In Search of 'Mamiwata'

Mamiwata is an African name for a spirit believed to be embodied by the manatee. This blog chronicles my search for the elusive African manatee, and my exploration to understand its biology, habitat and preservation needs, economic and cultural significance. So little is known about this animal, yet it is intensely hunted almost everywhere it exists and may already be gone from much of its previous range. In 2006 I was inspired to go find and study them, starting in Gabon.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

On the Move

Last Friday night I flew up to Libreville and finally met up with Tim, who had technical issues with getting his Gabon Visa renewed for the past few weeks. I caught up on some office work this weekend, we ate a lot of good food, and met up with some interesting new folks: Andrea (an Italian vet who is in Gabon to help Angela with sea turtle work), Adam (a Brit who works for RARE Conservation training local people in different countries to conduct environmental education projects) and Peter (from Cornell University and is in Gabon recording and analyzing elephant calls). Then on Sunday night we flew out to the Canary Islands (via Paris and Barcelona- 17 hours of exhausting travel, although everything went smoothly).