How much longer will this population of Treron calva calva survive?
The Bangengele say that the salt opening in the forest is theirs; the Balanga say that it belongs to them. It is the Balanga who have turned it into a pigeon killing field. The pigeon hunters pay tribute to the family of the Balanga chief, Chef Butumbe. And the merchants who come with soap, medicine or food pay a portion of all revenue to the same family.
The head of camp or PDG, Nyembo Butumbe, is the chief’s eldest son and operates the salt opening like an artisanal gold camp. The pigeons, like gold, will be mined until they are no more.
Perhaps it is the ambiguity of ownership that makes the management of this resource so shoddy. Perhaps the Bangengele will eventually be organized enough to kick the Balanga out, so why shouldn’t the Balanga exploit this opening to its limits now? How else explain the irrational slaughter of the pigeons? Already there are many fewer than a decade ago (down by 3/4 ) when the Balanga started killing them.
Where the salt water bubbles up.
The first I heard of pigeon fast food was from Crispin last year when he told us about how they are killed, skewered ,smoked and packed out, first by foot and then by bicycle to the markets of Kindu. Crispin has led TL2 efforts to halt the slaughter.
First results seemed positive. The governor, Didier Manara, declared a closed hunting season and then he asked for a special investigation of the pigeon slaughter. All pigeon hunting stopped. The hunting season reopened but pigeon hunters stayed away from the salt openings. Through December the pigeons flocked in peace, but in January as the Governor lost control of the province, the capture nets returned. And the culture of killing resumed.
The macabre preparation of pigeon fast food:
Caught in nets strung over the salt mud. The nets are emptied twice daily.
The birds are plucked alive, then skewered and the neck broken just before set over the fire. This keeps the meat at its best quality in the hot climate.
The pigeons are dried by the hundreds over low fires.
Packed into home-made liana backpacks, the pigeons are carried two long days to the road.
Pigeon porters negotiate many small bridges. Once on the road, it is another two days by bicycle to reach the Kindu market. Certainly there must be a better way to make a living.
These birds come from what distance? How much forest is losing its pigeons?
The effort to stop the pigeon trade:
The Chefitaine Jeanne Machozi of the Bangengele confiscated dried pigeons being transported by bicycle over her chefferie. Crispin is on the left; the ICCN regional bureau chief on the right.
With the support of the Administrator of Kailo Territory and the Provincial Minister of the Environment, Crispin led a group of military in to clear out the salt opening during the second half of March.
Miltary crossing the Kasuku River on the way to the pigeon camp.
It is quiet again, but this is a temporary reprieve. The pigeons will only be safe once the salt opening is included in a national park. A national park is our (TL2 project) goal and the goal of Congo’s Conservation Agency (ICCN).
