least in Cangandala this rainy season has been quite generous, causing over flooding of rivers and constraining so much our movements that in the first trimester we could only access the park between late January and early February, following a short break in the rains.

    Exuberant miombo in the rainy season

    Exuberant miombo in the rainy season

    The rare break allowed us to carry out several activities in the park, reaching for example all the trap cameras. However, and quite exceptionally, this time we couldn’t even approach the giant sable inside the sanctuary, much less see them or photograph them. With few roads at our disposal, we’re often forced to track the animals driving cross country, but this just looked like a terrible idea with waterlogged soils and under threatening skies, and eventually we dropped those efforts.

    Flooded danbo

    Flooded danbo

    palanca-report_1trim2016-61

    A gymnogene

    And tracking the animals on foot wouldn’t make much sense either, they would feel chased and not much to gain from it… Instead I spent extra time looking for birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects, while enjoying some photography.

    palanca-report_1trim2016-43

    Dwarf gecko

    Two active males of angolan reed frog

    Two active males of angolan reed frog

    Dragonfly

    Dragonfly

    Stunning blue flower

    Stunning blue flower

    Without being able to track and monitor the animals on the ground, we had to settle with inferring the dynamics from the trap camera record, keeping me busy for quite a while. As usual we obtained plenty of photos, and even after filtering the data to exclude blanks, we got around 30,000! These included the usual species, such as giant sable, roan, hybrids, bushbuck, duiker and warthogs.

    Female roan escorting two calves

    Female roan escorting two calves

    Clear colour differences between F1 hybrid and backcrosses

    Clear colour differences between F1 hybrid and backcrosses

    Mercury and his herd

    Mercury and his herd

    More calves, plenty of healthy females and Mercury dominating the pure herds. All good here!
    On the other hand there was a big surprise waiting for us on photos taken outside the sanctuary, which was the resurfacing of Ivan the Terrible. Yes, the crowd’s favourite is alive and back!

    Ivan made a sensational recovery

    Ivan made a sensational recovery

    He had last been recorded in November 2014, and considering the long absence and the high level of poaching in his territory, we speculated that he had probably been killed. He used to visit the salt licks somewhat irregularly but at least every few weeks. The only exception was between June and December 2013 when he went missing while fighting for his life after being caught in a snare trap. Throughout 2014 we were able to observe monthly his steady recovery, as he was slowly regaining some of his former physical strength, before disappearing again. He surely wouldn’t survive another poaching incident… Well, Ivan is now back with us! In the last three months of record he was photographed on five independent occasions. The reasons for his latest long absence are simply unknown, but he seems to be in good physical shape. Maybe it was just his crazy nature that led him to go wondering for so many months, may have decided to take a sabbatical year… Anyway it was a positive development, and we’re looking forward for his future adventures.

    Ivan at sunset

    Ivan at sunset

    We now have ambitious plans for the remaining of 2016, but these will only be disclosed in subsequent reports.
    Best wishes,
    Pedro
    Photos can be seen in the following link:
    https://picasaweb.google.com/113384424565470443034/6276490376281083201?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOnk8r6Z-4nOrQE&feat=directlink
    ___________________________________________________

                  • Fourth Trimester 2015 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUES (Download)

    Dear friends,

    The last quarter of 2015 was the wettest I have witnessed in the giant sable areas. The rains had started early and to be accurate the first storms were felt still during September, but they steadily increased in intensity throughout the following months and by December the rivers had overflowed in Cangandala, making it almost impossible to drive around. No doubt that this climatic extreme is associated to the El Niño phenomenon, but it is the first time we see such an obvious link in our regions. If this continues we may well be restrained from entering the areas for most of the rest of the rainy season in 2016. This weather might result in more vegetation growth, less or delayed fires in the dry season, more water availability and for longer, but may also yield a raise in insects, ticks and other disease vectors. Probably the net balance in 2016 will be positive for the sable, but only time will tell.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-80

    A duiker arriving at the salt lick under a storm.

    In Cangandala October started with alarming news: there had been a poaching incident with shooting involved, which resulted in one of the rangers being wounded. One of our best rangers, Domingos “Pau Queimado”, who had been a sable shepherd since day 1 and one of my most trusted men, was shot and penetrated by an AK-47 bullet that entered his left upper leg near his groin and left through his buttock. During a night patrol a team of three rangers was lured into an ambush by two poachers who had left a flashlight turned on and tied to a tree next to a camp fire while waiting behind bushes. When the rangers approached they opened fire without warning and Domingos was immediately hit. A short battle followed but the damage was done and the poachers eventually escaped while our man had to be rescued. Miraculously the bullet didn’t rip through any bone, organs or blood vessels, and after surgery in Malanje and a few days in Hospital, by the end of October Domingos was recovering reasonably well at home when we visited him. This is another sad reminder that even in Cangandala poaching still remains a very real threat, and unfortunately we could not yet capture the culprits. In fact, we very much suspect that they might be the same individuals responsible for trap camera destruction and placing of snares around the sanctuary. They seem to be getting more confident and bold, but it is the general feeling among the rangers that sooner or later they’ll be caught and they will have a score to settle!

    Other than this tragic event, things seem to be going well in the sanctuary where at least the sable are breeding well and look healthy.

    106-0000-077-0-246-

    Mercury and his herd. Lots of calves and young in the herd.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-67

    Sable females.

    The harsh ground conditions and the lush vegetation didn’t allow us frequent and prolonged monitoring of the herds, and particularly because as a result of the constant rains, huge numbers of tsetse flies were hammering the animals, leaving them restless and difficult to keep up with. Nevertheless it was interesting to note, and also confirm with the trap camera record, that several calves had been born relatively late in the season and even that some cows were still pregnant in December.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-48

    A very young calf born off season.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-78

    A very old sable cow and her latest calf!

    This is a bit unusual as giant sable tend to display a well synchronized breeding with calving peak in June, but I suspect it might be related to accelerated breeding under optimal conditions. Mercury is still very much in charge in the sanctuary,

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-69.jpg

    Mercury keeping an eye on his herd.

    and once again the trap camera did not record our dear and crazy “Ivan the Terrible”. His last appearance was in November 2014, and considering that one year has passed without sightings, I think it is fair to presume that he is probably dead – well, at least he is literally out of the picture! True, he has surprised us in the past, but I’m not keeping much hope for him at the moment…

    Overall in Cangandala and because of the weather and ground conditions, there were not many opportunities for mammal observations, which were compensated by an abundance of insects, birds and of course frogs!

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-27

    Reed frogs exploded with the first rains.

    We did try to revisit our friend the hippo in October before the rivers had overflowed, but we weren’t lucky. The hippo “guardians” at the village tried their best, and it was quite amusing to watch a local kid who climbed a large tree near the lake and started yelling “hipopótamo… hipopótamo!!!” while promising us he would come in response to the calling. Eventually he didn’t show and we offered the village chief the two cabbages I had bought to feed the hippo.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-53.jpg

    The kid calling from treetop for the hippo.

    In Luando there was lots of action in this quarter, not necessarily for the best reasons. 2015 was confirmed as a tough year in terms of poaching in the reserve when it ended yet with another crisis. It all started in the second half of September when one of the few animals still carrying an active GPS collar, a young female named Nadia, suddenly showed a sharp change in behaviour becoming suspiciously lethargic, even if not totally still. But from moving a daily average of 4-5kms sustained over two years, it suddenly dropped the daily log to a few hundred meters or less. This unusual pattern continued for several weeks as we entered October and we soon concluded that she must have got injured. Moreover, and tracing back her movements it was found that her behaviour had changed precisely when she crossed the drainage line where a foot trap had been recovered earlier in the dry season by the shepherds. Therefore we were probably dealing with another mutilated giant sable, tragically a very young female who had been collared in 2013 when two years old, and who should now be attending her second calf. It is another animal lost for breeding, so for the population it is as good as dead. Driving our Land Cruiser into that remote area in mid-October would no longer be possible, so we devised an emergency plan to try to reach the female with aerial means.
    As always, the National Air Force (FAN) has been reliable and enthusiastic in providing support, and this time was no exception.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-3

    The military Allouette chopper arriving in Luando.

    A military Alloutte chopper was deployed to Luando and our small team that included an experienced vet, military and ministry officials, were dropped deep in the bush close to the spot where Nadia had last transmitted. Following the VHF beacon we were able to find and track and get very close to the injured female, but she sensed us and kept moving away, always maintaining a couple hundred meters distance through the very thick vegetation. We could not get as much as a visual and after a few hours we had to abort the mission for operational reasons. The disturbance forced the female to move a couple kilometres that day, but in subsequent days she became very limited in movements once again, and after a couple weeks the signal abruptly ended, likely as the batteries went dead. We believe this female is gravely injured and another victim of increasing poaching in Luando… the second in collared animals alone in 2015!

    Making the most of the presence of the military chopper we also tried to locate two known herds in Luando, even if the conditions weren’t ideal this time of the year. The best we could, was locating a small subgroup, composed of one bull and four females, yet three of the five animals were previously marked.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-12

    Gabriel and his four cows in Luando.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-9

    The old dominant bull, Gabriel

    The male was Gabriel, a bull handled in 2009 and estimated to be now 13 years old; and two old cows Andreia and Laura had been marked in 2013 and estimated to be currently 16 and 15 years old respectively. The two remaining cows were “new” (not previously handled) animals, one being a very old female (likely 12+) and the other a relatively young cow (possibly 6-7 years old). We found just one subgroup, and the composition wasn’t brilliant… three out of five were known animals, and four out of five are extremely old animals! On top of it the bull didn’t seem healthy and there were no calves in sight. It may not mean much, but these observations left me a sour taste.

    Ending on a positive note, the military decided to step up their support to the shepherds in Luando reserve, making a few ground joint anti-poaching operations with ministry rangers, and subsequently deploying a few weapons to the shepherds who from now on will be better equipped to tackle the poachers.

    Palanca Report_4TRIM2015-13

    The Luando shepherds feeling upbeat with new weaponry.

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    Photos can be seen in the following link:
    https://picasaweb.google.com/113384424565470443034/PalancaReport4TRIM2015?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLmNiM6aiJrUmAE&feat=directlink

    __________________________________________

                  • Third Trimester 2015 Report

    VERSAO PORTUGUES

    Dear friends,

    Dry season. Notwithstanding the first hesitant showers that followed a couple thunderstorms at the end of September, most of the trimester went through the peak of a well-marked dry season.

    group

    The group heading for cover at sunrise; O grupo encaminhando-se para um abrigo ao nascer do sol.

    Still, and as usual, this period is arguably the most heterogeneous and rewarding to do our field trips in the region: in July the grass is long dead and finishing being burnt, visibility is maximum and we can then reach the most remote corners; in August the sables tend to be tamer than in the rest of the year, proudly presently their calves as they come out in the open to graze the fresh grass; by end of August and early September the Brachystegia and geophyte regeneration paint the miombo landscapes with vibrant and unexpected colours; and throughout September the first showers bring back the earthly odours and myriads of flowers cover the anharas.

    geophytes

    The stunning colors of regenerating geophytes; As espantosas cores da regeneração das geófitas.

    trees

    Tree regeneration; Regeneração arbórea.

    In Cangandala things are going fairly well with breeding in cruising speed.

    babies

    Three newborns! Três recém-nascidos!

    The calving season has ended, but quite honestly it is very much difficult to determine the number of new calves. Sables are grouped in at least three different herds, often splitting temporarily in different subgroups. In addition the females marked with ear tags or collars also constitute a minority these days and only one keep an active tracking collar, and as result we can hardly locate the different herds or attribute calves to respective mothers.

    young females

    These females are the future of the species in Cangandala; Estas fêmeas são o futuro da espécie na Cangandala.

    But this is a good sign of course. Even though the two oldest breeding cows (well over 14 years old) have apparently ceased breeding (still around but accompanied only by her two 2013 male calves), all the young females look very fecund.

    Mercury keeps embodying the spirit of a true master bull, imposing yet totally tolerant to our presence.

    mercury boss

    Mercury the Boss; Mercúrio o Boss.

    In late September, as we entered the oestrus season, we were able to watch him being quite assertive towards the females, chasing them around insistently in short sprints and holding his head menacingly down, likely as part of the pre-mating loving ritual… although it depends on one’s perspective, no doubt many will call this aggressive sexual harassment. He would go after them one by one for a while, and whenever he embarked on this behaviour the rest of the females in the herd would stay close, yet restless and nervous. After a while he would calm down and everyone relaxed.

    mercury patrolling

    Mercury calmly patrolling his territory; Maercúrio calmamente patrulhando o seu território.

    In late September, as we entered the oestrus season, we were able to watch him being quite assertive towards the females, chasing them around insistently in short sprints and holding his head menacingly down, likely as part of the pre-mating loving ritual… although it depends on one’s perspective, no doubt many will call this aggressive sexual harassment. He would go after them one by one for a while, and whenever he embarked on this behaviour the rest of the females in the herd would stay close, yet restless and nervous. After a while he would calm down and everyone relaxed.

    Another interesting behaviour was witnessing how loose the herd-bonds seem to be this time of the year. Throughout the day and in consecutive days, we could watch as the main herd would split in different subgroups without any seeming logic – calves would sometimes stick together and without respective mothers, or some would go with other animals and some would stay, etc.

    Palanca Report_3TRIM-2015-127

    Hybrid Sherikan; Híbrido Sherikan.

    Palanca Report_3TRIM-2015-141

    Sherikan babysitting a young calf; Sherikan fazendo de babá com uma jovem cria.

    On a different herd, young Eolo at age 3 is developing fast and almost totally black by now, soon he may be challenging Mercury’s position. Also in the sanctuary the hybrid group has been photographed often by the trap cameras. Surprisingly a very young calf was recorded once accompanying hybrids, but the presence of a young pure sable female not far away suggests she may be the mother… or so we hope. Outside the sanctuary once again we got no news from ol’ Ivan the Terrible… let’s hope the poachers haven’t finish him off! On the other hand we found a young female, 2-years old, alone on the wrong side of the fence and trying to get back into the sanctuary. We made a plan to bring her in, but unfortunately in the following day she wasn’t to be found again.

    Park management in general has improved in Cangandala over the latest months, and the rangers seem now more motivated.

    patrol

    Rangers on patrol; Os fiscais em patrulha.

    Some repairs have been conducted on the Sanctuary’s fence, and finally the water hole has been fully functional and is being widely used by the animals.

    water hole

    Herd advancing into the water hole in Cangandala; Manada avançando para o bebedouro na Cangandala.

    In the Cuque river, where it crosses the southern areas of Cangandala park, we were offered the most unexpected spectacle: a tame hippo that has made his home in Cuque river near a local village and somehow manages to live in peaceful harmony with its human neighbours.

    hippo 1

    Approaching the kids without fear; Aproximando-se dos miúdos sem medo.

    Apparently it all started a few years ago (2010?), when allegedly a hippo calf, possibly coming from the Kwanza river a few dozen kilometres to the south, found its way to the current location in the Cuque within 500mts from the village. No one seems to know how and why this has happened, but one can speculate that the mother may have been poached and the calf wandered far on its own and finally settled down when found water. Actually I had passed through the village a few times before but was unaware of the hippo presence, and as far as I could tell the rangers also didn’t know about it until very recently. What is really remarkable is that, not only the hippo wasn’t chased away or quickly converted into bush meat, but instead was allowed to stay around and with time has grown a sort of bond with the locals. The river is only about 20mts across in its widest part. Women fetch water and wash clothes next to the hippo; the kids call the hippo screaming and engage in all sorts of games around it; while the occasional drunk may also joins the party performing eloquent speeches directed at the hippo.

    hippo kids

    Incredibly he comes to within a couple meters from the kids! Incrivelmente vem até um par de metros dos miúdos!

    A bit of all this I was able to witness, and I couldn’t believe how close the hippo got to people. It does come across like a very dangerous exercise, although I must say that at all times while I was there the hippo seemed more curious and friendly than menacing… but of course if one day he decides to charge, at two meters distance no one stands a chance of escape! To add an even more surreal touch, on the day we visited the kids brought with them a small dog to use as decoy – instructing the dog to bark from the margin, the hippo quickly responded and came out of the water to approach the dog as if they were good old friends… he so got to within one meter of the dog, who was understandably nervous and eventually run away. The kids have concluded that dogs must be his favourite food (?!) which is of course nonsense. The hippo just appears to be a friendly lonely fellow desperately looking for company, and in the absence of other members of his species, then humans, dogs and goats will have to do! Let’s just hope that he keeps his good humour unchallenged… Well, in any case it allowed for some really remarkable and unexpected photographic sequences… the beast and the hippo whisperers of Cangandala!

    hippo dog

    Seems to have developed some weird bond with the village dog; Parece ter desenvolvido uma estranha ligação com o cão da aldeia.

    In Luando a lot of things happened, and unfortunately we have to report an escalating of poaching, and this time with a lot of vivid and shocking evidence to support. Firstly there were reports on the use of a new trapping technique in the reserve: foot traps!

    trap foot

    A nasty foot-trap that injured Sacaia; Uma terrível armadilha que feriu o Sacaia.

    These are iron made with indented lateral faces and operated by powerful spring coils. They are designed to break the leg of a large antelope such as sable or roan, and were not previously known to be used in Luando reserve. And the first time that Sacaia (our best man) and two other shepherds came across one of these traps, was in dramatic fashion and could have had much worse consequences. While on a routine patrol along the drainage line mostly used by our most important herd in Luando, Sacaia and his mates noticed suspicious tracks around the water hole, indicating that a sable cow had been caught in a trap and had been fighting there for her life a few days earlier. While they were analysing the spoor and looking for snares, Sacaia inadvertently stepped on a foot trap. In a split second when he felt the trap he tried to remove the foot but it was caught squarely half-way through his brand new boot! If it had hit him in the ankle it would have broken his leg, but luckily this way the boot was able to sustain much of the damage. With the quick support from his colleagues, they were able to disarm the trap, and in spite of the pain and injuries he was able to walk back home. If he had been alone he probably wouldn’t have made it. But at least another sable female on the main herd, wasn’t as lucky… A few weeks later, and near a different village, another group of shepherds also recovered a foot trap, so this may be a trend and a worrying sign.

    3 shepherds

    Shepherds recovered another foot trap; Os pastores recuperaram outra armadilha de ferro

    And yet, we were in for more sorrow. From the animals collared in Luando in 2013, only two bulls still had active signals and were being regularly tracked, big boys Francisco and Elvis. The former a very old bull (around 14 years old) that limped from a deformed hind leg caused by a snare; but the latter was a magnificent bull at the prime of his age (around 9-10 years old). It happens that for several months now, we strongly suspected that they had died, but it hadn’t been possible to reach the sites where they would be located. This was only feasible in the dry season. This time we did reach those sites, confirmed the deaths and found the skeletons of both bulls. Francisco was very old, probably in poor physical condition and indeed his teeth were much worn-down. It wasn’t possible to find any clues to shed light on what caused Francisco’s death. It may have been promoted by a poaching incident, but it may also as well have been from natural causes… it was an old warrior anyway, and probably non breeding for a while and irrelevant for the population. A totally different story has to be said about our Elvis the King. Not only was he a dominant healthy individual that one wouldn’t expect to die “naturally”, but on site we found enough evidence to point to poaching as the cause.

    bullet hole

    Bullet hole… Elvis was shot in the shoulder blade! Buraco de bala… o Elvis foi atingido na omoplata!

    The most relevant was recovering his right scapula (shoulder bone) with a round hole almost surely caused by a bullet; and moreover poacher signs were abundant in the area. The loss of Elvis is a huge setback as he was the dominant bull that attended both our second and third herds in Luando. Symbolically, both Francisco and Elvis were magnificent and imposing animals, carrying perfectly looped horns that measured 58 and 59 inches respectively. Two decent representatives for the most beautiful antelope in the world. Unfortunately it is also one of the most critically endangered mammals…

    skulls

    The recovered skulls from our big boys in Luando; Os crânios recuperados dos nossos grandes exemplares do Luando.

    During our field trips in Luando we found plenty of steel-cable snare traps, old and active poaching camps, and killed animals – mostly duikers, either being smoked in racks at poaching camps, or simply rotting in the bush.

    skulls n cables

    The sable skulls lying next to dozens of steel cables from snare traps; Os crânios das palancas ao lado de dezenas de cabos de aço de armadilhas.

    dismantling

    Dismantling snare traps with steel cable, in Luando; Desmantelando armadilhas de laço com cabo de aço, no Luando.

    destroying

    Destroying the traps; Destruindo as armadilhas

    But to end the report on a less sombre note, we did receive more news from our old friend the lion, and it was colourful as always. And yes, he did it again! He was reported to have killed and eaten a second poacher! This time the story was that a pair of poachers were operating snare lines near the Kwanza, when at night one of them decided to check on his traps while his colleague stayed in the camp preparing the bush meat. Not only the first guy never returned, but throughout the night the lion was very vocal roaring from the direction the first poacher had disappeared. The following day, the second poacher made no attempt to look for his mate, crossed the Kwanza and told his tale. Well, at least the lion seems happy to prey on poachers and is already a living legend. Besides, specializing in this specific food item (poachers) I don’t think there is much risk that he will ever starve in the reserve…

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    herd

    Herd in a misty morning; Manada numa manhã de nevoeiro.

    mercury head

    Mercury, our handsome boy; O nosso belo rapaz.

    bull

    The bull! O Macho!

    More great photos and images of interesting park specimens such as those pictured below, can be found at:

    https://picasaweb.google.com/113384424565470443034/PalancaReport3TRIM2015?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLm-rpjS7PDDQg&feat=directlink

    mimetism

    Perfect mimetism; Mimetismo perfeito.

    chameleon

    Trying to go unnoticed… tentando passar despercebido…

    lilac roller

    Lilac-breasted roller; Rolieiro-de-peito-lilás.

    ________________________________________________________

                  • Second Trimester 2015 Report

    VERSAO PORTUGUESE

    Dear friends,

    The second annual trimester marks the transition between the dry and the rainy seasons. It begins moist and muddy and evolves quickly before ending dry and dusty, but if I had to choose its major defining component, it would be grass, lots and lots of grass.
    Palanca Report_2TRIM2015-99                Cutting the grass at Salina 10; Cortando o capim na Salina 10.

    It’s the period when grass reaches the peak in development, produce the seeds and becomes moribund. For me it has always been the least charming time to be in the giant sable reserves. The grass covers everything, even the main picadas (sand roads), making it very hard to see any wildlife; then millions of seeds clog the car radiator and enter the windows sticking to one’s clothes and irritating throat and skin, and when we go tracking on foot the dry leaves cut through our exposed skin. In compensation, this is when all roads dry up and we can fully resume our activities in both reserves.

    mud

                                Last mud-stuck of the season; Último atascanço na lama da época.

    There is not a lot to report from Cangandala in this occasion, as things have been relatively stable. We were able to track down and approach the animals a few times. Mercury has now fully matured, and his behaviour is what would be expected from a master bull, calmly arrogant and imposing; totally aware of his strength and hierarchical position as undisputed number one.
    Palanca Report_2TRIM2015-16                         Mercury at close distance; Mercúrio a curta distância.

    Most of the occasions when we approached him, he was alone and apparently not looking for company. Only once we found him accompanying a female group, but when they showed some nervousness and left in one direction, he looked up but made no effort to follow the girls. As if saying: “Never mind, they’ll come back sooner or later…” Amazingly he even allowed us to drive the Land Cruiser closer to him than ever before, and on our last visit we shortened the distance to within 15 meters as he grazed very relaxed, and totally ignored us.
    Palanca Report_2TRIM2015-106Size and color matters… the youth respectfully moves away; Tamanho e cor importam… a juventude afasta-se respeitosamente.

    What seems noteworthy is Mercury’s remarkable resemblance to his late father Duarte. Not only physical, but mostly his behaviour. His serenity, naturally imposing dominance without too much fuss or obvious signs of aggression. Everything he does, he does it slow and in style, in nonchalant manner. Like with his father we have yet to see in him show any aggression that one would theoretically expect from a master bull, like a few short sprints and pushes to herd some knotty females and maintain them nearby, or a few knocks and threats towards younger males to keep them well-behaved and fearful. Nope, not at all. Instead he just walks calmly, and everyone else seems well aware of who is the boss and stays obediently organized and respectful. Like the human father that all it needs to do is to raise an eyebrow, to keep his children quiet and well behaved around the dinner table (I wish I could do that!). I suppose Mercury is the good tyrant type… what a contrast to mad Ivan.

    Mercury marking the territory at salina 19; Mercúrio marcando o território na salina 19. Mercury marking the territory at salina 19; Mercúrio marcando
    o território na salina 19.

    The trap camera record didn’t bring any surprises. The females seem healthy and most should be calving these days. The two main herds are increasing in number and most of the animals are very young.

    Lots of youth; Muita juventude.                                                Lots of youth; Muita juventude.

    The prospects are good for Cangandala in the short term. Consistent with our ground observations, Mercury appeared sometimes alone and other times escorting the females. His younger sibling, Eolo, has also been visiting the salt licks either alone or within the herd, but was never recorded near Mercury. Eolo is maturing fast but he still lacks physical presence and the body language reflects his sub-dominance status.

    Young Eolo with young females; Jovem Eolo com jovens fêmeas.             Young Eolo with young females; Jovem Eolo com jovens fêmeas.

    As for ol’ Ivan the Terrible, he didn’t show up this time. However, following earlier poaching incidents that led to the destruction of cameras, we’ve been keeping only one trap camera outside the sanctuary and until security is re-established, and this fact has significantly reduced the chances for us to record Ivan.

    Sable entering salina 2; Palancas entrando na salina 2.                    Sable entering salina 2; Palancas entrando na salina 2.

    Inside the sanctuary and additionally to sable, roans and robles (the hybrids), once again we recorded the tiny reedbuck family, composed of a young pair and their daughter…

    The female reedbuck and her daughter! A fêmea de nunce e sua cria!The female reedbuck and her daughter! A fêmea de nunce e sua cria!

    Hybrid cow smelling the presence of the cane rat; Fêma híbrida cheirando a presença da paca.Hybrid cow smelling the presence of the cane rat; Fêma híbrida cheirando a presença da paca.

    … and then plenty of the remaining usual species, namely duikers, bushbucks, warthogs, porcupine and vervet monkeys.
    Palanca Report_2TRIM2015-82                       And the dark-haired is the winner! E o moreno ganhou!

    Spiny love; Amor espinhoso.
    Spiny love; Amor espinhoso.


    Vervet monkeys visiting Salina 10; Macacos-cinzento visitando a Salina 10.    Vervet monkeys visiting Salina 10; Macacos-cinzento visitando a Salina 10.

    In June we entered Luando reserve and for the first time we managed to reach Quimbango with two 4X4 vehicles. Additionally we tried to access as many water holes and critical areas as possible, and locate some of the collared animals, but our objectives were hindered by the very long grass. Driving off road was a nightmare, our progress slow and painful and resulting in a couple punctures along the way. We reached only a few water holes, where for a change the poaching signs were not evident (however at the time the snaring season was yet to begin). Contrary to our intentions we couldn’t pick up any VHF signals nor get as far as the locations where we believe two collared bulls died earlier this year… this enterprise had to be postponed to July. At least we very much enjoyed some magnificent bush-camping nights, around the campfire and under Luando’s stunning June starlight!
    campingSleeping between two campfires help resist a chilly June night; Dormindo entre duas fogueiras ajuda a resistir a uma geleda noite de Junho.

    Other than this we verified that the poaching pressure is not diminishing and the rangers feel helpless to counter-act increasing numbers of well-armed and organized poacher groups.

    Photos can be found in the following Link:
    https://picasaweb.google.com/113384424565470443034/PalancaReport2TRIM2015?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJSRk4m5tdKnJA&feat=directlink

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    ________________________________________________________

                  • First Trimester 2015 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊSE

    Dear friends,

    The first trimester of the year coincides with the peak of the rainy season which in addition tends to end in crescendo. This fact generally translates into overflowing rivers, muddy roads, frequent storms and lots of green everywhere, and for this reason we always keep low expectations in terms of our bush activity. This is our low season. Nevertheless some routine monitoring activities need to be carried out as usual, and it was a welcoming surprise when persistent absence of rains allowed us to drive inside the park, without getting hopelessly stuck, until the end of February.

    Removing a tree that fell over the fence; Removendo uma ´árvore que se abateu sobre a vedação.

    Removing a tree that fell over the fence; Removendo uma árvore que se abateu sobre a vedação.

    Testing the water pump; Testando a bomba de água.

    Testing the water pump; Testando a bomba de água.

    This latest rainy season started hard and strong in September and by the end of November the park was waterlogged, but then several weeks of drought followed, and what seemed to be an epic rainy season turned into an average to modest one.

    Clouds building in the afternoon; Nuvens acumulando-se ao final da tarde.

    Clouds building in the afternoon; Nuvens acumulando-se ao final da tarde.

    A male Holub's golden weaver; Um macho de tecelão-dourado-de-Holub.

    A male Holub’s golden weaver; Um macho de tecelão-dourado-de-Holub.

    Colorful grasshopper; Gafanhoto colorido.

    Colorful grasshopper; Gafanhoto colorido.

    In spite of us being able to penetrate the park, the conditions were hardly optimal and we struggled to track down and approach the animals. We could only obtain was glimpses and a hand full of semi-obstructed photos of sable through the dense miombo vegetation. At least we were able to find and for a while follow Mercury, after tracking the radio signal on his VHF collar. The field observations coupled with hundreds of photographs obtained across the roughly three months since he returned to the sanctuary, revealed a very different Mercury. He is no longer the precocious yet unexperienced young bull that tried to impress and herd the youngest female group… now he has matured substantially, and truly personifies the master bull role for the whole sanctuary, which is evident in both his body language and general behavior. Instead of constantly following one female herd, he now spends most of his time alone marking and patrolling his territory, and only occasionally bursts calmly amidst a group of immediately-turned submissive females, to claim his bounty. His leadership is now naturally enforced and totally unchallenged. All young males, including the next-in-line Apollo, disappear or keep now a safe distance on his approach.

    Mercury visiting a salt lick solo; O Mercúrio visitando uma salina sozinho.

    Mercury visiting a salt lick solo; O Mercúrio visitando uma salina sozinho.

    An old female screaming for Mercury's attention; Uma velha fêmea reclamando por atenção do Mercúrio

    An old female screaming for Mercury’s attention; Uma velha fêmea reclamando por atenção do Mercúrio.

    Mercury has long attained a jet-black color; Há muito que o Mercúrio adquiriu uma cor negra carregada.

    Mercury has long attained a jet-black color; Há muito que o Mercúrio adquiriu uma cor negra carregada.

    As for the rest of the animals in Cangandala, we were able to locate pretty much everyone, including the nine hybrids and some old females that we presumed dead by old age. This includes the unexpected resurfacing of the incredible ancient cow Joana, likely turning over 18 years of age at least… I’m not aware of any sable antelope ever reaching this respectable age, and although we can’t be sure of her exact age, when was captured and handled in 2009 she was the elder of the lot and the very experienced vet Pete Morkel estimated her to be more than 12 years of age. Quite remarkable in any case that she is still alive. Also the broke-horned Paula was photographed after a long absence, and even good old Theresa was seen accompanying her 2013 offspring boy. What seems evident is both Theresa and Louise, our only two breeding cows from the original lot, have finally stop producing… for the first time since 2010 neither has bred. Pity but surely resulting from their old age, with some luck maybe Louise may still give us one or two extra calves in the future.

    Broken-horned Paula! Paula do corno partido.

    Broken-horned Paula! Paula do corno partido.

    Theresa and the last offspring of her and Louise; Teresa e as últimas crias dela e da Luisa.

    Theresa and the last offspring of her and Louise; Teresa e as últimas crias dela e da Luisa.

    The elder Joana! A idosa Joana!

    The elder Joana! A idosa Joana!

    Joana in day light; Joana à luz do dia.

    Joana in day light; Joana à luz do dia.

    Basically we were able to see or record throughout this trimester almost every known sable in Cangandala, the exception being, once again, young Apollo and one of the young females brought from Luando Reserve in 2011 – Raquel. Considering the long absence from records and a few unconfirmed witness accounts of sable outside the sanctuary, we now believe that a small group may in fact have escaped, totaling a maximum of 4-5 individuals. What is important is to recognize that breeding inside the sanctuary seems to be excellent and we have now reached a point in which it is no longer possible to keep track of new births nor identify individuals in the most recent generations… it’s simply too many of them and almost impossible to distinguish different animals and relate them to respective mothers… what a nice problem! We have at least two good breeding herds, totaling about 30 animals and with a good number of young breeding females… in this regard the prospects in Cangandala are encouraging. Quite remarkable if one considers that in 2009 we were down to nine old mostly infertile cows… a spectacular comeback no doubt! Interestingly we now had at least two calves born at the peak of the rainy season, around the turn of the year. We were expecting an increased synchronized calving around May-June, so this was somewhat surprising especially because it wasn’t from first-voyage mothers… it may result from an acceleration of breeding under unusually benign conditions, although this is speculative.

    Young female looking after her offspring; Jovem fêmea tomando conta da sua cria.

    Young female looking after her offspring; Jovem fêmea tomando conta da sua cria.

    Young Eolo spends most of his time following the girls; O jovem Eolo passa a maior parte do tempo seguindo as meninas.

    Young Eolo spends most of his time following the girls; O jovem Eolo passa a maior parte do tempo seguindo as meninas.

    Young females are the future of Cangandala; Jovens fêmeas são o futuro da Cangandala.

    Young females are the future of Cangandala; Jovens fêmeas são o futuro da Cangandala.

    And now for some additional good news, the crowd’s favorite, mad-bull Ivan the Terrible made a very brief appearance in late December to be recorded on a trap camera outside the sanctuary. He seems now fully recovered and as elusive as ever. He might carry a limp and be less of an imposing figure, but in a twisted way it is reassuring to have him around! Another good surprise was a sequence of photos showing three reedbucks inside the sanctuary! Back in February 2013 we had once recorded one female with a calf, but never a male, and they were never seen again. Now finding three is a sign of breeding, which is excellent news.

    And we finish with crazy ol' Ivan... he's back and looks strong! E finalizamos com o velho louco Ivan... está de volta e parece com força!

    And we finish with crazy ol’ Ivan… he’s back and looks strong! E finalizamos com o velho louco Ivan… está de volta e parece com força!

    A surprise: Three reedbuck inside the sanctuary! Uma surpresa: três nunces dentro do santuário!

    A surprise: Three reedbuck inside the sanctuary! Uma surpresa: três nunces dentro do santuário!

    On a sad note, many poaching incidents were reported, most coinciding with the Xmas and New Year season, typically a favored season for poachers, when the demand for bush meat increases significantly in urban markets. In Cangandala armed poachers were detected inside the sanctuary and shots were exchanged with the poachers, before they eventually escaped. Also yet another trap camera was stolen, highlighting the lack of security in the park. In Luando Reserve, although it wasn’t possible to access the area because of the rains, we were informed by the rangers that poaching is rampant and one of our trap cameras was destroyed by poachers. On the next trimester we will also investigate the probable death of two collared bulls in Luando.

    The rangers visiting the salt lick on patrol; Os fiscais visitando a salina em patrulha.

    The rangers visiting the salt lick on patrol; Os fiscais visitando a salina em patrulha.

    Photos can be found in the following Link:

    https://plus.google.com/photos/113384424565470443034/albums/6139876667893650753?authkey=CMPjwruRwdir5gE

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

                  • Fourth Trimester 2014 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊSE

    Dear friends,

    As expected the last trimester coincided with the onset of the rainy season. The rains started generously and by end of October it was getting difficult for us to move in the park. These conditions also forced a stop in infrastructure development in Cangandala National Park, but at least the main bore hole was finished with good water flowing and solar pump installed. This means that throughout the next dry season there should be plenty of water available for the animals inside the sanctuary. On the other hand a permanent fence is being erected along the park boundaries, and this work has progressed very well until it was forced to a halt in November because of the rains. Nevertheless fencing should be resumed and finished in 2015.

    A borehole is finished and equiped with solar power; Um furo está finalizado e equipado com energia solar.

    A borehole is finished and equiped with solar power; Um furo está finalizado e equipado com energia solar.

    Testing the water; Testando a água.

    Testing the water; Testando a água.

    The new fence around the park boundary; A nova vedação ao redor dos limites do parque.

    The new fence around the park boundary; A nova vedação ao redor dos limites do parque.

    Remains of a reedbuck killed in a snare trap; Restos de um nunce morto numa armadilha.

    Remains of a reedbuck killed in a snare trap; Restos de um nunce morto numa armadilha.

    In October and November we were able to track the animals in the sanctuary several times and from close range. The main issue requiring clarification was finding out exactly how many of the females had eventually broken through the fence and escaped the sanctuary in July. Unfortunately we still couldn’t get a definitive answer as very few VHF collars remain active, although there is good reason for us to be more optimistic now. The young females especially, seem to maintain very flexible bonds, leading to the temporary formation of loose herds that often come together and split again with different composition. This means that not always we find the same females together, even if we always track the same individual with active collar. The reason for this behavior probably relies on the breeding dynamics within the group relating to calving and estrus, but there might also be a random effect when the herd grows too large and it may get easier to break when they are foraging in the rainy season. The bottom-line is that all considered in different occasions inside the sanctuary, we have observed in total over the past few months the majority of sables that should exist in Cangandala. Only two young females have not been found. It is possible that a small group did escape the sanctuary but it won’t be a large group, and it is possible that no female escaped.

    Two young girl calves; Duas jovens crias fêmeas.

    Two young girl calves; Duas jovens crias fêmeas.

    One of the young breeding females brought from Luando in 2011; Uma das jovens fêmeas reprodutoras trazidas do Luando em 2011.

    One of the young breeding females brought from Luando in 2011; Uma das jovens fêmeas reprodutoras trazidas do Luando em 2011.

    One interesting and clear pattern is that animals tend to group more according to their age and sex classes, than to their blood ties. It is well known that calves tend to stay most of the day in crèches, but even as they grow a young sable seems to prefer the company of same sex and age individuals than to follow his/her mother. And we found young females from the “old” herd being absorbed into the “new” herd where she could join similar age girlfriends. On the other hand the older females seem more conservative, and for quite a while they had only split in two behaviorally different groups: the non-breeding sable old cows and hybrid females, and the two very old breeding sable cows (Louise and Theresa) and their annual offspring. The old cows have never been seen close to the younger herds, but when their offspring reached a certain age they would split and join the young herds. Unfortunately it now seems that these two very old cows may have reached the end of their breeding career. Theresa has disappeared from the radar, and we fear she may have died of old age. Louise is now seen alone except for the company of the two yearling offspring that she and Theresa raised in 2013, but following four years of successfull breeding she didn’t produce a calf in 2014. Nevertheless these two Cangandala old cows have been heroes and made a fantastic contribution for the recovery program, producing a remarkable 9 calves (6 males and 3 females) between 2010 and 2013! And their offspring include the 3 young males (Mercury, Apollo and Eolo) that have been dominant the dominant bulls in the sanctuary since their father’s departure.

    Louise and the yearling males; Luísa e o par de jovens machitos.

    Louise and the yearling males; Luísa e o par de jovens machitos.

    Young females protecting the calves; Jovens fêmeas protegendo as crias.

    Young females protecting the calves; Jovens fêmeas protegendo as crias.

    Young boy; rapazito.

    Young boy; rapazito.

    But there were significant developments regarding the bulls, but mostly positive ones. First the background: Over the years the dynamics surrounding the bulls have been often troublesome but always interesting to follow. With crazy Ivan the Terrible settled out of the sanctuary since 2011 and good ol’ Duarte killed by Ivan in the beginning of 2013, our first-born Mercury assumed the leadership inside the sanctuary. Mercury was a most imposing and precocious young male and had all the females at his disposal at age 3. However by the end of 2013 and much to our disappointment, Mercury decided to break through the fence alone and dispersed outside the sanctuary where there are no females and neighboring Ivan’s territory. This opened the way for Apollo, the second-born bull in Cangandala. But his reign in the sanctuary may have been even shorter, and hasn’t been seen since the beginning of 2014. He may still be escorting a couple young females, or he may have dispersed out of the fence or been killed, the fact is we have no idea what happened but he seems out of the picture. For this reason Eolo, the third in line and in spite of his tender age slightly over 2 years old, has been assuming the role of “resident” breeding bull escorting the larger breeding herd inside the sanctuary.

    When we got into the park in November we received worrying news. The shepherds reported that the perimeter had been violated once again, and this time it was Ivan who broke through the fence and invaded the sanctuary. The rangers even had a visual report when during a patrol they came across the big imposing dark and proud figure of Ivan well inside the sanctuary. This wasn’t good news. If this was true and given Ivan the Terrible’s notorious and bloody curriculum, he would soon target the young bulls and Eolo in particular wouldn’t stand a chance. This was also unexpected considering that since 2011 Ivan seemed to have established a well-defined territory outside the sanctuary and never showed interest in returning. But the trap camera record told us a very different story: it wasn’t Ivan, but Mercury who returned to the sanctuary! After one year of adventurous dispersal he decided to come back home! Interestingly he did not reclaim his bounty, or at least until now he showed no interest in fighting Eolo and join the female herd as master bull. Mercury was our most impressive young male so no wonder that at the age of four, he has turned into a mighty imposing black bull with massive horns, and this explains why he was mistaken for Ivan. His behavior suggests that he is more interested in establishing a territory inside the sanctuary than escorting females on a permanent basis, leaving that task for the subdominant Eolo. If confirmed this may provide new insights into dominance and territorial behavior of sable bulls. Ivan on the other hand this time has not showed up in the trap camera record, raising some concerns about his condition… but as he has proved very resilient in the past and was recovering from the snare injuries, and therefore we expect him to resurface in future reports.

    And Mercury again!; E o Mercúrio novamente!

    And Mercury again!; E o Mercúrio novamente!

    As always, the trap cameras provided tons photos and some very interesting sequences. The most unexpected by far was framing a python on the hunt ambushed at Salina 7. This was incredible, particularly because the python being cold-blooded even moving would not trigger the infrared sensor of the trap cameras. Because of this fact, the python was only recorded as “collateral” when mammals visited the Salina. It is amazing to see how the python has chosen well the ambush site stretching parallel along a piece of exposed root. It wasn’t a particularly big python, and it was probably waiting for a duiker, bushbuck calf or a cane rat. The first co-visitor we recorded was a hybrid (roble) female. I dare say that the combination of a roble with a python in a natural scenario, got to be a candidate for the most unique and bizarre combination of species ever recorded in a wild photo!!! The following day the python came back for the ambush but had changed to the other side of the root, and the new visitor was a male bushbuck. Once again it was too large of a prey for the python to attack, but amazingly the bushbuck stand less than 30cms from the python but not seeing the snake. Both in the case of the roble and the bushbuck, the antelopes seemed clearly nervous and aware that something isn’t right, looking around in inquisitive manner and lifting the front feet nervously several times before fleeing the site without even feeding. But I suspect that if they had been smaller the python would have strike and they wouldn’t escape unharmed. Needless to say that I was very much anticipating a predation sequence, with the python dominating a duiker or small bushbuck, but unfortunately didn’t happen. Pity, maybe next time!

    Incredible scene: a python on the ambush, and a very nervous hybrid female!!! Cena incrível: uma jibóia emboscada, e uma fêmea híbrida muito nervosa!!!

    Incredible scene: a python on the ambush, and a very nervous hybrid female!!! Cena incrível: uma jibóia emboscada, e uma fêmea híbrida muito nervosa!!!

    The following night the python again a bushbuck male!!! Na noite seguinte a jibóia novamente e um macho de golungo!!!

    The following night the python again a bushbuck male!!! Na noite seguinte a jibóia novamente e um macho de golungo!!!

    Warthog male after his daily mud bath; Macho de facochero depois do seu banho de lama diário.

    Warthog male after his daily mud bath; Macho de facochero depois do seu banho de lama diário.

    Rangers inspecting the site; Os rangers inspeccionando o local.

    Rangers inspecting the site; Os rangers inspeccionando o local.

    Geophagic frenzy; Fúria geofágica.

    Geophagic frenzy; Fúria geofágica.

    In Luando Reserve we were able to move around in the beginning of October, when we attended a few trap cameras placed in water holes. However soon after, the rains settled in, and it became unadvisable if not impossible to drive off-road. We witnessed some massive storms in the afternoons, which allowed for some interesting landscape photography opportunities but it also made it clear that we could not venture further into the bush. Therefore we invested most of our remaining time in Luando in the planning and coordination of activities with the shepherds.

    Fishing in Luando river as a big storm approaches; Pescando no rio Luando quando uma grande tempestade se aproxima.

    Fishing in Luando river as a big storm approaches; Pescando no rio Luando quando uma grande tempestade se aproxima.

    The storm arrived before sunset; A tempestade chegou antes do por-do-sol.

    The storm arrived before sunset; A tempestade chegou antes do por-do-sol.

    Misty dawn in Luando; Amanhecer enovoado no Luando.

    Misty dawn in Luando; Amanhecer enovoado no Luando.

    Nectar meal; Refeição de néctar.

    Nectar meal; Refeição de néctar.

    Kids canooeing in Luando; Miúdos numa canoa no Luando.

    Kids canooeing in Luando; Miúdos numa canoa no Luando.

    More photos are available at the following link:
    http://picasaweb.google.com/113384424565470443034/PalancaReport4TRIM2014?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLT_v9CNwvTldg&feat=directlink

    Best wishes,
    Pedro

    _________________________________________________________________________________

                  • Third Trimester 2014 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊS

    Dear friends,

    Poacher surprised to find a camera; Caçador furtivo surpreso por encontrar uma câmara.

    Poacher surprised to find a camera; Caçador furtivo surpreso por encontrar uma câmara.

    The trimester started off with worrying news from Cangandala. Partially in response to our constant reporting of poaching, the municipal authorities organized with the local police a series of nocturnal operations placing checkpoints at various dirt roads around the park. And on one occasion detained a poacher which was carrying in his motor bike a roan antelope! It was a yearling female and he had chopped out its head, but still it is amazing how he was driving to Malanje with such a large antelope in his bike. He was duly arrested by the authorities, and at least for a while he stuck in jail while awaiting trial prosecution. It is unclear where the roan was shot, and it may have been outside the park’s boundaries, but of course it may be this case may be the tip of the iceberg

    The young roan that was transported a poacher's bike; A jovem palanca-vermelha que foi transportada na mota dum caçador.

    The young roan that was transported a poacher’s bike; A jovem palanca-vermelha que foi transportada na mota dum caçador.

    In spite of the generous rains in previous months, the dry season this year was fairly intense in Cangandala, and against our expectations the natural water holes and drainage lines dried up quite rapidly. This caused occasional shortage of water inside the sanctuary which in turn may have contributed to raise the stress on the animals. Probably of result of this there was quite a lot of animal activity and testing along the fence, and unfortunately it was even brought down a few times as some antelopes violated the perimeter. It wasn’t clear to us which animals broke through the fence. In a couple occasions it may have involved roan, but at least once it was suspected that some sable escaped the sanctuary.

    JUL2014_S2-29

    July fire caught in camera when reached a salt lick; Queimada de Julho captada por uma câmara quando atingiu uma salina.

    Place your bets gentlemen: The dark-haired or the blonde fighter? Façam as suas apostas senhores: No de cabelo escuro ou no lutador loiro?

    Place your bets gentlemen: The dark-haired or the blonde fighter? Façam as suas apostas senhores: No de cabelo escuro ou no lutador loiro?

    A new vehicle in Cangandala NP; Um novo veículo no Parque da Cangandala.

    A new vehicle in Cangandala NP; Um novo veículo no Parque da Cangandala.

    Ground observations and the trap camera record proved that the old females and at least most of the hybrids are still contained in the sanctuary and therefore, our concern grew as we fear that part of the young group may have escaped. Unfortunately none of those sable visited the salt licks in recent months, further raising our suspicions. Tracking the animals on the ground allowed us to locate one young group inside the sanctuary, which included the only two functioning collars in young females. This group comprised six females (ages 2, 4 and 5), two yearlings, five calves and it was escorted by Eolo, a young 2-year old male (third in Cangandala-born lineage, after Mercury and Apollo). Eolo is a handsome young boy, yet to turn black but already with an impressive presence.

    Young Eolo; Jovem Eolo.

    Young Eolo; Jovem Eolo.

    The old cows; As velhas senhoras.

    The old cows; As velhas senhoras.

    We were in fact able to approach them several times and get them habituated to our presence, allowing for plenty of nice close-range photos. The composition of this subgroup demonstrates that the initial young herd has split in two, also considering that Mercury had long broken through the fence, the other group likely will be guarded by Apollo and might include five other females and four or five yearlings, plus a few calves. During my visits I could not find the second group, and witness accounts from the rangers are inconsistent (they claim to have seen the group both outside and inside the fence, with irreconcilable numbers and dates). This is a mystery hopefully to be solved during next trimester. Of course the possibility that half of our best breeding sable might be outside the fenced camp, can have major implications on the whole program and force us to propose exceptional response measures. For the time being and until proven otherwise, we will assume the worst case scenario and plan accordingly.

    Vanda nursing her little calf; A Vanda amamentando a sua pequena cria.

    Vanda nursing her little calf; A Vanda amamentando a sua pequena cria.

    A satisfied calf; Uma cria satisfeita.

    A satisfied calf; Uma cria satisfeita.

    Outside the sanctuary the trap cameras recorded once again our good old friend Ivan the Terrible, patrolling his territory. He has clearly put on some weight and might be recovering some of his lost pride. But hopefully not too much of it. As for Mercury we couldn’t find him, and unconfirmed witness accounts place him patrolling a new territory on the opposite side of the sanctuary, far away from Ivan. I really miss this boy, and it would be a waste if we lose him as a breeding bull. Back inside the fenced camp and after months of frustrating delay it was finally possible to make a bore hole located in a scenic landscape right at the core of the sanctuary, which we will now make sure it will be operational at the onset of the next dry season.

    In better shape, and displaying his magnificent horns; Em melhor forma, e mostrando os seus magníficos cornos.

    Ivan in better shape, and displaying his magnificent horns; Em melhor forma, e mostrando os seus magníficos cornos.

    Working on a borehole in Cangandala; Trabalhando num furo na Cangandala.

    Working on a borehole in Cangandala; Trabalhando num furo na Cangandala.

    A shocking development that we need to report in Cangandala relates, once more, to poaching activities. There is little doubt that we have at least one team of two armed poachers, who have been operating the area at least for the past three years. They know the area quite well, and mostly hunt at night with a spotlight near the sanctuary, but we know at least a couple times have ventured inside. They have been photographed by a Trap Camera back in 2012, and every now and then have manipulated, destroyed by fire or even stolen cameras. And they seem to have become progressively bolder in their actions. This time they completely destroyed one camera with an axe and took the memory card. Still, one of them was photographed a couple of weeks earlier on a different camera which they are unaware of. Unfortunately we obtained dark night photos, only useful to confirm we’re dealing with the same individuals but not good enough for precise IDs. We have now laid some traps with cameras hidden high up in trees, hoping to catch them in the act next time. This and more efforts are on the way to see if we can catch these guys.

    The poacher in Cangandala; O caçador na Cangandala.

    Armed poacher in Cangandala; O caçador na Cangandala.

    A trap camera destroyed by poachers; Uma câmara oculta destruída pelos caçadores.

    A trap camera destroyed by poachers; Uma câmara oculta destruída pelos caçadores.

    Ranger placing a trap camera high to monitor poacher trails; Fiscal colocando uma câmara alto para monitorar passagem de caçadores.

    Ranger placing a trap camera high to monitor poacher trails; Fiscal colocando uma câmara alto para monitorar passagem de caçadores.

    Further south, the bridge across Luando River was finalized in July, and therefore we were able to drive the first car into the reserve in 27 years! We did a couple trips in this period to the reserve and each time spent several nights camping in the deep bush. Having the vehicle with us meant quite an improvement in terms of logistics and reach. But of course the bridge is also cause for concern as it facilitates the way for poachers and stimulates the greed for local natural resources. On the first trip we learnt that our old lion friend had returned to the region and created havoc among some locals, to the point that in certain villages people were strongly encouraged not to come out after dark. Another concern for the sable, although I remember thinking that if we’re lucky this could maybe deter or demoralize some poachers… who knows maybe the lion could even catch one poacher.

    Our Toyota was the first car to cross the Luando river in 27 years; O nosso Toyota foi o primeiro carro a atravessar o Luando em 27 anos.

    Our Toyota was the first car to cross the Luando river in 27 years; O nosso Toyota foi o primeiro carro a atravessar o Luando em 27 anos.

    In Luando we also tried to approach the sable herds, but even tracking the VHF signals we had limited success. The region is very extensive and remote, and these animals are quite nervous, always on alert for poachers. Therefore the best we could achieve was very brief encounters, and for obvious reasons we decided not to push them further. Most of our time was used to patrol water holes and other hotspots previously identified from satellite imagery. Unfortunately it showed us once again that poaching is rampant in the reserve. We found plenty of poaching tracks, active and inactive traps, recently used cartridges, animal carcasses in traps, poacher’s camps, and even once we came across an armed poacher who got away before we could detain him. As this wasn’t enough the trap camera record were equally enlightening, as apart from roan and smaller antelope pictures, we obtained many photos of poachers, in five independent occasions! This fact was quite alarming.

    Collecting cable snare traps; Recolhendo cabos de armadilhas de laço.

    Collecting cable snare traps; Recolhendo cabos de armadilhas de laço.

    Even a guineafowl can be caught in a snare trap, this one subsequently half-eaten by a bird of prey; Até uma galinha-do-mato pode cair numa armadilha, esta foi depois meia comida por uma ave de rapina.

    Even a guineafowl can be caught in a snare trap, this one subsequently half-eaten by a bird of prey; Até uma galinha-do-mato pode cair numa armadilha, esta foi depois meia comida por uma ave de rapina.

    And later the guineafowl ended up on the fire; E mais tarde a galinha-do-mato acabou na fogueira.

    And later the guineafowl ended up on the fire; E mais tarde a galinha-do-mato acabou na fogueira.

    Now I saved the best for last to end this report on less somber note (even if some might disagree): Before we left the reserve by the end of September we learnt the most amazing news. The lion did it!!! Our big boy caught, killed and had a poacher for supper. And he got away with it. According to the story as told at one local village by a very scared survivor, he and his friend were hunting at night with spotlights, and his companion was in front and carrying a shotgun, when he was ambushed by the big lion who gave him no chance to fight back. The second poacher run away as fast as he could and only stopped at the village, many kms further. He refused to go back to the meal site the following day and disappeared before long. Apparently no one could figure out where the poachers had come from, but were assumed to be diamond diggers operating along the Kwanza River. Now we hope the survivor to tell his tale, and spread it among his buddies.

    I must admit that I am starting to see the lion under a different light now. A romantic person could be tempted to accept the lion as an active conservation agent fighting to hold his ground against competitors, while a cynical person could suggest that the lion is simply going for the most abundant prey: poachers! In any case, and however we choose to look at it, my respect for the Big Boy has increased exponentially!!!

    The usually hard to find marbled snout-burrower; A geralmente difícil de encontrar rã-escavadora-marmoreada.

    The usually hard to find marbled snout-burrower; A geralmente difícil de encontrar rã-escavadora-marmoreada.

    A chameleon; Um camaleão.

    A chameleon; Um camaleão.

    Flower detail; Detalhe de flor.

    Flower detail; Detalhe de flor.

    More photos are available at the following link:
    https://plus.google.com/photos/113384424565470443034/albums/6068878486065664289?authkey=CM6Uiuu3sLCkgwE

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    _________________________________________________________________________________

                  • Second Trimester 2014 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊS

    Dear friends,

    Driving through long grass; Conduzindo através do capim.

    Driving through long grass; Conduzindo através do capim.

    Although this rainy season wasn’t particularly wet, still the rains lasted for longer than the usual, with a lot of rain throughout April and well into May. This fact had several consequences, mostly positive for the animals but not necessarily facilitating our field work. During April and May, many drainage lines became waterlogged, so driving with the 4X4 inside the park was painstakingly slow and muddy, and as result we could only get glimpses of the animals inside the sanctuary.

    Gently removing a small piece of wood from under the front axle; Cuidadosamente removendo um pequeno pedaço de madeira debaixo do eixo dianteiro.

    Gently removing a small piece of wood from under the front axle; Cuidadosamente removendo um pequeno pedaço de madeira debaixo do eixo dianteiro.

    Green hell; Inferno verde.

    Green hell; Inferno verde.

    In contrast when we returned in June, the soils in the park had pretty much dried up completely, but now there was an excess of overgrown grass everywhere. Most of the grass was dead but there was just enough moisture to prevent the start of prophylactic burnings. It felt like 2014 was one month delayed compared to standard years. And this period corresponds to the least attractive annual conditions, in the Cangandala bush, in my opinion. Rather give me rain, mud, wind, cold, heat, bees or fire anytime! But piles of dead grass with millions of tiny seeds getting everywhere and clogging the radiator are much more annoying. And of course it is a bad time to find and watch the sable. In June, and after a few frustrated attempts I eventually gave up on tracking them further.

    Golden orb spider caught by the VHF antenna! Aranha apanhada pela antena de telemetria!

    Golden orb spider caught by the VHF antenna! Aranha apanhada pela antena de telemetria!

    Predator clash part II... jumping spiders are formidable hunters; Combate de predadores parte II... aranhas saltadoras são caçadores formidáveis.

    Predator clash part II… jumping spiders are formidable hunters; Combate de predadores parte II… aranhas saltadoras são caçadores formidáveis.

    More important is to recognize that the late rains at least reversed what until then had been a very dry wet season, and this is surely good news for the animals. As we have seen in previous years, good and late rains translate into shorter and less intense dry seasons, with a delay and reduction of bush fires, and more water available in water holes for longer time. And all this also means less poaching pressure and ultimately improved breeding success. This was particularly evident in Luando for the last couple years, when high mortality and low recruitment followed the very dry rainy season of 2011/2012, while the opposite happened last year after abundant rains.

    A stunning bateleur; Uma fantástica águia-sem-cauda.

    A stunning bateleur; Uma fantástica águia-sem-cauda.

    Found on the road, a night adder ready to strike; Encontrada na estrada uma víbora-nocturna preparada para atacar.

    Found on the road, a night adder ready to strike; Encontrada na estrada uma víbora-nocturna preparada para atacar.

    Looking at the trap camera record it was a pleasure to confirm Ivan’s physical recovery. Even if it it is doubtful that he will ever be the same powerful unstoppable bull that was flown in from Luando Reserve in 2011. Most likely he will always carry a limp but how much this handicap will affect his proud and irascible nature remains to be seen. In any case it is reassuring to see that he has put on some weight and muscle and is back patrolling his old territory, even if his mane hasn’t yet regained the former pitch black coloration.

    Ivan's back! O Ivan de volta!

    Ivan’s back! O Ivan de volta!

    But he will carry a limp for the rest of his life; Mas irá coxear para o resto da sua vida.

    But he will carry a limp for the rest of his life; Mas irá coxear para o resto da sua vida.

    Inside the sanctuary we failed to locate Mercury and he also didn’t surface in any salt lick. This started as being annoying, and then developed into an uncomfortable feeling, but finally we were shocked to locate his radio signal outside the sanctuary! Somehow he managed to break through and subsequently couldn’t get back inside… and he probably tried as we found him close and his tracks suggested he had been patrolling along the fence trying to return. This is a major setback of course, and made particularly worse because we were forced to cancel a pre-scheduled 2014 aerial operation for July as result of institutional misunderstandings.

    So in less than one year we lost the original old bull on a fight with Ivan, then the later got caught in a snare trap and now we lost, at least temporarily, our most important young bull! And we don’t have the means to put him back in the short term. His escape also explains why in April we found the main breeding herd accompanied by the very young Apolo, barely mature and one year younger than Mercury.

    Young Apolo is now taking charge; Jovem Apolo está a assumir o controlo.

    Young Apolo is now taking charge; Jovem Apolo está a assumir o controlo.

    At least the girls are still escorted by one bull, who should be perfectly capable of breeding. And the even younger Eolo, at age two and next in the male lineage seems also to be precocious and is became independent. Basically, even if Mercury never returns, this isn’t necessarily a crisis and it is probably a good thing to have different bulls siring calves every year, but we can surely not afford losing more bulls in the next few months. And of course, we also fear now for Mercury’s future, as security outside the sanctuary is far from optimal and he might also challenge Ivan with uncertain results.

    Young Eolo now on his own; O jovem Eolo já independente.

    Young Eolo now on his own; O jovem Eolo já independente.

    Other than that, we had plenty of photos of the two extraordinary old breeding Cangandala cows, Luisa and Teresa. And yes, they seem to be pregnant once again, while still attending for their 2013 calves, two males that we have named Mars and Jupiter.

    Old breeding cows Teresa and Luisa and her 2013 progeny; As velhas palancas parideiras Teresa e Luisa e sua prole de 2013.

    Old breeding cows Teresa and Luisa and her 2013 progeny; As velhas palancas parideiras Teresa e Luisa e sua prole de 2013.

    They had two boys, Mars and Jupiter. Tiveram dois rapazes, Marte e Júpiter.

    They had two boys, Mars and Jupiter. Tiveram dois rapazes, Marte e Júpiter.

    And both seem pregnant again, here Teresa pushing the boys away. E ambas as fêmeas parecem prenhes outra vez, aqui a Teresa empurrando os jovens.

    And both seem pregnant again, here Teresa pushing the boys away. E ambas as fêmeas parecem prenhes outra vez, aqui a Teresa empurrando os jovens.

    Young Mars and Jupiter under Luisa's surveillance; Jovens Marte e Júpiter sob vigilância da Luisa.

    Young Mars and Jupiter under Luisa’s surveillance; Jovens Marte e Júpiter sob vigilância da Luisa.

    In Luando the most relevant development is that the Provincial Government is building a new bridge that will allow access into the reserve with 4×4, which has not been possible for over two decades. This will be a huge contribution to our field work, but of course it is a double edged sword, as it might also facilitate poaching and other threats.

    Building a new bridge over the Luando River; Construindo uma nova ponte sobre o rio Luando.

    Building a new bridge over the Luando River; Construindo uma nova ponte sobre o rio Luando.

    Flying duiker; Bambi voador.

    Flying duiker; Bambi voador.

    Photos can be viewed on Picasa Album through following link:

    https://picasaweb.google.com/113384424565470443034/PalancaReport2TRIM2014?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCO293uD_xNKAgAE&feat=directlink

    Best wishes,

    Pedro Vaz Pinto

    _________________________________________________________________________________

                  • First Trimester 2014 Report

    VERSÃO PORTUGUÊS

    Dear friends,

    In the beginning of the year a short break in the rains allowed a 4X4 incursion into Cangandala NP, even though the road conditions had deteriorated substantially. It was a good opportunity to put to the test the new LandCruiser kindly donated by Toyota Angola, and sure enough there were plenty of good challenges for us to negotiate our way through the mud.

    This time of the year the main access gets really bad. Nesta altura do ano o acesso principal torna-se mesmo complicado.

    This time of the year the main access gets really bad.
    Nesta altura do ano o acesso principal torna-se mesmo complicado.

    Things seem to be evolving naturally in the sanctuary, with the animals consistently split in two groups, one comprising the old cows and most of the hybrids, and a second herd with most of the young sables. Somewhat surprisingly this time the second group was not accompanied by the bull Mercury, but by his younger sibling Apolo, who at age two is still very inexperienced. More worrying is the fact that Mercury didn’t show up at the trap cameras, nor could we picks up his radio signal anywhere. Maybe he’s been spending some time on his own and it was by chance that he’s gone undetected, but it is a bit suspicious… With Duarte and Ivan out of the picture, and the hybrid bulls castrated, he should be enjoying a comfortable dominance without competition inside the sanctuary, and I can’t think of any reason why he would leave his girls unattended… something to be followed up in future visits.

    In the absence of Mercury, Apollo seems to be in charge. Na ausência do Mercúrio, o Apolo parece estar a dominar.

    In the absence of Mercury, Apollo seems to be in charge. Na ausência do Mercúrio, o Apolo parece estar a dominar.

    We were not able to confirm the number of sable calves, as the long grass, soft terrain and thick vegetation typical of the late rainy season, made it very hard to approach the herds.

    A protea tree in full blossom. Um árvore de Protea totalmente em flor.

    A protea tree in full blossom.
    Um árvore de Protea totalmente em flor.

    But it's party time for fungi. Mas é época de festa para os fungos.

    But it’s party time for fungi.
    Mas é época de festa para os fungos.

    The herds were generously photographed in the trap cameras, but not simultaneously and similar aged calves are hardly distinguishable individually. In any case, we believe most calves have survived, and the animals look happy and healthy. Once again we could confirm the presence of several intruder roan bulls inside the sanctuary, but no females.

    On the other hand, the roan herds out of the sanctuary have been producing lots of calves, consistently recorded in the cameras. One curious event revealed by the trap cameras was seeing that one old female – Paula, broke her left horn. Females often interact aggressively as they establish their hierarchical positions within the herd, and sometimes it can result in traumatic lesions. The broken horn however hasn’t reached live tissue and should bring no consequences to Paula, apart from hindering her dominance ambitions. And on the other hand it will make her much easier to be identified from now on.

    Ol' Paula appeared with a broken horn! A velha Paula apareceu com corno partido!

    Ol’ Paula appeared with a broken horn!
    A velha Paula apareceu com corno partido!

    Beautiful young roan girl drinking water. Bonita jovem fêmea de palanca ruana bebendo água.

    Beautiful young roan girl drinking water.
    Bonita jovem fêmea de palanca ruana bebendo água.

    Young roan girl. Jovem menina palanca ruana.

    Young roan girl.
    Jovem menina palanca ruana.

    Two old pure sable cows. Duas velhas palancas negras puras.

    Two old pure sable cows.
    Duas velhas palancas negras puras.

    The trap cameras however also brought us a sweet-sour surprise. Remarkably, out most popular character – crazy Ivan “The Terrible” resurfaced! Following an absence that lasted for more than six months we had lost hope to locate him alive and assumed he had probably been another casualty of poachers. Well, he is alive yes, but unfortunately we weren’t that much off target in our fears. He did fell victim of a poaching incident, having been caught in one of the many infamous snare traps that are constantly being mounted in the park and neighboring areas. He has become a shadow of the Ivan we knew, and if it wasn’t for the white ear tags and VHF collar I would find it hard to accept that he is the same individual that now appeared in photos since January 3rd. Our old Ivan, strong and proud, mighty and threatening, undefeated… is gone. He is now a poor masculine figure, humble and skinny, feeble and frightened, beaten. Ivan has lost weight and has even lost his shiny black coat, having turned brown, almost female-colored. He is certainly not the same imposing bull, and on his left front leg carries a nasty ring-shaped scar, evidence of the cable snare that almost took his life. The incident must have happened many months ago and he must have gone through hell before finally attempting an hesitant return to his territorial duties. It is likely that the worst has passed and he will survive, but it is hard to predict if he will make a full recovery. This was yet another shocking proof that the poaching curse is far from resolved, even in Cangandala. It is highly frustrating that in spite of all the effort put into the project by the various stakeholders and the very significant successes obtained over the past few years, still we don’t seem to be winning the war against poaching and the recovery and survival of this magnificent and iconic species hangs by a thread.

    Ivan resurfaced! But he is in shocking condition and hardly recognizable... O Ivan reapareceu! Mas está em condições deploráveis e quase irreconhecível...

    Ivan resurfaced! But he is in shocking condition and hardly recognizable…
    O Ivan reapareceu! Mas está em condições deploráveis e quase irreconhecível…

    Ivan has turned brown and is skinny. O Ivan ficou castanho e escanzelado.

    Ivan has turned brown and is skinny.
    O Ivan ficou castanho e escanzelado.

    Ivan's collar used to be tight around his neck... A coleira do Ivan costumava ficar-lhe apertada no pescoço...

    Ivan’s collar used to be tight around his neck…
    A coleira do Ivan costumava ficar-lhe apertada no pescoço…

    The ring-shaped snare wound is clearly seen on his front left leg. A ferida circular da armadilha é claramente visível na sua para esquerda dianteira.

    The ring-shaped snare wound is clearly seen on his front left leg.
    A ferida circular da armadilha é claramente visível na sua para esquerda dianteira.

    More photos can be viewed on Picasa Album through the following Link: https://plus.google.com/photos/113384424565470443034/albums/5998067063642775489?authkey=CPbNurKwo66wuQE

    An elusive nighjar, possibly square-tailed (Caprimulgus fossii). Um esquivo noitibó, possivelmente Caprimulgus fossii

    An elusive nighjar, possibly square-tailed (Caprimulgus fossii).
    Um esquivo noitibó, possivelmente Caprimulgus fossii

    A spider after the rain. Uma aranha depois da chuva.

    A spider after the rain.
    Uma aranha depois da chuva.

    Best wishes,

    Pedro

    _________________________________________________________________________________

                  • Third Trimester – Final 2013 Report: August to December

    Versão Portugêse

    Dear friends,

    Following the July capture operation things stabilized in Cangandala NP. This year rains started early in September and as result of heavy works being done in the park by Government, to put bungalows and bringing new fencing materials, the access roads soon became so damaged, that from October onwards it became impossible to drive across the boundary into the park. For this reason we could only monitor the animals until September and after that we had to rely exclusively on the trap camera records. Inside the sanctuary and by the end of the dry season, a new well and water tank were being finalized and an elevated viewpoint was constructed over the Cazela river drainage.

    The tree pangolin is a special and rare resident. O pangolim arborícola é um raro e especial residente.

    The tree pangolin is a special and rare resident.
    O pangolim arborícola é um raro e especial residente.

    Young Apollo, at 2.5 years of age, is now becoming impressive. O jovem Apolo, com 2,5 anos de idade, está agora a ganhar corpo.

    Young Apollo, at 2.5 years of age, is now becoming impressive. O jovem Apolo, com 2,5 anos de idade, está agora a ganhar corpo.

    In late September the animals seemed to be doing very well, with young Mercury proudly assuming his role as the new master bull of Cangandala. The sables are consistently split in two herds, the younger group closely watched by Mercury and the old females lumped with the hybrids and apparently without permanent presence of any bull. In the latter case it still remains unclear if one of the castrated hybrid bulls has any deterrent effect on the pure males, but apparently the much younger Apollo at age 2 is now gravitating around the old cows.

    Mercury watching over his group. Mercúrio vigiando o seu grupo

    Mercury watching over his group. Mercúrio vigiando o seu grupo.

    Mercury, females and a little calf. Mercúrio, fêmeas e uma pequena cria.

    Mercury, females and a little calf. Mercúrio, fêmeas e uma pequena cria.

    Most importantly we were able to confirm eight new calves born in 2013, the mothers being the six young females brought from Luando in 2011, and from Louise and Teresa, the two very old fertile cows that can’t stop breeding. And we still hope for a ninth calf that may have been produced by Venus, the first female born in the sanctuary back in 2010. Overall, and if we exclude the four problematic and old cows that have lost their breeding potential and never calved, then for the remaining cows the fertility is outstanding and pretty much at 100% since we started the breeding program. This is just one part of the equation as female sable are always expected to be very fertile, while it is the calf mortality during first year of age that often becomes a limiting factor for population growth.

    Louise in August and just before giving birth. Luisa em Agosto e pouco antes de dar à luz.

    Louise in August and just before giving birth. Luisa em Agosto e pouco antes de dar à luz.

    Unfortunately we couldn’t drive into the sanctuary after September and the herds went few times to the salt licks for family photos, and so we couldn’t track properly calf development and success. By the end of the year it also seemed clear that we have permanently lost the two older bulls that had been the main protagonists in Cangandala for the past few years. Duarte was very old anyway and had done his part producing the first pure offspring produced in this park in over a decade. It seems logical that the terrible fight with Ivan back in March was his last. As for our most popular character, crazy Ivan the Terrible, unfortunately he seems to be out of the picture too. In May, Ivan was photographed, healthy and majestic, but in June he had disappeared while his collar was not emitting signal, and this was confirmed in subsequent months. There is no other large bull in the region and no serious wild predators in Cangandala, not to mention that Ivan was the strongest sable we have ever dealt with, so I’m afraid that we have to conclude that he was poached. Either shot by poachers or caught in a snare trap, and then the collar must have been intentionally destroyed.

    The rainy season is when the fence is most vulnerable, because of frequent storms with trees and branches falling over. This has been cause for concern, and in addition it became apparent during the last few months that the fence has been challenged several times with animals breaking through. And of course there is no more Ivan to blame. So far it seems that no sable has escaped, but on the other hand at least two new roan bulls have invaded and established inside the sanctuary. This shouldn’t be surprising, as the roan population has apparently increased significantly in Cangandala or at least approaching the sanctuary, as proven by our remarkable trap camera record. Under such circumstances it is only normal that young roan males are naturally dispersing from their herds and finding good shelter inside the neighboring sanctuary. And our fence is clearly not a sufficient deterrent to stop a young roan bull on a mission. We confirmed in the photographs a young mature bull and also a lonely yearling, in two different salt licks. The latter is yet another animal that, miraculously given his age and smaller size, has survived a snare trap, showing an ugly scarred front leg. The unfortunate incident probably explains why he got astray at so tender age. When caught in the snare he must have suffered for a while, then panicked and got lost, before breaking into the sanctuary. Lost and lonely he was now recorded attempting to approach an old sable cow, probably a desperate attempt to find company.

    The young roan male shows a clearly scarred front leg. O jovem macho de PV mostra uma pata dianteira ferida.

    The young roan male shows a clearly scarred front leg. O jovem macho de PV mostra uma pata dianteira ferida.

    New intruder - young roan male approaching a GS female. Novo intruso - jovem macho palanca vermelha. aproximando-se duma fêmea de PNG

    New intruder – young roan male approaching a GS female. Novo intruso – jovem macho palanca vermelha. aproximando-se duma fêmea de PNG

    In 2012 and concerned with continuing hybridization risks, we castrated the young and only roan male (Freddy) inside the sanctuary as he had joined the sable cows and we suspected they were poorly attended by old Duarte.

    And Freddy, the castrated roan bull. E o Freddy, o macho de palanca vermelha castrado.

    And Freddy, the castrated roan bull. E o Freddy, o macho de palanca vermelha castrado.

    Now the situation has changed slightly and it is not realistic to keep tackling in such radical fashion every new roan invader. Especially because they will probably keep coming and more importantly the sable herds seem now properly supervised by young sable bulls. But we’ll keep watching… On the other hand and even if Ivan’s fate remains open to debate, the injuries on the new young roan prove that poaching with snares is still a major issue even in Cangandala NP, so a lot still remains to be done.

    A lot of roan backsides. Muitos traseiros de palanca vermelha.

    A lot of roan backsides. Muitos traseiros de palanca vermelha.

    They seem curious... Parece curiosas...

    They seem curious… Parece curiosas…

    In Luando Reserve the fifteen sable equipped with GPS collars are being tracked permanently and apparently are all safe for now. It seems clear that the most serious threat pending over the last surviving giant sable herds in Luando, are the snare traps planted around the majority of water holes, mainly concentrated between June and August, and aiming to capture by the leg any medium to large ungulate that attempts to approach the site to drink. This infamous technique, often targeting the largest antelopes (mostly sable and roan) seems to be causing huge and unsustainable annual mortality on giant sable. Particularly affected are the most vulnerable, such as breeding cows and young animals, and this is supported by our demographic data. Pregnant and recently calved cows are probably the most dependent on a constant water supply, while yearlings are trusting, adventurous and inexperienced, and many times lack the strength to escape a snare. Old bulls are more weary creatures, less dependent on water and much stronger. This may explain why the bull population in Luando seems to be in better shape than the females and respective herds, and why so many females have serious leg injuries, and also why there seems to be an abnormally low annual recruitment of young animals into adult age, and contrasting with healthy numbers of calves.

    A reedbuck skeleton near inactive traps. Um esqueleto de nunce próximo de armadilhas desactivadas.

    A reedbuck skeleton near inactive traps.
    Um esqueleto de nunce próximo de armadilhas desactivadas.

    One of eight giant sable calves produced this year in Cangandala. Uma de oito crias de palanca negra gigante produzidas este ano na Cangandala.

    One of eight giant sable calves produced this year in Cangandala. Uma de oito crias de palanca negra gigante produzidas este ano na Cangandala.

    In an effort to counteract the rampant dry season poaching we have devised and successfully tested a new strategy, and which we expect will start producing results next season. Firstly we have acquired high resolution satellite imagery, and as result we were able to pinpoint an accurate water network for the whole reserve. Secondly, all water points were provisionally classified according to their nature, size and proximity to known sable territories or home ranges. One interesting surprise was finding that the water network was a lot more prolific than expected or at least perceived from our earlier ground experience… there is a lot more water available than we suspected, and this could be picked up from satellite! Then we conducted a quad bike expedition in September for ground trothing, and fine tuning and further detailed classification of the most important water holes, especially the ones closest to our already defined hotspots.

    Preparing to cross the Luando River with a diesel quad. Preparando uma moto 4X4 diesel para atravessar o rio Luando.

    Preparing to cross the Luando River with a diesel quad. Preparando uma moto 4X4 diesel para atravessar o rio Luando.

    The Oceaneering team ferrying the quad. A equipa da Oceaneering atravessando a moto.

    The Oceaneering team ferrying the quad. A equipa da Oceaneering atravessando a moto.

    Safely on the other side. Já segura do outro lado.

    Safely on the other side. Já segura do outro lado.

    By the time we did the expedition, most water holes had dried out, while we experienced the first showers announcing the new rainy season. For this reason herds were not visiting the sites for drinking, and snare traps had already been removed. In any case, we were still in good time to evaluate the pre-identified water holes and to determine their importance and levels of threat. Over a few days and quad-biking in cross-country we visited 9 sites (of which only one was previously known by us), less than half than what we expected but we faced some contingency problems that forced us not to continue. Still, results were very promising and above expectations, and proving that we were on the right track. Two water holes, as also suggested by the sat imagery, had limited water retaining capacity and were downscaled as unimportant. Of the remaining seven sites, six (86%) had recent to not-too-old giant sable tracks. And four of those sites (57%) had serious and clear poaching signs. In three water holes we found large poles that had been used during the last dry season, for snares targeting sable and other large antelope. In one of these sites there was a skeleton of a reedbuck that had died maybe a month ago and in the meantime had been consumed by vultures and bushpigs.

    Inspecting one water hole. Inspeccionando uma charca.

    Inspecting one water hole. Inspeccionando uma charca.

    Identification of a water hole in Luando. Identificação de uma charca no Luando.

    Identification of a water hole in Luando. Identificação de uma charca no Luando.

    In the last site visited the shock was even bigger when we burst into the scene and surprised a poacher calmly drying up meat around the fire on a camp situated less than 200mts from the water hole. He was alone as his other two mates had gone out to poach with shotguns. There were a few freshly killed duikers from the previous day, but we were even more alarmed to find that the two absent poachers had gone in pursuit of a giant sable bull that had visited the site during the night and left unaware of the poachers’ presence. This was easily concluded by the fresh tracks and spoor on the scene. The poacher was arrested and delivered to the local authorities, and his bounty burned. Upon interrogation he confessed that he lives in a village situated more than 100kms away, and they were a team of three and came in two bikes. The plan was shooting antelopes for a few days, drying up the meat, and then take the product to Malanje and sell it in the market.

    This incident and some mechanical difficulties forced us abort the mission, as it would be too risky to try to reach some of the more remote sites. But the main objective had been achieved. We now hope to establish network surveillance next dry season, cleaning up and securing all major water holes in the key areas. And this may, hopefully and for the first time in many years, help to start turning the tables in our favor in the fight against poaching. Unfortunately and much to our shock and disappointment, we learned later, that our poacher escaped detention within 24 hours of being arrested and delivered…

    Setting the poacher's camp on fire. Queimando o acampamento dos furtivos.

    Setting the poacher’s camp on fire. Queimando o acampamento dos furtivos.

    Another key milestone on this struggle may have been the renewed commitment from the FAA – Angolan Military Forces (army and air forces), who during October conducted a serious ground and aerial operation in Luando, aiming to serve as deterrent to poaching. For a few days they deployed teams patrolling the reserve, making local villagers aware of the importance to protect the giant sable, and sending the message that from now on, the military will be watchful to protect the national symbol. We collaborated with their initiative, and some awareness flyers and posters were produced and used to Luando. At the end of the operation no poachers had been caught but a clear statement was made.

    An awareness poster. Um poster de sensibilização.

    An awareness poster. Um poster de sensibilização.

    Nevertheless, a few weeks later we received worrying reports that many armed poachers were still active in Luando, and as compelling evidence the shepherds found a freshly killed roan carcass. It was a yearling male and had been shot by poachers near the diamond areas along the Kwanza River. And yet another worrying report was learning from the shepherds that the big lion was back in business, patrolling and hunting inside giant sable sensitive areas. After the helicopter incident in July he had left the scene for a few months, but finally returned.

    The shepherds in Luando by the river. Os pastores no Luando junto do rio.

    The shepherds in Luando by the river. Os pastores no Luando junto do rio.

    An evening in the wilderness Um final de tarde no mato

    An evening in the wilderness. Um final de tarde no mato.

    To finalize on a positive note, by the end of year we received wonderful news that Toyota – Angola would be donating us a brand new Land Cruiser HZJ … in good time indeed!

    Photos can be seen through the following link:
    https://plus.google.com/photos/113384424565470443034/albums/5967678625420685505?authkey=CJ6vpfnVq8LXdg

    Best wishes,

    Pedro
    _________________________________________________________________________________
    Special Report – July 2013
    Versão Português

    Dear friends,
    Although the third annual report wasn’t supposed to be released before October, I felt July deserved a special newsletter to report on the 2013 Capture Operation, and hope you’ll enjoy it. This capture operation wasn’t intended to translocate any animals, as it was agreed that the Cangandala population has finally picked up and is breeding well following a slow start. The main objectives set in Cangandala, were: first of all (and if possible…) finding crazy “Ivan the Terrible” to replace his collar and maybe cut off the tip of his horns to make him less lethal; to track down old Duarte to confirm (or not) his death; to place a few new collars on pure sable including at least on the young bull Mercury; and if possible to dart some of the old 4-5 non-breeding cows, check her condition and maybe give them an hormonal boost to see if we can induce a late estrus.For Luando, the main objectives were to place as many new tracking collars as possible; track down known herds and animals collared in previous years while trying to find new groups; and very importantly, to get fresh information on the population trends, poaching activities and other threats. For this operation we counted with the same top-team as in 2009 and 2011, which proved to be as professional and efficient as always, namely the veterinary Pete Morkel and pilot Barney O’Hara and his chopper Hughes 500. They make their amazingly difficult and specialized skills to look easy. It is a privilege to work with them, and as in previous exercises, this operation was a complete success!A lot of logistics had to be put in place weeks in advance. Fuel was deployed to Cangandala NP and to Luando by military truck and by an Air Force Allouette respectively. The collaboration with Administration of Cangandala Municipality and Provincial Government of Malanje was very relevant, and as always the support from Angolan military forces proved instrumental. In preparation, we started by tracking the animals on the ground and checking the trap camera records, but results weren’t very encouraging. We were facing very atypical veld conditions, as the unusually moist and prolonged wet season had delayed the grass decay and seasonal burnings. This was probably good for the animals, providing more cover, graze and water availability well into the dry season, but made our job at finding and observing sable much harder of course. In addition few sable used the salt licks in June, one of the few exceptions being some of the young females brought from Luando in 2011, who were photographed very heavy on their second pregnancy. Surely this to be credited to young Mercury! As for Ivan he simply did not show up on any salt lick. This wasn’t promising as we wanted to have a good feel on his whereabouts before tracking him from the air, but as long as his collars was active we would find him sooner or later…

    Young pregnant females; Jovens fêmeas prenhes

    Young pregnant females; Jovens fêmeas prenhes

    Well in her last few days of pregnancy; Bem nos últimos dias de gravidez

    Well in her last few days of pregnancy; Bem nos últimos dias de gravidez

    A lot of logistics had to be put in place weeks in advance. Fuel was deployed to Cangandala National Park and to Luando by military truck and by an Air Force Allouette respectively. The collaboration with Administration of Cangandala Municipality and Provincial Government of Malanje was very relevant, and as always the support from Angolan military forces proved instrumental.

    Ready for first flight; Prontos para o primeiro voo

    Ready for first flight; Prontos para o primeiro voo

    In preparation, we started by tracking the animals on the ground and checking the trap camera records, but results weren’t very encouraging. We were facing very atypical veld conditions, as the unusually moist and prolonged wet season had delayed the grass decay and seasonal burnings. This was probably good for the animals, providing more cover, graze and water availability well into the dry season, but made our job at finding and observing sable much harder of course. In addition few sable used the salt licks in June, one of the few exceptions being some of the young females brought from Luando in 2011, who were photographed very heavy on their second pregnancy. Surely this to be credited to young Mercury! As for Ivan he simply did not show up on any salt lick. This wasn’t promising as we wanted to have a good feel on his whereabouts before tracking him from the air, but as long as his collars was active we would find him sooner or later…

    As you probably guessed, Ivan would prove to be as unmanageable as ever, and for the two-week period that the operation lasted he simply vanished like a ghost. His collar wasn’t active anymore (must have ceased to function shortly before the exercise…), and the several hours spent flying over his territory produced no results. Disappointing, although not completely surprising… I suppose his legend continues, but let’s hope Mercury learns to keep away from this maniac! Similarly Duarte wasn’t to be found anywhere, as his collar also wasn’t active, probably result of the serious fight with Ivan that must have taken his life as well.

    Other than this, everything else was very successful in Cangandala. We managed to dart and collar young Mercury, and we could confirm “in hand” that he is truly a superb specimen at his tender age – He has just turned three, and while his horns still haven’t curved much and don’t look impressive, nevertheless they are over 40 inches long.

    Mercury with collar and ear tags; Mercúrio já com coleira e brincos

    Mercury with collar and ear tags; Mercúrio já com coleira e brincos

    In spite of his tender age Mercury is a worthy leader ; Apesar da sua tenra idade ele é um digno líder

    In spite of his tender age Mercury is a worthy leader ; Apesar da sua tenra idade ele é um digno líder

    The three young females that had been photographed very pregnant a month earlier, now all had three beautiful young babies, and for obvious reasons we didn’t disturb them any further. On the older group we found the two old breeding cows pregnant, and we managed to dart and collar the four remaining cows (the fifth, named Katia hadn’t been seen for almost one year and must have passed away by now). The non-breeding condition of these 4 old cows was confirmed by Dr. Morkel and so he gave them a hormonal injection. It’s probably too late for them to breed, having wasted a significant part of their lives with roan and hybrids, but we have nothing to lose. Finally and on the last day of flying, we were able to dart young Venus, the second sable born in the sanctuary, in 2010. She is a beautiful girl and probably on her first pregnancy!

    Three females on the run; Três fêmeas em corrida

    Three females on the run; Três fêmeas em corrida