30/09/2011

Today myself and Busoti came across 3 poachers and their camp. It was frankly quite a disturbing experience. The poachers we encountered as they were exiting the forest before we found their camp. Between them they carried a sac of cooked meat (remnants of a porqupine and an Insha), cooking stuff and a 6 foot long gunpowder rifle. Very old, yet apparently still effective. After having very stern words with the poachers and threatening further action should they be seen in the forest again, we let them be on their way. Sadly we have no juristiction whatsoever so all threats we make are just bluffs. The poachers were not aggressive but stood there in a kind of sullen defiance with looks mildly resembling school kids caught inflicting graffiti on the toilet walls. After getting them to open all their bags, we photographed all their contents and took mugshots. After all this we let them go on their way after receiving false promises that they wont return.

The remains of an Insha

The gun, stolen from Capt'n jack sparrow..

10 minutes up the river we found the remains of their camp. It seems they’d been operating there for at least a week. Their were animal skins, entrails, legs and horns of animals littered all over the place and honestly speaking it smelt of death. It wont be a smell ill forget easily, it clung to me the rest of the day despite washing. We collected all these things, stoked their fire and burnt everything.

The remains of the animals

Later in the day we came across traps, more skins and a freshly dead insha. The insha we found in its entirety, it had a bullet wound on the left side of its abdomen which must not of killed it as it had not been collected by the poachers who shot it. More likely it ran off and died later from the wound. A sad sight. Alas that is not all, in my contract it states all skulls and heads be brought back to be buried to add to our collection of skulls. Sounds morbid, but very useful scientifically. So anyway, back to the insha.. I had my knife with me so the honour fell to me to collect its head. All ill say is that it was hard getting through he spine.

Me removing the head of a dead Insha

What a splendid day of death! 

A pretty bird (type of night jar) note long wing feathers