Varanus bitatawa is the third species of monitor lizard to be
recognised by science that belongs to the "Putras Biawak" group, all of
which are of at least as great a conservation concern as the Komodo
dragon, but receive virtually none of the attention. Putras Biawak occur
only in lowland dipterocarp forest. The first species (Varanus
olivaceus or Butaan) was discovered in 1845 and not seen alive by a
scientist until the late 1970s. The next species (Varanus mabitang or
Mabitang) was discovered in 2001 and in 2010 Varanus bitatawa (Butikaw
or Bitatawa) was described. Other species of frugivorous monitor lizards
may remain undescribed, but many may have gone extinct without ever
having been recognised.
We work with endangered and neglected people, wildlife and habitats, finding practical solutions to serious problems. Our projects are selected according to their conservation priority, potential for community-based action and lack of charisma. There are no pandas or elephants here! We concentrate on unpopular creatures living in places where life is difficult for everyone and conservation can never become an issue until peoples' basic rights and requirements are fulfilled. Winning many prestigious conservation awards and gaining a reputation for dedication, perseverance and a dogged determination to speak the truth, Mampam Conservation philosophy can be summarized simply: "If we don't do it, nobody else will!"
The mampam website has been running for 16 years and aims to provide full details of projects at no charge. All out of print books and multimedia guides are provided here and full image archives are being developed for each project. This will complete the website's mission.
The Western Ghats are a chain of mountains running from
Bombay to the southern tip of India. They are home to some of the most
diverse frog communities on Earth. Over 90% of the species there are
found nowhere else, and there is evidence that individual hilltops
harbour unique species. We produced a multimedia guide to the amphibians of Coorg that includes advertisment calls and details of larval stages.
Visit the Frogs of Coorg Website!>
Since 1999 the Butaan Project has been studying the rare, endangered, and unique fruit-eating monitor lizards of the Philippines. Butaan is just one of several races of frugivorous monitor lizards in the Philippines ("Putras Biawak"), all of which are of at least as great a conservation concern as the Komodo dragon, but receive virtually none of the attention. Putras Biawak occur only in lowland dipterocarp forest. The first species (Butaan) was discovered in 1845 and not seen alive by a scientist until the late 1970s. The next species (Mabitang) was discovered in 2001. Other species remain undescribed, and some may have gone extinct without ever having been recognised.
The Mampam/Viper Press library is a collection of documents, reports, books, multimedia guides and other publications relevant to these projects. It includes a PDF copy of the rare and highly collectable "A Little Book of Monitor Lizards" (1995), the Royal Geographical Society Reptiles and Amphibians Field Techniques book, copies of paper from obscure journals and much more. The library is entirely free for use by bona fide researchers and students in Africa and Asia. Other users are asked to make a contribution. Passwords are available on application. Translations are available here
Bennett, D. 1995. A Little Book of Monitor Lizards. Viper Press, Aberdeen. PDF version of the limited colour edition. (this file is password protected, please contribute at least $5 for the password).
Bennett, D. 1999. Field Techniques Manual: Reptiles and Amphibians. EAC, Royal Geographical Society, London. (this file is password protected, please contribute at least $3 for the password).
According to many authoritative atlases and maps, Bui National Park
is already underwater! But the dam first planned in the 1920s was not started until August 24th 2007.
When Mampam Conservation were banned from working in Bui National Park, Ghana, in 2001, it marked the end of independent biological reseach in the area. Now work has begun on a controversial hydroelectric dam that will destroy the riverine habitat of the park and, we believe, lead to the local extinction of many animal species including the hippopotamus.The destruction of Bui National Park has gone almost unremarked. This site aims to provide a record of Bui National Park prior to its innundation
Conducting bat surveys isn't easy. Bats hate scientists and are very
good at avoiding them. Identifying the bats has often required
microscopic examinations of skull morphology and other characteristics.
So first you had to catch the bat, and then you had to kill it. No
wonder nobody wanted to study them!
We've tried to change this
by producing a fieldguide that will allow you to identify free flying
bats with an ultrasound detector.
Savannah monitor lizards are one of the most abused animals in the reptile pet trade. Toted as an easy to care for species it is actually a highly specialised animal that takes a long time to die in unsuitable conditions. Thousands are imported from Africa each year, almost none are bred in captivity and they are one of the most common lizard species encountered by animal rescue organisations. Demand for the animals has been fuelled by a series of books and articles that have completely ignored the animals' specialised ecology and given the wholly incorrect impression that the animals are "easy to keep", "ideal for beginners" "will eat almost anything" etc. These publications are sold almost exclusively in pet shops simply to increase sales, and with utter disregard for the welfare of the animals.
Practical Conservation for Neglected Species
We work with endangered and neglected people, wildlife and habitats, finding practical solutions to serious problems.
Mitchell's monitor is a small arboreal goanna found along the waterways of northern Western Australia and Northern Territory. Its long compressed tail led Mertens (1958) to place the species in the subgenus Varanus along with other large Australian goannas, but more recent studies suggest that this is a dwarf monitor of the Odatria subgenus...
Varanus bitatawa is the third species of monitor lizard to be
recognised by science that belongs to the "Putras Biawak" group, all of
which are of at least as great a conservation concern as the Komodo
dragon, but receive virtually none of the attention. Putras Biawak occur
only in lowland dipterocarp forest. The first species (Varanus
olivaceus or Butaan) was discovered in 1845 and not seen alive by a
scientist until the late 1970s. The next species (Varanus mabitang or
Mabitang) was discovered in 2001 and in 2010 Varanus bitatawa (Butikaw
or Bitatawa) was described. Other species of frugivorous monitor lizards
may remain undescribed, but many may have gone extinct without ever
having been recognised.
We work with endangered and neglected people, wildlife and habitats, finding practical solutions to serious problems. Our projects are selected according to their conservation priority, potential for community-based action and lack of charisma. There are no pandas or elephants here! We concentrate on unpopular creatures living in places where life is difficult for everyone and conservation can never become an issue until peoples' basic rights and requirements are fulfilled. Winning many prestigious conservation awards and gaining a reputation for dedication, perseverance and a dogged determination to speak the truth, Mampam Conservation philosophy can be summarized simply: "If we don't do it, nobody else will!"
The mampam website has been running for 16 years and aims to provide full details of projects at no charge. All out of print books and multimedia guides are provided here and full image archives are being developed for each project. This will complete the website's mission.
The Western Ghats are a chain of mountains running from
Bombay to the southern tip of India. They are home to some of the most
diverse frog communities on Earth. Over 90% of the species there are
found nowhere else, and there is evidence that individual hilltops
harbour unique species. We produced a multimedia guide to the amphibians of Coorg that includes advertisment calls and details of larval stages.
Since 1999 the Butaan Project has been studying the rare, endangered, and unique fruit-eating monitor lizards of the Philippines. Butaan is just one of several races of frugivorous monitor lizards in the Philippines ("Putras Biawak"), all of which are of at least as great a conservation concern as the Komodo dragon, but receive virtually none of the attention. Putras Biawak occur only in lowland dipterocarp forest. The first species (Butaan) was discovered in 1845 and not seen alive by a scientist until the late 1970s. The next species (Mabitang) was discovered in 2001. Other species remain undescribed, and some may have gone extinct without ever having been recognised.
According to many authoritative atlases and maps, Bui National Park
is already underwater! But the dam first planned in the 1920s was not started until August 24th 2007.
Conducting bat surveys isn't easy. Bats hate scientists and are very
good at avoiding them. Identifying the bats has often required
microscopic examinations of skull morphology and other characteristics.
So first you had to catch the bat, and then you had to kill it. No
wonder nobody wanted to study them!
Savannah monitor lizards are one of the most abused animals in the reptile pet trade. Toted as an easy to care for species it is actually a highly specialised animal that takes a long time to die in unsuitable conditions. Thousands are imported from Africa each year, almost none are bred in captivity and they are one of the most common lizard species encountered by animal rescue organisations. Demand for the animals has been fuelled by a series of books and articles that have completely ignored the animals' specialised ecology and given the wholly incorrect impression that the animals are "easy to keep", "ideal for beginners" "will eat almost anything" etc. These publications are sold almost exclusively in pet shops simply to increase sales, and with utter disregard for the welfare of the animals.
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