First of all thanks to those who looked at the 15 images I posted last night at www.facebook.com/jackkinross There'll be plenty more in the months to come.
During the two tourist seasons people often say to me I lead an adventurous life. What many don't realize is that outside those two short windows there are many months (monsoon and winter) where conditions are very harsh, often dangerous. This year, as monsoon hits, I have to admit that my normal acceptance of the situation has been replaced with a type of trepidation. Landslides take many lives here every year and now, after an earthquake of such magnitude, there are very real concerns.
In about 48 hours I take another team by jeep into the epicentre. The track is dodgy at the best of times and right now it is raining. I will keep assessing the situation. I will give the safety of the team top priority but there is always risk. We are placing a doctor in a remote area as well as distributing more medical supplies and running needs assessment for epidemic prevention. There will be a lot of travel by foot in the coming week.
In a couple of hours I'm back in Asa's area to deliver the young leopard a major food drop so I know the young leopard will be ok for a week or so. Asa is doing really well, he is an inspiration, my brother emailed "that cat is a legend". The circumstance now means that encounters with Asa mean a jeep ride of up to three hours depending on conditions followed by a trek in of four to seven hours... and then I have to get out again. The trip back to the earthquake zone could take another eight hours at least. I will use Pokhara as an intermediate base to have equipment and supplies. The image of Asa is from just three days ago...
So support is vital. If you can spread the word and point people to www.wildtiger.org I thank you. Cecile Michiardi returns to her base in Morocco soon where she will drive the Photo Exhibitions which are being held worldwide, I think we are up to about ten sites so far. Contact Cecile through the WildTiger site if you'd like to be involved. The website has been altered to reflect what is going on here with a full image based change later in the year.
Bidhya Sharma will be my main eyes, ears and often vocals in the coming months while I am at ground level. Once again you can contact Bidhya through the site. WildTiger recognizes the support of several organizations especially connected to the Ghandruk VDC and ACAP (Annapurna Conservation Area Project) during this time. The relevant personnel will be named in due course but as I mentioned in my Facebook post last night this is no time for any back slapping.
This is a deadly serious situation. This monsoon is going to test us like never before. There will be more tragedy. We just have to our best to minimize them.
Thank you for your support at www.wildtiger.org where it goes direct to ground level to help wildlife, habitat, people...
