http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org life with cats Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:39:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Have you ever thought of visiting africa? Have you pondered following an african lion? Would you like to learn more about the meeting of the tried and tested old style of tracking (tyre-tread sandals, a sword and sharp eyes) and the new tools of wildlife research (GPS collars linked to ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/07/05/introducing-online-african-lion-gps-collar-tracking/ This morning we found some of the collared lions, specifically Nemasi (hiding on a hill somewhere) and Kasaiyo. Kasaiyo was with some of his pride, and we caught a glimpse of them. Here is what we had to drive through to get to them. Every tree is covered in very antisocial ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/07/04/furry-friday-lions-located-this-morning/ Somehow, between my more bookish northwestern readers, a small yellow bird, a master paddler and a wimsical science enthusiast, this blog has made some money. So, for June thanks are due to Suzanne, KD, Carmine, Wim and Herb. As a special treat, I present to you, a scene from my last ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/07/02/have-you-ever-seen-a-ninja-in-a-jam/ People all over the world respond with strong emotion to the losing of an animal. Just like Maasai who develop strong bonds with their livestock, westerners (it seems) are passionate about their cats. See for yourself here. Whilethe catnapping story is a farce beyond belief, it brings out a thread: the ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/07/02/catextortion-or-while-rome-burns/ Yesterday I alluded to the fact that image-recognition software has been expensive and clunky in the past. An acquaintance of mine subsequently emailed me a few links. It turns out that not only is there freely available software on the web, but its quite user-friendly. The following example is a ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/07/01/and-you-thought-biometrics-was-boring-think-again/ Automated pattern recognition has been something of a grail for wildlife researchers wanting to sample large populations of animals. The first I heard of this was in connection with some cheetah work in Tanzania. It was rumoured to be fairly expensive, but I thought it intriguing [every cheetah has a ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/06/30/can-a-penguin-change-its-spots-cool-software-aids-wildlife-research/ Some of the best lion research to date has come out of Tanzania, often in association with Dr Craig Packer. The most recent findings to be published are (I think) no exception. Scientists from the universities of Illinois, California (Davis) and Minnesota looked at the impact on lions of canine ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/06/29/the-perfect-storm-and-how-it-applies-to-lion-conservation/ If you have a moment, do have a look at William's post (the Mara triangle blog) on the recent BBC story that covered the poisoning of several lions. It makes for some thought-provoking material. I've posted a few comments there. What do you think? Technorati : BBC, ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/06/28/more-on-media-lions-and-conservation/ I've been quiet for some time (blog-wise) as I have been hosting two journalists in camp who have been travelling around east africa to learn more about the challenges facing lion conservation. Later this year I'll post links to podcasts of the radio-show. It'll be good exposure for lion conservation ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/06/27/arlo-guthries-revenge/ Another day, another obtuse blog-title. Apparently its Tennyson. Its for my one-armed friend in little Nigeria. This post is to draw my reader's attention to the fact that we have our donation-reporting sidebar up and running again. I've been harassing the techs at wildlifedirect mercilessly for the last two months and ... http://kilimanjarolion.wildlifedirect.org/2008/06/24/but-the-jingling-of-the-guinea-helps-the-hurt-that-honor-feels/