Travel News, African Safari Updates

Angie Genade the Executive Director of Rhino Fund Uganda  with RHINO TONS OF HAPPINESS AND PRIDE has announced the birth of the first baby rhino in Uganda in 28 YEARS !!!!

 

Rhinos became extinct in Uganda in the early 1980’s. This is the time Uganda was experiencing political upheavals and wildlife was not given protection. Rhinos were hunted down for their precious horn.  

 

The calf was born on Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Nakitoma on the evening of the 24^th June 2009.

NANDI one of the rhinos received from Disney Animal Kingdom gave birth to her and UgandaR17;s first calf last night. 

 

Nandi was introduced in the Ziiwa Rhino Ranch located north-west of Kampala around 170 Km on Gulu Highway.  This the same road that takes tourists on Uganda safaris to Murchison falls. Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary has allowed Rhinos to be introduced in the wild once again in Uganda. After rhinos have multiplied will be re introduced in Uganda national parks once again. The sanctuary is 70km square and is a beautiful wild area already offer visitors one of Uganda tours highlights.  

 

“Mother  Nandi is currently feeding well and the calf. There will be no disturbance in the meantime the calf is learning  to feed while  suckling …..  so all is well !!” said Angie

 

Unfortunately no tracking will be done to the mother and calf until such time as we are completely sure that it will be safe for the rhinos and the tourists. 
Rhino tracking will however continue to the rest of the herd.  Nandi is currently on her own with the calf.

 

 

Eighteen new baby born gorillas will be named at the function to be held on the foot of the virunga Mountains in Kinigi sector Musanze district. The gorilla party is expected to attract over 100 international guests  for gorilla safaris and over 24,000 Rwandans all thronging the foot of the virunga mountain gorilla’s world wide. Nineteen gorillas were initially to be named but one from Susa family was recently named Ejo Heza (bright future) by CNN,Ted Turner whose visit coincided with the birth of the baby gorilla.

 

We use Kwita Izina to showcase other good things in Rwanda said Ms Chantal Rosette Rugamba  Deputy CEO for tourism and conservation an arm of the Rwanda Development Board (RD

 

We shouldn’t get tired of Kwita Izina . It’s going to be there as long as gorilla gets born she added. This year will see the best primary school pupil among other guests name one of baby gorillas revealed Rugamba . Some people have been applying with their bio data attached explaining why they qualify to naming the gorillas but there are certain criteria to be followed when choosing the people to name the highly endangered animals. The theme for this year is Celebrating the international year of gorilla which is in recognition of the UN proclaiming 2009 as the international year of the gorilla.

 

While addressing the media in Kigali that this year Kwita Izina will use crying to entice the viewers rather than music used last year as it coincided with the world music day.

A Kwita Izina cycling competition is organized on June 14 between Kigali and musanze town attracting close to 80 cyclist from Rwanda Uganda Tanzania Kenya and Burundi  on the eve of Kwita izina the volcanoes National park and the Northern province authorities will host a gripping community party (Igitaramo)in kinigi packaged traditionally from drinks, food, dances and closing.

 

Kwiota Izina whose main objective is to raise awareness at the national and international level about protection of the mountain gorillas and their habitats was launched in 2005 and since then 85 baby gorillas have been named.

The event has collected close to US$2.4million and US$158,000 during 2006& respectively that has changed the lives of the communities near the parks in which five percent of the tourism revenues are injected into the community initiated projects like schools roads and hospital.

 

Tourism is still Rwanda’s number one foreign exchange earner with $209million raised last year from over 980, 577 visitors. However as the global financial crisis has hit the world cutting consumer spending this year Rwanda has maintained the same targets as last year. Mean while the first quarter results show that from January to march Rwanda received 120,809 visitors a 27% increase compared to 95,000in the same quarter of 2008 generating US$ 24 million compared to $ 22million in 2008 with an increase of 11%.

Compared to the first quarter of 2008 leisure visitors increased by 50% business by 26% and transits by 19% through the tour operators have been hit by the low turn up of the visitors limiting gorilla safari done in the whole year   

An Air France jet with 228 people on a flight to Paris vanished over the Atlantic Ocean after flying into towering thunderstorms and sending an automated message that the electrical system had failed. A vast search began Monday, but all aboard were feared killed.

Military aircraft scrambled out to the center of the Atlantic, far from the coasts of Brazil and West Africa, and France sought U.S. satellite help to find the wreckage. The first military ship wasn’t expected to reach the area where the plane disappeared until Wednesday.

If there are no survivors, it would be the world’s worst aviation disaster since 2001.

Pilots flying a commercial jet from Paris to Rio de Janeiro for Brazil’s largest airline, TAM, spotted what they thought was fire in the ocean along the Air France jet’s route early Monday, the airline said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press.

Brazilian Air Force spokesman Col. Jorge Amaral said authorities were investigating the report, according to the Agencia Brasil official news service.

“There is information that the pilot of a TAM aircraft saw several orange points on the ocean while flying over the region … where the Air France plane disappeared,” Amaral said.

“After arriving in Brazil, the pilot found out about the disappearance (of the Air France plane) and said that he thought those points on the ocean were fire.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090602/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_plane