Bench News

Footage of gorillas in camp: Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp

AMAZING FOOTAGE!!!

You have to watch this incredible video taken by guests at Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.

Every now and then the gorillas do wander through the camp as it is located deep within the Bwindi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, however Sanctuary Gorilla Forest Camp say that this level of interaction is uncommon.

A silverback male, female and three baby gorillas can be seen grooming the guest John King and he says he feels like "one of the gang".

Click on the following: http://bit.ly/zc1h27

Dramatic video showing amazing wildlife in South Luangwa, Zambia

If you have 4-minutes to spare...watch this incredible footage taken over four weeks by Mihali Moore - a gifted cameraman and friend of Norman Carr Safaris (NCS)...staying at all the NCS camps in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

Filmed over four weeks in September 2011 - this dramatic video shows the amazing amount of wildlife you can expect to see in the Luangwa Valley in the dry season.

Africa at it's best!

http://bit.ly/zyHQ90

Archaeologists in Egypt find the tomb of a woman in the Valley of the Kings!

The tomb contained a mummy of a woman singer, dating back almost 3,000 years and was found by a team from the University of Basel in Switzerland who came across it by chance.

The woman, Nehmes Bastet, was a temple singer during Egypt's 22nd Dynasty (approximately 945 - 712BC), according to an inscription in the tomb.

Professor Susanne Bickel of the University of Basel told the BBC that the coffin was opened on Monday and she was able to see the "nicely wrapped" mummy of the woman who was buried in the tomb.

The opening of the coffin was carried out by Prof Bickel and her Basel colleague, field director Elina Paulin-Grothe, together with the Chief Inspector of Antiquities of Upper Egypt, Dr Mohammed el-Bialy and inspector Ali Reda.

Dramatic elephant rescue

We all love a true heart-warming stroy - and this one just makes you want to smile!

This amazing event unfolded between a baby elly and it's mother with the help of Norman Carr Safaris, South Luangwa Conservation Society and ZAWA - the wildlife authority. 

To read the full story by Christina Carr, Norman Carr Safaris click here

'Most conservationists believe that man should not meddle with the natural order and that we should allow nature to run her course however cruel or grim it seems to be. We agree on the whole, unless a wildlife problem has been created by man (for instance in the case of snaring or being trapped in a fence, in which case it's justifiable to intervene) then nature should be left to her own devices. She has a plan.' 

However - every rule has an exception and the dreadful plight of a baby elephant trapped in the mud of the Kapani Lagoon and her mother, who had also got stuck trying to save her yesterday had us all in a frenzy of activity. We simply could not stand by and watch them struggle and slowly die. South Luangwa Conservation Society together with our neighbours - ZAWA - the wildlife authority - agreed with us and we all joined forces to try and save the mum and baby. I usually try to keep the newsletters short, but I hope you'll forgive me for making an exception with this one and agree that this story is worth a little extra time and attention.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

On a fresh morning before the sun had risen over the plains of Tsavo, a beautiful male elephant with tusks weighing over one hundred pounds each, quietly passed through the bush following the old paths ingrained in his memory.  He is a perfect example of a big ‘tusker’ having survived the threat of poaching and the many other dangers facing the African elephant, and having witnessed the suffering of his fellow kind over many years by the hand of man. 

He has been fortunate to be able to grow to his full potential, into the magnificent animal he is, like all elephants should have the chance to do.  But this journey was to be his last.  Having endured to such an age his life was taken cruelly, if unfortunately.

Western Black Rhino Declared Extinct

Wild black rhinos were declared extinct, according to the latest assessment by experts at a leading conservation group. The International Union for Conservation of Nature said the western black rhino, native to West Africa, no longer exists and claimed that a quarter of all other mammal species are at risk of extinction.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

On 23rd September 2011, guests at the Tarhi Tented Lodge in Tsavo East National Park awoke to a wild drama. A baby elephant had become trapped in a waterhole, its increasingly distressed mother trying desperately to extract the baby. After a time other members of the herd headed off, deterred by the increasing number of guests appearing nearby. The mother though held firm, unwilling to abandon her offspring.