Dog-squad_MC

A new puppy in the dog squad!

A Rocha India has just welcomed its newest and youngest team member – a Belgian Malinois to join their pioneering Elephant Anti-Depredation Dog Squad (EaDDS). As a breed, they are courageous, athletic and have a high capacity for work. 

This little pup has started her training to help ease human and elephant conflict as a conservation detection dog. Specifically, the dogs will work with the Elephant Task Force of the Karnataka Forest Department to track elephant movement and prevent them from entering human-dominated spaces.

The Bannerghatta National Park is surrounded by 77 villages practicing subsistence farming. Wild elephants can not only damage crops but also cause fatalities. The canine unit is a proactive measure for mitigating human-elephant conflict around Bannerghatta. It helps reduce time taken to identify the exact location of elephants during instances of conflict, which usually happen at night. 

The new puppy is undergoing a careful training process, supported by a panel of expert dog trainers. She is living in a canine training facility setup by A Rocha solely for the purpose of the project. They have refurbished a rented property in Bannerghatta with a fully functional kennel, training ground, housing for dog handlers and other needed amenities. The hope is for the project to be eventually handed over to the forest department, who are fully engaged in and supportive of the pilot phase.  

For more about this innovative conservation project, click here. 

Images: 
Sudhamshu Rao, Conservation Officer A Rocha India, with the puppy  
Photos by Mel Ong

Swiss-gardens

Minuscule but mighty gardens

According to the World Bank, around 56% of the world’s human population now lives in cities. If you are one of the majority in an urban environment, you might wonder what you can do to play your part in tackling the crisis of biodiversity loss.

For all its picture-perfect scenery, Switzerland also has plenty of residents whose only outdoor spaces are small gardens, balconies or window boxes. A Rocha Switzerland works to inspire people to use even the tiniest places as opportunities to grow diverse flora and fauna. These create essential habitats and food sources for wild animals, birds and insects, as well as improving human quality of life with their beauty.  

A Rocha runs workshops and advisory services for groups of neighbours, families and church groups. The team will assess the space and offers advice, sending the group a plan as follow up. They also lead on-site activities such as building insect hotels, setting up hedgehog shelters or planting shrubs.  

Visit A Rocha Switzerland’s website to find out more. 

Jack Data entry for bird ringing

A life-changing volunteer experience at A Rocha Kenya

In September 2024, Jack Hodgson travelled to Kenya to be an A Rocha volunteer at their Mwamba Centre for six months. As he counted down the days to the end of his stay, he spoke to us about his experience and how volunteering his time made a great difference in his life. 
 
Tell us about yourself and what you were doing before you became a volunteer.  
I come from the UK. I had just finished secondary school, where I’d heard Peter Harris give a talk at our Christian Union club. He spoke about the ever-changing environmental factors that my dad has also been teaching me. I liked the sound of what A Rocha does, so when Peter told me about the possibility of volunteering at A Rocha Kenya, I was up for the challenge.  
 
What is your day-to-day life as a volunteer?  
One of the amazing things is that I haven’t had the same day-to-day. Aside from helping set the table for communal meals, my tasks reflected whatever needs arose at the centre. I started out as a properties and facilities assistant, which involved helping with odd jobs like as cleaning gutters and doing general maintenance. Then I got introduced to birds by Colin, the team leader, and eventually became a data enterer for the Ngulia bird ringing project in Tsavo National Park. As a fun side job, I raised three kittens after a wild cat gave birth at Mwamba Centre. Two have been adopted. 
  
How did you get involved with the A Rocha Kenya’s conservation projects?  
I got my dive qualification whilst here in Kenya, and so I was able to join the marine team in coral gardening activities and shark and reef surveys. I also went to Dakatcha, an A Rocha woodlands nature reserve, and met the A Rocha scouts. In one of their Monday morning meetings, they told us about struggling with herders bringing their animals into the protected land. Then, as we were seated conversing, out of the blue a snake slithered up from the trees above. That is when you realize you are truly in nature! 
  
What were some of the highlights of your experience?  
I was fortunate to go to the Tana River Delta to take part in the National Water Bird Count. A few of us camped in an abandoned lodge on the riverbank, counting birds. Before I came to Kenya, I knew nothing about birds, so I think it’s safe to say that not only is my faith being developed through Monday morning meetings and team Bible studies, but my bird knowledge has also definitely been developed. 
 
Back at Mwamba, on Thursday mornings, volunteers wake up early before sunrise for bird ringing and open all the bird nets in the dark. I always used that as an opportunity to sit on the beach and have a sunrise swim. I got to see some amazing Kenyan sunrises and sunsets. 
  
Getting my diving license has been cool. My dad has always loved diving. When he visited, I was able to dive with him. 

What will you miss the most?  
It has been nice to get to know people. It is a real family feeling when you eat together – and the food’s amazing. I’ll miss saying hello in the morning to everyone. That’s going to be a big difference back home because, in the UK, everyone just gives you a nod. 
  
What are your greatest takeaways?  
I hadn’t really started life yet, I guess. This was my introduction to the world outside of school. I’m now ready to go home and start a new chapter of life back in the UK. The experience has made me grow in confidence, faith and teamwork by working with a cross-cultural, multilingual and diverse team. I have also learned a little bit of Swahili. 
  
What are your plans after this?  
I don’t feel like this will be my last time at A Rocha Kenya. It is a beautiful place, ‘a little slice of heaven’ as is often said. It’s not been a bad place to spend the last six months with the beach is a stone’s throw away.  
 
Once home, I’ll be off to the University of Liverpool to study geography. It’s really been incredibly helpful having learned at school about coral reefs and then here what’s being done to help them, as well as about the benefits of mangroves. Diving with a marine team and doing the surveys in Mida Creek in the mangroves was great experience. It’s been amazing to put some context around what I learned at school. Next I hope to get a job as a groundman!  
 
Jack, thank you for all you’ve given A Rocha and we wish you well!