Mtalii Auwawa na Tembo Tanzania!

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The late Dr. Thomas McAfee

University of California, San Diego dean and doctor Thomas McAfee was tragically trampled to death over the weekend by an elephant while on safari in Tanzania at the Tarangire National Park, the Daily Mail reports.

McAfee, 58, had been spending the last of his vacation in the country, just days before he was about to start his new job as chief executive of the Keck Medicine of USC Medical Foundation on Sept. 3.

His sudden death has been met with shock by family and colleagues, as little details have been released so far surrounding the exact circumstances of what happened that fateful Saturday, though the Daily Mail reports that it was an elephant that attacked McAfee.

"It's a true tragedy and great loss to all of us at UCSD. We are planning several events in celebration of Dr. McAfee's life," Mounir Soliman, assistant vice chancellor and executive director of Health Sciences International, wrote in an email to NBC San Diego.

"Dr. McAfee served us and worked alongside us for more than 11 years, and his death is a great loss - both to many of us personally, and to the field of health care which would have benefited enormously from his talent and dedication in coming years," David Brenner, MD, along with Paul Viviano and Larry Friedman, MD, released in an email on Sunday to the UCSD staff.

"Dr. McAfee was adventurous in spirit, loved to visit new places and to meet new people," they wrote. "A celebration of his life will be held in coming weeks for the Health Sciences community."
According to the Daily Mail, it is estimated that 500 people a year are killed by elephants in Africa and Asia, as when angry and charging, these enormous land animals can be a deadly force. Although most elephant charges are "mock" threats, if the elephant's ears are pinned back flat against its head and its trunk is curled inward, chances are it is likely to follow through with its charge
.
While his death certificate is being made, McAfee's body will remain in the African country, as there is no word yet on when he will be flown back to the U.S.

Uwe Rafiki wa Sokwe!

Nimetafuta linki yao Facebook lakini sikuiona. Lakini naona ni wazo zuri. Na Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) waige. Waruhusu watu wasioweza kusafiri kwenda kutalii kwenye mbuga za wanyama wawe marafiki wa Simba, Twiga, Nyoka, Mamba, Nyati, Ngedere wetu.

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By GODFREY OLUKYA

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - He's hairy, his table manners are atrocious, and he wants to be your friend on Facebook.

No, it's not the ex-boyfriend. It's Muhozi, an endangered Ugandan mountain gorilla, who's appearing online as part of a fundraising program the Ugandan Wildlife Authority is launching Saturday to help save the species.

Around 340 mountain gorillas - nearly half of the 740 remaining worldwide - live in Uganda's lush Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park. The rest live in the Virunga mountain range, which stretches from Uganda into Rwanda and the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo.
Despite their size - a male silverback can reach over 7 feet (2.1 meters) and weigh 400 pounds (180 kilogram) - the gorillas are threatened by poachers who kill them for meat, farmers and charcoal-burners who encroach on their habitat, and the indiscriminate bullets of rebels on the run. They must be protected by rangers with automatic rifles.

The Wildlife Authority is hoping that fans will befriend a gorilla on Facebook or MySpace or follow it on Twitter in return for a minimum donation of a dollar. The money will be used to hire extra rangers to protect the gorillas and safeguard their habitat.

In return, gorilla friends will receive regular updates about their chosen gorilla, be able to track their progress through global positioning systems, have their gorilla's picture on their home page and receive gorilla trivia - like the fact that the name is derived from a Greek word, gorillai, meaning 'hairy women.'

Wildlife Authority spokeswoman Lilian Nsubuga said she hoped the program would give people who could not afford to travel to Uganda themselves the chance to feel closer to the animals. About 10,500 tourists visit Uganda each year to see the gorillas. An entry permit for the park is $500 per person. Last year Uganda earned $600 million through tourism and over 90 percent of the money was from gorilla tourism.

"The (gorillas) are also very similar to human beings. That's what makes many people want to look at them," Nsubuga said.

Thomas Slater, the director of the gorilla website, said internet users would be able to befriend any individual from one of seven groups habituated to human contacts.

"You will be able to learn more concerning the particular gorilla, its character, family and relationships," he said.
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