UPDATE: DiCaprio's millions look to be heading in the right direction for the tiger...

 Further to my post a few days ago I have promising news. A lot of digging and some good early signs point to Leonardo DiCaprio's 3 million dollar grant to WWF having a real impact on tiger conservation here in Nepal. I'll have more on this later. Hemant gave a presentation to representatives from WWF Nepal, WWF UK and WWF Canada. As usual he did WildTiger proud.

I'm now in Pokhara after leaving Bardia a couple of days ago. It was with a heavy heart I journeyed on after a really wonderful send off from some of the community based anti-poaching (CBAPU) teams in the area. Community anti-poaching kicked off during the war years while the army had its hands full fighting the insurgents. Now the CBAPU teams are an integral part of the system in the Bardia region and beyond. There would not be a healthy sustainable tiger population without these committed people. I really love my involvement with these people, we share a common passion for conservation and I know they will be part of my life forever. The send off they gave me and the shared vision we spoke of really touched my heart.

Bardia really is the land of the tiger.

So in a couple of days it's back into the mighty Himalaya for the final part of my "Jungle to the Sky" year. More news soon from this region of the leopard, snow leopard and maybe the mountain tiger...

Let's hope no monkey business with Leonardo DiCaprio's 3 million...

Well of course there is some monkey business.  This is a rhesus macaque.  I took this image a couple of days ago.  The adults are being extra vigilant right now as there are many offspring.  It's great.

A big thank you for messages, support.  There'll be more detailed reports on the area soon.  I can assure you now that there are many positive happenings.  With sustained effort the future for the wildlife and people of the Bardia/Banke area is bright.

But the effort must be sustained.  Strategy must evolve.  Conservation in this part of the world is a serious business.

I've had several messages asking my thoughts on the recent 3 million dollar grant given by Leonardo DiCaprio to WWF to aid their Nepal tiger program.  Hmmm... ok.  I have spoken to friends who spent time with Dicaprio when he was in Bardia, they all said he was a straight up guy, genuine in his desire to be involved in wildlife conservation.

WWF? Well here's where it gets tricky.  All I will say is this.  WWF is not the only large scale conservation organization to be "clever" with their wording, their marketing of their involvement.  As someone who operates at ground level, dealing with the people who are doing the frontline work, I hear many things.  I prefer opinion based on research rather than emotive ranting.  I am not a supporter of a certain type of "clever" marketing.

I have had some solid relationships with large scale NGO workers over the years.  I keep my ears open and try to disseminate signal from noise.  I will expand on this subject at the right time.

All I hope is that the community based anti-poaching unit (CBAPU) I meet with this afternoon does actually receive some benefit from this DiCaprio grant because despite claims regarding giving support these guys receive very little or nothing from some large organizations making these claims.  I will be honest and tell you this makes me angry.  Everyone involved in conservation here knows how valuable these CBAPUs are and the vital role they have played in the now sustainable tiger population in this area.  Hemant, who is employed by WildTiger, has helped mobilize hundreds of youth to help protect the park.  I am proud of our collaboration but can never rest easy, there is so much to be done.

If you have recently bought a T shirt or a $5 tiger from us, you have helped.  Thank you.  Hemant now has a new camera after damaging the last one in a rafting accident while on anti-poaching patrol during monsoon. Dangerous work. Your support helps in many ways.

The frontline must be supported.  I really bloody hope this 3 million is spent wisely.  Administration costs are a fact of life but the way funds are filtered?  I'll be watching closely.

Watch this space...

The serious faces of anti-poaching...

                                   

It's been an interesting couple of days in Bardia National Park, Nepal.  That's not unusual.  Despite the tranquil outlook and apparent peace there's always something going on here.  It's been a busy time but I'm just happy with the mild temperatures.  Earlier in the year when I was here just before monsoon the average temperature was in the high 40s, great for seeing tigers, not much good for anything else.

I spent yesterday in the jungle with Hemant and Prakash of the Community Anti-Poaching team and my good friend Cecile from France but now living in Morocco.  Cecile is helping me as an assistant researcher for a few days and yesterday was her first Bardia jungle day.  We had a fantastic elephant encounter and great wildlife viewing in general.  No tiger but plenty of pug marks which are always great to see.

We passed through military outposts in the jungle.  The army is back at full strength in the area after a deployment for the election.  In the second image Hemant is consulting with some soldiers about activity in the park.  At the moment things are relatively quiet.  Bardia's great anti poaching record of late continues.

                                         

It's not just anti-poaching personnel who keep things in check.  We were informed late in the day a local was killed by an elephant.  The man had ventured into the park illegally to gather grass for his buffalo.  The wild bull elephant took offence to the man being in his habitat.

Hemant quietly told me what had happened.  It was a poignant moment because as many of you know his father was killed by an elephant but in completely different circumstances.  Hemant's father was a conservationist, a damn good one.

Things happen in Bardia.

I've been showing and discussing recent technology for anti-poaching work.  Tomorrow I give a demonstration of a camera trap system which can give an edge.  National Park wardens Ramesh Thapa and Ashok Bandari are enthusiastic about the possibilities of this system.  They are committed conservationists on the front line.  Over the years Ramesh has received many death threats.

As the sun set over amazing Bardia, Ramesh and I talked about the sacrifices that have to be made for this cause.  We both have long periods not seeing our children.  The irony is that it is for future generations we do this for.

It's worth it.

A man of wildlife and a must read book...

Many of you have read whenever I have written about Hemant's story.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your interest.  Now an anti-poaching unit leader, the loss of his father who was killed by an elephant affected Hemant deeply.  It still does.

Earlier this year Hemant told me something that touched me well within.  Although I had met Hemant not long after his father died our working relationship effectively started several months later.  We had a bond in our shared vision for community conservation and I was only too happy for my organization WildTiger to help Hemant where we could.  Near the middle of 2011 I became seriously ill, the "E" strain of Hepatitis nearly knocking me over completely.  I had to leave South Asia suddenly and ended up in an Australian hospital.

Hemant told me that during this time he could not stand the thought of another loss in his life.  Not long after his father died I had sat next to the deep footprint the elephant had made as the massive tusker lunged at Om Prasad in his final moment.  One evening during my illness Hemant lit a candle for me at that spot.  Hemant told me how he prayed to his father to give me the strength to recover.

I did recover and have since visited again the spot where Hemant lit the candle.  As I write this I am less than a day from being back in Bardia.  A series of events complicated by the election process currently taking place here in Nepal means I have another of those grueling 15 hour bus trips to get to this jungle area which is never far from my thoughts no matter where I am in the world. Bardia is a special place.  Although my every day there is cherished there were two tiger encounters in one day earlier this year that will forever be etched in my mind, so intimate and unusual they were.

I will talk to Ramesh Thapa to discuss Hemant's progress and future.  Ramesh is an integral part of the anti-poaching set up in Bardia, he is one of the reasons this western Nepal national park has become one of the most important tiger habitats in the world.

Ramesh said to me recently that Hemant was serving conservation with honesty and integrity.  That pleased me immensely, surely it is all anyone can ask.  Conservation, like nearly every aspect in the world we live in, faces huge challenges compounded by corruption, dishonesty, ego and misinformation.  In saying that, there are also some outstanding people working with passion and dedication, particularly those at ground level.

Hemant is a face for human/wildlife conflict.  Despite his loss, Hemant brings to conservation the qualities that Ramesh talks about although his journey still has a long way to go.  More soon, watch this space...

But while on the subjects of tiger, honesty and integrity I urge you if you haven't already to read John Vaillant's epic book 'The Tiger'.  Our relationship with the natural world is examined as John recounts this astonishing true story.  The book reads like a thriller such is the power of this story.  The issue of human/wildlife conflict is a complicated one which is why the research needed to produce such a book needed to be of the highest quality.  Believe me it is.  You wont regret reading 'The Tiger' ... you'll come away questioning your own connection to the natural world as well as that of humanity as a whole.

A really powerful, enjoyable read ... do it!

Ok, I've got another leg in my journey coming up ... more from this land of the tiger soon...

Election tension... and what's this got to do with the tiger? Plenty, that's what.

Some interesting developments here in Nepal.  The Maoist party is well behind in the polls.  Party leader Pushpa Kanal Dahal has suffered a humiliating defeat in his electorate.  Dahal, known as Prachanda when he lead the insurgency which ignited civil war, is not happy.  He has called for vote counting to be stopped.

"There has been suspicious incidents during the collection of ballot boxes," says Dahal. "The counting should not move ahead without reassessing the process."

The Maoists are currently meeting and assessing the situation.  They currently lie third behind the outright leader the Nepali Congress Party and second placed Communist Party of Nepal, a breakaway party formed last year when there was disillusionment with the Maoist's direction.

Two days ago the country voted in a mood of hope.  The polls were as much about voting within a fair system as they were voting in a fair government.  The mood now is of increasing tension.  Everyone is praying for no bloodshed.

80,000 military personnel were deployed for this election.  The National Parks are protected by the army. The excellent anti poaching record of late is threatened while troops are away from their normal duties.

The tiger, the rhino, many species as well as the people are influenced by these current political events.

We all want resolution not revolution.  Conservation and politics are intertwined. There are many votes to be counted, let's hope they are. The tiger awaits...

Faces of an election...

Polling has closed at Nepal's second election.  An eventful day.  A woman gave birth at a voting booth, some bombs were seized, some scuffles broke out.  However, all in all, it was largely peaceful. Estimates are of a sixty-five percent voter turn out.  The counting is underway.

Here in Kathmandu it was fascinating.  The sun shone on a historic day in Nepal.  Hopefully I'll have a detailed report with some results within the next day or two.

For now we're off to a little Nepali kitchen for dal bhat, the traditional fare.  Maybe it is the first evening meal in a strong new beginning for Nepal...

A big thanks ... and an election challenge...

Many many thanks for support of late  I'm just crazy busy right now but will start blogging seriously from Nepal in a day or two. The election is on Tuesday and communications may be sketchy for a while. There will also be a WildTiger journal published shortly and well, if you want a T Shirt this year you have a day or so to order. Plenty more $5 tigers coming soon plus other gear. It's all at www.wildtiger.org
Cheers Jack

Milky Masala tea in the montains ... and thank you...

I don't really like having my photograph taken but last night I was posting several images on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jackkinross) re some of the people involved in the Nepal section of WildTiger when a friend posted this in the comments.  Milky Masala tea is my taste of Nepal.  Sitting down somewhere quiet for a few minutes, it just restores so much.

A huge thank you for the support of late.  $5 tigers (www.wildtiger.org/jackkinross), the world's coolest T shirt (www.wildtiger.org/jaibaghshop) purchases have helped with vital gear for my team ... and believe me these people work incredibly hard under testing conditions.  I really appreciate the encouragement through comments on the various social media platforms, I struggle to reply to everyone but soon from my mountain base, the cold Himalayan nights will give time to catch up.

We're all in this together.  Yes, there are sacrifices ... but they don't really feel like that when you believe so deeply...

Cheers Jack

Is there a mountain tiger?

I'm close now to my fourth trip into the Annapurna this year. This time I wont be coming out for a while. The other difference is that although my main base will be a decent day's walk from the nearest road it will have a more than OK internet signal. It means I can approach things differently. While the days will be busy there will be many nights back at base with my laptop and sleeping bag as company during this Himalayan winter. It'll give me the chance to better communicate what's going on in various areas of the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA), a land of mountain and jungle where the interplay between people and nature is both fascinating and important. The ACA is of global interest as a template for community conservation. It is a land of the snow leopard, the common leopard lives there as well ... and there are many convinced the tiger still roams.

While the polar ice caps melt, the rainforests shrink and we exploit our planet in so many ways, there are areas which can be saved. We must protect them. I'm looking forward to sharing some of these areas with you, introducing some of the great characters I've got to know over the years and continuing my own quest to help guard these magnificent habitats, their wildlife, their people...

TALKING is easy, WALKING requires action...

It's nearly two years since I started using social media.  I was dragged into it kicking and screaming.  For WildTiger to grow, I was constantly told I had to get with the program.  Initially I was happy for WildTiger to do so, I did not really understand why I should personally.  My head was in the sand.

I was getting over Hepatitis E at the time. I picked it up somewhere in south Asia.  It's the least common of the strains but it almost knocked me over.  I woke up in hospital one night, tubes everywhere, a nurse wiping my high temperature induced brow and about a million doctors debating if they should yank out my liver.  I found out later that the consensus was that they should but the boss doc over ruled.  I'm pleased he did.  I still have the liver I was born with and it's doing ok despite a few ups and downs.  Love your liver.

So I had time on my hands during my recovery.  I started clicking on my first like buttons and began tweeting the tweet.  Of course I'm glad I did.  I've come to know some great people and have less sand up my nose.  Like it or not, social media is part of who we are now.

This is not a commentary on the pros and cons, my knowledge is still very clogged by sand.  However from a conservation standpoint my initial reaction was there was a huge amount of misinformation out there.  There was this seemingly never ending blurb of comment made with the only rule seemingly being "why let the facts get in the way of a good story".  I had been warned about this.

Nearly two years later, having just spent a butt numbing week in front of the computer, I still see this.  Ok, while I admit I'm still sandy I'm not so naive that I don't realize that having a bullshit meter is vital in research and it is relatively easy to wade through the rubbish to find the good stuff.  However what concerns me, and I stress that being desk bound is placing me in a not favoured habitat, is that the amount of energy used by meaningless dribble online is really counter productive.  From a conservation standpoint it's almost criminal.

There are so many meaningless petitions out there that never see the light of day as a real form of protest.  There is ill informed, ego driven comment by desk jockeys who have never spent a day in the field.  Armchair activism has a hugely important role BUT it is only effective if backed up with research using credible sources.  Passion and emotion are important but if you apply the principle to a sports team, well, they might win a few games, knock over a few  of the top teams but at season's end they will be left in the wake of the units who planned, showed discipline and were unified.  Above all, winners train hard.

To win you have to train hard, put in the hours and use the best resources available.  You have to be honest, don't make stuff up.  Please, armchair activists, be considered and measured in your approach.  And above all, think globally BUT take ACTION locally.  Credibility is attained by those who back words with action.  Wherever your backyard is (look around, it's there), look after it.

If we all apply this thinking then maybe we'll vote in the right governments because they reflect who we are.  It's 3am, I'm ten days away from landing back in Nepal the day before the election.  It's a crucial election.  I've just been chatting to Nepali conservationist friends who are very concerned.  The military has been mobilized to try and keep things under control in volatile voting areas. This means key anti-poaching personnel are doing other things away from their normal duties at National Parks,  There is a strike, food prices are rocketing up.  It is a time of tension.  There is potential for humans and wildlife to suffer if things get out of hand again.

It comes down to doing the right thing.  What we type on a Facebook page, who we vote for, we have to considered and thinking.  Use the words wisely to get a good outcome.

And then get out and plant a tree.

Googly eyed for the tiger, wildlife, habitat, people...

This is the B&W version of the first $5 tiger.  I'm sending this out with all the orders so far and will do so for anyone who orders in the next 48 hours.  T shirt orders will get one to.

You see, I'm starting an email marathon.  In the next 40 hours I want to contact everyone who has ordered stuff, pledged, done anything to help with a personal email.  Normally it's impossible to do this, I have to rely on software or my team.  But the thing is you are making a difference.  A couple more laptops, a camera and other support are now possible because of your help.

Please remember it's not just about the tiger, it's a holistic thing.  The tiger is the symbol for all this, it just wouldn't have quite been the same if we'd called ourselves WildChicken or something, hey, that's another story, soon :) ... but it's true, there's a lot going on.  Because of your help a researcher into human trafficking will get gear...

It's all connected.

So after 40 hours I go and visit a couple of eagles and in about 48 hours I'll blog with some details of how it all works.  I'm more worried about this email marathon than any jungle or mountain because I know my eyeballs are going to get a hammering ... and I like my eyeballs.

Cheers Jack

$5 tigers at www.wildtiger.org/jackkinross

The world's coolest T shirt at www.wildtiger.org/jaibaghshop