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GIC News
Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Axel Hartmann works closely with the Cheetah Conservation Fund and other organizations concerned with wildlife management and health in Namibia. WOCC rhino keeper Jason Gue traveled to Namibia and assisted Dr. Hartmann, gaining first- hand experience with the techniques and challenges of tracking and protecting rhinos under field conditions.
Jason kept a blog of his travels. Click here to read Jason's blog, which will be updated frequently. If you woud like to receive an alert when Jason's Blog is updated, please e-mail BBateman@wogilman.com. Download GIC's 2007 Annual Report Here. A letter from CCF Vet Tech Gilman International Conservation is a partner of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) and is currently funding a veterinary technician working with the CCF animal programs in Namibia. Elizabeth Lester, who was trained at White Oak and has been working in at CCF for nearly two years, recently sent us an update.
Celebrating Okapi in the DR Congo The recent press of the “rediscovery” of okapi in the Semiliki Forest is a well- deserved celebration of a concerted effort to conserve the okapi in the Click HERE to download a WORD document of GIC's full "Celebrating Okapi in the DR Congo" letter. Video of the okapi Click here for video of the elusive okapi, in the Okapi Wildlife reserve. This one-minute video shows the preperation of food and feeding of the okapi in the Reserve. Okapi Wildlife Reserve Aerial Survey The protection of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve is of the highest priority for the GIC Okapi Conservation Project. Surveillance in large tracts of rainforest can be problematic and one of the strategies employed is to link ground and aerial (right) Slash and burn agricultural plot
The aerial component involves the use of a fixed wing aircraft flying a team of observers on survey transects through and around the 13,700 sq. km Okapi Wildlife Reserve. Not a simple feat given the vastness of the forest and diverse terrain being observed from the plane. The aerial survey team notes (left) Smoke plume from poachers camp.
(right) MAF aircraft hired for the survey
New Website Launched Welcome to the new Gilman International Conservation website! Please take your time learning about our projects and programs, and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions.
April 28th, 2008Okapi Conservation Project The Ituri Forest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to the unique okapi, and is the basis for the Okapi Conservation Project, operated for over 20 years by Gilman International Conservation. In March, International Programs Director Steve Shurter visited the region to meet with Project staff, and with our partners at the Institute in Congo for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), to discuss progress and planning for the Reserve.
The wardens and 100 rangers protecting the Reserve are supported by GIC. They have achieved positive results with their campaign during the last year to control illegal mining, logging, and poaching. The Okapi Conservation Project staff has been active in the communities around the Reserve, creating conservation curriculums for local schools, helping farmers to reclaim fallow (inactive) land through agro-forestry practices, and creating clean fresh water sources for villagers.
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hyenas, jackals, and cheetahs. This helps to greatly reduce the number of cheetahs trapped and killed by farmers who are trying to protect their livelihood The program has been quite successful and CCF has received requests from farmers and conservationists in Kenya and India for livestock guarding dogs to help reduce wildlife-livestock conflict in their regions.
We will be re-releasing 5 cheetahs at NamibRand Nature Reserve sometime in November. The cheetahs will be monitored using radio and satellite tracking, under the supervision of CCF research staff. 
reconnaissance missions, performed with our partners responsible for the protection of the Reserve, the Institute in Congo for Conservation of Nature (ICCN) and supported by a grant from UNESCO. 
any changes or threats to the forest they observe and make a geographic reference using GPS. Ground teams of ICCN park rangers are then deployed to areas where problems are noted, such as gold mining, poacher’s camps or deforestation. 
The aerial surveys have been successful in helping to identify threats to the Okapi Wildlife Reserve and have established an important surveillance and technical presence which helps deter further detrimental illegal activities. 
are significant challenges being addressed by the Project and ICCN. An aerial survey will be conducted in April to help reveal additional threats, and to pinpoint areas requiring immediate response. Our education and agro-forestry teams continue with outreach programs in their efforts to reach all residents in and around the Reserve, and engage them to conserve the species and heritage of the Ituri Forest.
