The 12th annual Hog Charge event raised a record of Ksh 3,652,754 for maintenance of the Rhino Ark Aberdare Fence Project.
A total of 107 teams- ten more than last year- battled it out at the Kahawa Sukari Ranch, Ruiru, on Sunday 17th January. Children from over 15 schools participated in this event and hundreds of supportive parents and friends attended.
The highest cash sponsorship was raised by Team 98, The Wild Hogs from Peponi House. The team raised a whopping Ksh 258,350. They were followed by Team 14, Bizza Bikers from Kenton College with Ksh 178,650. In third place was Team 17, Hoglets, also from Kenton College with Ksh 135,000.
Pembroke House emerged the best check-point sponsor.
The Hog Charge has now raised over Ksh 21 million for Rhino Ark since the first event in 1998.
Resolution of alignment issues that focused on the elephant/ wildlife corridor between Mt Kipipiri and the main Aberdares range was essential prior to completion of the entire fence. KFS, KWS, the fence edge communities in the area and Rhino Ark were able to reach an agreement after protractive discussions took place to resolve the core issues.
Certain aspects were not in dispute. The principal of the need for a corridor had been reached in 2008. The fence line edge communities were in full agreement that a corridor should form part of the overall environment plan for the Kipipiri/Satima land linking the two at Geta. The KFS challenged the expert’s proposal for optimum width of the corridor as recommended by the wildlife consultant commissioned by RA/KWS and KFS.
Final agreement was reached in July 2009 whereby the funnels into the corridor are within the parameters of the professional view but in one very short stretch a width of 700 meters was finally agreed. The average width into the final funnel areas from the west and eastern approaches is about 900 meters. Thus areas of exotic softwood timber plantations remain outside the fence on each side acting as buffers and retained for soft wood re-plant
The 7.5 and 5.5 kms borders of the corridor were the final section of the great Aberdare fence to be constructed. Inside the corridor the policy of indigenous tree re-stocking will apply and local communities will play a part in this exercise
The Kipipiri corridor is the first formal wildlife dispersal to be installed within the greater Mountains Conservation Area of Aberdares and Mt Kenya. It is Rhino Ark policy to develop further such dispersals linking the Mountains with Laikipia and the northern rangelands.
(Alan Mckittrick and team no.5 receive a prize for donating the highest cash sponsorship in the 2009 Rhino Charge)
December 3rd 2009 marked a significant day in the Rhino Charge Calendar. Competitors, Sponsors and Friends of Rhino Ark gathered at the Carnivore, Simba Saloon to celebrate the launch of the “Spirit of the Charge” – a film about the Rhino Charge 2009 competition.
A full Buffet & BBQ, a copy of Rhino Charge 2009 DVD, live entertainment, disco, and Rhino Charge website photo competition awards characterized the evening. The dramatic 26 minute film was dedicated to the Late Mike Higgins, a former Trustee of Rhino Ark and Veteran Charger. The top 5 fundraisers were also awarded with prizes.
Total’s Eco-challenge gave Rhino Ark a special award for its conservation work in the Aberdares . Total MD, Felix Majekodunmi (left) presents the award to Rhino Ark’s Eric Kihiu and Valerie Gunputrav at a ceremony held at Carnivore on November 24th 2009. Mr. Majekodunmi commended Rhino Ark’s outreach programmes for tree nurseries for fenceline communities in the Aberdares. This is the second such award Rhino Ark has received.
(Driver to runners…“next time I say put your weight on the left side of the car…it’s my left!” – Picture by Rowena Stichbury)
The 2009 Rhino Charge Photo Competition winners were announced at the ‘Spirit of the Charge’ Film Premiere on 3rd December 2009 at Carnivore, Simba Saloon. Rowena Stichbury won the ‘Charge Action’ category, Gavin Bennett won the ‘People’ category and Priya Shah won the ‘Wildlife’ category. “Next year’s event will be bigger and better,” says Rhino Ark’s Eric Kihiu.
This year’s Quattro Charge held at a spectacular new venue- Lukenya, saw John Kanyali beat 43 other competitors, bagging a total of Kshs 130,000 that will go into his kitty for the 2010 Rhino Charge. The new venue was a real challenge with steep ascents and descents. The vibrant spectators cheered on as competitors steered through the rough terrain. 71 year old Jaswaran Sehmi came in second in his 69 year old 1940 ex-military jeep MB.
All 25 Charger entrants divided the net Kshs 1.2 million kitties to go towards their 2010 Charge entry fund raise. Total raised inclusive of running costs is Kshs 1.5 million.
This picture was taken by Augustine Ajuoga, the warden in charge of the Salient area of the Aberdares.
‘There were actually four cubs on the road, but by the time i got my camera out, two had run off. it is a rare sighting’, he informed us.
It is always great to see the wildlife nurture their young.
This sub adult elephant seems to have beaten the odds by surviving with only 3-legs, and so far, is coping well. The disability does not appear to have been caused by any obvious external injury. Indeed, there is speculation that it could be a congenital defect.
According to natural history, elephants are known to give birth to one calf. The oldest female always leads the group-(matriarch). Upon the death of the matriarch the next oldest female takes the lead.
At the age of around ten to twelve years, female elephants reach sexual maturity and after a gestation period of 20-22 months they give birth to one calf. However on very rare occasions, elephants have been reported to have given birth to twins.
Such a rare encounter was reported near the historical treetops lodge at Aberdare Salient. According to eye witness Cpl. J. Gathua, the twins are always with their mother struggling to reach for mammary glands.
Story by: Augustine Ajuoga, Sector Warden (Salient), Aberdare National Park
The twins have not been named. ‘I have only spotted them once so far, and I am yet to determine their sex. Once I do, we can think about naming them,’ says Ajuoga.
Rhino Ark can now confirm that following protracted discussions between Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service and Rhino Ark, the alignment for the wildlife corridor within the gazetted forest area linking the main Aberdare range with Mount Kipipiri has now been agreed.
This will enable work to start immediately on the final fencing of the corridor.
There remains just 13 kms of fencing to construct mainly along the sides of the corridor and its approaches after which the Mount Kipipiri Extra Section of the Rhino Ark Aberdare Fence will be complete.
Completion date is scheduled for September 2009.
Once complete the entire near 400 kms of the Aberdare Fence encircling 2000 km2 of water catchment, indigenous forest and mountain upland will be finished.
Rhino Ark is committed to ensure the Aberdare ecosystem remains stabilized and will continue to work to reduce all unsustainable and illegal activities of all kinds within the ecosystem.
Work progresses on the formation of management and legal framework for the formation of a Trust comprising senior level representation of Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service, and Rhino Ark and with fence line border farmer community representation.
