Malawi: Camera trap success or what!

Update from our Malawi expedition working on cats, primates, elephants and African biodiversity www.biosphere-expeditions.org/malawi

It has been an exciting couple of days in Vwaza Marsh. During our day off we visited the nearby village of Kazuni. We were the first group of foreigners ever to visit their village and they put on a quite a show. Not only did we get a great insight to village life, but we also got to dance with the local women to the beat of African drums. Of course our visit brought some much welcome income to a deprived community in deeply rural Malawi, but I am convinced that our hosts genuinely enjoyed showing off their culture and traditions.

Following our day off, we set out to check our camera trap grid to make sure it was all working properly. Whilst doing so, we changed over the SD cards inside the camera traps too. Back at camp we couldn’t wait and immediately started going through them, everyone waiting with baited breath to see what we had caught. The first cheers rose through the group as a pair of honey badgers appeared on the screen.

Soon more cheering ensued as a leopard was up next…

…followed by a pair of very elusive and rarely seen servals.

Just as we thought it couldn’t get any better a lion walked into the frame!

This is the first lion ever to be captured on film in Vwaza. While there have been reports of lion tracks before, being able to confirm the presence of this young male lion is indeed a big step towards better understanding the ecosystem of Vwaza Reserve.

What a start to the expedition. If anyone ever doubts the value of citizen science again, just show them this blog…. 😉