Lawrence aviation company ships plane to help protect endangered animals in Kenya / LJWorld.com

Archive for Monday, November 9, 2009

The second wing of a 180-horsepower A1C Husky plane comes off at the GUT-Works, LLC, hangar at the Lawrence airport Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009. The Lawrence company is one of the sponsors helping ship the plane to Africa where it will be used by the Kenya Wildlife Service to help locate elephant poachers. Handling the wing from left are GUT-Works manager Ron Renz, mechanic Phillip Pittzer, Paul Isabell, base mechanic for LifeStar and Jonah Seibel.

By Janet Reid

November 9, 2009

Lawrence company aids African animals

A Lawrence company based at Lawrence Municipal Airport is taking apart a plane and shipping it to Kenya to help in animal preservation processes. The plane will travel about 12,000 miles en route to its destination. Enlarge video

It may seem like a long way to the savannas of Africa, but a Lawrence aviation company is proving it’s closer than you might think.

Employees at GUT Works, an aviation firm based in a hangar at Lawrence Municipal Airport, are participating in a program that will help save the lives of endangered animals and protect wildlife in Kenya.

After a Wyoming pilot donated a $220,000 airplane to the Lindbergh Foundation, GUT Works raised half the costs associated with shipping the two-seater Aviat Husky A-1C 12,000 miles across the globe.

“People say, it’s an airplane, why don’t you fly it?” GUT Works Manager Ron Renz said. “Well, we’re going halfway around the world. That’s a long way, and there’s some big overwater stretches. This airplane just doesn’t have the range to do that.”

So instead of preparing for takeoff, the crew in Lawrence is taking the plane apart, piece by piece. It will be packaged in a shipping container and begin its two-month journey to a port in Mombasa, Kenya.

The plane, equipped with state-of-the-art night vision technology, is a gift to the Kenya Wildlife Service. It will be used to track wildlife and patrol for poachers on game reserves. Renowned U.S. aerobatic pilot Patty Wagstaff has been working to train the pilots with the wildlife service for the past six years, teaching them flight maneuvering skills that help them when they are tracking elephant poachers.

“What began as a simple partnership between the Lindbergh Foundation and Patty Wagstaff to support her work training the Kenya Wildlife Service pilots to safely protect wildlife from poachers, has evolved into a gift that we could never have imagined,” Lindbergh Foundation President and CEO Larry Williams said, referring to the donation of the brand-new airplane.

GUT Works is the main exporter of that particular brand of aircraft.

Renz said it typically costs about $13,000 to ship a plane of this size to Africa. He worked with his suppliers -- from the container company to the forklift provider -- to cover about $6,000 of that.

“It’s a really good opportunity because it’s helping the environment and it’s helping an underdeveloped country,” Renz said. “It allows us to showcase how general aviation helps the world. To me, airplanes are my life. It’s a great way to use that to make the world a better place to live in.”

Discussion

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9 November 2009
at 7:08 a.m.

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redmoonrising (Anonymous) says…

What a wonderful gift in the long term value of our planet. I don't think we often realized the importance of saving these animals.
9 November 2009
at 8:03 a.m.

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ckennedy (christy kennedy) says…

That's just cool. Good work, people, and thanks.
9 November 2009
at 8:20 a.m.

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75x55 (Anonymous) says…

So, how many of ya'll understand what they plan to do with most of these poachers, when they find them? Hope everyone donating to the 'good cause' fully understands the implication.
9 November 2009
at 9:39 a.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

“75x55 (Anonymous) says…

So, how many of ya'll understand what they plan to do with most of these poachers, when they find them? Hope everyone donating to the 'good cause' fully understands the implication.”

Marion writes:

I know exactly what they do with poachers when they catch them and have no problem with it.

The Dark Continent is a strange place, full of weird and wonderfuls; it is practically impossible to help the people there but easy to help out the animals.

I'd like them to start trophy mounting the heads they take.

Might make a point or two and slow down the decimation of irreplaceable species.
9 November 2009
at 10:17 a.m.

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75x55 (Anonymous) says…

Well, I'd assume that you'd have no problem with it, Marion - but what about all these do-gooders that may think Kenyan game preserve rangers carry old Police Positives with a single round in their shirt pocket?
9 November 2009
at 10:30 a.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

“75x55 (Anonymous) says…

Well, I'd assume that you'd have no problem with it, Marion - but what about all these do-gooders that may think Kenyan game preserve rangers carry old Police Positives with a single round in their shirt pocket?”

Marion writes:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adv…

“They Shoot Poachers, Don't They?

In the heart of central Africa, marauding bands of bush-meat hunters are terrorizing villages and slaughtering wildlife to the brink of extinction. Now a family practitioner from Wyoming has decided to recruit his own army to stop them.

By Tom Clynes

The story, as I first heard it, had the zing of a Hollywood pitch: Led by a soft-spoken doctor, a band of American conservationists had persuaded the president of the Central African Republic to let them raise a militia and take over the eastern third of the Texas-size country. Their mission was to drive out the marauding gangs of Sudanese poachers who were rapidly wiping out the region's elephants and other animals. Their authority: Shoot on sight.

No one had been killed yet when I arrived in Bangui in early March. Throughout the dilapidated capital, signs of a November coup attempt were still fresh: Bullet divots scored the bricks of the Tropicana Club, and a curfew remained in effect. A detachment of Libyan paratroopers hulked in front of the mansion of President Ange-Félix Patassé, who had been bailed out, again, by his friend Muammar Qaddafi.

Most of the fighting had taken place in the northern reaches of town, where the American group, Africa Rainforest and River Conservation (ARRC), had rented a gated compound. As I approached the large whitewashed porch, it struck me that ARRC was well prepared for another flare-up. Scattered among the wicker furniture were several men in fatigues, a couple of AK-47s, a grenade launcher, and a very excited chimpanzee.

cont'd:
9 November 2009
at 10:31 a.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

cont'd:

:

Dave Bryant, a 49-year-old South African who had been hired in August to lead the militia, extended his hand. “Welcome to bloody paradise,” he said. He introduced a slight, 26-year-old Iowan named Michelle Wieland, who was in charge of ARRC's community-development component, and a thin 35-year-old named Richard Hagen, who had flown up from South Africa to help with security.

“And the little fellow jumping up and down is Commando,” said Bryant. “We rescued him from a Sudanese trader, and to show his appreciation he's been crapping all over our floors.”

Bryant's face seemed custom-assembled for bad-ass impact. Beneath a clean-shaven scalp, a towering forehead descended into a deep ravine of a scowl line, bridged by wraparound sunglasses. An expansive Fu Manchu mustache arched around a loaded cigarette holder, which dangled expertly from one side of his mouth.

“I guess you've heard that we're in a bit of a cock-up,” he said. “We've been stuck in this s***-hole for five months now, trying to get out into the bush to do a reccy [reconnaissance] before the rains hit. We're waiting for gear, we're waiting for money, and we're waiting for vehicles. And we're waiting for people in this zoo they call a government to do something other than put their bloody hands out.”

The three were eager to hear about my meeting that day with the American ambassador, Mattie Sharpless. Sharpless had recently arrived in Bangui, and I had asked her what she knew about ARRC.

“The rumor is that they're hiring South African mercenaries and diverting funds into diamond ventures,” Sharpless had answered.

Wieland winced when I relayed the quote, but Bryant smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Yes, well. We South Africans don't usually like to use the term 'mercenary.' We prefer to say 'playing at soldiers on a privately employed basis.'”

9 November 2009
at 10:42 a.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

I love Private Enterprise:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st…

U.S. Man Funds Anti-Poaching Force in Africa

October 30, 2002
A Wyoming-based conservationist funds a mercenary force to combat Sudanese wildlife poachers in the Central African Republic. The mercenaries have permission to shoot poachers on sight. NPR's Bob Edwards reports.
9 November 2009
at 11:19 a.m.

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OldEnuf2BYurDad (Anonymous) says…

Something to remember: more planes were downed in the Vietnam “conflict” by small arms fire than by any other means. If the poachers can spot the plane's lights, they can shoot at it, and if the poachers are “being poached” as well, they may as well shoot.
9 November 2009
at 11:26 a.m.

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adamfast (Anonymous) says…

All of the Kenyan Wildlife Services' aircraft have been hit - but they haven't lost a pilot, yet. More information on the aircraft side of things is discussed here: http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pil…
9 November 2009
at 11:39 a.m.

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Write2Know (Anonymous) says…

It sounds like the job this airplane is intended for would be well suited for a UAV like the predator.
9 November 2009
at 11:50 a.m.

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Irish (Irish Swearingen) says…

Imagine that you are a parent with a family, and you are living in Kenya. Your family is starving with no hope for the future in sight. What do you do?
I think we need to keep in mind that in this county we have farmers and ranchers who grow the animals that end up at the supermarket.
In Kenya they don't have feedlots of cows and pigs. They kill and eat the animals that live in Kenya.
As to the ivory question I would say the same thing. We don't know what we would do if we were in the same position. Those who have thousands to spend to have an eco-vacation in Africa and ignore the starving millions of humans need to be thinking about this.
9 November 2009
at 12:53 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Irish, the poachers are not decimating the animals for food but rather for money:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episod…

“Rhino Horn Use: Fact vs. Fiction

All five of the world’s diverse species of rhinoceros have been brought to the edge of extinction because of human appetite for their distinctive horns. The horns have been prized for tens of centuries for their beautiful translucent color when carved, and their supposed healing properties.

“In the Middle Eastern country of Yemen, the horn continues to be coveted by Muslim men, although imports were banned in 1982. The material, whose luster increases with age, is used for the handles of curved daggers called “jambiya,” which are presented to Yemeni boys at age 12. Jambiya are considered a sign of manhood and devotion to the Muslim religion, and are used for personal defense. Yemeni men place great value on the dagger handles, which are commonly studded with jewels. In China, the ornamental use of rhino horn dates back to at least the 7th century AD. Over the centuries, rhino horns have been carved into ceremonial cups, as well as buttons, belt buckles, hair pins, and paperweights.

Far more pervasive, however, is their use in the traditional medicine systems of many Asian countries, from Malaysia and South Korea to India and China, to cure a variety of ailments. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the horn, which is shaved or ground into a powder and dissolved in boiling water, is used to treat fever, rheumatism, gout, and other disorders. According to the 16th century Chinese pharmacist Li Shi Chen, the horn could also cure snakebites, hallucinations, typhoid, headaches, carbuncles, vomiting, food poisoning, and “devil possession.” (However, it is not, as commonly believed, prescribed as an aphrodisiac).”
9 November 2009
at 1:11 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

More on rhino poaching:

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article…

“Vietnamese crime-syndicates are operating from South Africa with only one aim: to slaughter as many rhinos as they can. The animals' horns are much sought-after 'aphrodesiacs' and sell in Chinese 'traditional medicine' shops for as much as $150,000 for a small rhino horn.

The illegal slaughter of 12 rhinos this past festive season alone inside South Africa, brings the number of killed rhinos in 2008 in this country, which has always prided itself on its ability to protect these endangered animals, to 96 rhinos.

This rising death toll comes amidst growing allegations that Mozambican authorities are 'not doing enough' to crack down on known suspects who access the protected border-crossing rhino population. There also are strong suspicions that some Mozambican government officials are protecting and aiding rhino-poachers, writes the Mail and Guardian newspaper in South Africa.”

Image of rhino slaughter:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1WaO1OGuwzI…

The poachers even machinegun rhinos:

http://www.zimgreats.com/index.php?op…

“Poachers have shot dead three black rhinoceros - a species listed as the most highly endangered large mammal on earth - on a private conservancy, its owner said Thursday.

John Travers said poachers armed with AK47 automatic rifles Wednesday night evaded the armed guard surrounding the rhino on Imire game park about 100km east of Harare and shot dead two females and a male, but left a four-week-old calf unharmed.

Zimbabwe in the 1980s had the largest population in Africa of black rhino, about 7 500, but a wave of poaching all over Africa - driven by demand for the horn in the Far East as a cure for fevers and a sexual stimulant and in Yemen where it was used for dagger handles - decimated the population, including Zimbabwe's.

The horn is composed of tightly compacted hair fibres, and has no other pharmacological properties, according to biologists.”
9 November 2009
at 1:30 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

More on the slaughter of rhinos by poachers:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul20…

http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/im…

Watch this one for sure!:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25677681/…

9 November 2009
at 2:02 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

“BlessedSap (Anonymous) says…

Nothing like what Americans did to the North American bison. How would the cowboys responded to a foreign mercenary force preventing their hunts?”

Marion writes:

Please take your Red Herring home cook it up and enjoy.

African poaching is now, all that was then.
9 November 2009
at 7:16 p.m.

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toe (Anonymous) says…

I wonder if they could do a fly over of the Topeka Zoo to see if they can protect those poor animals?
9 November 2009
at 9:07 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

And elephants.

Don't get me started on elephants.

oh wait

too late

This aircraft deal is the best thing to come out of Lawrence, Kansas since Alan Mulally!

Elephants are killed for the tusks and the tusks only:

In Kenya:

http://www.simplygreen.co.za/internat…

In Chad:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/ne…

Ivory market in China and Asia:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/828…

Poachers?”

“So we tanned 'is 'ide

When 'e died, Clyde

And that's it 'angin' on the shed!”
9 November 2009
at 9:24 p.m.

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Irish (Irish Swearingen) says…

Marion, I yield to your knowledge, of course you are quite right., I just had this image of children getting a good meal out of the meat. The harsh reality is that the poachers are not giving money to the poor around them.
I do not want to see the animals disappear. They have a right to exist for their own sake.
The African people have suffered so much, but the whole world is full of human suffering and animals going extinct.
Thank you for the links and the comments. I appreciate the time you took here.
I have learned something, perhaps something I did not wish to acknowledge.
9 November 2009
at 10:23 p.m.

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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…

Thanks Irish!

It's all good.
9 November 2009
at 10:32 p.m.

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barrypenders (Anonymous) says…

Why does the Poser's countrymen eat elephants? Are they Democrats? What a political advertis ment.

Stimulus, evolution and Posercare lives

Darwin bless you all