REMEMBER IT"S NOT JUST ABOUT THE TIGER, it's not just about anything, it's about everything...
I find a lot of people pigeon hole their perception of projects. They look at a name and limit their thinking. Conservation is about everything. Protection, sustainability, connection ... life really.
So I'm off for my third stint in the mighty Annapurna within a few weeks. A hot (high 40s!), sweaty western Nepal jungle was fitted in between those times. The terms of my visa arrangement in the name of research have been worked out so now it's a flat out two weeks before I leave this mighty land. I return in the winter for camera trapping but for now it's a speed run/trek/research mission skirting some of the biggest mountains in the world.
Hello again leech families! My blood awaits!
Waterfalls on the trail, landslides, rain, rain, more rain ... the challenges of monsoon trekking.
So, can I get round the Annapurna circuit in eleven or twelve days while researching as well? It's supposed to take a lot longer but I don't have time. I've completed the circuit before in sunshine, at a nice rhythmic pace. Yes, we ran a few times but just for the hell of it. This time I'll have to run because there's a plane with a seat in it which I've paid for. Then a lot of work in the land down under to help the land of the Himalaya.
A deadline. Ok. Move quickly. Yep, running from village to village in the Himalaya... "Any goats or buffalo been taken by leopards or snow leopards in this area recently?" ... I've asked that questions hundreds of times in the last few weeks, now I've got to do it again and again. We need the data. We need it.
AND WE NEED HELP! C'mon, just 5 bucks, the same as two or three coffees. To help my heroes here with laptops, cameras (one was lost on an anti-poaching patrol when a raft flipped recently) training and some snacks when they are braving these jungles.
You'll be helping "The Birdman" too! This guy rocks. His dedication, passion for the cause while keeping his identity secret is inspirational. More on the mighty Birdman soon.
Thanks, just follow the links from www.wildtiger.org to the T3 Concept - 5 bucks really helps!
When I hit Manang, a day or two before crossing the 5,416 metre Thorong La pass, I'm going to visit a Lama who has lived high on mountain side for over 40 years. I'm going to ask him to bless what we are trying to achieve in Nepal.
Nepal misses out compared to its big huge brother India which gets all the publicity, all the help. India has a heap of money. Nepal doesn't. China has a heap of money. Nepal doesn't.
But guess what? Despite all its problems, and believe me there are more than you can imagine, this steepest country in the world is trying damn hard to protect its tiger ... and I'm being general when I say tiger ... it means tiger, snow leopard, leopard, rhino, elephant, everything...
There are brave souls fighting hard ... and the fight will continue.
Nepal. The only country in the world where you can gaze at the world's highest mountain one minute and then not too long be walking in the jungle to see a tiger. Unique.
The fight will continue.
I'm going to be tweeting, maybe facebooking etc from the mountains when I can this time.
Fast and light.
Hello again Mr Leech!
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