Nki Reservation - South Cameroon Living Nki reservation entering Bomba Bee national Park, this is the only road leading to South Cameroon.

Charara safari area, Kariba. - Zimbabwe Sue and Marty Vick, native of Aberdeen, South Dakota, are in Zimbabwe for their fourth elephant hunt. Marty is a pro-gun and hunting fanatic, Sue's thing is bassets' breeding. ' At least, my guns don't shit on the carpet ' barks the husband.

Communal area near Bomba-Bek - South Cameroon Blaise hunts traditionally with the bow and arrow and poison. He knows the forest perfectly and for a bag of whisky, he poaches anything. As a Baka, hunting the elephant is a rite of passage to manhood as well as a tradition. The conservation issue for hime is a ' problem for white people '.

Bomba Bek National Park - South Cameroon The state anti-poaching team is entering the deep forest of the National Park via the main road, for a ten-days mission in autonomy. Then will have to track poachers and elephants herds in deep humid ground in the rainy season, facing heavily armed poachers with only one unloaded rifle for 6. L'equipe d'eco-gardes du Parc National de Bomba Bek s'introduit sur la piste centrale pour penetrer dans la foret. Le Parc n'est accessible qu'a pied apres plusieurs kilometres de pistes. Jean-Paul, le chef d'unite est accompagne de Gaelle, la seule femme, Rene, du WWF, Parfait, Toutou Jean-Marie, le pisteur, Olivier l'etudiant et Gabriel le piroguier.

Bomba Bek National Park - South Cameroon After a few hours of creating a way to the river, breaking the wild luxurious vegetation, the anti-poaching team need the wooden canoe to cross the river, only access inside the park, where all the elephants went to hide. Le Parc de Bomba Bek est delimite par deux cours d'eau. Pour entrer, il faut d'abord continuer a pied une petite heure, puis traverser la Bek en pirogue. L'equipe decharge la pirogue d'un des 4x4 pour la porter jusqu'aux rives de la Bek.

Bomba Bek National Park - South Cameroon Rene and Jean-Paul take the GPS data which locates the traces of animals and poachers spotted during the day. These are indicators of the presence of species in the Park. The 10-day mission allows tracking of poachers as well as the listing of animals. Rene et Jean-Paul reprennent les donnees GPS qui localisent les traces d'animaux reperees durant la journee. Autant d'indicateurs de la presence des especes dans le Parc. La mission de 10 jours permet de traquer les braconniers autant que de repertorier les animaux.

Dande North, Ward II. Sunday morning. 5:00 am. Last checks before flying for patrol over Dande safari for anti-poaching patrol. Richard Tenant is checking if poachers have not sabotaged the plane during the night.

Charara safari area, Kariba. Back to camp with today's praize. Kitchen boys retrieve the bushbuck. Marty will take the head and skin back to the US. ' That will make a wonderful carpet ', he says. The meat will be grilled on a barbecue some night later.

Charara safari area, Kariba. In camp, Sue Vick, the wife, rests a while in their safari tent before a long day waiting for her husband in the car.

Bomba Bek National Park - South Cameroon Mango Fire is the canoe driver, he has to drive tents, pots, food and anti-poachers who do not know how to swim, through the Bek, with a very strong current flow. Au bord de la Bek, le piroguier, qui répond au surnom de " Mango Fire ", fait de multiples aller-retours pour acheminer le materiel, les tentes, les vivres pour les 10 jours de mission a venir dans le Parc. Finalement, il fait traverser, dans un courant violent, les membres de l'équipe qui ne savent pas nager, 2 par 2.

Communal area near Bomba-Bek - South Cameroon Blaise, the Baka elephant tracker during his mission. The arrows, made by hand, are covered with a natural poison which kills their prey. He knows every inch of the forest, simply follows the tracks, in silence and with patience.

Charara safari area, Kariba. On the tracks of the ele, the hunters find 3 elephants. But the wind turns, smelling humans, surprised, elephants are charging. The contact can be very dangerous. And if the hunters are not reacting fast enough the confrontation can be fatal.

Ndevo crossing, Dande North, Ward II. Second day, private anti-poaching patrol starts at 5:00am.

Bomba Bek National Park - South Cameroon Jean-Paul, the chief of anti-poaching unit, observes the surroundings on his watchtower in the salt pans of Pondo. He can see above the trees. But the vegetation is very dense especially in the rainy season. According to the traces, at least a mother and her little elephant came to scrape salt in the saltworks tonight but no sign of poachers yet. Jean-Paul, le chef d'unite, observe les environs sur son mirador dans les salines de Pondo. Il permet de voir au-dessus des arbres. Mais la vegetation est tres dense surtout a la saison des pluies. Selon les traces, au moins une mere et son petit éléphanteau sont venus gratter le sel dans les salines cette nuit.

Charara safari area, Kariba. Finally. After only 2 hours of tracking, the hunters are in contact with elephants, hidden in dense bushes. They try to determine if there is a tuskless cow, without any calf, old enough to be killed.