National Geographic: African Odyssey Page #5

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the one that's on the chart at all.

It can take all day to drive around

some small streams.

In four days they travel just 50 miles

See that little cut in the bank there?

I wonder if there's any hope there.

A tourist camp burned out by poachers,

abandoned now because

it cannot be protected.

It doesn't look like the camp

was even that old.

I mean the mud daub and so forth

doesn't look like it

had been done very long ago.

This is heavy duty stuff, you know.

This could be us.

Yeah. If we have a camp here, we have

to have an armed guard at our camp.

And at the airplane and at the boats

and at the vehicles.

The sight of the burned-out camp

is sobering.

A poacher's tracks add a sense

of present danger.

Mark, just don't follow those spoor,

okay?

Just come on back because I'm worried

that they probably have guns

and you're in there alone. Over.

Yeah, I'm following them right down

the damn stream bed,

right up the stream bed.

Deeply discouraged, but too far

into the wilderness to turn back,

Delia and Mark push on to the river.

They had hoped this might

be their next home.

Oh, wow! It's beautiful.

Oh, man.

Look at it.

Oh, God.

Wow, what a spot.

What the hell is that thing?

We've made it to the river,

but look at this.

It's either for drying fish

or for drying meat.

I don't see any fish bones.

It's a meat-drying rack. It's poaching.

I can smell the meat on it.

I mean this is just about the most

discouraging place

I've seen in a long time.

The whole bloody park is being

sterilized by it.

Really.

At least they can't use it

again anyway.

We should burn this.

They need to know that somebody

was here. We need to put a warning.

At least they'll have to go to more

trouble the next time

they want to dry the meat.

Their frustration and anger mount

as they discover more and more

evidence of slaughter.

In some areas elephant skulls litter

the ground.

You can stand in this spot and

you can see four to five dead elephants.

I think it's despicable;

I think it's appalling;

I think it's a tragic commentary

on the state

of world conservation that his sort

of thing can go on.

And I just keep wondering

when the world is going to wake up

and really take some action.

Mark's frustration is fueled

by the knowledge that in just 12 years

one hundred thousand elephants in

the Luangwa Valley have been killed.

They are being destroyed for their

ivory, which is carved into trinkets,

coffee table decorations,

and works of art.

The fashion that leads people

to buy ivory, collect it,

and wear it contributes

to the destruction

of these magnificent creatures.

Distressed by what they have seen,

Delia and Mark search further.

They have been told that

North Luangwa National Park

is still an untouched wilderness.

They make a flying reconnaissance.

That's beautiful river!

Yeah, a beautiful river.

We can work this habitat, too.

Especially along the river channels

it looks quite open.

It looks very possible in terms

of moving around with the truck,

and I think I'll be able to spot

from the airplane quite well, too.

It's fantastic country.

Yeah. This place is full of animals.

Full of what?

Full of animals.

Yeah. Look for lions.

People have said this

is the Cinderella park of Zambia.

I believe it.

It needs work. They don't know

how many animals there are.

It needs quantitative work.

Did you tell them we saw lions?

We saw lions three females

with three little cubs and wild dogs.

What have I got? Soot on my nose?

Only one track leads down

the escarpment into the Rift Valley

Delia will drive it alone.

Mark flies down with the airplane,

and when he lands,

is greeted by a forlorn sight.

My forlorn little Boo.

Oh, I'm so glad you're not hurt.

I don't know what happened, Mark.

Listen, I couldn't have done it

better myself.

I think it's beautiful.

See, the trailer's in line.

It was perfect.

And then it just took off on its own.

So I climbed out of there in a hurry.

I believe. You came out lie

a jack-in-the-box.

You can check the gear oil...

Yeah, I can grease the drive train,

check the springs.

I'm sorry.

I think I'll have a Perrier water

with lime and ice,

and shrimp cocktail served

on half a avocado.

And then what shall we have?

Cheesecake with cherries on top?

There she goes!

What a difference as

they travel this track.

These animals have not yet learned

to fear man.

But North Luangwa Park,

for lack of manpower and resources,

is virtually defenseless.

It could go the way of Kafue in

just a few years unless Zambia,

together with

the international community,

commits greater resources

to its protection.

Paradise for Delia and Mark is a place

where the lions are unconcerned

by their presence.

Never see a desert lion up this time

of day moving around.

She's really used to us now, Mark.

She's just ignoring us.

Look at the puku across the river.

This place excites me.

Yeah.

It really does.

It's good to be watching lions again.

I think maybe we've found a home.

Yeah.

Here is a place where two research

scientists could dedicated ten years

of their lives and hope

to make a difference.

I want to get in the water.

All right, come on.

Watch and all.

There's more water here than

we saw in seven years in the Kalahari.

I think we should get some soap...

If we can't be happy here, I don't

think there's a place left in Africa.

Well, this is great. You could

at least take your boots off.

Can you imagine living next to water?

And without people?

And a lot of game.

Oh, man! You know the thing is

about this place is that

there's a lot here to work with,

You Know.

It's a place where you can sort of

put your heart and be happy for years.

Delia and Mark Owens started out

with a passion for wildlife,

with extraordinary pluck,

and with the hope that they could make

contribution to the preservation

of a precious heritage.

They stood up for conservation and

heavy personal and professional price.

The was been hard,

the future is uncertain,

but still they hold steadfast

to their dream.

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