Tracking BuBu is a compilation of Catja Orford’s journal entries and emails written over a 15 month period from Mikongo Conservation Camp, Lopé National Park, Gabon. BuBu means gorilla in BaKa - the language spoken by the BaKa people (pygmies) of central Africa. And tracking BuBu was the objective of the researchers at Mikongo. She rarely saw the elusive gorilla – and most days were spent sweating whilst exploring the exciting forest or just running away from the megafauna…the “mega” being the bad tempered forest elephant, Jonathan.  

Through her hilarious and deeply personal emails Catja reconstructs daily life in the central African jungle. Not only a guide to all young women on how to explore the jungle yet always remain a lady but also sure to be one of the best adventure narratives of the year.

“Rosie, Louise and I have come to realise that the terms ‘Habituation’ and ‘Tourism Coordinator’ have actually very little to do with tourists and gorillas as previously assumed. In reality, it’s more complex than that; famine management, witchcraft integration into daily life, evacuations, stealing carcasses from leopards, squirrel homicide investigations, dealing with Pygmies’ blond-fetishes and dates with corrupt politicians are probably more accurate descriptions of our ‘ terms of reference’. And more recently the addition of hostage management and negotiations - I never knew this side of bunny-hugging existed, but there you are!’

Catja Orford was born in Johannesburg and grew up in Botswana. After her fairly appalling matric results in languages and science, she decided to pursue a career in Nature Conservation as she mistakenly believed she would not require those subjects. The course, at Cape Technikon, opened the door to research and other things in the Okavango Delta and Gabon. Catja’s academic and literary expertises have not improved, but her determination to be described as intellectual has led to the completion of her MSc in Conservation at the University of Kent as well as ‘Tracking BuBu’. After all these remarkable achievements, Catja has lost all ambition and now works as a nanny in Kenya.

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