ITFC as I experienced it back then-  Simon Jennings

"I was amazed by an enormous brown spider with fangs like knitting needles, which warn you off by rubbing their front legs together to generate a rasping sound, which at the same time causes the release of highly irritant fragments of hair.

                   Navigating on fallen tree trunks                            Raiding crowned eagle home?

I remember Alan Channing whom I annoyed by shouting "commence frogging" just as he was getting ready to identify every frog in earshot by its call alone. I believe there is a rare one called Phlectomantis jenningsanus which has a strangled croak.

I also remember Alan's boundless enthusiasm which had us surveying frogs in the urban swamps of Kampala, up to our armpits in fragrant soup, during which episode we almost got arrested by the local neighbourhood watch who must have thought we up to no good.  

  All in the name of biodiversity!

The other amazing thing was that after working to get a search image for reptiles in particular I seemed to stumble over them everywhere. Settling back on the sofa one afternoon I was astounded to see a huge house snake (?)  zither out of the window. Then I seemed to bump into chameleons all over the place!

Seriously, it was great that you followed up with the results and other material, proving that well-planned studies and research exercises certainly do augment local conservation capacity and knowledge.

Ruhija Village - children playing

I'm afraid I am just a pen pusher now, but I hope you all can keep up the good work!" 

Simon Jennings
Manager, Permits & Environment
Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks
Greenwich UK