COMMUNITY OUTREACH MONTHLY REPORT AUGUST 2014 SUMMARY: One of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s core missions with its Community Outreach Program is to reduce poaching within the Greater Tsavo Conservation Area by exposing communities and especially children to the importance of wildlife and wild places, and encouraging them to become actively involved in wildlife protection. The DSWT uses a variety of tools to raise awareness about wildlife and environment conservation including fully sponsored school field trips, conservation film shows, distributing free tree saplings to public institutions, as well as sustainable support of various community development projects. The DSWT also works closely with the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya to establish Wildlife Clubs in schools within the greater Tsavo Conservation Area. During the month of August 2014 the Community Outreach program
SCHOOL TRIPS Mariwenyi Primary
STUDENTS TEACHERS ST
25
3
TH
26
3
TH
25
3
TH
24
3
TH
25
3
TH
26
3
TH
25
3
TH
25
5
TH
25
3
TH
25
3
ND
25
3
TH
25
3
301
38
1 /08/2014
Mrabenyi Secondary
6 /08/2014
Mailikumi Primary
8 /08/2014
Mariwenyi Primary
9 /08/2014
Mrabenyi Secondary
10 /08/2014
Mailikumi Primary Mbetwani Primary Kasigau Schools
11 /08/2014 12 /08/2014 16 /08/2014
Khogononyi Primary
18 /08/2014
Tsavo East Primary
20 /08/2014
Munda Primary
22 /08/2014
Kongo Primary
25 /08/2014
TOTAL
JUNE 2014 SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS
In August the DSWT hosted eleven (11) school groups from Voi and Mtito-Andei for a fully sponsored field trip to Tsavo East or West National Parks. Accompanied by three teachers and two DSWT staff, school children received intensive information about different species of wildlife, vegetation types and land forms they came across during their expedition into the park. The DSWT also gave them a field guide booklet with literature about Tsavo’s biodiversity and land forms and a spotters guide which makes it easy for the school children to get more detailed information about every bit of the trip.
August has been a dry month in Tsavo, with large numbers of wildlife moving around in search of water increasing the possibility of sighting numerous species. Pupils were taken to the major water holes within the park where different animals congregate to quench their thirst around midday. Schools from Voi had a chance to visit the DSWT stockade in Voi where they were allowed to mingle freely with the elephant orphans and got a talk from the Keepers on the history behind each orphan the DSWT is caring for at the Voi stockade. Amongst the main wildlife spotted during each school’s trip include elephants, lions, cheetahs, buffalos, zebras, gazelles, kudus and various species of birds amongst others.
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is reliant on your kind support in order to keep our community outreach projects running. For more information about these projects please visit www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.com/community or email info@dswt.org