Baraza

Category: Gorillas | Date: Sep 26 2008 | By: baraza

The First Ever Kids Gorilla Summit event attracted huge publicity and started on time despite the driving rain, and over 200 children participated in the First Gorilla Summit.

On stage were Lucy Spelman, Peter Greste, Craig, Isabella and Juliana Hatkoff, Richard Leakey and I. We took questions and showed slides and films to a captivated audience.  Billy Di Michelle from Scholastic was an amazing coordinator and Trevor Nielson was the very able Master of Ceremonies.

I think it was  a huge success because these kids were very focused and submitted hundreds of ideas to help solve the crisis facing mountain gorillas.  At 1 pm the event ended and every child went home with a bag of goodies that included the signed books as well as a T-shirt.

The event ended with huge applause. Each of the six schools also got a massive baby gorilla toy that they will name and film the naming ceremony, and an Act Pact - a massive commitment that they will sign.

This is what I felt like  doing just after the Launch of Miza

Course that isn’t me, but I do feel quite ‘high’. These were school kids in Central Park - they were having such enormous fun it was contagious that we couldn’t help taking photos. I hope they join us in this cause to save Mountain gorillas and make a commitment.

If you couldn’t watch the event, you can still enjoy it and submit your commitment on the Scholastic website here.

We are so proud of the success of the event which would not have been possible with out the support of Scholastic, Turtle Pond, the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project, the Rwanda Film Center, President Clinton, Jack Hannah, Anderson Cooper, ACF (UK) and all the rangers who are out there every day saving gorillas in Uganda, Congo and Rwanda.

Now we need to ensure that these commitments are upheld and the event leads to real actions that make a real difference for mountain gorillas throughout their range. Join us, download the commitment here, sign a commitment, send in your ideas and questions, become part of the solution.

More photos of the event are coming soon!

Share This

Tags: Anderson Cooper, Bill Clinton, Craig Hatkoff, Jack Hannah, mountain gorillas, Peter Greste, richard leakey, Scholastic, wildlifedirect

5 responses so far

Category: WildlifeDirect news | Date: Aug 12 2008 | By: baraza

Hello again everyone, we are back from an intensive few days of strategic business planning. Phew what a marathon!

Business planning can be frightening. It’s at times like this that one prepares oneself for the worst - a consultant telling you that you’ve got your plans back to front, your vision is impossible or your plans out of date and that THINGS HAVE TO CHANGE! But to hear the consultant, congratulating us for WildlifeDirect’s innovative and effective approach to conservation  was more than a relief. It gave us a renewed burst of energy and excitment. Not least was Richard Leakey who has always believed in the power of the general public in responding to emergencies if they have access to the right information.  He admitted rather sheepishly that he has never been absolutely sure that his idea could work though. So you can imagine how he took the news, he was grinning ear to ear as he listened to the consultant report on the great potential we have and advising on the way forward. As it turns out, most of what has been recommended was already thought of, much wasn’t ever implemented as we were not sure …. but now that we have seen the analysis and projectionsn we can push forward and break new ground. It is so exciting.

Isaac, Arisa (the cat-like dog from Turkana), Mary and I debate the vision of WildlifeDirect. We had the retreat at Dr Leakey’s house in the rift Valley where we had to work intensively in groups - the location is spectacular, the weather perfect for working outdoors, it was easy to get distracted by the splendid views, yet it was probably the most constructive planning time that we have had in months. The entire WildlifeDirect team participated and it enabled us to digest the outcomes of the various surveys and analyses that have been ongoing for a few months now.

David and Masumi in deep thought. A number of important decisions were made and we are really excited with the plans ahead - we will continue to do what we do well, while focussing on developing and sustaining our organization by building our team and securing sustainable funding for our core costs. We will also improve our website platform and facilities to make it easier for you readers, donors and friends as well as blogger. In terms of geographical focus, we will be investing in a major expansion over the next two years through the East and Central African countries of DR Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi to support the conservation of Africa’s most biologically important and diverse landscape, the amazing Albertine Rift.  Species like chimpanzees, elephants, gorillas, okapi, lions, monkeys, birds and fish in diverse habitats including lakes, swamps, forests, mountains and savannas.

Shelley, from the consulting firm TCC flew out from the USA for the retreat meeting most the WildlifeDirect team for the first time. Here she is with Mary, Maina and David. We have a huge amount to of work cut out for us and hope you enjoy helping us to achieve it!

Even though I knew that I had to focus only on planning, I felt totally cut off for those few days away from the blogs. It helped me think about the big picture, but it made me feel rather blog-homesick. Getting back to the blogs was like christmas - and there is a piece of news I was so excited to read on return - that Simon Thomsett’s effort to raise funds on his blog for an eye operation on a Crowned Eagle has already raised over $1,000! This is fantastic news and I called Simon to tell him. He was on his way to the eye clinic with Rosy who I could hear calling pityfully in the back seat. I’d like to thank you all for making it possible for us to help people and projects like Simon and Rosy.

We have had 2 months of overcast weather so the first day of sun was a great sign for us. In the evening we watched the sunset over the Great Rift Valley ……perfect!

Share This

Tags: business planning, crowned eagle, richard leakey, Simon Thomsett, wildlifedirect

3 responses so far

Category: Climate change | Date: Jul 04 2008 | By: admin

Richard Leakey yesterday talked about the effects of climate change in East Africa in which he predicted major weather changes due to the melting of ice in Antarctica.

According to Dee Boersma, a biology professor at Washington University in Seattle, penguins are the first victims of climate change. Their populations have already begun to crash over the past there decades in Argentina, and declined to 63,000 from 1.5 million a century ago in South Africa.

Why do I care? Because penguins are the stars of my all time favourite film “March of the Penguins” which in 2005 probably suffered from a colony-wide breeding failure due to climate change. I can’t bear the thought!

Dee describes penguins as the“canary in the coal mine,” and their declining numbers are evidence that people are altering the animals’ environment. She also suggests that fish species eaten by penguins are disappearing due to our seafood diet as well as global warming effects on ocean currents. Unstable ice in the Antarctic broke up earlier than normal in 2006, forcing two-month-old chicks that couldn’t survive the cold water to swim, Boersma said. Can you imagine that? Her study will be published in the July/August edition of the U.S. journal BioScience.

Unrelated to this, Seamus of Kilimanjaro Lions talked about a new software for identifying penguins in massive colonies. Great idea but what if there are no penguins to study in the future?

Share This

Tags: antarctica, Climate change, melting glaciers, penguins, richard leakey

2 responses so far

Category: Gorillas | Date: Jul 03 2008 | By: admin

After reading the magazine piece, this is what our Chairman, Richard Leakey had to say

“I am delighted that National Geographic has given such prominence to this species. The fate of the mountain gorilla ranks as one of the most important conservation challenges of the current time”.

I thought it was a comment that everyone would appereciate reading, especially the team on the ground in Congo, and everyone at Nat Geo.

Share This

Tags: , DR Congo, mountain gorillas, National Geographic, richard leakey

3 responses so far

Category: Gorillas | Date: Jun 30 2008 | By: admin

Well, I can finally tell you about it, the secret project that we have been working on for the last 12 months has been announced. The collaboration with Craig Hatkoff’s Turtle Pond with whom I did “Owen and Mzee” earlier has grown into something none of us could have imagined involving Scholastic, the Clinton Foundation, and the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation .

TURTLE POND PUBLICATIONS, SCHOLASTIC AND WILDLIFE DIRECT JOIN TOGETHER THROUGH CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF PLANET’S ENDANGERED MOUNTAIN GORILLAS

<!–New Children’s Book Looking for Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own in Bookstores in September

–> New Children’s Book Looking for Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own in Bookstores in September

New York , NY (June 23, 2008) — <!–Turtle Pond Publications and Scholastic, in partnership with Dr. Richard Leakey’s Wildlife Direct, the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), today announced an integrated campaign to raise awareness about, and empower children to help save, Africa’s endangered mountain gorillas.

The campaign was born out of a commitment to action made at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative shortly after last summer’s tragic massacre of ten of the world’s remaining 700 mountain gorillas, of which, 380 live in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. It is a call to action that includes the publication of the children’s book, Looking for Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own (Scholastic Press), and the creation of a multi-platform and standards-based educational initiative that will teach children, teachers and parents about the gorilla crisis.

Available in bookstores nationwide in September, Looking for Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own tells the story of a baby female mountain gorilla, Miza, whose mother was one of the ten gorillas killed last summer. Miza was rescued by her father, Virunga’s legendary alpha-male silverback gorilla named Kabirizi, following the tragedy and was reunited with the rest of her family. Miza almost died, but thanks to the efforts of the Congolese Mountain Rangers and Kabirizi’s troop of 35 gorillas, she has thrived even without her mother. The book brings to light the gorillas’ struggle and underscores the sacrifice and heroism of the mountain rangers and their critical role in the survival of this endangered species.

The book was written by the authors of the #1 New York Times best-selling Owen & Mzee series, Craig Hatkoff and daughter Isabella (9), Dr. Paula Kahumbu and photographer/journalist Peter Greste. Hatkoff’s older daughter Juliana (13) also collaborated on Looking for Miza.

“Miza’s true story is a life-affirming tale of hope and courage. Her dramatic rescue included not only her famous father Kabirizi, but also entailed the diligent efforts of the heroic Congolese Mountain Rangers,” said Craig Hatkoff. “Working with the Clinton Global Initiative, Dr. Leakey and Wildlife Direct and the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation has been a true privilege for our family. Through Miza, we can teach children early on that they have the power to help save the mountain gorillas. She is the ray of hope that will symbolize our commitment to preserving this extremely fragile species from extinction”

“We are thrilled to again be working with the Hatkoff family and Turtle Pond on this new project,” said Ellie Berger, President, Scholastic Trade Publishing. “The story of Miza is a stirring call to action and an inspiration to children and families around the world. Scholastic is proud to publish this compelling and powerful picture book.”

This will be the fourth inspiring nonfiction picture book written by the Hatkoffs and published by Scholastic about remarkable animals overcoming adversity. Their popular series of issues-based children’s books, including Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship (2006), Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship (2007), and Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Changed the World (2007), introduces kids to real world issues and empowers them to effect change on our planet.

Along with the book, Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, will launch an in-school, standards-based educational initiative that will make elementary and middle school children, teachers and parents aware of the mountain gorilla crisis and the mission to save them. A specially developed curriculum and online portal produced by Scholastic will be distributed to approximately one million students to teach them about the gorillas, their habitat and the Mountain Rangers, and will empower them to become advocates for the gorillas.

In addition, www.Miza.com, created jointly by Turtle Pond and Scholastic, will offer students up-to-date information on the gorillas brought from Wildlife Direct’s field-based blogs written by the Mountain Rangers and other activities and resources. Students will be encouraged to share ideas about helping the gorillas.

“Were it not for the daily reports from the rangers Innocent and Diddy on their Wildlife Direct blog, we would never have heard Miza’s extraordinary story or learned of the monumental challenges facing conservation of Gorillas in this part of Africa,” said Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Head of Conservation, Policy & Partnerships for Wildlife Direct and Looking for Miza Co-Author. “Miza’s story of courage and hope reminds us that everyone in the world, including children can help to ensure the survival of one of our closest living relatives, the mountain gorillas.”

“We are honored to be partners in the campaign to raise awareness about the effects of war and violence around the world,” said Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation CEO Donna Blackwell. “Miza’s story reminds us that we must take steps to protect those humans and animals that are most vulnerable and to strengthen our commitment to peace in the world.”

About Turtle Pond Publications
Turtle Pond Publications is a private entertainment and media company based in New York. Its interests include a variety of children’s publishing ventures and other media investments including the Tribeca Film Festival; the company’s principals, Craig Hatkoff and Jane Rosenthal, are co-founders of the festival along with Robert De Niro.

About The Clinton Global Initiative
CGI is a non-partisan project of the Clinton Foundation that brings together a community of global leaders to identify and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Since inception in 2005, CGI members have made nearly 1,000 “Commitments to Action” to address poverty alleviation, climate change, global health, education, and other pressing issues, and improve over 200 million lives in more than 100 countries. The 2008 CGI Annual Meeting will take place in New York September 24-26, followed by CGI Asia, December 2-3 and the second annual CGI U next spring.
About Wildlife Direct
Wildlife Direct was started by Richard Leakey to create the world’s largest online conservation community and raise awareness and funds for conservation in some of the worlds most endangered and dangerous places. Operating deep in the jungles of eastern Congo, blogs written by rangers last year alerted the world to the crisis facing mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ranger Innocent and Ranger Diddy’s voices from the front lines of conservation on their Wildlife Direct blog provide a unique opportunity for anyone anywhere in the world to participate in the conservation of one of the world’s most charismatic and most endangered species: the mountain gorillas. Funds raised through the blogs have enabled the Congolese wildlife authority, the The Congolese Nature Conservation Institute (ICCN) to continue wildlife conservation activities on the ground despite the ongoing crisis. Wildlife Direct will use Miza to raise awareness and support for mountain gorillas throughout their ranges in Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology and children’s media. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children’s books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, television networks and the Company’s Internet Site, www.scholastic.com.
About Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation
The mission of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation is to support and promote the creation of a culture of peace throughout the world. In the spirit of founder, Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and in collaboration with the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre of South Africa, the foundation is dedicated to advancing reconciliation, peace-building, non-violence, conflict resolution, and ethical leadership so that all may live in a more peaceable and sustainable world.

–> Turtle Pond Publications and Scholastic, in partnership with Dr. Richard Leakey’s Wildlife Direct, the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), today announced an integrated campaign to raise awareness about, and empower children to help save, Africa’s endangered mountain gorillas.

The campaign was born out of a commitment to action made at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative shortly after last summer’s tragic massacre of ten of the world’s remaining 700 mountain gorillas, of which, 380 live in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. It is a call to action that includes the publication of the children’s book, Looking for Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own (Scholastic Press), and the creation of a multi-platform and standards-based educational initiative that will teach children, teachers and parents about the gorilla crisis.

Available in bookstores nationwide in September, Looking for Miza: The True Story of the Mountain Gorilla Family Who Rescued One of Their Own tells the story of a baby female mountain gorilla, Miza, whose mother was one of the ten gorillas killed last summer. Miza was rescued by her father, Virunga’s legendary alpha-male silverback gorilla named Kabirizi, following the tragedy and was reunited with the rest of her family. Miza almost died, but thanks to the efforts of the Congolese Mountain Rangers and Kabirizi’s troop of 35 gorillas, she has thrived even without her mother. The book brings to light the gorillas’ struggle and underscores the sacrifice and heroism of the mountain rangers and their critical role in the survival of this endangered species.

The book was written by the authors of the #1 New York Times best-selling Owen & Mzee series, Craig Hatkoff and daughter Isabella (9), Dr. Paula Kahumbu and photographer/journalist Peter Greste. Hatkoff’s older daughter Juliana (13) also collaborated on Looking for Miza.

“Miza’s true story is a life-affirming tale of hope and courage. Her dramatic rescue included not only her famous father Kabirizi, but also entailed the diligent efforts of the heroic Congolese Mountain Rangers,” said Craig Hatkoff. “Working with the Clinton Global Initiative, Dr. Leakey and Wildlife Direct and the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation has been a true privilege for our family. Through Miza, we can teach children early on that they have the power to help save the mountain gorillas. She is the ray of hope that will symbolize our commitment to preserving this extremely fragile species from extinction”

“We are thrilled to again be working with the Hatkoff family and Turtle Pond on this new project,” said Ellie Berger, President, Scholastic Trade Publishing. “The story of Miza is a stirring call to action and an inspiration to children and families around the world. Scholastic is proud to publish this compelling and powerful picture book.”

This will be the fourth inspiring nonfiction picture book written by the Hatkoffs and published by Scholastic about remarkable animals overcoming adversity. Their popular series of issues-based children’s books, including Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship (2006), Owen and Mzee: The Language of Friendship (2007), and Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Changed the World (2007), introduces kids to real world issues and empowers them to effect change on our planet.

Along with the book, Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, will launch an in-school, standards-based educational initiative that will make elementary and middle school children, teachers and parents aware of the mountain gorilla crisis and the mission to save them. A specially developed curriculum and online portal produced by Scholastic will be distributed to approximately one million students to teach them about the gorillas, their habitat and the Mountain Rangers, and will empower them to become advocates for the gorillas.

In addition, www.Miza.com, created jointly by Turtle Pond and Scholastic, will offer students up-to-date information on the gorillas brought from Wildlife Direct’s field-based blogs written by the Mountain Rangers and other activities and resources. Students will be encouraged to share ideas about helping the gorillas.

“Were it not for the daily reports from the rangers Innocent and Diddy on their Wildlife Direct blog, we would never have heard Miza’s extraordinary story or learned of the monumental challenges facing conservation of Gorillas in this part of Africa,” said Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Head of Conservation, Policy & Partnerships for Wildlife Direct and Looking for Miza Co-Author. “Miza’s story of courage and hope reminds us that everyone in the world, including children can help to ensure the survival of one of our closest living relatives, the mountain gorillas.”

“We are honored to be partners in the campaign to raise awareness about the effects of war and violence around the world,” said Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation CEO Donna Blackwell. “Miza’s story reminds us that we must take steps to protect those humans and animals that are most vulnerable and to strengthen our commitment to peace in the world.”

About Turtle Pond Publications
Turtle Pond Publications is a private entertainment and media company based in New York. Its interests include a variety of children’s publishing ventures and other media investments including the Tribeca Film Festival; the company’s principals, Craig Hatkoff and Jane Rosenthal, are co-founders of the festival along with Robert De Niro.

About The Clinton Global Initiative
CGI is a non-partisan project of the Clinton Foundation that brings together a community of global leaders to identify and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Since inception in 2005, CGI members have made nearly 1,000 “Commitments to Action” to address poverty alleviation, climate change, global health, education, and other pressing issues, and improve over 200 million lives in more than 100 countries. The 2008 CGI Annual Meeting will take place in New York September 24-26, followed by CGI Asia, December 2-3 and the second annual CGI U next spring.

About Wildlife Direct
Wildlife Direct was started by Richard Leakey to create the world’s largest online conservation community and raise awareness and funds for conservation in some of the worlds most endangered and dangerous places. Operating deep in the jungles of eastern Congo, blogs written by rangers last year alerted the world to the crisis facing mountain gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ranger Innocent and Ranger Diddy’s voices from the front lines of conservation on their Wildlife Direct blog provide a unique opportunity for anyone anywhere in the world to participate in the conservation of one of the world’s most charismatic and most endangered species: the mountain gorillas. Funds raised through the blogs have enabled the Congolese wildlife authority, the The Congolese Nature Conservation Institute (ICCN) to continue wildlife conservation activities on the ground despite the ongoing crisis. Wildlife Direct will use Miza to raise awareness and support for mountain gorillas throughout their ranges in Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books and a leader in educational technology and children’s media. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children’s books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs and school-based book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, television networks and the Company’s Internet Site, www.scholastic.com.

About Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation
The mission of the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation is to support and promote the creation of a culture of peace throughout the world. In the spirit of founder, Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and in collaboration with the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre of South Africa, the foundation is dedicated to advancing reconciliation, peace-building, non-violence, conflict resolution, and ethical leadership so that all may live in a more peaceable and sustainable world.

Share This

Tags: Clinton Foundation, Desmond Tutu, DR Congo, Looking for Miza, mountain gorillas, Paula Kahumbu, richard leakey

6 responses so far