sad story

….

I was soooo excited!!!

right close to our camp site just into the edge of the forest we saw many vultures, eagles and marabou storks hanging around… an indication that something delicious may be there.

musa immediately thought of a leopard which had hunted successfully and now happily feeds on its prey… we definitely wanted to join this spectacle and headed together with our ranger felix towards the bushes.

when we reached the place…

the first thing i realized was a brown spot of dried grass… around a small tree.

then i glanced at a zebra…

cut into pieces.

my excitement immediately changed into sadness.

felix told us that there are many poachers around. setting traps. so called snares which tighten themselves if an animal get caught and tries to free itself… closer and closer… that day the zebra must have had a long painful fight… and lost.

I have seen all kind of animals with wire around their neck or ankles or with a limping leg. all once more lucky. and free…

… until now

I also remember very well when we went for a hike on the Monduli Mountains trying to spot elephants… Isack our local Maasai wanted to lead us to them… happy excitement!

… until he unexpectedly stopped.

and gave a sign to turn around.

The only thing we heard was a deeply breathing elephant…

poachers had hunted it down. and it was too dangerous to be seen by those cruel people… we couldn’t do anything about it……

all National Parks with a close vicinity to villages have to deal with this problem. In Arusha National Park, 70 rangers try to protect wildlife… just within one week they find over 40 snares. every two weeks a killed and chopped animal…

and what about all those which stay undetected?

but most of all… what can be done to successfully stop or at least reduce poaching???

it’s a very tough goal.

but here are people who give their most or even their life like in Tsavo National Park, Kenya, for the protection of those animals!!!