Research & Monitoring

 

The Tanzanian Authorities do not have the necessary funds to base hunting quotas on scientific data. To ensure the future of hunting and wildlife in Tanzania it is the goal of TFL to assist scientific projects where possible to ensure the sustainability and feasibility of hunting in its areas of operation.

 

Currently TFL is assisting the following 3 projects in the Lake Natron GCA: studying the movements of the resident elephant herds, determining the numbers of fringe-eared oryx, and studying the movements of the annual wet season wildebeest migration.

 

In the Rungwa and Selous Game Reserves, TFL works in conjunction with Tanzania Wildlife Company Ltd. to monitor and survey the lion populations and age structures in four hunting concessions.

Elephant Study

The Lake Natron CGA is situated between the eco-systems of Lake Manyara National Park and the Amboselli National Park in Kenya. It is believed that this area served as a corridor for elephants to move between the areas.

 

Thanks to a dry cycle in weather patterns the local people in these areas have to rely more on growing crops. These crops create human-animal conflict, especially human-elephant conflict.

 

Mr. Alfred Kikoti is currently busy with a study of the movements of the elephants in this area. Alfred has 18 elephant collared at present and uses GPS collars to study the movements of these elephant. These collars need the batteries changes every 24 months. 

 

TFL assists with the fuel for the aircraft used for these operations as well as providing ground staff during the operations.

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Oryx Cencus

At present no data exists on the numbers of fringe-eared oryx that exists in the Lake Natron GCA.

 

TFL anti-poaching teams operating in the area monitor numbers seen from the ground but this does not give accurate account of what numbers exists in the area. 

 

TFL  will provide fuel for an aircraft that will do an aerial count of oryx in the area.

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Wildebeest Migration Study

Annually during the wet season vast numbers of wildebeest arrive on the plains east of the Rift Valley escarpment.  No research has been done on these thousands of wildebeest that arrive every year.

 

This migration is threatened by two things at present: large scale poaching on the way from Tarangire National Park, and the proposal of a paved road that will run along the escarpment of the Rift Valley and eventually connect Arusha to the west part of the country.  

 

Thomas A. Morrison, a PH.D student, is currently busy with collaring wildebeest in this area to determine the movements of these wildebeest and the impact on them. TFL will donate funds to several GPS collars needed for the study.

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Lion Monitoring

TFL further supports the collecting of data in the Rungwa and Selous hunting areas of Tanzania Wildlife Company to ensure sustainable utilization of the large cat species.

 

This is accomplished by using automatic heat-sensing, infrared digital trail cameras to collect photos of individual cats and identify ages and pride structures with lions. Whenever surplus meat is available in hunting areas it is used to bait cats; as soon as a cat is on a bait, an  automatic camera is positioned to photograph these cats and the data used to establish a data bank of the cat population in the area. This data is then plotted on a map to determine the movements of these cats.