We have been unable to contact our team in Xinjiang and we hope they are safe and continue to remain so. Our thoughts are with them and the people of Xinjiang.
Phil.
The failures of tiger conservation
14 years ago
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Our thoughts are with the people of Xinjiang
Our project involves colleagues working together from both the Uygur and Han communities in Urumqi and across the province of Xinjiang. This unity is a vital thread that binds our small project and we are all saddened that the friendships we cherish appear to be exceptional.
Hot and cold running nose
Hello All.
Once again I find myself in the all too familiar surroundings of a Chinese hotel. Just waiting to meet Wong Jun and Shi Kun for our chilli cabbage and chilli mein breakfast - we're in Sichuan, at the behest of the SFA.
I came through Beijing to attend the annual meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology. It was hot and sticky and I did my best to look (and be) cool so I didn't get quarantined as an H1N1 suspect. All visitors to China have to fill out a health questionnaire and have their temperature taken (forehead thankfully) before being allow to disembark at the airport. Despite being urged by the British Airways cabin crew to answer the questionnaire I can't imagine anyone wanting to tick affirmative to any question, knowing that such damning action will lead them to epidemiological Limbo in an anonymous hotel, circling the first circle, hoping and praying for ascent.
Aaaachoo! [sniff]
Phil.
Sunday, 22 March 2009
Homeward bound
We're in the closing ceremony stage here, but only for this survey. Fond farewells and congratulatory back slaps abound. Forgive the immodesty, but we've done good. We have great data from the field, we are on excellent terms with local communities and local and national government and, to top it all nicely, we have been granted permission to continue and expand our work in China for at least the next five years.
I'm heading home tomorrow to a blissful reunion with Dawn and the boys. Then the next chapter begins. Report writing, funding applications and project development will keep me busy for a good while. I will continue to update this blog with progress (I hope) and more photos once I sort them out. Stay tuned.
Happy landings!
P.
I'm heading home tomorrow to a blissful reunion with Dawn and the boys. Then the next chapter begins. Report writing, funding applications and project development will keep me busy for a good while. I will continue to update this blog with progress (I hope) and more photos once I sort them out. Stay tuned.
Happy landings!
P.
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Police action camera
Hello All.
Our far-flung cameras offered logistical challenges for their retrieval. To minimise the effort we split the team. While my part of the team were happily retracing our steps, elsewhere nefarious forces were at work. Whilst recovering his quota, Khometti discovered that a pair had gone missing. He returned to Mariang Community with those he had (we were meanwhile a couple of days away at our second camp) and was (so I gather) marched by our driver, Shifu, to the community policeman to report the theft. Khometti was reluctant to do anything premature, but Shifu's outrage was forceful.
As luck would have it, to Shifu's delight and Khometti's groaning despair, on that day the Director of Taxkurgan County was visiting Mariang. Upon hearing of the heinous crimes carried out against such an important (and international) research project he, without waiver, unleashed the full force of the law in Taxkurgan and vowed to "crush the criminal network" responsible. [The story was retold a number of times when we all later reassembled, amidst a fair amount of drinking. I quote a recounted phrase from these recollections that lodged in my head.]
The full force of the law in Taxkurgan took the form of four police officers from Taxkurgan town. No one was above suspicion, not even themselves it seemed. Efforts to tackle corruption in China are taken seriously and so the first step in any enquiry is that the police officers question each other about their whereabouts, motives and alibis. Once they were satisfied that they had in fact all been together at the time of the alleged incident and that none of them had actually been to Marriang before, the investigation moved up a gear. And up a mountain. They promptly proceeded to the crime scene. A little too promptly as it happened, because they all returned some hours later complaining of headaches and nausea. With altitude sickness the best remedy is to descend to a lower elevation, so they all went back to Taxkurgan.
Before they left they made the local bobby in Mariang Officer In Charge of the investigation. He is a shrewd man, who learnt English for three months (the phrases he remembers, related in later drinking and story-telling, include "Thank you" - politeness among police officers is always appreciated when conducting enquiries; "I larve you" - not so sure about this one, but all great detectives have their own distinctive methods; and "Good health" - no comment [hic!]). His approach was simple and effective. He called on local families in the area and explained the problem and requested that the cameras be placed back in their original position by the next day. Or else!
The effect of all this on the community in Mariang was quite striking. The presence of the incident team from Taxkurgan is akin to those scenes in movies where scores of men in dark suits and dark glasses pour from unplated black 4x4s and the SWAT teams slide down ropes from helicopters. Mariang had not seen anything like this (neither the SWATy dark-glasses nor the four blokes from Taxkurgan) and it certainly put the wind up them.
The next day the cameras were found by Khometti and the local policeman in their original position.
The leader of the community, Rojabek Arkim (Roger Beck?) was beside himself when we finally turned up and were bought up to speed on the whole thing. Having reassured him that there was no harm done, we ate drank smoked [cough!] our way into the night and celebrated our snow leopard pictures. We're all good friends.
The policeman was rightly pleased with himself. He reassured us that after these events we would have no further problems with missing traps in Mariang ever again. I larve you.
Evenin' All.
P.
Our far-flung cameras offered logistical challenges for their retrieval. To minimise the effort we split the team. While my part of the team were happily retracing our steps, elsewhere nefarious forces were at work. Whilst recovering his quota, Khometti discovered that a pair had gone missing. He returned to Mariang Community with those he had (we were meanwhile a couple of days away at our second camp) and was (so I gather) marched by our driver, Shifu, to the community policeman to report the theft. Khometti was reluctant to do anything premature, but Shifu's outrage was forceful.
As luck would have it, to Shifu's delight and Khometti's groaning despair, on that day the Director of Taxkurgan County was visiting Mariang. Upon hearing of the heinous crimes carried out against such an important (and international) research project he, without waiver, unleashed the full force of the law in Taxkurgan and vowed to "crush the criminal network" responsible. [The story was retold a number of times when we all later reassembled, amidst a fair amount of drinking. I quote a recounted phrase from these recollections that lodged in my head.]
The full force of the law in Taxkurgan took the form of four police officers from Taxkurgan town. No one was above suspicion, not even themselves it seemed. Efforts to tackle corruption in China are taken seriously and so the first step in any enquiry is that the police officers question each other about their whereabouts, motives and alibis. Once they were satisfied that they had in fact all been together at the time of the alleged incident and that none of them had actually been to Marriang before, the investigation moved up a gear. And up a mountain. They promptly proceeded to the crime scene. A little too promptly as it happened, because they all returned some hours later complaining of headaches and nausea. With altitude sickness the best remedy is to descend to a lower elevation, so they all went back to Taxkurgan.
Before they left they made the local bobby in Mariang Officer In Charge of the investigation. He is a shrewd man, who learnt English for three months (the phrases he remembers, related in later drinking and story-telling, include "Thank you" - politeness among police officers is always appreciated when conducting enquiries; "I larve you" - not so sure about this one, but all great detectives have their own distinctive methods; and "Good health" - no comment [hic!]). His approach was simple and effective. He called on local families in the area and explained the problem and requested that the cameras be placed back in their original position by the next day. Or else!
The effect of all this on the community in Mariang was quite striking. The presence of the incident team from Taxkurgan is akin to those scenes in movies where scores of men in dark suits and dark glasses pour from unplated black 4x4s and the SWAT teams slide down ropes from helicopters. Mariang had not seen anything like this (neither the SWATy dark-glasses nor the four blokes from Taxkurgan) and it certainly put the wind up them.
The next day the cameras were found by Khometti and the local policeman in their original position.
The leader of the community, Rojabek Arkim (Roger Beck?) was beside himself when we finally turned up and were bought up to speed on the whole thing. Having reassured him that there was no harm done, we ate drank smoked [cough!] our way into the night and celebrated our snow leopard pictures. We're all good friends.
The policeman was rightly pleased with himself. He reassured us that after these events we would have no further problems with missing traps in Mariang ever again. I larve you.
Evenin' All.
P.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Thing of beauty
Our prized snow leopard, captured on one the SLT's cameras, set by one of our trained local team (Khometti Taklashur). Along with copious other evidence, this offers proof that snow leopards are indeed using the Mariang area of Taxkurgan Nature Reserve during the winter.
Praise be.
P.
Thursday, 12 March 2009
The first snow leopard!
News today from Phil - their first camera trap picture of a snow leopard! Caught by one of the Snow Leopard Trust's cameras. They've got some wolves recorded too. The team were filled with excitement as they continue to gather in the traps dispersed through Mariang valley. They're on the home run, and delighted to see some rewards for their efforts.
D
D
Sunday, 8 March 2009
Marching on
Before leaving the first Mariang camp the team saw that foxes have made an appearance on their cameras.
Precarious walking for around 8 hours across what sounds like a field of boulders led the team to a new base camp in the valley yesterday. This brings them closer to the area with reportedly recent snow leopard activity, and the local herders there are lining up kills to check.
D
Precarious walking for around 8 hours across what sounds like a field of boulders led the team to a new base camp in the valley yesterday. This brings them closer to the area with reportedly recent snow leopard activity, and the local herders there are lining up kills to check.
D
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