Monthly News Edition 06-15
Bulletin #06 March 2015.
This Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species or RAGES is a Rotarian Action Group and operates in accordance with Rotary International policy but is not an agency of, or controlled by Rotary International.
1. MARCH CHAIR REPORT
Things are moving along at a fast pace at the moment with plans on our first proposed project at the Oloimugi Maasai Village in conjunction with Roots & Shoots Kenya talking up a lot of my time. This is a complex issue however once put into place it will yield good results and hopefully a model of how RAGES and Roots & Shoots can work together with Rotarians and Rotaractors on the ground.
Oloimugi is situated on the Laikipia Plateau of Kenya and is a fertile place for poaching and wild life conflict between humans and elephants in particular. There is also a big need for basic education and literacy coupled with community and economic development. There is a huge need for basic schools for both children and adults.
The Laikipia Plateau
This area of Kenya also has the last remaining Northern White Rhino almost extinct now with only 5 left on the planet of which 3 are at the Ol Pajeta Conservancy and two are in zoos one in San Diego and the other in Czechoslovakia.
Also found here are the Grevy’s Zebra with only 2,500 left on the planet.
Other species here include the reticulated giraffe with 4,700 left most are found here in the Laikipia region:
We are also setting up RAGES to become incorporated with Rotarian Action Group by-laws and constitution as required by Rotary International. Along the way we will be restructuring the board and creating a working structure for the upcoming Rotary year 2015-2016.
We continue to get new members and we will continue to ask Rotarians and Rotaractors and their families to join RAGES so please do your part and point your contacts to our application page:
I look forward to welcoming more members to our group next month and beyond.
As always
Yours in Rotary
John Glassford
Chair 2014 -2016
Rotarian Action Group for Endangered Species
Rotary Club of Coolamon District 9700
New South Wales, Australia
On the 3rd March President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya burnt 15 tonnes of Kenya’s ivory stock pile.
President Uhuru Kenyatta sets fire to 15 tonnes of ivory from Kenya’s stock pile.
President Kenyatta went on to promise that he will burn all 100 tonnes of the remaining stock pile by the end of 2015.
What we all hope for is that Kenya and all other countries with relevant laws and institutions in place, implement and act according to what is being stated by those in power. In many countries both in Africa and Asia the difference between policies and realities on the ground, in courts and elsewhere is huge. That includes China, representing the biggest demand for ivory whether legal or illegal.
Many continue to wonder why burning of ivory makes sense. They seem to forget that ivory – the tooth of an animal that cannot be farmed – is a limited resource. The market, on the other hand, is huge due in part to previous so-called one-off sales that signaled that the buying of ivory is OK. Dumping ivory from stockpiles into the marketplace may lead to an immediate decline in prices – but it will surely be short-lasting with carving factories and outlets in high gear inspiring consumers to buy. And the killing will continue.
Therefore I strongly believe that this is not a simple supply and demand economics, we MUST stop all demand for ivory coming from the Far East, the USA and other countries still importing ivory, and we can only do that by removing all temptation to sell the ivory stockpiles that are stored in warehouses across the African continent.
3. THE POSTER CAMPAIGN.
As you are aware from our front page we have started collecting signatures on our poster for the poster and music down load campaign due to start in June. So far we have some very prominent conservationists who walk the talk and we now have the signatures of Dr. Jane Goodall, Sir David Attenborough, Seal and several other prominent people including Brian May from Queen who signed last week.
All credit to Duke Ingram of Besureis who is leading this campaign and more news on this next month and on our front page as it comes to hand.
Brian May SAYS NO!
4. ROTARY MOUNT KENYA CLIMB 2015
As you are aware we are climbing Mount Kenya in April and we are taking a team of 10 climbers/hikers to attempt Point Lenana to summit on April 25th ANZAC Day Centenary. A significant date in the history of Australia. The reasons we have chosen this date is laid out in the web site below:
Mount Kenya ANZAC Day Climb 2015
Sunrise on Point Lenana
So looking forward to going home to Kenya. We will be holding the Dawn Service for ANZAC Day on Point Lenana in honour of all ANZACS and especially my father, a Kiwi, (New Zealander), who landed at Gallipoli on April 25th 1915. There will be 10 of us including one Kiwi. We will have the service play the Last Post and toast our ANZAC heroes and they are heroes. We are looking for a Turkish climber or two to shake hands with us. George Glassford migrated to Kenya in 1919. We could see Mount Kenya every day from the coffee shamba he developed, now Karanguru Coffee Estates.
One of the beneficiaries will be RAGES for our first project the Oloimugi Maasai Village in partnership with Roots & Shoots Kenya and a local Rotary club in Kenya.
Therefore I ask you to check the web site above from the 22nd March when we launch a crowd funding campaign. Please share with your family and your friends in Rotary and beyond.
Thank you.
5. RAGES BUSINESS ON THE AFRICAN VISIT
Just briefly we have PDG Fred Loneragan and myself on this trip both of us on the RAGES Board and we have been able to arrange the following meetings.
a. Rotary District 9212 District Conference in Diani Beach near Mombasa Kenya at the invitation of DG Bimal Kantaria. April 15th -18th then climb Mount Kenya!
b. Visit the Oloimugi Maasai Village near Mount Kenya and to meet with their leader Armicus Philip Mayan Elesentoria and the Elders of the village as well as the women and children. We will be able to work out what is required for the project we are implementing. This in the 28th April and will be a highlight for us.
Armicus on the left and Linus on the right of the photo.
c. Tuesday 28th April at the White Rhino Hotel pay a visit to the Rotary Club of Nyeri on the slopes of Mount Kenya and to engage the members of this brand new club in our work with Oloimugi and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Kenya branch with their project director in Kenya, Linus Wafula Ogao.
d. Thursday April 30th we will visit our other projects on education in Nairobi and hold a meeting with Roots & Shoots Kenya with Linus to work out the plan, budget and the way forward for all of us to work in unison. We close this day with a meeting at a new Rotary Club the UN Gigiri who meet at the Tribe Hotel in Nairobi.
e. Visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the elephant orphanage with a scheduled meeting with Dr.Dame Daphne Sheldrick on May 1st. Another highlight for the team. This is one of the very best projects in all of Africa and yo can see their work on our projects page. We are looking at ways to support their work especially their Community Outreach programme.
f. Some R&R at the Amboseli National Park where we hope to meet Big Tim and his ilk. Big Tim and the giant tuskers of Amboseli and Tsavo are in mortal danger from poaching. We hope to learn how they are being protected and what needs they have on the ground.
BIG TIM IN AMBOSELI
g. The majority of the team then leaves Kenya for a visit to Hout Bay in Cape Town and a visit to our Coolamon Twin Club. Susan and I will leave the team here and go on to Port Elizabeth and the Rotary Club of Kenton-on-Sea where we will meet with Jo Wilmot a fellow RAGES Director and our rhino advisers Dr. William Fowlds of Investec Rhino Lifeline Foundation and Brent Cook the founder of the Chipembere Rhino Foundation the third of our projects that we have identified for our support.
We also hope to meet Thandi and Thembi at the Kariega Game Reserve near Port Alfred South Africa.
Thandi and Thembi
All for now see you all in April please follow us on this website and our two Facebook pages and please ask your friends in Rotary and Rotaract to join us:
RAGES Facebook Page
RAGES One Fight Unite Facebook Page
Thank you!