AWARE Trust Lion BTB Project

Participate in conservation efforts designed to determine the status of Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) in lion populations in Gonarezhou National Park (GNP), Zimbabwe.

24 April - 10 May 2010 (dates may vary due to unforeseen circumstances) 

 Project Location: Gonarezhou National Park, Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, Zimbabwe

 Project Age Limit: Minimum 18 years, maximum age dependent on participant’s health. This is physical work and a certain degree of fitness is required.

Project Highlights:

• Visit the stunning and remote Gonarezhou National Park which is in 5000km² of prime African wildlife habitat and contains an estimated 9000 elephant. 
• Help track wild lions via dirt road spoor counts.  
• Help set baits and calling stations for lions in the park at night. 
• Assist with lion immobilisations and BTB testing. 
• Assist with collaring of the lions, tracking their signals and recapturing them 3 days later to read the BTB tests. 
• Be part of an ongoing programme helping National Parks rangers with continued monitoring of lion population performance. 

Further Information on AWARE’s Lion BTB project:

 BTB, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, is a disease exotic to the African continent and remains a focal point of AWARE’s disease surveillance programme because of the devastating threat it poses to Zimbabwean wildlife. BTB was eradicated from Zimbabwe in 1979, after decades of a national test and slaughter policy in cattle. It is well documented that in the 1990s BTB entered the buffalo population in southern Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa, and has since been progressing northwards towards the border with Zimbabwe.

 In 2004 to 2006 in a Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) funded project, Drs Dutlow and Marabini BTB tested over 2 000 cattle in the Sengwe Corridor between KNP and GNP in Zimbabwe using the comparative intra-dermal tuberculin test. No positive BTB reactors were found. The cattle population is, however, known to stray into the north of KNP for grazing since the northern Kruger fence was washed away in floods in 2001. It has been hypothesised that the cattle and buffalo populations come into contact with each other in the region.

 In October 2008 in a CIRAD project together with the Wildlife Veterinary Unit (WVU) of Zimbabwe and AWARE personnel, BTB was diagnosed in four buffalo (out of thirty eight tested) in the southern section of GNP using the gamma interferon test. This was confirmed in February 2009 by the slaughter of two of the buffalo and positive culture of M. bovis, which was identified as the same strain of BTB that exists in KNP. What remains unclear is whether this disease has been resident in the buffalo population for the last thirty years or whether this is a new colonisation that has occurred from KNP.

 Although buffalo remain largely asymptomatic with BTB, lion feeding on infected buffalo become affected with a devastating chronic wasting illness which eventually leads to death. They also often develop debilitating hygromas on their joints. BTB is now having a marked impact on the lion population structures in KNP, where one in three lions is estimated to have the disease. As many as one lion per month may be dying of BTB. There is no effective vaccine and no cure.

 It is imperative to determine whether BTB has entered Zimbabwe’s lion populations, and if not, whether this could possibly be prevented by an intervention with the buffalo at this likely early stage. To test whether a lion is infected with BTB, an intradermal (skin) tuberculin test is performed. Tuberculin is injected intradermally at a pre-clipped site and the test is read 72 hours later. This necessitates the lion being immobilised twice in a 3 day period.

Project Typical Schedule:

 A day in the life of an AWARE volunteer on the lion BTB project…

• Rise before dawn in order to get onto the Park roads just after dawn.
• Go out with AWARE staff and/or National Parks rangers to find and track lion spoor to identify their approximate locality (3-4 hours).
• Breakfast.
• If fresh spoor has been found, bait will have to be arranged from a nearby village, which may be about 2 hours drive away. (The bait is usually a humanely euthanased goat.)
• This will be followed by lunch and a rest.
• Once a suitable location has been identified a calling and bait station will be set up.
• Early supper.
• Calling (playing recorded calls of dying animals to attract the lions) will usually begin at dusk, but strategies may vary depending on circumstances.
• Assuming lions present themselves at the bait without the threat of hyaenas, they will be darted (or trapped) for immobilisation, collaring and BTB testing. This could be any time during the night.
• After a successful immobilisation the lions will have to be tracked using telemetry from early the next day for 72 hours in order to read the BTB test results. (Predator isolation facilities for holding the lions may need to be erected if locating the lions on the third day is proving difficult.)
• The day after an immobilisation help will also be needed with processing of blood and tissue samples and compiling data.
• Please note that the lion population in GNP is very low (estimated at less than 30 animals in 5000km²) and we cannot guarantee that lion will be found or successfully processed during your time with us.

What the Price includes:

• Project Fee: this entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. Your project fee facilitates funding for all veterinary drugs, hire or purchase of all veterinary and telemetry equipment, vehicle costs, and any other contingencies.
• All transfers from and to Harare International Airports upon your arrival and departure.
• Full board and lodgings (home style cooking) whilst in Harare. Email access, laundry and servicing of rooms in Harare.
• All transfers to project locations.
• Assistance in your projects and supervision by trained staff and vets during your stay. Orientation by the vets and any wildlife, veterinary or conservation education talks that take place during your stay.
• Camping style meals on project days.
• Camping equipment and facilities.
• Unlimited tea, coffee and juice throughout the day.

What the Price does not include:

• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other).
• Return flights to Harare International Airports.
• Telephone calls made during your placement (charged out at cost).
• Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Zimbabwe.
• National Parks fees.
• Personal insurance cover for the duration of your placement, which is expected to include cover for repatriation.
• Cokes, beers, alcohol, chocolate and other food items not included in your meals.
• Bottled water (filtered drinking water is provided).
• Mosquito repellent.

Project Orientation:

 Volunteers’ introduction to the lion BTB project and orientation upon arrival will include:

• Introduction to all staff including vets.
• Familiarisation with the objectives of AWARE Trust by vets.
• Explanation of BTB and why testing lions is critical in Zimbabwe.
• Safety briefing including all dangers you are likely to be faced with during lion immobilisations and monitoring.
• Familiarisation with the equipment, including dart gun.
• Familiarisation of duties you will be involved in and our expectations of you.
• Detailed talk of the lion immobilisation protocols.
• Detailed talk and demonstration of the lion monitoring procedures.

Project Support:

 Throughout your placement you will have the support and guidance of AWARE staff. The vets will also provide you with competent field supervision and assistance during immobilisations.  

Project Accommodation:

• You will likely be sleeping in a two man tent in a National Parks camping site or possibly at any impromptu site within the park as determined by the progress of the lion immobilisations.
• National Parks campsites are generally equipped with running water facilities heated by a wood burner, but there is usually no electricity and no cell phone signal.
• Food is usually cooked on a wood fire or gas stove.

NB. GNP is a malaria area and anti-malarials and mosquito repellents are critical!

• Your accommodation in Harare is a 5 bed-roomed house in Harare’s ‘golden triangle’ of real estate. The house is on 3 acres and has a swimming pool. You can book a single or twin room with a communal bathroom or an en-suite double room (please inform us if you are traveling with a partner beforehand). There is also a comfortable central living area. The house is fully serviced and you can arrange to have your laundry done at no extra cost. Internet services can be erratic as they rely on mobile phone signal, which in turn relies on electricity, but we will do our best to provide you with some email communication to the outside world within reasonable hours.

Project Meals:

• Breakfast will consist of porridge, cereal and fruit.
• Protein/carbohydrate shakes will be available if you feel you need extra calories.
• Mid morning snacks of rusks, muesli buns and fruit will be available.
• A light lunch of tinned fish or ham, noodles, pro-vita biscuits, tinned beans or sweetcorn and boiled eggs will be offered.
• Dinner will consist of a protein (chicken or beef), a carbohydrate (potatoes or rice) and vegetables or spaghetti bolognaise. For those with a sweet tooth this may be followed by tinned fruit or a piece of chocolate.
• Please let us know in advance if there is anything you do not eat. There are very few shops where we are going!

 Project Travel Highlights: 

Gonarezhou (place of the elephants) is as famous for its remoteness as it is for its rugged and timeless natural beauty. The Chilojo Cliffs on the Runde River are exceptionally beautiful.

Project Getting There: We will meet you at the airport!

• Fly in to Harare (Zimbabwe’s capital), where you will be met by AWARE staff, and spend one or two nights at our volunteer house. You must arrive with at least 18 hours to spare before the project start date so that you can take full advantage of our orientation and safety briefings.