One Down for the Lomami

BUT SO MUCH FARTHER TO GO!

Does someone in this photo look familiar?

ColTom with buddies in Kisangani
He has his head tipped to the side and is NOT looking at us (Ashley corrected me).

He is also in the photo below. Big time elephant poacher, Colonel Tom (or Thomps) has a new – temporary? – persona. A small group of military were sent up the Lomami to bring the Colonel out of the forest. They did…in probably the only way possible : very civilly (He walked across the forest with an escort, but of his own “free will”). We are told he will soon be sent to military retraining camp many miles away. Hope so.
Mai Mai chief in foreground with leopard skin
May he never reign in his forest camps again

Does this mean that the remaining Lomami elephants are safe now that the principal elephant poacher is out of the forest.
Safer, that is for sure , BUT the threats have not evaporated:
Ashley who is now in Obenge, a village well up the Lomami, says this:
“Colonel Thomps took 300 kgs of ivory out of Obenge just before he left the forest”

And Ashley adds that Colonel Thomps left his Major (maimai) and his Major is now in Obenge and has guns:
“…he is planning on going back into the forest in about 3 days to hunt more elephant…”

BUT WE HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE. Colonel Thomps is out and the Major “knows his time is coming to an end…”
Everyone in Obenge listening attentively to Crispan as he presents TL2s ideas
Village meeting to discuss increased agriculture, decreased hunting. pros and cons.

Being on the ground and in the forest makes a difference. John is now west of Ubundu, Ashley at Obenge, Bernard on the upper Tshuapa, Dino and Faustin east of Opala, and Maurice north of Katopa. Each of these is a team leader and working at the head of a group. There are also two full time community conservationists, Lambert and Crispan, on the ground based out of Obenge.
This is the TL2 project. We work from the ground up.
There will be a total of 150 of these plots full of plants soon all growing food for the benefit of Obenge and to help reduce their reliance on bushmeat
One of the new agricultural plots TL2 is helping to establish in Obenge — there will be 150

The women of Obenge show the white boy how to do it
Ashley is done in but the Obenge women carry on with the garden work

It is possible to start from the top and work down as well. With only token field work ahead of time, it is still possible to have a Protected Area Proclaimed. Has it protected the right area? will the village populations really accept it? does it have the international support it needs? will the government really follow through with Reserve infrastructure?

This is the situation of Sankuru Nature Reserve, a neighbor and overlapping the TL2 landscape. We make an interesting comparison of conservation approaches. May we both succeed.

5 Comments

  1. Posted 2007-11-22 at 1:42 am | Permalink

    w00t! I’m very glad to hear that Colonel Tom or Thomps or whatever is in custody. This is great news right before Thanksgiving.

    YES!

    s.

  2. Lisa, California
    Posted 2007-11-22 at 5:57 am | Permalink

    WAY TO GO!!!! Get that guy outta there and hopefully the Major will follow shortly. Yes, very good news right before Thanksgiving. Something to be thankful for FOR SURE!!!!! Lisa

  3. Terese Hart
    Posted 2007-11-22 at 8:42 am | Permalink

    Yep — I don’t have any turkey here in KIN but I sure can be thankful. Ashley called this morning on the Thuraya and said they have been in touch with Kisangani and the General is considering another military mission to “clean up”. Fingers crossed.

  4. michael kramhoeller
    Posted 2007-11-25 at 4:26 pm | Permalink

    well organized and powerfull work

  5. Posted 2013-12-25 at 4:32 pm | Permalink

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6 Trackbacks

  1. […] none too soon. We had gotten One Maimai Down but there was One Central Pin left behind. Major Ranger, wearing his hallmark “99″ […]

  2. […] number of revelations became public : three members of Major Ranger’s and Colonel Thoms’s gang were identified as still being in Obenge. […]

  3. […] with absolutely nothing. Dracula took or destroyed everything in every house in the village. Then Colonel Thoms came and he was the “colonial” master of Obenge. All the young men worked for him including, of […]

  4. […] with absolutely nothing. Dracula took or destroyed everything in every house in the village. Then Colonel Thoms came and he was the “colonial” master of Obenge. All the young men worked for him including, of […]

  5. […] number of revelations became public : three members of Major Ranger’s and Colonel Thoms’s gang were identified as still being in Obenge. […]

  6. […] Ranger, Kipeleka is also from Colonel Thoms MaiMai gang of elephant poachers and rapists.  Our high spirits fell like lead.  What good all […]

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