The Water Hole

Category: Swara, Wildlife | Date: May 24 2008 | By: thewaterhole

The much awaited SWARA, Volume 31:1, is finally here (the initial evaluation copies at least: the larger print run will be coming in next week). The cover is breathtaking and the content is amazing. I think this is the best SWARA yet…but that is what I think. I bet you would agree with me should you get to read it. This is how it looks like on the cover. And yes, that, on the cover, is a Mountain Bongo (Tragelaphus euryceros isaaci) one of the world’s rarest and most elusive antelopes. It was photographed by exceptional wildlife photographer Paolo Torchio.

This issue of Swara has a mix of articles to suit each of our readers interests.

The cover story is about the Mountain Bongo written by ‘Bongoman’ Michael Prettejohn and others. This story - On the Trail of the Mountain Bongo - tells you how a wealth of new data, collected and analysed over the past four years, is shedding new light on the slow recovery of the bongo in Kenya. There is a stunning photographic ‘journey’ through A Revitalised Nairobi Park as well as the story of how Africa’s Newest Giant Sengi (Elephant-Shrew species), discovered in 2006 in the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania, has been formally described and named.

Then there is an interesting twist about the discovery and naming of a fascinating coecillian called The Kilima-Mrota in Kenya’s Taita Hills by Patrick Malonza and John Measey. Still on new findings, Stephen Spawls tells the story of Kenya’s newly described huge Ashe’s Spitting Cobra (Naja ashei) that has been causing ripples all over the world in his article, Quite an Eyeful. Then our editor, Gordon Boy, puts together the findings on the discovery of, From Madagascar: A New Giant Palm Genus. Botanist Len Newton sheds some light on Kenyan aloes in his article Will the True Aloe Vera Please Stand Up.

Our loyal ‘duduman’ Dino J Martins explains why harvester ants still have much to teach us about resource use and management in Due Diligence while Tony Church reveals a possible way forward for a Kenyan Ranch - Kedong Ranch: An Ecosystem in Peril - that has fallen on hard times. And speaking of hard times, Carol Hardman, in her article ‘Marine Masacre’ tells of a recent tragedy that highlights the wanton destruction of East African marine life.

Wilbur C Smith is asking whether ‘heli-tourism’ should be allowed in our national park in his article ‘Blade Slap’ on the Serengeti. These are conservation issues and Darcy Ogada - in her article Owl Rescue - tackles the conservation of these nocturnal birds by telling us of what could be the first successful captive rearing and release of wild owls by a community in Kenya.

Then there’s yours truly, going on about The Poison in Our Midst - where I tell our readers about the new findings of the investigations that are strengthening the case for a total ban in Kenya on the toxic pesticide Furadan.

There are the usual news items in the ‘Up Front’ section but this time - for the first time ever - is a collection by Wolfgang Thome called ‘Uganda Notes’ that is essentially a collection of newsy items of what is going on in Uganda’s conservation front.

This is not all, but you need to get your copy to know the rest. Just become a member of EAWLS and you get to enjoy this four times each year.

Technorati : Publications, Swara, Wildlife

Share This