Does Banana Boat have new craft items for sale?  You had mentioned bringing on more suppliers.  Is this happening?

Yes we do have new craft items for sale and we are always buying from new suppliers.  We have started to sell beautiful hand blown recycled glasses and vases which have recently started to be produced by a family on the outskirts of Kampala.  They use recycled wine bottles and window panes.  So far there is only one man who knows how to blow the glass but he is going to start training others.    We have new coasters and bowls that are made from recycled papers and are great holding dry goods such as candies, fruits, keys, and any other bits and pieces.  These are produced by an income generating project for vulnerable youth called Bantu Culture to help pay for higher education.  We also have lovely new soft fabric bags that are produced by the mothers of children with special needs at the Mukisa Foundation which is a support centre providing…

Have you implemented the “stories” behind each product for sale at Banana Boat? If so, what has the response been like?

We are continuing to label many of our products and customers do really like this but we still have many labels still to do.

How is the overall production at Paper Craft going?  What are the employment opportunities you offer?

The production at Paper Craft is going very well.  They were very busy at Christmas producing corporate Christmas cards and calendars for many different companies in Kampala.  The soap that paper craft produces is sold to many smaller guest houses and lodges in Uganda.  Paper Craft are still continuing to produce lovely recycled glass beads which they make into necklaces and earrings.  At the moment Paper Craft has 22 employees.

What has been the impact of Paper Craft and Banana Boat’s involvement in the local community and/or Ugandan population as a whole?

Together Banana Boat and Paper Craft support hundreds of families in Uganda which rely on our orders in able to have a regular supply of income.

Does Banana Boat still offer workshop opportunities for local crafters?

Yes we continue to help many suppliers with interest free loans to help them to purchase equipment or materials that they need.

We all know tourism has taken a hit this past year.  What effects, if any, has this had on the lodge?

We were very lucky and only had a small reduction of Non-Resident visitors of about 5% and managed to keep the number of Resident guests stable so only had a slight reduction in occupancy. Our turnover actually increased as we had increased our Non-Resident rates by 20%. Generally it was a good year for us. March 2009 was the only month we we had a very significant reduction in visitor numbers. We actually employed more staff and continued investing.

In terms of conservation education within the local community, what projects are you currently pursuing?

We tried working on craft production with the local communities but found this very difficult and did not have much success. Our Leopard and Hyena project however, is very successful and we compensated more than 30 kills since we started the project. We have been in contact with some of the villages and have tried to see how we can help them. In Ruragara village we helped the local community to build a shallow well to provide access to clean drinking water. We also tried to teach the village the importance of keeping the village clean, which has had some success.

What is the progress of your Leopard and Hyena Conservation Project?

It is going very well, please find a report attached with some of the current data (Excel doc attached in email). It is also great that the lions which came back to Lake Mburo National park after being extinct for over ten years are doing well. We now have one male and one or two females with 2 cubs.

You had mentioned the building of additional accommodation and staff rooms.  Please tell us more about any further plans to expand the lodge and the environmental design used during construction.

In 2009 we built more staff accommodation and now have 24 rooms and 2 tents for a total of 34 staff. We also expanded the staff canteen and installed a solar water heating system for the staff.

We also expanded our stables and now have 7 horses and 4 ponies. We managed to secure a concession agreement with Uganda Wildlife Authority and are now allowed to conduct horseback safaris in Lake Mburo National Park. Please find attached some more information on our horseback safaris.

On the environmental side we used to catch rain water from the rocks and store it in a 200,000 litre tank and then pump the water with a solar pump to header tanks. We still do this, but the problem was that we only had enough rain water in the rainy season and had to truck in water from 7 km away from Lake Kacheera during the  dry season. This was costly and used fossil fuel both for the truck and an engine driven pump. In December 2009 we installed a solar pump that now pumps the water from the Lake up to our storage tank. This solar pump is connected to 28 solar panel and pumps the water over 4 km to our lodge. This investment cost more than 30,000 US$, but will reduce our environmental impact and also reduce our long term running costs.

We have not build any additional rooms for guests last year, but might add one or two rooms this year.

Have you added to your game drive options for guests?  I know you anticipated your horseback safaris to run within Lake Mburo National Park.  Any updates on this?

I mentioned this above and have attached a fact sheet on our horseback safaris in the park (see below).

Horseback Safaris in Lake Mburo National Park

Mihingo Lodge has been operating horseback safaris since December 2008 outside Lake Mburo National Park. We carefully adjust the rides according to the riding skills of each group; for beginners and inexperienced riders we only walk the horses. In fact a walk on a horse is the best way to view game. It is peaceful and relaxing and you get very close to the animals. For advanced riders there are also lovely stretches for trotting and cantering. We have 7 horses between 14.9 and 16.5 hands and 4 tough Ethiopian ponies which are about 13 hands.

In November 2009 we received a concession to operate horseback safaris inside Lake Mburo National Park where we found some fantastic routes. The best ride in the park is a 4 to 5 hour ride onto the 4 km long grassy Warukiri Range situated in the middle of the park with stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding hills and valleys in the Park. At the end of this range there is a waterhole, which often attracts buffalos and other animals combined with a magnificent view onto 9 of the 12 lakes surrounding Lake Mburo National Park. This ride changes the whole feeling of the park, making it absolutely spectacular. We had a friend Mini Trappe who is one of the leading horse safari guides in Tanzania and he was amazed how beautiful the riding in Lake Mburo is.

Horseback safaris are an exciting way to see the wildlife around Mihingo Lodge. Without any engine sound and fumes you feel part of nature and often get the chance to see the more timid animals. It is an exhilarating experience not to be missed. We sometimes see eland and buffalo and nearly always warthog, topi, impala, duiker, bushbuck, waterbuck and zebra on our horseback safaris, although this depends very much on the time of year and the rain fall in the area. Experiencing game from horseback is very special; zebra come towards you to check out the strange relative without stripes. Even the normally very shy eland curiously look at the horses without running away, just keeping their distance.

Our maximum weight limit for guests is 100 kg, but most of our horses cannot carry more than 80 or 90 kg. We provide fully adjustable helmets in all sizes and chaps. We ride with English style saddles or western-style trail saddles. We recommend that you wear long trousers and strong shoes if possible with a heel. At the moment we are not taking more than 6 guests out at a time. All our rides are accompanied by at least one experienced horse guide, but in most cases there are 2 guides accompanying each ride.

All the guests that have gone on one of our horseback safaris have absolutely loved it! For any further information please contact our managers and reservations team on reservations@mihingolodge.com or call them on +256-75 2 410 509.

1) How has the rhino population changed since our visit? How is the first newborn calf? Have any more been donated?

We have had two successful births during 2009.  Nandi gave birth to a bull calf on 24 June 2009 and he has been named Obama.  Bella gave birth to a bull calf on 7 October 2009 and he has been named Augustu.  Kori is currently pregnant and is due to deliver either in December 2009 or January 2010.

The rhino due to arrive from South Africa has been postponed for a couple of months.  The capture should take place in February 2010 and after a six week stint in a boma they will be flown to Uganda.  We have decided to receive six rhino at a time as this will be more easily handled by the current staff we have.  We do not have funding to employ new staff so we have to work with what we have got.

After having Rhino specialists visit the sanctuary during November, it was decided that we would put the Eastern Black rhino project on hold for a while as to have a sustainable breeding herd, we would need at least 20 Black rhino.  This is going to have to take a lot more funding and planning.

2) Have you found more financial contributors (besides Disney)?

We got funding during 2009 from Ausburg Zoo, FUT (Foerderkreis fur Uganda’s Tierwelt), Brevard Zoo and some emergency funding from UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority).  This was still not nearly the amount we needed.  We have been working on an overdraft facility for most of the year.  No funding was received from Disney. At this stage, we have had no definite commitment for funding for 2010.

3) What other wildlife populations have changed/been introduced?

No new animals received yet.  At this stage we are concentrating on getting the rhino population to a good breeding herd size.  New animals is still on the Agenda but I cannot say when this is going to happen.

4) Has there been an increase in job opportunities for locals at Ziwa?

Our staff has grown to 72 staff members, this includes the hospitality staff.  All staff members are recruited from the local community.

5) Have you enacted your plans to draw funding from ecotourism (you mentioned constructing a restuarant, bar, and swimming pool in the video)?

Restaurant, bar and accommodation are doing well.  The income from this goes to the owner of the land who gave us the lease for the property in kind.  We are in the final planning stages of a 4 star tented lodge on the sanctuary as well.  This will be a time share lodge and shares will be sold to anyone who is interested including corporate companies and tour companies.  This lodge will not only cater for tourists but for company weekend getaways, team building weekends, weddings and conferences.  The lodge will have luxury tents, Jacuzzi and swimming pool and will be situated on the bank of the dam which is the animals, including rhino drinking and wallowing place.  15% of all the income of the lodge will come to Rhino Fund Uganda.

6) Please include any other information you would like audiences (and GLP) to know. Thanks for your time and we appreciate your help in providing these important updates for our website to help us better support Ziwa. Let me know if you have any questions.

Our web page is updated and your link is on as well.  Projects that we would like to do in 2010 include a primary school, medical clinic, soprts coaching etc.  We do however first need to get the funding for this.  Our visitor figures have trebled during 2009 which has helped a lot with the income.  Rangers received new uniforms and bicycles during 2009.  This has made a big difference to their morale.  New staff accommodation was built and new pit toilets were built.  We are however in desperate need of three boreholes for drinking water for the staff.  At this stage the staff is taking water from our dams to drink and cook with.

For the general public – anybody who works for large corporate firms who are looking to get involved with a project as long term as funders – Please Please Please speak to your Directors.  We are so desperately in need of committed funders.  Our budget for 2010 is $310 000 and our income estimated at  $ 120 000.  There is a HUGE shortfall and it seems all the original funders have moved on to other projects.

I won’t soft sell it… gorilla tracking ain’t cheap. 500 bucks for a one day, one hour gorilla permit, but it’s an exclusive show – 8 people maximum per day are allowed to visit each gorilla troop. The proceeds from the permits go toward improving tourism services, park infrastructure, community conservation projects and gorilla protection including funding a team of 80 trackers and anti-poachers who work a 24-7 watch on their charges.

We departed on a clear, cool morning, gaiters on and packs filled, prepared for what we’d been warned could be the worst…dumping rain, stinging nettles, mud bog walks, 6-8 hour round trips over dicey terrain. Our venture proved short and forgiving. A steady hike under clear skies, we worked out way straight up the sides of Sabyinyo toward the Hirwa group of gorillas.

The trail wove its way through fields and as we moved into the rainforest, Francois educated us on all the flora the gorillas fed upon – bamboo, sour apple, fern… we crossed the buffalo wall, demarcation of the national park boundary built to keep the hyper destructive African buffalo within the park and out of farmers’ crops.

The canopy thickened. Francois’ radio squawked and he spoke in a rapid fire mix of Kinyarwandan and French. We searched his expression for clues as to our fate.

“They are this way, follow me.”

A few moments later, we met up with the trackers and received our debriefing.

“No food no drink leave your packs here. No flash. You need to pee? Do that now. Numba 2? You need to have done that before. You follow me, you listen to my instructions.”

We nod as willing converts to the one-hour window of gorilla interaction. The anticipation was palpable.

A short walk, maybe 200 yards later, we encountered a mother and baby.

With about 3% DNA deviation, gorillas are the better side of the family – like us, but more calm, less fettered by social norms, more furry and rocking it with equivalent of opposable thumbs on their feet (the things I could achieve…).

As for our critically endangered cousins, it was an honor to visit them that close for even just a brief window. Zoological parks can provide an education and thrills but standing across an short, unfenced divide from a peaceful creature that has an uncanny similarity of social structure, behaviors, in whose offspring’s eyes you spot the spark of discovery as the switch tack to climb, discover, play… nothing like it, people, nothing like it.

Words can’t fully describe pure excitement of experiencing these incredible natural treasures up-close. We were moved, every moment spent in their presence precious. Pictures, while great to cue memory and offer a notion of the activity, barely give it justice.

Consider an idea so good that we shouldn’t have to suggest it twice: grab your favorite traveling companion(s), make tracks to Rwanda and check it out for yourself.

When Rwandan national parks were created, including Parc National des Volcans, forest dwellers were evicted without compensation and prevented from providing for themselves through their hunter-gatherer traditions.

The survive/thrive conservation strategy becomes a challenging twist when a critical habitat has been not just been a source of food and fuel – it’s been native land to a people for time immemorial.

Once banished from the territories and environment they once called home, the Batwa suffered enormously, a socially marginalized people who had no jobs, land, homes or political representation. Unable to read or write, the Batwa were held back from integrating into society as their skills and behaviors were specific to a forest dwelling life that they were no longer able to access, forcing them to beg and scavenge to survive.

A Batwa moved by the plight of his dispossessed people, Benon Mugaruwa helped form African Indigenous and Minority Peoples Organization (AIMPO) and partnered with the Gorilla Organization, helping the Batwa acquire 30 acres of farmland and create 7 community based organizations. The farmland and organizational support offer the Batwa agricultural training, assistance and hope, providing access to education and medical care. Through their own efforts and with the support of AIMPO and GO, the Batwa have developed new skills while creating a new cultural identity and pride – attributes that had eluded the Batwa since the loss of their homeland and traditions.

That pride was most apparent when we arrived for a visit to a field very near Volcanoes National Park. A group of 20 men and women stood in a misty field and welcomed us to their land – carefully tilled dark earth with a burgeoning crop of potatoes. Benon did some interpretation for us, but the light in the eyes of the people as we toured their land, their radiant smiles, pointing to the plants and the rich soil that were fueling their rise from dispossession and abject poverty, required no translation.

We took a short trip into a nearby village and Benon gave us a tour of initial construction of crop storage facilities. Singing began to emanate from a simple brick building on the property. The voices rose, more jubilant with the passing of each minute.

“Benon? Who is that singing?”

“That? Those are the farmers. They are singing for you”.

“Oh my, well we should probably go in and listen to them, don’t you think? Benon, what are they singing about?”

“They are singing that they are happy you have come to visit them, that they appreciate that you have come here to hear their story”.

We enter the space and the volume, already pronounced outside, doubles. A celebratory call and response is in full swing, singers and dancers jumping into the center of the group to participate in energetic duets or solos. The room is electric as elders, children and parents clap and call out the tune; babies wrapped to their mother’s backs bounce along to the rhythm of the song.

This performance is ostensibly offered to thank us, but surely the celebration underway is for the Batwa themselves, leaving the brink of existence behind to become landholders, community members, contributors to their own success story with some well considered support – truly a reason to dance.

One of the cruel ironies of life in this portion of the world is “water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink”.

Despite 300+ days of rain here in the shadow of the Virungas, the porous, volcanic soil rapidly draws surface water away leaving the soggy inhabitants of the region dodging raindrops but without ready access to drinking water.

Two facts:

-Water collection accounts for 85-90% of all illegal activities within the gorilla habitat.

-Household water collection is a chore that falls to children. Since survival trumps education, many children forego school to go in search of water for their families.

Emmanuel Bugingo, Gorilla Organization‘s Rwanda Program Manager, took us to Gitaraga Primary School to give us a tour of a single solution that addressed 3 problems.

A school with over 1000 children enrolled, Gitaraga has a number of big buildings and as one might guess, big buildings have big rooftops. Big rooftops are a spectacular vehicle for water collection, especially in an environment where you can count on rain on an almost daily basis. GO funded the building of a huge water cistern that holds the roof runoff and feeds a collection station where students fill their yellow jugs, supplying their families with water.

The hat trick, in review:

• A new, reliable water source for a water-challenged community
• Water collection is no longer a deterrent to children’s education but is, in fact, a motivation to make sure children get to school every day
• Every water jug filled at school prevents a potential act of illegal entry into the gorilla habitat

The school cistern project has proven a tremendous success, a win for communities and conservationists alike, ringing perfectly true to GO’s philosophy that for gorillas to survive, the people near the gorilla habitat must thrive. Since the project’s genesis, GO has constructed almost 40 cisterns, with plans to build at least 4 more each year going forward.

What does organic farming have to do with gorillas? Encroachment on gorilla habitat for the creation of new farmland has been and is likely to remain the biggest threat to the earth’s remaining gorilla population. In short, organic methods produce higher crop yields by leveraging farm by-products such as compost and manure alongside crop management techniques such as complimentary planting and crop rotation, eliminating the need for costly synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that compromise soil quality and helpful animal/insect populations. Threats of encroachment are lowered when farmers have more fruitful harvests on existing farmlands – they can make their endeavors more efficient and profitable without expanding their acreage.

You’re noticing a theme, I hope… for gorillas to survive, the people near the gorilla habitat must thrive. Even if you like animals more than people (and I know there are a few of you out there), you have to admit this is a pretty smart win-win strategy for creatures and humankind alike.

The first farmer we visited was a woman who raised rabbits, chickens and goats, providing them with shelters of elevated pens with slat floors, a simple system that makes harvesting manure for fertilizer a much cleaner, higher yield process. She also had a simple yet effective solar water purification system, storing collected water in clear bottles and placing them on a silver sheet of corrugated metal which acted as solar collector. After a day in the sun, the bottle water gets hot enough to be purified and safely drink without sacrificing a stitch of fuel or infusing a drop of chemicals.

Rattling down the road in the back of GO’s Land Cruiser toward our second farm, I hadn’t realized how close we were to the historically trouble fraught eastern edge of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Our first stop had been to a farm 2 kilometers away from the Uganda/DRC border, while the second farm we visited abutted the border itself, an area through which many Congolese fled DRC as refugees in times of conflict. Many residents view the border between the two nations less as delineation between nation states and more as a region in and of itself with its own sense of “locals”, with Congolese living peacefully and productively just over the border in Uganda without traditional immigration documentation, quietly paying rent and contributing positively to their new community.

Regina was very proud of the woman who ran the second farm on the edge of DRC – an exemplary participant in Uganda’s nascent organic farming program. As we walked her farm, Regina spoke at length at how she had attended every training seminar and actively teaches and supports other farmers in the program. In addition, she had provided sanctuary to DRC refugees on her property – up to 25 people at a time – feeding them from the bounty of her crops and livestock.

To acknowledge her efforts, Regina arranged for her to be a recipient of a fuel-efficient, firewood saving stove. A design made out of local clay that can reduce firewood consumption up to 70%, Regina herself committed her own time and labor to help assemble the stove for this very deserving recipient.

GO has provided over 3,000 firewood saving stoves and planted more than half a million trees around national parks, lowering the pressure of encroachment and illegal deforestation of gorilla habitat while (theme again, people) providing smart, simple technologies that provide economic relief + improve the air quality for residents around gorilla habitat.

Everyone, all together now:

For gorillas to survive, the people near the gorilla habitat must thrive. Three cheers to the Gorilla Organization for investing in a grass roots powered survive/thrive approach to environmental protection. Supporting people and communities to make more sustainable choices is a common sense success story of the best kind: a bright light for conservation strategies in an extremely challenging environment.

The next day we joined the morning commute of pedestrians, bicycles and motorcycles to meet the staff at Gorilla Organization (GO)‘s Kisoro office.

Gorilla Organization works internationally to save the world’s last gorillas from extinction. Their conservation strategies target long term poverty alleviation and environmental education projects in poor communities around gorilla habitats, involving communities in conservation initiatives, providing viable alternatives to the unsustainable use of forest resources.

GO’s hallmark is small, grass roots projects run by local partners, strengthened by the Organization’s mindful management practices that include monthly funding and reporting cycles and a high level of communication between headquarters and local programs, placing strong emphasis on developing local capacity in Africa.

Sam Nsingwire, Ugandan Program Manager at GO’s Kisoro, gave us an overview of local programs before leading us off for a tour of projects. Our first stop was the Kisoro Beekeeper’s Cooperative Society, an organization that supports this traditional trade by educating local beekeepers in new techniques and equipment that make harvest of bee products safer and more efficient along with providing processing, packaging and marketing support for their products, thereby enabling community members to transform a long established subsistence endeavor into a lucrative business.

David, a farmer on the collective’s board, gave us a tour of his farm – an organic Eden shaded by over 100 gigantic avocado trees. He grows coffee as well as myriad vegetables and fruits in the rich black soil of his property. A 3rd generation beekeeper, he keeps his bees happy with shade, a ready source of water and a yellow moon flower tree with gracefully bowed butter-hued trumpets (heck, they’re so pretty I’d pollinate them).

David has a mix of traditional, older apiaries alongside the newer designs. As familiar and sentimental as he might be with the older designs, he readily embraces the new apiaries that have been introduced by the GO-supported Beekeeping Cooperative as they allow him to harvest honey more efficiently, reaping a bigger yield and sparing his hardworking bees the hive destruction required to harvest traditional apiaries

Later that day, we stopped by Mutolere Primary School to visit a compelling program that GO helped establish to encourage environmental awareness in the next generation. Wildlife Clubs of Uganda and Rwanda are extra curricular conservation groups whose members are taught sustainable environmental education via educator presentations as well as theater activities including song and dance. In addition, students are exposed to sustainable agricultural practices through cultivating organic food crops + planting native tree species on school grounds and in the surrounding community. Mutolere students involved in the program enjoy Wildlife Club benefits including weekly school-based activities, a quarterly newsletter and field trips to the country’s national parks.

Dennis Agaba, the lead teacher, swiftly assembled the Wildlife Club members, touring us through their recently planted raised bed gardens. Dennis then informed us that the club members wanted to sing to us. The voices of 80 children rose in a moving call and response song with the bright, clear tones of a young girl calling the lead. Wildlife club members acted out lyrics about planting and preservation as the other students gathered around us to watch + listen.

Wildlife Clubs have proven to be a unique opportunity to virally message habitat preservation and sustainable practices – members take what they learn about conservation into the schoolyard, the community and their homes, educating friends and family to issues + alternatives to deforestation, encroachment + poaching.

It was exciting to see GO’s remarkably successful grass roots programs in action -evolving traditional beekeeping into profitable venture and educating the next generation in thoughtful stewardship are progressive programs that serve the communities, environment and species whose futures hang in the balance.

What I found most striking is how very little these kids knew of the animals in their midst yet how quickly they started making the connection. Kate used a whole series of teaching techniques including story telling, games, songs and acting… it was hard to not join in:

What makes an eland special? Big horns? Yes! Big horns! Everyone be an eland and show me your big horns!

The children’s conservation class was followed by the adult literacy program which Kate also teaches. We were advised that adults were shy about our observing their class, so we didn’t linger, but Kate let us know that she was pleased to see class attendance increase. The weekly class usually starts with a handful of adults, but over the course of a session, up to 40 adults from the village assemble to listen in. Many of the adults in the village cannot read or write, so filling out basic school forms for their children an overwhelming, humiliating task. Kate has seen the excitement and pride in the faces of the adults in her class as they learn to spell their own children’s names.

With its mindful participation and support of environmental, conservation, education and community outreach, the committed owners and staff of Mihingo Lodge prove that a luxury safari destination can also be an exemplary environmental steward and community advocate.

I came to at 5:45 AM with the voice of hotel proprietor Ralph at my door courteously PLEADING for me to rise so that our group could get underway for hyena tracking. This curious activity requires an early roll call – hyenas are easiest to locate during the pre-dawn return to their dens after an evening’s hunt.

At Lake Mburo National Park headquarters, we meet our hyena tracking guide, friendly park ranger Andrew, and we head off toward the hyena dens directly.

A few things to know – spotted hyenas subcontract their den construction. Anteaters do the dirty work, burrowing into the ground in search of insects – when the bug well runs dry, anteaters move on, hyenas take up residence.

We’d walked perhaps 15 minutes before meeting up with the first silhouette in the sepia of pre dawn. Andrew made calls that mimicked a hyena kill announcement, communication back to the pack that it’s mealtime. It clearly piqued their interest – more trotted into view.

I had figured, like so many wild creatures, that they’d run from a stinky pack of coffee addled humans with noisy cameras, and while they did seem wary, I wouldn’t call them afraid. Flash photography didn’t faze them and some even seemed curious about us, sniffing the air and taking steps toward us…. which reads as lurking calculation.

The beasts have a brazen edginess and a misunderstood bad boy charm – magnetic, but you somehow know to not turn your back.

Amidst the tracking, Mihingo Lodge owner Ralph explained a predator/scavenger conservation program that he’s very keen on launching in the nearby communities. Seems that local farmers blame the park’s relatively small leopard population on a number of livestock kills and, in response, farmers poison the remaining carcasses in hopes of killing the predator that perpetrated the act. Leopards are at risk, but more often than not, it’s the scavengers who are poisoned – hyenas + vultures who play an integral part of the park’s ecosystem.

Ralph’s leopard and hyena project proposal is to pay farmers for livestock lost to verified predator kills and eliminate the practice of poisoning that sabotages the scavenger population. Farmers would need to have suspected predator kills inspected + verified in the first 24 hrs after the incident. If it’s determined that the kill fits the profile of a leopard attack, the farmer would be paid for the livestock loss on the spot and the carcass would be removed in whole immediately, lessening the farmer’s drive for retribution and eliminating the vehicle for poisoning. It seems to be a well thought out solution that doesn’t punish the farmer or the wildlife… now just the matter of getting funding and implementation before the predator and scavenger population is poisoned out of existence…