Quick investment in East Africa?
By jimheck in Tourism Trends on February 8, 2010
There are incredible deals available for tourist investors in East Africa right now, but everyone is sitting on their hands waiting for a crucial report due out in the next couple weeks.
The world famous Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) ended several weeks ago with headliner Bill Gates announcing the “Decade of Vaccines” [...]
Ivory Jubilee!
By jimheck in Corruption, Poaching on February 5, 2010
Officials from CITES were in Dar last week to inventory the ivory stockpile that Tanzania wants to sell. It looks more and more likely that Tanzania will prevail in Doha next month.
The only hope that the momentum for the sale will be derailed is with Tanzania’s tourism minister, Ms. Sharmsa Mwangung.
It’s not that Ms. [...]
How dirty is Dar?
By jimheck in Planning Travel, Politics, Safety on February 4, 2010
frica was agog today with reports that Dar-es-Salaam was the 8th dirtiest city in the world. But are these reports accurate?
No! No! Let me come to the needed rescue of Dar: It is NOT the world’s 8th dirtiest city; it is, in fact, the world’s 12th dirtiest city!
Mercer Health & Sanitation’s Index rated [...]
Is Kenya Safe?
By jimheck in Planning Travel, Safety on February 3, 2010
Safer to be in than Tanzania or Uganda, according to the UN.
The U.N.’s announcement this week that Kenya is now safer for its employees than Tanzania or Uganda sheds new light on how travelers should view government travel warnings.
Not much has changed in the last year in world governments’ advice to their citizens heading on [...]
Giant Pouched Rat Day
By jimheck in Uncategorized on February 2, 2010
he closest African relative to the groundhog never appears.
Well, fact-check first. The truly closest relative to the groundhog is the giant forest squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri mayensis) but it may be extinct. I’ve never seen it, no one seems to care very much about it, and the only picture I could find was of [...]
Bonobos as Peace Makers
By jimheck in Tourism Trends, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Research on February 1, 2010
n this so troubled time for East Africa there are some exciting glimmers of hope for societies and conservation.
Stand on any of East Africa’s high mountains and look east to some terrifying developments. Al-Qaeda militia are gathering on Kenya’s borders. The drought in Tsavo decimated the hippo population and spurned the bushmeat [...]
Victorious fighters of al-Shabaab
Less than 24 hours after the UN Security Council approved continued funding of the Somali peace-keeping force, that force may have been routed from the capital by al-Qaeda.
After a night of intense fighting in Mogadishu, the blogosphere is replete with claims that al-Shabaab (al-Qaeda in Somalia) is near to taking over. Reuters was unable [...]
State of the World
Tonight it’s possible that more viewers outside the United States will watch President Obama’s State of the Union than from his own country.
Brian Williams’ and Katie Couric’s audience shrivels when compared to that of Owen Bennett-Jones, who today ends his BBC World Service specials on America just before airing the State of the Union live [...]
The Monkey & The Butterfly
By jimheck in Community Based Tourism, History, Wildlife Management on January 26, 2010
The 2009 “Year of the Gorilla” ended very beautifully and very sad. The butterflies will just have to wait.
It was a sad coincidence from the start that the YOG planned so long in advance occurred as the world tailspinned into economic collapse. The whole point of these sponsored years is to focus attention [...]
Ivory Sink Hole
Tanzania conservation authorities have plunged into quicksand and the sink hole could take all of East Africa with it.
This weekend Tanzania confirmed that it was aggressively trying to convince the 175 members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to approve the sale of elephant ivory.
All the surrounding countries except Zambia strongly [...]
It’s peaceful in Kenyan prisons
oday was supposed to be explosive in Kenya as Muslim activitists took to the street. They can’t. They’re mostly behind bars.
Over the last three days Kenyan authorities have arrested up to 2,000 Muslims across the country, most of them jailed for being “illegal immigrants.”
The crackdown followed last Friday’s riots in Nairobi, provoked (according [...]
Right to Kenya
Two mysterious American lawyers are in The Netherlands trying to stop the international trial of Kenyans accused of genocide in the December, 2007 election.
This is an affront to justice and Kenyan society, and there are links to these men with the rightist neo-cons of the former administration. Which makes it even more of an [...]
Back on (a wet) Track!
By jimheck in Big Game, Great Migration, Serengeti, Weather on January 19, 2010
s we enter the great migration season in Tanzania everyone ready to go (including me) wants to know the state of the veld. Well – dare I suggest it? – it looks… wonderful.
I wanted to say “normal” but normal doesn’t exist, anymore, in these confused eras of global warming. But frankly that’s what [...]
Sinister Tail Clippers
Poaching increases during tough economic times but is usually limited to elephants and rhino. Looks like giraffe are now being taken, too.
Wildlife officials at Arusha National Park (which is locally fondly called “giraffic park”) reported this weekend that a growing number of giraffe are being seen without tails!
Years ago when I first worked in [...]
Nairobi Normal
Nairobi is back to normal after a confusing afternoon of city rioting that proved less serious than first reported throughout the world.
Because the march by about 50 young Muslim youths following Friday prayers at Nairobi’s main mosque was a surprise, news reporters were not on the scene. Virtually all of the reporting came after [...]