Congo: Lac Tchimpa and the Lukani RiverAfter paddling down the Ngonogo we traveled to Lac Tchimpa, another tranquil lake with no permanent residents. However, this lake is closer to villages so we did see lots of signs of fishing activity (particularly large hooks set for...Read More

Congo: Kayaking the NgongoLast week my friend Tim (a whale researcher who lives at Conkouati) and I took off on a 3 day trip in search of manatees to lakes and up the Ngongo River north of Conkoauti Lagoon. People on the lagoon told...Read More

Congo: Conkouati LagoonI've been at Conkouati National Park for 2 weeks now and have boated around most of the southern end of the large lagoon. One of the first days we went out to where the lagoon drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The lagoon is...Read More

Mayumba, Gabon to Conkouati, Congo

After finishing my surveys in southern Banio Lagoon, I returned to Mayumba for several days to interview fishermen and survey several rivers at the north end of the lagoon. I also worked with Jean Nestor and Chardene, the WCS outreach team,...Read More

New Victor video!! Click here!!...Read More

First day with Sea to Shore Alliance!I'm very excited to announce that as of today I am be joining the staff at Sea to Shore Alliance, a non-profit wildlife research organization based in Florida. Sea to Shore's Director is Dr. James "Buddy"...Read More

Gabon: camping on the haute BanioAfter spending time with Victor, it was then time to continue my surveys for wild manatees. As I mentioned in my previous post, I haven't been to this lagoon since 2006. At that time I only spent 2 days doing...Read More

Gabon: Return to MayumbaI've wanted to post long before this, but I've had a series of computer nightmares recently and am only typing now thanks to the generosity of my friends Hilde & Tim, who've lent me a laptop. In early June, once I'd sorted...Read More

Senegal: News article I should've posted this link awhile ago but I was already in the field when the story came out, so I'm just getting to it now! Nice article focusing on West African manatee efforts in Senegal written by Amanda Fortier and featuring...Read More

Thank you Jonathan!!Jonathan Perez-Rivera left Gabon last night after spending the past 4 months working with orphan calf Victor and training his Gabonese caretakers. Victor is now steadily gaining weight and we're learning valuable new information about the growth of West African manatees through the...Read More