Above: Gautam (left) and Raff taking a break on the way to Goualougo Camp, Republic of Congo. Photo Credit David Morgan
Published: The East African Nation 30 May 2020
That there’s no time to lose to save our wildlife is a universal truth.
That the internet is the most powerful tool on Earth is another universal truth.
The two put together gave Gautam Shah, founder of Internet of Elephants his drive to enter the world of wildlife conservation in a novel way…via your mobile phone playing games to save wildlife.
IoE WV screens scenes from the game Wildeverse Photo Credit Internet of Elephants
It was curiosity that led me to Mcmillan Memorial library, an iconic building of the 1930s in the midst of Nairobi’s central business district. The curiosity was fuelled by a visit to Mcmillan’s castle in Thika which lay in disrepair and devoid of any belongings or artifact belonging to the Mcmillans’ who were part of Kenya’s colonial history. Researching on this notorious character who was lar
ger than life – literally – seven feet tall with a girth that needed a five-foot belt to go around, the library was built in his memory by his wife. Mcmillan Memorial library is still an impressive building housing priceless first edition books and works of art, many which may be lost. l was looking for the clothbound book by Richard Minsky, a critically acclaimed American artist whose work sells for thousands of dollars. After an extensive search, the book with a price tag of US$ 2,700 today, seems to have disappeared off the shelves.
Mcmillan Memorial library
Mcmillan Library, Nairobi.
It was the axis around which modern Nairobi evolved – with the law courts directly in front of it, and other important buildings coming around it like the Bank of Baroda, the New Stanley hotel (now The Stanley), the railway headquarters and station, the Royal College of East Africa (today’s University of Nairobi) and the Parliament building.
Above: Swallowtail at rest wth wings open in Ngong Road Forest. Copyright Rupi MangatIt’s a drop-dead scent.
Pale lilac forest flowers, the Pentas whose roots have traditionally been boiled as a tea. Copyright Rupi Mangat
Ngong Road Forest is a dry upland forest typical of Nairobi.. Copyright Rupi Mangat
Stopping in my tracks, I sniff the air and look around, all the time inhaling the fragrance deeper. It’s from the tiny white flowers in bloom on the gorgeous tree in front of me, the Schrebera alata.
The rains have brought a burst of scents, colours and flowers in the forest that is the first time for most of us to enter, a part of the Ngong Road Forest. It’s a chilly Sunday morning. The track ahead is laden with local trees including another show stealer with lilac-pinkish flowers, the Cape chestnut. “The tree has flowered earlier than usual,” comments Fleur Ng’weno the eminent naturalist. Continue reading “Forest Fragrances”→
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