A hello from the Kasanka baboon Projects Girls Math and Science Club

A New Baby:

On the 11th May we observed that Norah had given birth to a healthy white infant. This is her third known infant and will join her other offspring; Natalie and Nina. Norah appears to be very protective of the new addition to her family, running away from the other inquisitive baboons, and even spending very little time with Natalie and Nina. Let’s hope as her baby becomes older Norah starts to interact with the group once again, in particular, with the other females with new-born’s. 

Norah with Natalie and Nina before the birth

All-male foraging unit:

On the 12th May I noticed some really interesting behaviour between 3 of the males in our troop. They appeared to form their own social unit and go off foraging together, leaving the rest of the group some 50+ metres behind. This type of behaviour is often observed in other baboon species, particularly those living in savannah habitats where food is scarcer, but to my knowledge this is the first time we have observed it in our troop of kindas. What was even more surprising was the group consisted of the dominant male, Muma, and 2 immigrant males, Garcia and Otis. I observed them happily foraging together in a Brachystegia tree, eating pods for just under 30 minutes. The group only disbanded when other members of the troop advanced towards them, with Muma exerting his dominance and displacing Otis. 

Muma, Garcia and Otis

Community Development:

As well as continuing the baboon research, it has also been a busy week with the community side of the project. I attended a seminar by Open Africa, a South-African based non-profit organisation, which combines tourism with community development and wildlife conservation. They’re doing some great work in Zambia, so please have a look at their website; www.openafrica.org.

After teaching Grade 8 at Kafinda

I also spent 2 days teaching at the Conservation Club, and a morning teaching English at Kafinda Basic School. As mentioned in my previous blog, as part of community development, I wanted to involve some of my students and colleagues in writing the blog. This week, it was the turn of the girls from the Conservation Club.... 

GIRL’S CONSERVATION CLUB: 

As part of their English lessons and skill development I decided to start teaching them how to use the computer. I asked them all to write a small introduction about themselves, and collectively write about some of their favourite moments of being in the club…

Charity Kapambwe: My name is Charity Kapambwe and I am aged 19 years oid. I stay at Mulembo village. In our family there are 9; two sisters and six brothers. I do not have any children. Currently, I do not have a job, but in the future I want to be a teacher. I joined the Conservation Club to improve my English, Biology and Science.

Victoria Mwamba:

My name is Victoria Mwamba. I am 20 years old. I live in Malatas village. I have 4 sisters and 2 brothers. I have 1 child; a baby boy who is two years and five months old. I am doing nothing at the moment, but in the future I want to become a nurse. The reason why I joined the conservation club is that I need to improve my English and knowledge, and to learn further education in Biology and Science.

Selina Mwamba:

My name is Selina Mwamba. I am 22 years of age. I live in Malatas village in Mpulumba. I have one child who is two years and nine months old. I am doing nothing at the moment, but in the future I want to become a secretary/chief accountant. I joined the conservation club because I want to learn more about how to conserve nature and improve my knowledge in English and Biology.

Leah Mwamba:

My name is Leah Mwamba. I am 15 years old. I live in Mpulumba section at Malatas village. I have 4 sisters and 2 brothers. I don’t have any children. In the future I want 2 become a maths teacher. I joined the conservation club for further education and to improve my English speaking.

Betty Nkandu:

My name is Betty Nkandu and I am 39 years old. I live in Kafinda. I have three brothers and four sisters. I don’t have children but I am supporting 2 children which my elder sister left; she passed away. I am a general worker here at Mulaushi Conservation Centre. In the future I want to become a lodge manager. I joined the conservation club to improve my English.

Abia Mulombe:

My name is Abia Mulombe and I am 26 years old. I live in Chalilo village. I have 5 brothers and 4 sisters. I have one child aged one year and eight months. I am an up and coming chef working at mulaushi for international clients and non-international clients. I also cook for pre-school children in the Kasanka community school. I joined the conservation club for further education and to improve my English for when clients come to visit Kasanka Conservation Centre. 

OUR FIRST BLOG:

Last year, in October, we went on a visit to Kinda Camp. In the game drive we saw a big crocodile and two hippos. We also saw sitatunga, warthogs, baboons and water bucks. We stayed overnight and we had a nice dinner. 

This year in January we had a new teacher called Liz Winterton. We come to school twice in a week and learn about Science, English and Conservation. In March, we went to Kafinda Basic School to teach Grades 8 and 9 about food chains and biodiversity. It was very fun and interesting because the pupils were participating. 

Before we went to Kafinda, we also received some t-shirts from the Baboon Project. In May, we had a First Aid Course which was a lot of fun. We learnt how to put a casualty in the recovery position and perform CPR. We also learnt how to bandage. Today we are learning how to use a computer. It is our first time using one. It is a useful skill so we hope to receive more computers so we can practice. 

We hope you have enjoyed reading our first blog, and we hope to write more in the future.