INTERIM REPORT
ECUADOR – COFAN EXPEDITION
AUGUST 2008
An expedition deep into a remote part of the upper Amazon jungle led 20 members of the SES to the breeding grounds of the endangered pink dolphin. Travelling by Cofan indian canoes the team penetrated dense floating beds of 5 foot high aquatic plants to reach lakes inhabited by giant otter, caiman (alligators) the feared anaconda and the rare dolphin.
The pink dolphin, thought to be extinct in the region, weighs up to 400 pounds and can be 9 foot long. Its prominent beak, was photographed by Jonathan Hood, a solicitor of Bromley Kent as the huge mammal surfaced beside his boat. “I felt very privileged to have had such a close encounter” Said Jonathan. With powerful outboards and pushing with long forked poles on the clinging matted weed, the team used razor sharp machetes to cut through fallen logs and fight their way through the blockages. “Rather like a green version of polar ice flows,” commented expedition leader Colonel John Blashford-Snell. “I was extremely worried that as the weed closed behind us we might be trapped in this vast swamp”.
There are no accurate maps of the ever moving mass of vegetation and navigation had to be by GPS and a Kichwa indian guide. The team made a base in ghostly ruins of an old lodge alive with jungle rats and 6 inch highly poisonous tarantulas. The marmite coloured water of the lake had shoals of flesh eating piranha and caimen but as heat and humidity soared, a swim could not be resisted.
The expedition’s major task was to install a clean water system for the Cofan hunter gathers whose land has been decimated and polluted by oil exploration companies. Financed by Just a Drop and the Visit USA Association UK, this project was successfully completed at Zabalo, thanks to local contractors, AGROCONSULTORES, and British water engineers Julian Butter of Cheddar, Somerset and Bethan Lewis of Exeter. Pollution levels were carefully checked by hydrogeologist, Olivia Patterson, of London.
Numerous sick people were treated by Dr, Roy d’Silva of Bothwell, Lanarkshire and Dr. Birget Hartbergan of Germany, whilst dentist, Graham Catchpole, did many extractions. Nathan Buckley, a medic of the Royal Army Medical Corps on leave from Iraq, also assisted the doctors and the community work.
Joel Somerville, optometrist of Dromara, Co Down, distributed reading glasses in all the villages visited. His free service was specially appreciated by the older people and ladies who have not been able to sew for some years.
Farmer, Simon Brown, of Much Wenlock, Shropshire did outstanding work in the showers and WC for an ecotourist centre being set up to enable the Cofan to be self-sufficient. He also sorted out a major problem with the water supply system by making a large spanner from a piece of steel. This was used open a plug and permit the drainage of sediment from the large storage tank.
Communications with outside world were kept by Melanie Bell of Prestleigh, Somerset using a BGAN satphone provided by Promethius Medical. Mel has been emailing Jeremy Thompson from Melton Abbas, Dorset, whose wife Lucy was also the expedition’s entertainment officer. Lucy helped to organise distribution of vital school books and much needed medical supplies with Yolima Cipagauta of Colombia, the SES Latin America representative, who had planned the whole expedition. Lucy also organised splendid Burns Supper as a farewell party. Tinned haggis provided by Stahlys Quality Foods was enjoyed by all especially the Cofan who wondered where the creature had been hunted! The traditional Burns poems were spoken by John Mackenzie-Grieve and followed by Scottish and Cofan dancing beneath the light of a tropical moon.
London and Melanie Bell. A highly decorated almost complete ceramic jar 25 cms in height was unearthed by a Cofan whilst digging a turtle conservation pond: This has been drawn and photographed and is thought to be up to 800 years old
Leoni Chandler of Prestwood, Bucks studied the flora and the traditional medicine whilst the wildlife was catalogued by John Mackenzie- Grieve of West Littleton, Wiltshire and Jonathan Hood..
Beth Lewis is producing a simple brochure to encourage ecotourism to the Cofan area. Sketch maps and village plans for this have been produced by Surveyor, Phillip Sargent, a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, who was also the expedition’s navigator. Dr Rachel Jepson of Birmingham is producing a short history of the Cofan for the brochure.
Encapsulated photographs are being produced for the new centre by Elodie Sandford of Lyford Key, Bahamas. Elodie also provided many much needed items for the Cofan
A long journey by canoe through the Cuyabeno National Park bought the team back to the base of the Andes were a bus carried them to Quito. Heavy rain poured down as they climbed the winding mountain road but the mission has been accomplished and the Zabalo Cofan now have clean drinking water.
JBS