Kuti is a
wildlife reserve, and is related to the wildlife sanctuary I have been staying
at in Lilongwe. For many years the site was a government run cattle ranch, but
was purchased for use as a hunting reserve in the 1990s with the support of the
Danish Hunters Association. In
2009 hunting was prohibited. To generate finances for the site the north
section was leased out as a cattle ranch. Much of the tourism infrastructure
was built at this time including Beit chalets, A Frames (one of which I am
currently living in) and Sunset Deck.
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| A frame such as like the one wot I'm stayin in |
In 2012 a
new constitution was drawn up based on that of the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre (LWC)
removing any reference to hunting and thus allowing the organisations to work
together. In June 2012, the
overall management of the project was officially taken over by Kate and Jonny,
the directors of the LWC. Kuti remains an
independent venture but works alongside LWC, to take the work of conservation
and wildlife protection forward and ensure financial sustainability.
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| Map of Kuti |
Its mission
statement is as follows:
“To protect Kuti Wildlife Reserve for future
generations, work in partnership with local communities to promote sustainable
livelihoods & environmental conservation, and maintain project operations
through responsible tourism”
Kuti aims to protect wildlife and support
local communities; to become a well-respected organisation recognised for its
work in the Salima District generating economic activity whilst working
together with the local communities and conserving an important natural
heritage site for future generations.
This is possible through the development
of Kuti as a key tourism destination, thus providing revenue to ensure long
term financial sustainability and protection of the reserve, and through
partnerships with other not-for-profit organisations.
Maintaining financial sustainability is
key to the long-term success of the park.
The major revenue streams are:
-
Tourism: Gate
entry, accommodation, food & beverages, activities
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Volunteers: Groups and individuals, in-country and
international
In addition, a non-profit programme of
activities covers the following areas:
-
Wildlife &
habitat conservation
-
Environmental
education
-
Community
outreach: Community development, environmental restoration & sustainable
livelihoods
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| An A frame tourist chalet and some nosy animals |
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| The inside of the A frame before I moved in and made it more 'homely' |
Recently an education centre was constructed and is used by local schools for teaching on land and wildlife conservation. A tourist centre/shop is being built and will sell high end products from Africa such as Tribal Textiles (which Yanni and I visited on the way back from South Luanga National Park), and pottery (probably from Dedsa, which Yanni and I visited a couple of weeks ago). Another shop is planned for sales of meat, chicken and eggs from local farmers. The site is also considering offering tuition in classes tourists may enjoy, such as making/decorating textiles/clay pots, and perhaps also classes for locals in basic literacy, spoken English and maths. Management are engaged in discussion around repopulating the reserve with a variety of animals including those requiring rehabilitation or some other form of support, for both tourism and conservation purposes. They are also considering bringing horses back so that tourists can view the wildlife on horseback instead of on jeep, as at present.
So you can see that this is a little site with a lot of potential. There is a small herd of zebra, an ostrich, a camel and a giraffe, plus large numbers of different varieties of antelope. The camel and giraffe are particularly as the giraffe was born here 3 years ago, shortly after which her parents died. The giraffe attached itself to the camel - given that it probably doesn't remember its parents it may not be able to identify as a giraffe, it certainly doesn't behave like one.
The grounds are extensive with grassland savannah, woodland savannah and wetlands, each area harbouring different animals best suited to thrive there.
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| Reception, dining area, living room |
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| View from above building |
Today was my first day at the reserve. We began with an 0800 walk and survey of the Immediate grounds. This took almost 2 hours, and we identified quite a bit of local wildlife, all of whom were dutifully noted by yours truly on a spreadsheet. Zebra, baboon and antelope tracks were too numerous to be listed, so we only wrote down the animals we saw. We saw several types of antelope - duiker, impala, newbuck and a few others. We also came across a very odd pair, a 3 year old giraffe and a 7 year old camel. I didn’t manage to get a photo of them but will try to add one later on in this blog. The giraffe was born here, but her mother died. Bereft of company, she naturally quickly became unable to ascertain what species she was. When she met the reserve’s only remaining camel, they teamed up. They are an odd sight the two of them, pootering around together, rather touching somehow. It is hoped that the site will be able to restock some animals before too long.
We touched on the topic of snakes, which are known to live here but seldom seen. A medium sized black mamba was discovered behind a crate in the kitchen some months ago. The cook, who was unable to get out of the kitchen because the snake was between him and the door, started yelling and throwing potatoes at it. This turned out not to be a good way to get a black mamba to go away. It raised its hood, and appeared to be preparing to spit - they can spit deadly venom over 30 feet when they have a mind. Another local staff member began urgently advising him through a window, and suggested he take a stick (a mop handle was identified), and very gently poke the snake with this. The idea was that the snake would not feel threatened but just discomforted, and so choose to leave an environment swiftly becoming too noisy for comfort. The terrified cook took hold of the mop, but instead of a gentle poke he almost eviscerated the mamba, at which point it fortunately slithered out of the door and away. It’s very surprising it didn’t spit at him. I’m glad he didn’t though, because my dinner was very enjoyable this evening and I don’t think local wildlife should be allowed to deprive me of such few comforts as I am able to seek out and enjoy here.
When we returned to base we found a very large ostrich browsing beside the dining area - I have been told she sometimes tries to come in, but fortunately is unable to manage the steps. She seemed unafraid of humans. Again, she is the only one of her species left on site, so it is very likely she does not identify as, or know how to behave like, an ostrich. We were just sitting down to coffee a few minutes later when a small herd of zebra appeared from the bush and trotted through to the adjacent watering hole. Linus, our guide, told us that zebras have a unique pattern of stripes on their backs, similar to the human fingerprint, so that they can be individually identified and tracked. Families can also be traced through this system. In one area of Africa - I don’t know where, but certainly not here - a cull of zebra’s is being discussed. Trackers are engaged in a long term project, identifying the individual animals and their family grouping, the idea being that when it comes to the cull they can make sure they take whole family groups out, and thereby avoid causing distress to many different groups by removing individuals from each one.
Unfortunately I came down at lunch time with a violent stomach upset, so missed the safari of the premises usually given to new volunteers that took place this afternoon. I don’t know what caused it, but I slept all afternoon and was fine again by tea time. An early night was longed for though, so that’s what I’m having.
I have just spotted this though, and am very proud because its my photo! Take a look:
http://www.lilongwewildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/OAT_enclosure_report_0716.pdf
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