January to March 2015 - East African Wild Life Society

Transcription

JANUARY - MARCH 2015
T h e
V o i c e
o f
C o n s e r v a t i o n
i n
E a s t
A f r i c a
CHEATING
THE CHEETAH
BETTER VIEWER
MANNERS REQUIRED
ARABUKO
SOKOKE
KENYA’S FAMED
FOREST GETS
REPRIEVE
The East African region is well known
for the richness and beauty of its
biodiversity. It has been this that
has made the region a favourite
destination for millions of visitors. But
this precious inheritance is under real
pressure from unplanned development,
mismanagement, corruption, population
growth and a lack of understanding
that good economic growth depends
on maintaining a healthy environment
in all its attributes as the platform for
development.
1. Become a member
2. Make a donation
3. Leave a legacy in your will
The East African Wild Life Society
is home grown. We are part of East
African Society culture and future.
We care deeply, in line with Kenya’s
Constitution, which states that everyone
has the right to a healthy environment
now and for generations to come.
That future demands that we keep our
biodiversity intact. Therefore the Society
has advocacy as a major instrument
in addressing the threats we face and
we don’t flinch in facing up to that
responsibility. But the more support we
get, the stronger our voice becomes.
2. For a donation, we have now made
it possible for you to enjoy tax relief
if you live in the USA or UK.
Please therefore help EAWLS by
supporting us. This can be done in three
ways.
1. If you are interested in becoming a
member, then this can be done quite
easily online by visiting our website:
www.eawildlife.org; selecting the
click here for more information
under the Subscribe or Renew
Membership title on the home
page, and following the procedures
requested.
• For USA, we have a formal
partnership with Lewa USA,
who enjoy 501(c)(3) tax relief
entitlement for donations and
legacies. The donations have
to be made out to Lewa USA
but it is easy to indicate that
the donation is committed to
EAWLS through the Lewa Wildlife
programme. The donation can
be made by visiting www.lewa.
org or if you would like to make
the donation by cheque, please
make it out to Lewa Wildlife
Conservancy and mail it to 38
Miller Ave, Mill Valley, CA 94941
with EAWLS noted on the memo
line. Credit card donations can
be made by calling Lewa USA’s
Executive Director, Ginger
Thomson at 415.627.8187.
• For UK, we have now registered
East African Wild Life Society
(UK) as a UK Registered Charity
(Charity No. 1153041). Donations
would be entitled to tax relief.
EAWLS (UK) has a dedicated bank
account and the details can be
provided by contacting Nigel
Hunter at:
[email protected] if
you are interested in making a
bank transfer. If you wish to use
the cheque option, then these
should be made out to East
African Wild Life Society (UK)
and sent to Mrs Emma Stewart,
Townend of Grange, Dunlop,
Kilmarnock, KA3 4EG
3. If considering a legacy, then please
contact Nigel Hunter, who can make
useful information available to you.
26
Frontlines
5
16
18
20
22
Editor's Letter
Chairman's Letter
Director's Letter
EAWLS News
News Roundup
Conservation
26 Shillings or Sense? Time to
strike the balance in the Mara
Jonathan and Angela Scott plea
for a sensible approach to the
development of Kenya’s national
treasure.
32 Mara Elephant Project
Not just the Animals
Colin Church briefs us on how a
project that focuses on protecting
the elephant is benefiting to all.
2 SWARA JANUARY - MARCH 2015
39 Losers or Survivors. The Mara's
Cheetah adapt to survive
Elena Chelysheva has spent
decades studying cheetah and
shares some of her insighs and her
fears for this species.
44 Q/A With Jake Grieves-Cook
Gamewatchers CEO
Andy Hill talks to the man behind
the lauded Porini concept of lowimpact, low-density Mara tourism
and draws out lessons for Kenyan
tourism in general.
48 Community Conservancies in
Kenya come of Age
Sophie Harrison launches a
regular Northern Rangelands Trust
column with a look at what NRT
does and how it changes habitat
and lives.
Spotlight
51 Reprieve for Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, but for how long?
EAWLS writers analyse the
implications of a decision by
CAMAC to stop oil exploration
in a key piece of coastal forest
enterprises.
55 International Coastal Cleanup
East Africa Results
Steve Trott gives us the league table
of the region’s cleanest beaches and
pleas for us to keep beaches tidy.
58 Amboseli Game Camp goes
with the solar glow
Rupert Watson goes to a camp lit
by solar power in an interesting
hook-up between provider and
consumer.
39
55
60 Maasai Olympics. From
Lion killing to Athletics
Colin Church let's us watch Maasai
test their bravery with sporting kills
rather than lion kills in this exciting
and now regular Maasai Olympic
event.
63 George Adamson roars from
the grave, 25 years later
Paul Udoto of KWS hails the
relaunch of Kora camp, made
famous by George Adamson and
Elsa.
On Safari
66 Segera Retreat. Where Luxury
and Philosophy Meet
Andy Hill basks in luxury at a new
resort blending conservation, art
and communities.
60
74
Conservation
Characters
70 From a prospective pastoralist to
a convinced conservationist
Felix Patton talks to a man who was
brought up thinking wildlife was a
hunting opportunity and a nuisance,
but is now working in Ugandan
conservation.
Portfolio
74 The Hyena hind leg tackle
Munir Virani captures in full tooth
and claw colour how a hyena takes
down a wildebeest.
Book Review
A Field Guide to the larger
mammals of Tanzania
By Charles Foley, Lara Foley,
Alex Lobora, Daniela De Luca,
MaurusMsuha, Tim Davenport &
Sarah Durant
An App for East African
bird watchers
By Terry Stevenson and John
Fanshawe with Brian Finch
Rear Window
79 A Tale of a tusk with
a happy ending
Giovanna Girardello shares an
elephant story with a happy ending,
for once.
77 Culture Clash
By Rupert Watson
SWARA JANAURY - MARCH 2015 3
JANAURY- MARCH - VOLUME 39, NUMBER 1
The Impala is the symbol of the East African Wild Life Society
SWARA is the Swahili word for Antelope
Patrons
The President of Kenya
The President of Tanzania
The President of Uganda
Chairman
Mr. Joseph Gilbert Kibe
Editor
Andy Hill
Editorial Board
Nigel Hunter
Michael Gachanja
Esmond Martin
William Pike
Patricia Kameri-Mbote
Munir Virani
Lucy Waruingi
Design & Layout
George Okello
Circulation and Subscriptions
Rose Chemweno
Advertising / Sales
Gideon Bett
Copyright © 2015
SWARA is a quarterly magazine owned and published by the East
African Wild Life Society, a non-profit making organisation formed in
1961. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means
whatsoever without the written consent of the editor. Opinions
expressed by contributors are not necessarily the official view of the
Society. SWARA accepts the information given by
contributors as correct.
African Journal of Ecology
The African Journal of Ecology is Published by Wiley – Blackwell in association with
East African Wild Life Society. Purchase a copy of this
Journal at Wiley Online Library:
http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/aje.
SWARA appreciates the continued support it receives from
Fauna & Flora International
Vice-Chairmen
Mr. Philip Coulson
Mr. Tom Ferrandes
Capt. John E. Otekat
HON. Treasurer
Michael Kidula Mbaya
Executive Director
Michael Gachanja
Trustees
Frederick IB Kayanja
Albert Mongi
Adalja Mahendra Krishnalal
William Ronkorua Ole Ntimama
George Kamau Muhoho
Mahmud Jan Mohamed
Members Of Council
Hon. Wilbur Otichilo
Ms. Cissy Walker
Dr. Esmond Bradley Martin
Dr. Margaret Karembu
Mr. Mike Watson
EAWLS Mission
To advocate and collaborate on the safeguarding and sustainable
management of East Africa's natural resources
SWARA Offices
C/O EAWLS Head Office
P O Box 20110 – 00200, Riara Road, Kilimani, Nairobi
Tel: + 254-20-3874145 Fax: +254-20-3870335
[email protected]
Letters to the Editor:
[email protected]
EAWLS WORLDWIDE REPRESENTATIVES
Netherlands
Stichting EAWLS
Ridderhoflaan 37
2396 C J Koudekerk A/D RIJN
USA
Mr & Mrs Harry Ewell
Financial Representatives
200 Lyell Avenue Spencerport
NY 14559-1839
SWITZERLAND
Therese & Bernhard Sorgen
Erlenweg 30 8302 Kloten
USA
Grant & Barbara Winther
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FINLAND, sweden, norway
Roseanna Avento
[email protected]
+358405355405
Would you take your coffee and croissant into the National Museum?
W
ould you take your croissant
and cappuccino into the
Louvre museum? Or vault
the guardrail in front of the Mona Lisa
to get a feel of the texture of ancient oil
paint? Would you eat crisps, or smoke,
in a Church, or double park outside a
hospital emergency entrance to pop
over to the newsagent? Of course not,
you say. That would be unacceptable
behaviour completely out of keeping
with the importance of the place.
So why do we accept unacceptable
behaviour in our Parks and
Conservancies, which display ancient
treasure we should not touch, have a
certain sanctity and contain, in very
many cases, species on the verge of the
wildlife equivalent of the Accident and
Emergency wing – the endangered or
extinction list?
Is it because widespread
understanding of the uniqueness of such
places is not ingrained into our social
mores? Is it a sign of human disrespect
for the environment, the self-same
arrogance that causes conservationists
so much grief and the media so much
doomsday ink?
Jonathan Scott, Elena Chelysheva and
Jake Grieves-Cook all plea for a more
enlightened and respected approach
to viewing wildlife in the Conservation
section of this issue of SWARA, which
is devoted to the Maasai Mara. It’s
not just the phalanx of 4WDs perched
on the riverbank for the wildebeeste
migration, looking for all the world like
the starting line for some crazy rally. It’s
the thoughtless nudging up towards a
cheetah at rest. It’s allowing a cheetah
to sit on a vehicles’ roof in blissful
ignorance of the fact that the beast is
probably leaving a “marking” message
there by mistake – and that it will get
lost in the post the moment the car
moves off. And it’s the sheer lunacy of
going off road when it is not permitted,
or getting out of a vehicle to get even
closer to that beast for the prize shot.
Aircraft flying into Kenya all have
laminated safety advice for their
passengers. Isn’t it time there was a
similar document detailing the most
sensitive and respectful way to view
what is left of our natural heritage?
Andy Hill
Editor
Want to comment on
any article? Write to:
[email protected]
CORPORATE DONORS
AF R IC
AN EXPERTS SINCE
Mr & Mrs.T Don Hibner
Prem B Sharma
MICHEL CLAUDE ZOGHZOGHI
Offers 10% discount to East
African Wild Life Society members,
only in East Africa
Discounts not valid over Christmas,
Easter and Public Holidays or when
special offers are given.
To advertise in SWARA
Bookings can be made through:
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call Gideon on:
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African Wild Life Society members
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Easter, and Public Holidays.
Bookings can be made through
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Bookings can be made through
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Easter, and Public Holidays. This is
applicable only if booked directly.
[email protected]
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Offers 10% discount on Porini
Camps and Nairobi Tented Camp
to East African Wild Life Society
members
Easter, and Public Holidays or when
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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[email protected]
www.porini.com
Join East African Wild Life Membership Individual
and Family Categories at Significant Discounts Today!
You will get to enjoy:
• Our quarterly E-SWARA magazine
• Up to 15% discounts on hotel offers as advertised on
our SWARA magazines
• Access all old copies of our SWARA magazine online
• Opportunity to participate in our conservation
activities
For more info on these offers contact:
[email protected]
Among other benefits!
Come join hands with us, playing your important part in
saving our wildlife and environment. By supporting the
EAWLS, you will be joining the battle to safeguard our
environment and Wildlife, for both this generation and the
future.
The discounted offer will run from April 2014 to March 2015
and applies only to Individual (Donor and Regular) and
Family membership categories. EAWLS reserves the right to
discontinue this offer.
Every time you recruit a new member, you help strengthen
EAWLS. A vital and growing membership means greater
recognition of our conservation efforts through your
membership and the advancement of our goals towards
protecting the environment for our future generations. And,
referring members has added benefits for you!
Recruit a member and have them enjoy our quarterly
SWARA magazine, newsletter articles, participation in our
annual conservation activities while you get an opportunity
to win a prize with every new member you recruit. So
get started today and stand a chance of winning but also
helping conserve the world you live in.
The Refer Member campaign runs from April 1, 2014 to
March 31, 2015. Awards will be announced on a quarterly
basis through our SWARA Magazine and newsletters
throughout the campaign period with the grand winners
being announced at the close of the campaign in April 2015.
This has been made possible with
the support of our partners below.
MAIN SPONSOR
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Elgon National Park and Surrounds
Dear Editor,
I have recently returned from a sevenday walk through the wonderful forests
of Mt Elgon.
Many of the Elgon caves which were
once visited by elephants and other
animals for salt are now off limits as
they are used for educational purposes.
A well intentioned idea which has
destroyed the reason the caves were
famous and driven the wildlife away.
I have visited most of the caves on
Mt Elgon. For generations in the past
elephants have used the salt in the
caves. I fear this phenomenon will no
longer be seen.
On previous occasions when I have
walked through the forest I have
followed game tracks. However these
are now overgrown and there was very
little sign of any animals in the National
Park. In the 1970s and 1980s the Elgon
National Park was home to 2000
elephant. There are now less than 100
left. Many elephant were killed for ivory
or bush meat during the 1980s and
the remaining elephant tend to avoid
the park, living further south, where,
presumably, they are safer. There is
a similar scenario for the previously
numerous buffalo herds.
I found very recent evidence
of poaching, particularly on the
moorlands, including several huts,
well used but not at the time I came
across them. All the paraphernalia
associated with snares and trapping,
skins and racks of drying hides were
there. It appears that the animals are
slaughtered and the meat goes into
Uganda for sale as bush meat.
I feel it is essential that a manned
ranger post be situated on the
moorlands, already accessible by
road. At the moment it is too easy for
poachers coming from Uganda to enter
the park and return with the bush meat.
Dogs are used to bail up the buffalo,
snares for duiker and bushbuck.
Over the last 15 years I have often
had the pleasure of revisiting Mt Elgon,
walking for days at time with a group
of local people who know and love the
area. Fortunately at this time the forest
appears to thrive but I fear the wildlife
of Mt Elgon will be lost. The numbers of
the larger species, elephant, buffalo and
Bush buck are barely sustainable.
To address the issue I strongly suggest
the use of the local people, Elgon
Maasai. The residents of the area have a
deep rooted connection to the forest and
the land. It would be prudent to train
locals to become rangers and custodians
of the park, rather than appoint staff
from other parts of Kenya who do not
know the local languages, families
or traditions. The salaries and wages
would then trickle down into the local
communities, showing the importance
of maintaining the wildlife and keeping
the forests free from poaching.
Yours sincerely
Charles Kerfoot
337 Balmoral Road
JARRAHDALE
Western Australia 6214
Response to Charles
Kerfoot letter to the Editor
Dear Charles,
It is good to hear the concerns
that you have outlined as they
bring out critical issues that we
should be dealing with. As you
mention, there is a need for a
balance in use of the Mt. Elgon
caves to ensure that the original
purpose is maintained while
at the same time enhancing
conservation education about
their importance. Forest tracks
in the forest should also be well
maintained if we are to promote
the tourism potential of this area,
so their neglect is disappointing.
Bush meat is a growing concern
and our worry is that much effort
is being given to poaching of
Ivory and very little effort on this
issue that threatens many more
herbivores inside and outside our
protected areas, and is growing
to alarming proportions. We
applaud previous conservation
work by organisations such
as IUCN in the area but there
seems to have been no follow up
of these efforts. We will pick up
the issues that you raise with the
Kenya Wildlife Service and other
organisations working in the
area, but it may take some time
to get the results we want.
Michael Gachanja
Executive Director
A hut used by poachers inside Mt.Elgon forest.
The following exchange of letters took place between a visiting Dutch couple in Kenya, wildlife
photographer Jonathan Scott and Lucy Karume of the Kenya Tourist Federation. We are publishing it in
slightly edited form, for reasons of length and will keep SWARA readers appraised of any outcome - Editor
Dear Sir,
This is a message from the Netherlands.
We always watch your programs with
great pleasure.
For many years we come to Africa. We
have visited many countries in Africa.
We love the nature and its people. Like
we say: we live in Europe, but our heart
is in Africa. The last years we visited
Kenya. This year especially to see the
crossing of the wildebeests. And we
really did see them cross!
But what we also experienced were
frequent flying helicopters with tourists
to follow the crossing. Every half hour
they flew over. We think it is very
worrying and disturbing them and
nature and should be stopped.
We have no connections concerning
wildlife conservation and thought you
might be able to pass this message or
use your influence.
Asante sana, kind regards,
Riekje Keijzer
Ronald and Jannie Lanting
Dear Sir,
I refer to the two letters in the last two
SWARA issues by Dr. Mordecai Ogada
on the subject of "The Next Generation
of Conservationists' Talk", and the
mention of "lineages shared by the
individuals covered in the article".
I think that Dr. Ogada is
overcomplicating matters and these
lineages are merely in the majority of
cases, the new generations taking over
the family business!
During my many visits to Kenya, I
found it curious that the conservation
industry was run predominantly by
white expatriates or their children or
grandchildren. It occurred to me that
most of these families were originally
involved in hunting activities and
in those days, it was they who were
benefitting from the ivory, rhino tusk
Dear Riekje
Thank you very much for your kind
comments.
We are forwarding this to our friends
in Narok County and the Tourism
Industry for their comment.
Your email highlights one of our own
concerns - PARTICULAR WITH
REGARD TO DISTURBANCE AT
RIVER CROSSINGS - as outlined in
a recent article we wrote for the East
African Wild Life Society magazine
SWARA due for publication in January
2015.
We are all hoping that the recent
Stakeholders Meeting on the Maasai
Mara hosted in Nairobi by the Governor
of Narok County the Honorable Samson
Ole Tunai will bare fruit. I came away
from that meeting with the belief that
there was a real commitment on the
part of both the Public and the Private
sector to address the urgent need for a
revised Management Plan for the Mara
and the implementation of professional
management for the whole Reserve
of the kind currently in operation in
the Mara Triangle to the west of the
Mara River, administered by the Mara
Conservancy.
With the Masai Mara National
Reserve being of such great importance
to Kenya and the world as one of
our planet’s most important wildlife
sanctuaries it is imperative that it is
treated with the respect it so richly
deserves. If that happens it will continue
to bear fruit for future generations
to enjoy - and create revenue and
employment on a sustainable basis.
and cat skin exports. In fact if these
individuals had not been so efficient as
hunters and shot off so much wildlife,
there might be more around today .
Once hunting was banned and then
subsequently the live capture of wild
animals to supply zoos and safari parks
around the world was also banned,
what was left, why the conservation
industry. A smart career move, and a
very worthwhile way of sustaining the
privileged life style, that they had grown
accustomed to.
In my retirement, I have worked
for 26 years, all over the world as
a volunteer , on many different
conservation projects and in certain
instances have funded the projects, if
I considered them "genuine". I paid
my own air fares, food and living costs.
The reason for doing this was firstly to
satisfy an enormous interest in seeing
animals worldwide in their natural
habitats before they disappear or I
die, and secondly to find some worthy
wildlife charities to which I could
bequeath my personal fortune.
During these 26 years, I found three
charities that were really doing sterling
work for conservation. The rest were
money making operations for the
individuals or families involved, and
the product or profit centre was usually
the conservation of some specific
species, with the added kudos of fame
by association, very sad. I have not
completely given up hope however, as
my search continues.
Kind regards
Jonathan Scott
Jonathan
I am a board director of Kenya Civil
Aviation. I have not come across any
helicopter application. I will take it up
with the Director General, and update
accordingly.
Lucy Karume
MBA, Chairperson, Kenya Tourism Federation,
Chairperson, Tourism Recovery Task Force.
Yours faithfully
Peter Thomas
Response to Peter Thomas
letter on Mordecai’s opinion
CORPORATE MEMBERS
A: Abercrombie & Kent Ltd; Africa
limited; Kilima camp L: Laikipia Wild
Dear Peter,
There are three issues that
Society would like to respond to
from this letter. First, changes
have taken place in the last 50
years in the way conservation has
been handled. This can best be
reflected by the very real growth
in community involvement in
community conservancies and
the emergence of NGOs such as
the Kenya Wildlife Conservancy
Association which give a growing
voice to the people of Kenya on
wildlife conservation issues.
This change is embedded in the
recent Wildlife Conservation and
Management Act. Secondly, yes
family interest in conservation
has promoted lineages, but
this has led to a continuation
of wildlife landscapes that we
might not otherwise still have,
particularly as our wildlife areas
are coming under increasing
threat from agricultural
encroachment, unplanned
settlements, land grabbing
and bush meat poaching in
particular. But it is also true
that these lineages are becoming
less dominant as many new
conservation faces are emerging.
Lastly we do need to be
concerned about money making
conservation organisations,
particularly where a significant
percentage of the money raised
never reaches conservation
as noted by Peter, but we also
need to be concerned that NGO
funding is not squashed by
Government legislation that
wants to restrict the NGO voice,
because it speaks out against bad
Government decision making
linked to vested interests.
Safari Specialists; Africa Journeys
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Management (TZ); Muthaiga Country
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Arms); Bonfire Adventures; Bushtops
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R: Robin Hurt Safaris (K) Ltd; S: Satao
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Camp; Safaris Unlimited (A) Ltd; Safari
the Mau Watershed (FOMAWA) G:
Big 5 tz; Solio Ranch Ltd; Sopa Lodges
Gamewatchers Safaris; Peak East Africa
Kenya; Sopa Lodges (TZ); Selective
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Southern Cross Safaris Ltd; Sosian
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School; Southern Sun Mayfair Nairobi;
Collection; Highlands Mineral Water
Strathmore Law sCHOOL; T:Tamimi
Co Ltd; Highlight Travel Ltd; Hospitality
Kenya; Tamarind Management;
Management Services; I: Ideal Tours
TANAPA (TZ); Tanganyika Wilderness
and Travel; J: Jade Sea Journeys, James
Camps Ltd; (TZ);The Safari &
Finlay (Kenya) Ltd; Jascruisers ltd; Juja
Conservation Comapny; The Star; Tawi
Praparatory School; Jostein Nordstrom;
Lodge; Twiga Car Hire & Tours Ltd;
K: Kenya Association of Tour
U: Unilever Tea Kenya Ltd; V: Vintage
Operators; Kenya Wild Life Service
Africa Ltd; W: Wetlands International;
Institute; Kenya Wild Life Service;
Wilderness Lodges; Wild Life Safari
Kenya Comfort Hotel/Hotel Suites;
Kenya; Williamson Tea (K) Ltd; WWF
Michael Gachanja,
Executive Director
Ketas Safaris; Ker & Downey Safaris
Eastern Africa; Wilderbeest Travels Ltd;
Ltd; Kensington Tours Ltd; Kibo Slopes
X: Xcellent Wild Life Paradise –
Safaris Ltd; Kicheche Mara Camp; KAPS
Holiday & Safaris
Congratulations to the following
3rd quarter winners of our
Membership recruitment campaign.
Angie & Jonathan Scott
Phillip Coulson
Kuki Gallman
P. J. Hime
Andy Hill
To redeem your prizes please contact Rose on:
Tel: +254 20 3874145 / 3871253
Mobile: + 254 722 202 473 / 734 600 632
email: [email protected]
CHAIRMAN'S letter
I
t is now six years since I was
elected chairman of East Africa
Wild Life Society. I took over
from a renowned surgeon and wildlife
campaigner, who had managed to
steer the Society from a precarious
financial position into a financially
vibrant organization. Let it be on
record that Imre Loefler carefully
managed his succession under difficult
circumstances. The events that led to
me being elected as chairman of the
Society went smoothly and I wish to
thank all members who were party to
that decision.
During my time as chairman, I have
tried to improve on Society’s functions
over and above the standards set
during Imre Loefler’s chairmanship.
In particular, I have ensured fiscal
prudence and accountability in Society
operations. During my chairmanship,
the Society has moved out of high
budget deficits into financial stability as
captured in successive audit reports.
The Imre Loefler talks convened
jointly with Karen Club and Muthaiga
Club have been well attended and
have given the Society good publicity.
However, we have not succeeded in
reconvening the previous monthly talks.
This remains an important issue for
intervention by the new Council.
SWARA remains the Society’s key
channel for reaching our stakeholders
and making greater impact. SWARA
editions have been published on
timely basis and have reached more
readers worldwide. Many members
have attested that the quality of this
publication has improved significantly
this year. I wish to convey special
compliments to the Editor and his staff
for their efforts.
Our programmes and projects
have registered steady growth and
increased impact. The Kenya Forests
Working Group has continued to play
commendable roles in networking
NGOs and civil society for information
sharing and mobilizing actions
against forest excisions. Let me take
this opportunity to offer thanks to
the various donors to the Society’s
programmes and projects.
In the arena of public policy
intervention, the Society has made
valuable contributions, particularly
in the recent formulation of the new
Wildlife Act in Kenya. Some members
have contributed articles in the print
media to influence policy. I congratulate
you on this score and encourage you to
keep it up.
Good governance principles call for
frequent and orderly change of guard
in organizations. I have also reached
the age retiring from active public
engagements. For example, I have opted
to gradually change my residence from
the capital city, Nairobi, to become a
gentleman farmer elsewhere. It is in
this background that I have proposed
to the Council to find a replacement for
the position of chairman of the Society.
I have advanced this proposal in good
time and I am confident that, at the
Society Annual General Meeting on
December 4th 2014, the Society elected
a new chairman to whom I now pass
on the baton. The new chairman (Joe
Kibe) has served as Vice-chairman of
the Society and I have full confidence
that the Society will prosper under his
leadership. It has been a great honor
for me to serve as chairman and I wish
to thank members for the support
you have given to society activities
in various ways. I wish to express
special thanks to Council members and
Headquarter staff who have worked
hard to sustain society activities over
the period.
Finally, I wish to take this opportunity
to commend the successive Executive
Directors (Ali Kaka, Nigel Hunter
and Michael Gachanja) for excellent
stewardship of Society activities over
my chairmanship.
Please receive my best wishes for the
year 2015.
Fredrick Owino
Chairman
EAWLS would like to welcome the following Members:
Kenya Regular
Heath Brand
Barkatch Mukholi Cliff
Monica Azimi
Stephen Ruken
William h Quick
Barbara Hughes
Laurie Frydman
Grace Mogere
Janine Milne
Patrick Kivondo
Louise Barnes
James Ogumbo Omitto
Dr Derick Chibeu
Mary Ann Burris
Nicholas Cahill
Mr & Mrs S Curtis
Mr & Mrs P N Crowder
Kim Montgomery
Helen Gibbons
Thomas George
Tara Manji
Bianca Noarbartolo Di Sciara
Joseph Vaughan
Ramani R Venrat
Gerald Kihara Muchiri
Liz Mwambui
Lucy Mureu
Raymond Cheruiyot Langat
Ben Allen
Kenya - Family
Louise Wood
Mr and Mrs. Davey Luke
USA - Regular
Liana Mirea
John Harris
Annie Widger
Lori Northrup
Alice Bares
Charles Chester
Ron Magill
Sweden - Family
Pierre Dessemontet
Australia - Regular
James Allan
Mauritius - Regular
Elizabeth Muir
UK – Regular
Mr & Mrs K Nosedale
Mr P N Paul
Andrew John Jenner
Wayne Hammond
Kenya - Corporate Regular
Strathmore Law School
Panda Development Co. Ltd
Lebanon
Corporate Donor
Michel Claude Zoghzoghi
Finland Regular
Kristina Talsa
Australia
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director's letter
East African developments pushing ahead
without respect for the law
I
mportant development projects
that have a direct impact on our
people, environment and natural
resources are being initiated without
stakeholder participation and/or
ignoring laid down legal procedures.
Today, protected areas in the East
African region seem to be no longer
protected in the sense that any new
development can be undertaken without
regard for the legal requirements
of the Constitution and laws such
as Environment Management and
Coordination Act (EMCA).
In certain cases, where the EMCA is
followed and an Environment Impact
Assessment (EIA) is carried out, the
EIA is approved regardless of quality
and content. The stopping of the
construction of the 4-km road inside
Nairobi National Park by the National
Environment Tribunal last year is a
result of this practice.
This alarming disregard does not stop
with the Nairobi Park. Here are some
other examples.
A few months ago, a high voltage
line cutting across the Witu Forest in
Kenya’s Coast was started. The line cuts
through some of the most impressive
sections of the small forest, which
could easily have been avoided by
going around it. No assessment of the
vegetation along the line was made,
missing the world's only stand of 4
Euphorbia tanaensis and one of the last
mature Cynometra lukei by accident. In
Kibwezi, the Mombasa - Nairobi power
line is passing in between the Chyulu
Hills National Park and the Kibwezi
Forest Reserve (one tightly connected
ecological unit) instead of going
through the sisal plantations north of
the Nairobi – Mombasa road. There
is of course no "in between" as both
protected areas are contiguous. Again
no detailed biodiversity survey was
conducted to inform the EIA.
Another notable example that has
attracted a lot of attention is proposed
oil exploration in the largest stretch of
a protected coastal dry forest reserve
remaining in Eastern Africa, the
Arabuko Sokoke Forest, by CAMAC
Energy (K) Limited (See article on Pg
51). Though an Environmental and
Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)
has been done, no proper structured
consultation with stakeholders
was done and a CAMAC letter to
stakeholders acknowledges this. On
November 21, 2014, the company
stopped its operations in the forest
citing stakeholders concern. No permit
to access the forest had been given by
the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) though
all plans to operate in the forest had
been finalised. We and many other
organisations, notably members of
the Kenya Forests Working Group
(KFWG) and Nature Kenya, have
petitioned the government and will be
following up this issue since stopping
their operations in the reserve for now
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Another notable example that has attracted a lot of
attention is proposed oil exploration in the largest
stretch of a protected coastal dry forest reserve
remaining in Eastern Africa, the Arabuko Sokoke
Forest, by CAMAC Energy (K) Limited.
does not mean that the matter has
died or gone away. Arabuko-Sokoke
is rich in the diversity of its birds,
mammals, plants and butterflies. It
is considered second in Africa, after
the vast Congo forest, in importance
for the conservation of birds. It is this
uniqueness and high biodiversity value
that we seek to protect, not just because
we are NGO conservationists but
because these values are very important
to local communities.
Lastly, there is a need to strengthen
EIA and licensing process in EMCA to
ensure proper mitigation measures are
included in the design of development
projects. Essentially the reform should
have the developer put up the money
for the EIA, but should have no say in
selecting who does the EIA and no say
in influencing the recommendations.
The register of EIA specialists
needs to only include independent
and qualified professionals, with
some independent vetting of the
register. The appraisal of the EIA
should be done by a panel of experts
including people outside the National
Environment Management Authority
(NEMA), the institution mandated
to implement the Environment
Management and Coordination Act.
The public consultation process must
be transparent and consistent. The EIA
licence needs to be done in two parts.
The first licence can give the go ahead
on the design process, but a second
licence must be given based on the
final design, that explicitly provides
mitigation measures.
The role of EMCA and the processes
required, which we believe strongly
should be complied with, is not antidevelopment, but is there to ensure
that development follows good
environmental practice. There should
be no exception to this and Government
Ministries should be setting the
example.
Michael Gachanja
Executive Director
EAWLS NEWS
By Liz Mwambui & Richard Rono
I
t is 2014 Kenya’s Independence Day
(Jamuhuri) on December 12th and
more than 300 people weave their way
through the scenic Gatamaiyu forest in a
walk to create awareness for conservation
of Kenya’s forests. Crisp clean air meets
birdsong and everyone is in a good mood.
Participants try to keep down their voices so
as not to spook the herds of elephants easily
found in this forest. It was difficult to contain
the enthusiasm especially when the group
reached a waterfall.
The walk organized by East African
Wild Life Society (EAWLS) and Kijabe
Environment Volunteers (KENVO), was an
ode to the freedom fighters and the resident
communities whose rich cultural history
protected the forest in the past. Kenya
Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service
personnel with KENVO guides lead the
participants through Gatamaiyu Riverine
forest. The forest, as the participants came
to learn, provided cover and food to the
freedom fighters during Kenya’s struggle
for independence from the British Colonial
Government. The surrounding community
has viewed the forest as sacred and has
protected it over the years. The link between
culture and conservation was the basis for
the inauguration of “Pathway to Freedom”,
to make it an annual conservation walk.
As times changed so did the forest. “A
decade ago, the forest was not as serene as
EAWLS Director, Michael Gachanja, centre, receiving the donation from Peter Njoroge of
Kenya Charity Sweepstake (KCS) while Richard Rono looks on.
it is today – with air so fresh and abundant
wildlife” stated Liz Mwambui, a former
employee of EAWLS under the Kenya
Forests Working Group (KFWG). The last
time she was in the forest, the story was
quite different. Instead of a long leisurely
walk, she had joined a team from KENVO
and the then Forest Department, now Kenya
Forest Service (KFS), to walk grids around
the forest, off the beaten path, on a charcoal
search and destroy mission.
David Kuria, KENVO's team leader,
remembers those days only too well. He
informed the participants that it was difficult
to stomach the wanton destruction of the
forest. So together with KFS, members of
the surrounding communities and KFWG,
he championed the group rid the forest of
illegal activities. Their effort bore fruit as was
evident from the flourishing tree and sounds
from the wild.
The participants had an experience of
a life time as they were entertained with
patriotic songs, storytelling, cultural dances,
and disco music around a bonfire. Traditional
food and drink provided by the local
communities kept everyone literally in high
spirit with renewed sense of commitment to
conserve this important piece of history for
posterity.
The event was generously supported by
the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),
Kenya Charity Sweepstake, Highlands Mineral
Water, PEAK East Africa, the Kenya Wildlife
Conservation Forum, the Kenya Wildlife
Service and the Kenya Forest Service.
EAWLS NEWS
By Jackson Bambo
Kenya Forests Working Group (KFWG)
T
he South Nandi Forest Reserve is the
main stand of remnant indigenous
vegetation that once covered the
North and South Nandi Forests, including
Kakamega Forests, as one block. The
indigenous forest which is 20,200 ha was
gazetted as a Forest Reserve in 1936. The
forest is home to White-spotted Flufftail
(Sarothrura pulchra) and the endangered
Turner’s Eremomela (Eremomela turneri),
Colobus monkey, leopards as well as
numerous species of antelopes, birds
and other vertebrates. The Forest is an
Important Bird Area.
Despite its importance as a Forest and
the constitutional requirement to increase
Kenya’s forest cover, the Government,
through The National Treasury, wishes to
construct a dam project that will comprise a
large-scale water reservoir for water supply,
irrigation, river regulation, flood control
and hydropower production. The 67 m high
and 158m long dam is expected to have a
capacity of 230 million m3, and to produce 50
MW of hydropower giving energy production
of 150 GWh/yr, 33km 132KV transmission
line, 7,251 ha irrigated land (phase 1:3,009
ha) water supply infrastructure to people
in surrounding towns, buildings, roads and
other infrastructure.
The proposed dam will be located at the
confluence of the Kimondi and Sirua river
tributaries which creates the Yala River,
one of the six rivers within the Lake Basin
Region. The Kimondi tributary originates
from the Kingwal swamp north of Kabsabet
while Sirua tributary is from the Nandi Hills.
The Yala River flows for a distance of 212 km
before draining into Lake Victoria through
Yala Swamp. It has a gross catchment of
3262 km2 with an average annual flow of
30m2/sec.
If a recent Call for Expression of Interest
by the National Treasury for the provision
of Transaction Advisory Services for the
development of this dam is ignored, and If
nothing is done to stop the proposed Nandi
Forest Multipurpose Dam Development
inside the forest, it will lead to the clearing
of 1,185 ha of closed canopy rainforest,
including 10 million indigenous trees. The
dam will significantly drain the Yala Swamp,
a wetland of international importance, by
diverting 9% of water from the Yala’s river
to the adjacent Nyando river. In addition the
supposedly diversion of water to the Nyanza
sugar belt will alter local microclimate,
adversely affect farming, and lead to
biodiversity loss and habitat degradation.
The proposed dam threatens wildlife, some
of which are of global conservation concern.
The African Journal of Ecology - A resource for SWARA readers
Among articles in the current issue are:
• Floristic heterogeneity at Ngogo,
Kibale National Park, Uganda and
possible implications for habitat use
by chimpanzees
• Locating elephant corridors
between Saadani National Park
and the Wami-Mbiki Wildlife
Management Area, Tanzani
• The predicament of the African
wild dog, Lycaon pictus, is less
precarious than claimed Feeding
ecology of the Ethiopian wolf in the
Simien Mountains National Park,
Ethiopia
AJE is published in association with
EAWLS. For further details go to:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2028
Or contact:
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Singapore 138 628
Phone: +65 6511 8000
Japanese: +65 6511 8010
NEWS ROUNDUP
Second wild to inspire film
award announced
Richard
Bonham
Nat Geo WILD, in partnership with the Sun
Valley Film Festival and the African Wildlife
Foundation (AWF), announced the second
annual WILD TO INSPIRE filmmaking
competition. The competition will give one
winner the oportunity to travel to Africa
and document wildlife for Nat Geo WILD
viewers. The winner will share their
adventure through a variety of media,
including video diaries, photos, social media
and more, as part of an online companion
to Nat Geo WILD’s signature Sunday night
nature series,Destination Wild.
From Guide to
Guardian-honoured
by Prince William
Richard Bonham received the Prince
William award for Conservation. He told
the star-studded London ceremony how a
visit to China had helped him understand
the cycle of greed that provided people with
“whimsical bracelets behind glass display
cases” and said it was time for governments
that permitted such trade to be held
accountable.
Once a safari guide, Bonham's came to
realize that a successful conservation
strategy in the 21st century must be based
on economics, particularly when humanwildlife conflict diminishes prospects for
families’ prosperity and welfare. He set
Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife
Conservancy and Ol Pejeta one
of the only two properties in
Africa to feature on the First
Green List of honour by the
International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
On November 14, IUCN announced
its first Green List of Protected Areas
in Sydney, Australia. The Green List is
described as "a new and progressive
initiative that encourages and celebrates
the success of protected areas that reach
excellent standards of management."
This list will generally establish the first
global standard for protected natural
and conservation sites.The sites were
evaluated against a set of criteria
up the Big Life Foundation to addresses
the challenge of enabling people and
livestock to live alongside wildlife through
the development of a model based on jobs
and economic incentive schemes. Today,
Big Life employs over 250 local people as
community game scouts, conservation
administrators, water bailiffs, and
schoolteachers. In 2003, in order to prevent
the virtually certain local extinction of lions
and other great predators, Big Life founded
the Predator Compensation Fund, which has
proven so successful that it has since been
expanded to cover one million acres of the
Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem.
including the quality and management of
the natural resources.The IUCN Green
List will define success for protected
areas,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN
Director General. “It is about recognizing
those sites that successfully respond to
the challenges of the 21st century and
contribute to the wellbeing of people and
nature.”
(Lewa, Ol Pejeta press releases)
Karisia Walking Safaris was also among
the laurels at the annual Safari awards.
For a second year in a row it received
the 'Best Walking Safari in Kenya' and
two new and unexpected prizes - third
place in the principal award, 'Best Safari
Experience in Africa' and third place in
'Best Guiding Team in Kenya'. This year's winner, Dan Duran, is preparing
to travel to northern Tanzania, where he
will spend a month documenting the wildlife
and people of the Manyara-Tarangire
ecosystem. Duran will also film wildlife an
AWF conservation projects at Manyara
Ranch, part of a critical wildlife corridor
between Tanzania's Lake Manyara and
Tarangire National Park.
Kenya marks heroes
day for fallen rangers
Kenya Wildlife Service( KWS) held
its sixth annual Conservation Heroes’
Day at its headquarters in Nairobi.
KWS holds the event every year
in honour of its employees who
have lost their lives in the course of
active duty. The Chief Guest at this
year’s event was Chief Justice and
President of the Supreme Court of
Kenya, Dr. Willy Mutunga.
The annual event provides a special
occasion to reflect on the lives of
those who displayed courage and
self-sacrifice in the face of danger
and adversity and to celebrate the
continued commitment by their
remaining colleagues. Most of these
heroes died in combat with armed
bandits, preventing wildlife crimes,
on rescue missions and protecting
people’s lives and property from
damage by wild animals.
NEWS ROUND-UP
African Wildlife Foundation
CEO speaks out at Tanzania
Summit on Wildlife Crime
At a regional summit focused on combating
wildlife crime, African Wildlife Foundation
(AWF) CEO Patrick Bergin called for the
political will to prosecute wildlife crime at
all levels of society, from the poacher to the
corrupt government official. “Many good
things are being done to fight the illegal
wildlife trade, but the sun still shines on the
traffickers. Virtually no one anywhere is
being indicted, prosecuted, convicted and
sentenced,” said Bergin at the two-day
summit.
“In the 1980s, Africa went from having
1.3 million elephants to 600,000. Will the
population have to be halved again for us
to have the political will to prosecute these
crimes?” Bergin added: “Governments and
stakeholders have held many big meetings,
and there has been plenty of agreement
on the need to halt this horrific trade, but
cases are still not being prosecuted enough
in Africa, the United States, Europe or
Asia. When people start receiving punitive
sentences and going to jail, the traffickers
will realize the weather has shifted.”
The first day of the summit kicked off
under a dark cloud after a London-based
NGO released a report accusing Tanzanian
and Chinese officials at nearly every level
of government of colluding in the illegal
ivory trade and directly contributing to the
decimation of Tanzania’s elephants. In the
report, “Vanishing Point: Criminality, Corruption
and the Devastation of Tanzania’s Elephants,”
the Environmental Invesitgation Agency
cites instances of Tanzanian officials, Chinese
diplomats and criminal syndicates working
together to ferry illegal ivory from Tanzania to
China via diplomatic bags and planes.
Luanda – the largest illegal
ivory market in Southern Africa
Research by Esmond Martin and
Lucy Vigne shows that the Angolan
capital, Luanda, has the largest
illegal retail ivory market in southern
Africa. In early 2014 they counted
10,888 recently carved ivory items
without proper documentation – and
thus illegal. Tusks can be obtained
wholesale in Luanda for $150-250
per kg. More than 90% of the worked
ivory on display was in Mercardo
de Atesanato in Benefica on the
southern outskirts of Luanda. Vendors
were from the Democratic Republic
of Congo, Congo and Angola and
buyers were nearly all Chinese.
(Pachyderm magazine)
NEWS ROUND-UP
Don’t buy ivory. ever!
A NEW CAMPAIGN CALLS ON CONSUMERS
WildAid, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF),
Save the Elephants and Animal Planet are
calling on the public to do its part to end the
ivory poaching crisis by taking the Ivory Free
pledge at ivoryfree.org. The new campaign
asks consumers to pledge to never buy,
own or accept ivory as gifts, and to support
stronger government bans and actions to
tackle the illegal ivory trade.
Says African Wildlife Foundation CEO
Patrick Bergin: “It’s about building a critical
mass of support. The more people who sit
up and pay attention to what is happening
to Africa’s elephants; the more people who
champion this cause and demand action
from their governments on this crisis, the
harder it will be to ignore the uproar.”
The Ivory Free partnership has been
launched in conjunction with the premiere
of “Saving Africa’s Giants with Yao Ming”a new program that follows WildAid
ambassador and former NBA star Yao Ming
on a journey to Africa to see its natural
beauty and witness the devastating elephant
WildAid Ambassador and
former NBA star Yao Ming
Tour operators across Africa are reporting
the biggest drop in business in living
memory. A specialist travel agency,
SafariBookings.com, says a survey of 500
operators in September showed a fall in
bookings of between 20% and 70%. Since
then the trend has accelerated, especially
in Botswana, Kenya, South Africa and
Tanzania. Several American and European
agents have stopped offering African
tours for the time being. The reason is the
outbreak of the Ebola virus in west Africa,
which has killed more than 5,000 people.
The epidemic is taking place far from the big
safari destinations in eastern and southern
Africa as far or farther than the homes of
many European tourists. There are more air
links from west Africa to Europe than to the
rest of the continent, whose airlines have in
any case largely suspended flights.Moreover
Ebola is hardly the biggest killer disease in
Africa (AIDS and malaria are bigger). Yet, in
the mind of many visitors, all of Africa is a
single country.
One despairing tour operator calls it an
“epidemic of ignorance”.Directly and
indirectly, tourism accounts for almost 10%
of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP and pays the
salaries of millions of people. The industry
is worth about $170 billion a year. In 2013
more than 36m people visited Africa, a
figure that had been growing by 6% per
year. Now many safari lodges are closer to
extinction than the animals that surround
them.
and rhino poaching crisis. The ivory-free
website and program are part of a larger
ivory demand reduction campaign involving
WildAid, AWF and Save the Elephants,
featuring celebrities in public service
announcements aired throughout China and
other countries.
“We all share this planet with each other
and with these majestic animals. We all
have a responsibility to do something to
save Africa’s elephants. We all have to do
our part. I’m doing mine, and you can do
yours by going to ivoryfree.org and taking
the pledge,” says WildAid Ambassador Yao
Ming. (AWF)
Nine global NGOs call for
ban on mining in World
Heritage sites
The Zoological Society of London
(ZSL) joined forces with eight
other world-leading conservation
organisations (African Wildlife
Foundation, Fauna & Flora
International, Frankfurt Zoological
Society, Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds, The Nature
Conservancy, The WILD Foundation,
Wildlife Conservation Society and
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to
call for urgent action to protect natural
and mixed UNESCO World Heritage
sites from industrial mining, oil and
gas activities. The joint ‘no-go’ and
‘no-impact’ statement was presented
at the IUCN World Parks Congres in
Sydney, Australia.
Despite international recognition as
flagship protected areas, the growing
demand for natural resources has
meant that around a quarter of natural
World Heritage sites are now under
threat from commercial mining. (See
Conservation section, Arabuko-Sokoke
forest story on pg 51) The resulting
environmental impacts may not
only lead to loss of status as a World
Heritage Site but, more importantly,
potentially irreversible habitat and
species loss that will have wideranging repercussions for generations
to come.
NEWS ROUND-UP
AT LEAST 30% of the world's oceans should
be protected as marine parks where fishing
and mining are banned, according to a new
target set at the close of the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature's
(IUCN) World Parks Congress in Sydney.
The sharply increased target was drawn up
by conservationists and is based on more
than 80 scientific studies. Currently just two
per cent of the world's ocean environment is
protected.
Russia, Madagascar and South Africa were
cheered as they pledged vast new areas
for marine conservation. Several countries
promised to establish new land reserves
and extend or consolidate existing protected
areas. China committed to increasing its
"protected area territory" by at least 20
per cent, while the province of Quebec in
Canada announced it would protect 600,000
square kilometres of land to increase
biodiversity.
During the closing session, representatives
of several countries, including Brazil, Gabon,
Among ocean conservation gains
was a pledge by Russia to increase its
marine protected areas by 28 per cent.
The President of Madagascar, Hery
Rajaonarimampianina promised to triple the
marine reserves in his country.
Hundreds of key sites for nature
threatened with destruction
More than 350 of the planet’s most
important sites for nature are threatened
with being lost for ever according to a new
report by BirdLife International.
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs)
are places of international significance for
the conservation of the world’s birds and
other nature, with over 12,000 identified
worldwide. IBAs are the largest and most
comprehensive global network of important
sites for nature conservation. Now, 356
of these – known as ‘IBAs in Danger’ –
have been identified in 122 countries and
territories as being in imminent danger of
being lost. About half of these are legally
protected, which highlights the importance
of improving the management effectiveness
of protected areas.
“‘IBAs in Danger’ provides an essential
focus for governments, development
agencies, the international environmental
and conservation conventions, business
and wider civil society to act to prevent
the further damage or loss of these sites
of international significance”, said Melanie
Heath, BirdLife’s Director of Science, Policy
and Information. “Collectively we must
work together to mitigate these threats,
strengthen the implementation of national
and local laws and policies ensuring
environmental safeguards are implemented
at the earliest stages of development, as
well as enhancing the management of these
sites”. (BirdLife International)
CONSERVATION
Jonathan and Angela Scott
are multi award-winning wildlife
photographers and longtime residents
of Kenya. They are the only couple
to have won, individually, the Wildlife
Photographer of the Year Award. They
write, illustrate, teach and are TV
presenters, most famously known
for the ‘Big Cat Diary’ series for BBC
television. They have also written
numerous bestselling books including
Jonathan’s ‘The Marsh Lions’ (1982)
and their co-authored, Safari Guides to
East Africa. Their book, ‘Stars of Big Cat
Diary’, was published in 2008.
The Marsh Pride which we
have followed since 1977.
CONSERVATION
W
hen I first came to live
in the Maasai Mara in
early 1977, I already
knew what an extraordinary
place it was. In the language of
the Maasai pastoralists who have
roamed this area for the past
two hundred years, Mara means
spotted – the spotted land speckled
with thorn bush and wild animals
for as far as the eye can see.
That is how it looked to me long
before fire and elephants and the
passage of safari vehicles created
a more open environment. Today
it is harder for browsers such as
giraffes and Black rhinos to find
suitable bushes to nourish them
and harder for the big cats to hide
their cubs with less thickets and
dense vegetation. But it is not just
the physical environment that has
changed. Forty years ago there
was only a handful of lodges and
tented camps within the Reserve –
such as the Keekorok and Serena
Lodges and Governors Camp
- with virtually none beyond its
boundaries. Now there are well
in excess of a hundred camps and
lodges servicing the area with some
5,000 beds (some estimates put
it closer to 7000 beds when seasonal
and lesser known camps are included)
creating a nightmare for the authorities.
How do you manage so many vehicles
crisscrossing every inch of the Reserve
while protecting the environment and
its animal inhabitants?
These are not the words of an oldtimer ruing change. They are the
same concerns currently debated
by the Kenya tourism industry and
Narok County administrators – the
same concerns voiced long ago
by conservationists locally and
internationally. That was very clear
when I attended the Maasai Mara
Stakeholder’s Meeting in Nairobi in
September. The meeting was organized
and chaired by the Governor of
Narok County, the Honorable Samuel
Ole Tunai. I wondered if it would
be a question of ‘seen and heard it
all before’? But on this occasion I
came away feeling that change for
the better was possible. I say on this
occasion because in 1977 I was asked
to contribute to a Management Plan
for the Reserve, just one of a number
of plans commissioned at considerable
expense in the interim with very little
progress visible on the ground to show
for the recommendations. We can no
longer argue that we are a ‘young’
Reserve lacking in capacity.
Angie and I are wildlife
photographers, passionate about
the worlds rapidly shrinking
wilderness areas and their wild
inhabitants. When I read recently
that around 14% of the land
surface globally has some form of
protection, it seemed to offer hope
that our battered environment
might find a degree of respite.
This is part illusion. Boundaries
drawn on a map defining the
extent of our national parks, game
sanctuaries and forest reserves
were primarily demarcated and
gazetted many years ago. Since
then human encroachment into
wilderness has become increasingly
visible whether through settlement,
the illegal extraction of timber,
cutting of grass for thatching,
mining for minerals, quarrying
for stone or sand, encroachment
by livestock or killing of wildlife
for profit or sustenance. So
we shouldn’t take that 14% as
sacrosanct. In fact according
to a recent report published
by the World Wide Fund for
Nature, populations of mammals,
CONSERVATION
birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish
have declined around the world on
average by 52% since 1970, while
freshwater populations have fallen
by more than three quarters. Habitat
loss, deforestation, climate change,
overfishing and hunting are at the
heart of these declines. We are told we
can slow the process by purchasing
sustainable products, reducing our
consumption of meat and dairy
products to slow deforestation and by
embracing public transport.
We do much of our photography from
our base at Governor’s Camp in the
Mara, where wild animals of all shapes
and sizes are found in abundance. In the
1970s driving off-road was permitted
– in fact it was often a necessity given
the black cotton soils and shortage of
all-weather tracks. During the rainy
season large parts of the reserve would
disappear under a carpet of long red oat
grass obliterating many of the tracks
and forcing vehicles to carve out new
ones. It wasn’t pretty but there were far
fewer vehicles in those days.
Everything changed for the Mara
when Tanzania closed its border with
Kenya in 1977. Suddenly the Reserve
became far more than an overnight stop
for safari enthusiasts to East Africa who
had already glimpsed the wonders of
the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
in Tanzania. Now Kenya was forced
to rely on its own natural treasures
to lure visitors to the country and the
Mara became the jewel in the crown
of the tourism industry with visitor
numbers soaring from tens of thousands
to hundreds of thousands annually.
Meanwhile the wildebeest population
had already exploded, released from
the annual scourge of rinderpest or
cattle plague, as it is also known.
Rinderpest is a viral disease introduced
to the wild herds by cattle that finally
disappeared in the wake of a veterinary
campaign to vaccinate livestock around
the Mara-Serengeti in the late 1950s.
The population climbed from 200,000
animals to 700,000 in the next 10 years
before stabilizing at around 1.3 million
in the 1980s. This ‘great migration’
as it is known currently numbers 1.5
million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras
and hundreds of thousands of gazelles,
never tarrying too long in their endless
search for grass and water. In contrast
to the unplanned human development
Top: The Authors and Below: Honey's Boys a
coalition of three cheetah brothers.
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that quickly spread like a rash through
the Mara region, the beauty of nature is
that it has built-in checks and balances.
Caught up in the eternal struggle for
survival, predator and prey populations
help to nourish the environment they
depend on rather than depleting it. The
blue print of life is beautifully depicted
in the ebb and flow of species across
this extraordinary land, the wisdom
of nature so clearly pointing us in the
right direction. It is telling us that we
need checks and balances – a workable
Master Plan properly implemented if
the Mara is to prosper.
For those quick to write off the Mara
as beyond salvation, I would caution
that all is not lost. The creation of
Wildlife Conservancies bordering the
Reserve offers visitors a less ‘crowded’
wildlife experience while helping to
Top Right: Masai warriors traditionally
killed male lions as a sign of bravery. This
practice is now discouraged.
Below: Cattle graze illegally in the reserve
on a daily basis - often at night - increases
conflict with predators and should not be
permitted.
make the lease of Maasai-owned land to
tourism stakeholders a financially viable
alternative to pastoralism or agriculture.
And to the west of the Mara River is
the area of the Reserve known as the
Mara Triangle that is run by a private
management company called the Mara
Conservancy. In 2001 the Conservancy
began implementing a professional,
well thought-out plan as to how to
balance the needs of the environment
with the demands of the tourism
industry and those of the local Maasai
community living around the Reserve.
The Conservancy has been a beacon of
hope investing in road maintenance
and track distribution, anti-poaching in
conjunction with our neighbours in the
Serengeti, plus control of tour vehicles
and visitors to ensure that sensitive
species such as big cats are not unduly
disturbed, particularly when breeding
and hunting. Crucially the Conservancy
has helped to promote greater
accountability in revenue collection and
allocated more money to enable the
Triangle to be run properly. Some of the
money passes to the local Maasai, who
share the surrounding dispersal area
with the wild animals and who bear the
costs of living with wildlife through loss
of livestock, human life and damage to
crops. The hope is that Narok County
will follow the Triangle's example and
see fit to employ a credible management
company to run the day-to-day affairs
on the east side of the Mara River, and
in so doing create a new sense of order.
Which brings me back to our role as
photographers. Visitors to the Mara
are eager to document every moment
the wildlife. But that is only possible
of their experience on their mobile
to acknowledge our part in this and
if stringent rules and regulations are
phone or with a traditional camera. As
endeavor to bring about change. Driver
imposed and enforced. Otherwise the
one pundit commented ‘if you didn’t
training is imperative. Knowledgeable
urge to get the shot can diminish the
record the event it was as if you were
licensed guides versed in all elements
moment rather than celebrating it.
never there.’ Capturing a record of one’s
of their trade must become the bedrock
I was inspired and heartened recently
life’s journey seems to be a pleasingly
of our industry and a requirement for
to speak to one of the Maasai driverinnocuous pursuit, yet it can distort the
anyone driving visitors in the Mara.
guides at Governor’s Camp to hear him
way we see and nurture our world. With
It is essential that camps and lodges
talk of how things in the Mara had to
a camera pressed to your face or phone
play their part too by briefing all their
change. He told me he was sickened
stretched out in front of you we stop
guests on etiquette before they go on a
by some of the behavior he witnessed
really ‘seeing’. Instead we see with the
game drive. Currently the pressure on
eye of the camera
the drivers and
rather than
guides to get their
experiencing the
vehicles in to the
In
the
Triangle
you
depart
with
the
feeling
real moment with
best position is
all our senses.
enormous. They
that the wardens are in charge rather than
The benefit of
are forced to
the tourism industry.
recording what
compete at times
we see is that we
with an unruly
can enjoy looking
scrum of safari
around predators and down at the
at our images again and again – share
wagons, engines revving and clouds of
river crossings when vehicles can
them with the world on Facebook,
gray diesel fumes fogging the air as they
number in excess of 100. Lions and
Google Plus and Instagram - a constant
close in on a sighting.
leopards often lie in ambush among
reminder of a fragment of what we
We all know when an animal is
the thickets while giant crocodiles pilot
saw. The majority of the hundreds of
looking anxious or disturbed – when
the length of the river as they sense
thousands of visitors thronging the
the lion or cheetah is hunting or trying
the arrival of the herds. The wildebeest
Reserve are hoping to get up close to the
to move her cubs (sometimes as a direct
and zebras are forced to wander back
animals – particularly the big cats – so
consequence of the relentless pressure
and forth as they try to negotiate one
they can capture the picture trophy of
of vehicles). This is the time to back off
of the most dangerous moments of
what they saw. There is nothing wrong
– not drive closer – and act with dignity
their lives and deal with the stress
with this in essence so long as the
in the presence of these great creatures;
of dozens of vehicles. All of us need
emphasis in on not unduly disturbing
to give them the space and respect
Poaching of Elephants in the Mara has
increased in recent years. Due to illegal
grazing of cattle on the east side of the
river the largest herds are often to be
found in the Mara Triangle.
they need – even if it means forgoing
the shot that we so want to capture.
Remote cameras and drones may have
their place in the photographer’s kit
bag used discreetly, but somewhere as
heavily visited, as the Mara is not the
ideal venue – certainly not unregulated.
In the wrong hands they are incredibly
intrusive and disturbing to wildlife.
In the Triangle a single patrol vehicle
is able to manage a large game viewing
area once all the drivers and guides
become aware of its possible presence.
Word soon gets round if there is a real
sense of commitment on the part of
wardens and rangers to enforce the
rules. ‘When the policeman is in town
don’t go through the red light’ is the
message. But to do this you need good
infrastructure and well maintained
roads and tracks. This is apparent when
you visit the Triangle. Here you can
venture off road to enjoy a significant
sighting – a pride of lions, a cheetah
or rhino for instance - but only five
vehicles may congregate at any one time
and each vehicle is tasked to move on
after 10 minutes so as not to overburden
the animals and to allow others to enjoy
the spectacle. On leaving, each vehicle is
meant to return to the main track by the
same path it entered and continue on its
way. It is surprising how quickly people
Drop in water levels in the Mara river are of great concern. Deforestation in the Mau Forest
is the primary reason for this.
get used to a new way of being. In the
Triangle you depart with the feeling that
the wardens are in charge rather than
the tourism industry.
The time is ripe for us to turn a
significant corner in the history of the
‘spotted land’. For this to happen all of
us must be prepared to make sacrifices,
from the visitors and photographers
to the local Maasai community and
their leaders who hold the future of
the Reserve in their hands. We have a
choice between celebrating the Mara as
an irreplaceable fragment of wilderness
or diminishing it to little more than a
glorified theme park where greed takes
precedence over the wellbeing of its
wild inhabitants. If our leaders and the
tourism industry are true to their word
then it will be the former - and we will
salute them.
CONSERVATION
Colin Church
served as Chairman of the Rhino
Ark Management Committee from
November 2000 to July 2012. In this
time he completed the electrified
fence that now surrounds the entire
Aberdare mountain range then
launched for Rhino Ark the current
major fence construction projects for the Mt Kenya and
Mau Eburru. He has had many years of involvement in
conservation in East Africa including serving as honorary
Chairman of the KWS Board of Trustees in 2003 and 2004.
Elephants in Mara North Conservancy
CONSERVATION
I
t is an historical warp that the
Mara ecosystem - Kenya’s greatest
wildlife experience - has had such
scant attention to ensure its future as a
prime asset to its communities and to
the nation.
The rolling plains and wooded
riverines of this wildlife paradise hold
more than one of nature’s greatest
‘wonders’.
Maasai communities surround its
core protected reserves and it is they
who have the opportunity to secure
long-term income benefits – but
only if dynamic livestock and wildlife
management practices are followed.
For more than 50 years since the
Masai Mara Game Reserve and the
former Mara Triangle portion were
gazetted as state protection zones, but
with local authority management, the
plunder of its seemingly boundless
wildlife revenues has been a blot upon
the nation’s reputation.
There have been many efforts to
address these issues with little success.
The blame game has been prolific.
Some leaders have stubbornly turned
a blind eye to the need to ensure
equitable and transparent revenue
share of tourism access fees and to show
leadership to drive through 21st Century
livestock practices. Both are pivotal to a
complex jigsaw ‘fix’.
Perhaps there is a glimmer of reality
now beginning to peek through. Good
conservation practice for wildlife and
realistic stock policies is not a myopic
wish. It is good for business and spreads
benefits so that all family incomes grow
equitably. Into the melee of blatant
exploitation of the region’s assets, an
embryonic gathering of conservationists
– from within the Maasai Community,
Kenyan society and internationally
– is demonstrating that joined up
participation has a chance to work.
The Mara Elephant Project (MEP)
was begun in 2011 – just one year
after Kenyans voted for a ‘devolution
of power’ Constitution. This people’s
referendum places the onus of regional
It is developing creative ways to show that
conservation practices can provide a fair
shilling earned for all.
Wildlife has flourished off this land
longer than we humans have.
We people of the Mara region are the guardians of
one of the worlds’ greatest spectacles of nature. We
should never forget that wildlife has flourished off this
land longer than we humans have. It is our duty, and
our good fortune, to ensure that the greater Mara
Ecosystem remains our most valued asset for everyone
who lives on the lands bordering the two national
reserves already under our stewardship.
The Mara Elephant Project (MEP) is a joint process
between conservationists and the Masai Community
to build sound management processes that will deliver
long lasting income benefits from both livestock and
wildlife.
Statement by Samuel K. Tunai, Governor Narok County
CONSERVATION
Map of Narok County areas in brown/red/mauve where, with funding, similar security and community outreach is planned.
Each is described in red as "poaching hotspot" .
Game Reserves
Core Conservancy areas under MEP
A Dealer (Mr. Daniel Karanja Muchiri) arrested
in Narok town on the 30th of July 2014 and
charged with illegal possession of 9 pieces
of ivory weighing 84 kilograms (OB Number
92/30/7/14) .
MEP raid response units
revenue management firmly in
the hands of county governments.
Though still embryonic, MEP is
fusing Mara communities and
conservationists in an initiative
that is achieving some impressive
results. It is directly engaging with
communities to tackle poaching. It
is developing creative ways to show
that conservation practices can
provide a fair shilling earned for all.
MEP’s emergence on the scene
was triggered after 13 years of
the well-recorded impact that
privatised management secured for
the ‘Triangle’ sector when introduced
by the former Trans Mara County
Council. The founders of MEP saw the
escalating human/wildlife conflict in the
newly formed conservancies bordering
the two game reserves – Mara and
Triangle - as an opportunity to involve
the communities in tackling human/
elephant conflict.
Whilst elephants (and rhino) are
today’s most threatened wildlife
assets due to unprecedented levels of
poaching, MEP’s actions are targeted
at all human/wildlife conflict – lion
and cheetah killing and the hideous
CONSERVATION
Elephant poacher arrests and deaths 2010- 2014 recorded in MEP reports.
Handing over elephant collar to partner
KWS in Siapei during the translocation of
elephants on September 1st 2012.
bush meat slaughter being amongst the
most high profile. Wildlife is a benefit
but also a curse for those with cattle
and crops if ways are not developed to
protect and compensate for damage
or loss. MEP’s goal is to “protect and
restore the African elephant population
in the Mara/Serengeti ecosystem,
while positively impacting the humanelephant relationship”.
MEP now has four patrol teams, with
many recruited from the Mara region,
all fully trained in tracking and with
endemic understanding of the terrain
and habits of elephant and all wildlife.
They are equipped, uniformed and
under disciplined leadership. They
patrol the core areas in Transmara
(west), Lemek (central) and Ol Donyo
Erinka (east) bordering the Game
Reserves. The Quick Response Unit is
centrally based at the newly acquired
centre near Aitong in the Lemek
Conservancy. This crack ranger unit
monitors elephant data. It responds
fast to animal injury, human-elephant
conflict and elephant killing reports.
MEP works closely with KWS on
all intelligence and poacher search
operations. Each bolsters the other.
MEP’s third sector is a newly formed
intelligence unit that provides up to
the minute information, is adept at
infiltration and with a well proven
record of leads to assist in poacher and
bush meat arrests.
What of the impact on poaching and
human elephant conflict?
The graph above tells the story.
Two years after start up, MEP
partnered with Save the Elephants
(STE) embarking on an elephant
tracking operation with 14 collared
51 Degrees, a professional security
company trains MEP rangers.
CONSERVATION
Left: Elephant carcass, cause of death was
stepping into a charcoal kiln.
Below: Marc Goss MEP Programme Director
(third from right centre and Dr Iain Douglas
Hamilton (fourth centre) of Save the Elephants collaring an elephant in the Masai
Mara Game Reserve.
by the end of last year. The STE
technical input gives hard evidence
of movements into conflict zones and
enables the Rapid Response teams
to take immediate action. Further
mechanisms being planned are for
fixed wing, helicopter and unmanned
monitoring devices. All this provides
hard information but the most
important MEP asset is its ranger patrol
and intelligence units in constant action
on the ground.
MEP’s ability to move swiftly where
there are hard boundaries along
cultivated smallholdings is of great
significance. Modern realities mean
that sections of the Mara ecosystem
will inevitably require methods of
quick response to drive elephants and
ungulates out of crop fields as well.
MEP’s long-term commitment is to
use all means available to reduce and in
some areas eliminate, human/wildlife
conflict. With a funding mechanism in
place, it is MEP’s policy to consider both
fencing and the other techniques in hot
spot areas to keep elephants away from
shambas (plots or gardens)
MEP was pioneered by entrepreneur
Richard Roberts – and with strong
CONSERVATION
financial backing from the US
conservation trust – Escape – whose
driving force is Susan Fehsenfeld – a
frequent visitor to Kenya and committed
global wildlife conservationist.
With a year one start up budget of
$100,000, the immediate impact of
the MEP ranger force has encouraged
a four-fold increase in the budget
to expand operations from the core
zones outward. As communities see
the results, more are requesting MEP
support in their areas. And more funds
will be required.
In addition to Escape’s substantial
underwriting of the operation, it is
the MEP Board’s policy to broaden
fund sources – not only from global
conservation groups but also from
Top Right: MEP teams treating
elephant from spear wounds in Ol
Donyo Erinka area.
Below: MEP Rangers in training.
within Kenyan society. Amongst those
who have added to the usd 400,000
budget by 2013 are Northstar, Care
for the Wild Kenya, Eden Trust, Ree
Wildlife Park. Local participants include
the Mara Conservancy and Cricket on
the Wild.
MEP’s chairman Brian Heath says:
“Good conservation policies must create
revenue sharing to all who are part of
the conservancy outreach in the greater
Mara Region. Every family has to
benefit. This is not a top down process.
MEP actions illustrate that there is a
local opportunity. The big challenge
is for the conservancies to commit to
grazing protocols, consider livestock
upgrade and number reductions so that
CONSERVATION
the land is managed to capacity and not
to over-capacity.”
Board member Richard Roberts
explained: “ It makes good business
practice to ensure all benefit from the
policies. This is not a practice that
works only for the elite.”
The ‘all can benefit process’ is well
illustrated in the Boma Fortification
Project (BFP) where MEP has become
involved to support the pioneering
work of the Anne Kent Taylor Fund and
Eden Trust. Predator protection is good
business practice. Over 325 bomas are
now secured.
In the Mara North Conservancy where
MEP has a presence, experiments
include a trial herd of cattle – each
supplied from individual conservancy
families that is illustrating a quicker
fattening and higher sale value using the
ratio of 1 grazing unit (300kg animal)
to 2 acres. Current unit averages are 3
times that, imposing undue pressure on
the land. Factor in income earned from
wildlife viewing access fees and property
land rents with fewer cattle at a higher
unit value - that is a good business
prospect for the landowner.
What of MEP’s strategy for
the future?
Marc Goss Programme Director
explains: “MEP is a grassroots initiative
with international outreach. MEP
demonstrates that there is a direct
benefit from the protection umbrella.
Crop off take is more secure and full
per acre crop value achieved. Better
livestock security now twinned with
livestock/wildlife grazing protocols and
access/rental fees are together showing
real income value to the individual
owner.”
“The tourist industry is a major
potential partner. Their enthusiasm for
MEP’s umbrella operations is not in
doubt. Now we need the industry – even
in this awful downturn time - to share
the investment in the sustainability of
Top: Elephants attacked by angry farmers
after a crop raid crossing the Mara River. It
was treated by MEP support partners David
Sheldrick Widlife Trust.
Below: Boma Fortification Project provides
predator proof enclosures to over 300
bomas in MEP areas.
wildlife and in community involvement
so that their operations are secured long
term,” Goss adds.
“We know many have their own
special lodge-linked initiatives but
budget support for MEP community
efforts to stop elephant and predator
killing and to the wanton bush snaring
that targets mainly ungulates, is a good
investment”.
Richard Roberts says: “Add
contributions to protection of wildlife
and reduction of human/elephant
conflict by individual lodges and
camps and a stronger basis exists for
negotiating realistic access fees and land
rental charges. The Mara now needs all
to commit to a long-term investment.
Gone are the days of quick bucks
and quick returns for the politically
advantaged”.
MEP is in for the long term. The time
has come when a deep investment in the
precious assets of the unique ecosystem
is good business for all.
CONSERVATION
Elena Chelysheva has spent three decades studying cheetah, especially in the Maasai Mara,
where they are a must-have in the tourists’ photo album. In this article she shares some of her
expert knowledge and, like Jonathan Scott and Jake Grieves-Cook in this section, appeals for
more understanding from their viewers.
A
Elena Chelysheva
is manager and principal
investigator of the Mara-Meru
Cheetah Project. Member of
IUCN Breeding Conservation
Specialist Group, she obtained
her PhD in cheetah Ecology and
behaviour and has spent three
decades studying cheetah in captivity and in the wild,
especially in the Maasai Mara, where they are a
must-have in the tourists’ photo album.
t the start of the 20th century,
there were more than 100,000
cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)
roaming vast areas in Asia and Africa.
By the end of the century, the global
population was estimated as 15,000
animals, while today approximately
7,500 cheetahs are left in the wild.
This article looks at some of the
reasons for such a dramatic decline of a
species that has co-existed with humans
for 4,500 years. They were kept as pets,
trained for hunting and also hunted.
The more research that we do, the less,
it appears, we know. Here are some
key facts to bear in mind next time you
come across them.
• Year by year cheetah numbers
decline drastically primarily due
to increasing habitat loss and
fragmentation, the reduction of
prey density and killings due to
conflict with livestock and hunting
for live trade and skins.
• In Kenya, cheetah are now resident
in about 23% of their historical
range, mostly in unprotected
areas. However, even in protected
areas, chances of survival are
Mothers stay with cub females
longer than with cub males.
Reationship between family
members is very tender, but
when young male reaches the
age of 15-16 months, mother
chase him away.
CONSERVATION
limited by inter-guild competition
for territory and resources with
lions and hyenas – major cheetah
enemies. Alongside reduction of
prey availability, cheetahs are
forced out of protected lands,
where they come into conflicts
with herders. Among other
problems, cheetah are susceptible
to diseases affecting both felines
and canids.
• The Maasai Mara National Reserve
and adjacent areas as a part of the
of Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem are
a perfect example of an almost full
range of the problems cheetahs
experience in the wild and the high
adaptability the species exhibits.
As the boundaries between these
two parks and conservancies
are not fenced, cheetahs freely
migrate within the ecosystem. The
Maasai Mara National Reserve
is one of the most-visited parks
in the world, with the number
of visitors and facilities growing
each year. There is a complex of
interconnected factors, which
directly and indirectly affect
cheetah survival. Among them
there are: reduction in prey base
Curious ungulates often
help us spotting a cheetah.
(which escalates conflict with other
predators), conflict with herders,
tourist activity and disease
(sarcoptic mange).
• In counting cheetahs, we used an
individual identification method,
which I developed in 2001. It is
based on visual analysis of the
unique spot patterns on front
limbs (from toes to shoulder) and
hind limbs (from toes to the hip),
and spots and rings on the tail.
Mara-wide counts of cheetahs
were performed in 2002, 2005,
and 2013. The 2002 survey
identified 28 adult cheetah
utilizing the Mara ecosystem,
with 19 individuals spotted in
the Reserve. In 2005, Stephanie
Dloniak identified 41 adult cheetah
in the Reserve. In 2013, the MaraMeru Cheetah Project identified
44 adults, of which, 38 were in the
Reserve. Thus, the median density
for cheetahs in the Reserve was
the lowest in 2002 (1.25/100 km2),
highest in 2005 (2.7/100 km2),
with a small reduction in 2013 (2.5
/100 km2). The Talek region of the
Reserve maintained the highest
densities in 2005 and in 2013, in
addition to the Sopa area being
relatively high in 2013.
Although high densities of
cheetahs exist in the Talek region,
this area is also exposed to a
high level of livestock grazing
and tourism, and a reduction in
resident prey numbers. Why this
region maintains a high density
of cheetahs despite widespread
ecological change is unknown.
One potential reason could be the
positive indirect effects of cattle
grazing on vegetation, improving
hunting success for cheetahs.
Another possible explanation
could be differences in the makeup
of the carnivore guild.
Cheetah share habitat with lion
prides and hyena clans and their
meetings become vital as they
provide cheetah an opportunity
to work out the best survival
strategies. Hyenas are known to
snatch cheetah prey and kill and
eat cubs. Lions, apart from taking
away cheetah kills, kill cubs and
adult cheetah.
CONSERVATION
Females take care to avoid
conflict. Female cheetahs are more
successful hunters. Immediately
after a successful hunt, a Mara
cheetah drags it to a safer place
(under a bush or into a small
patch of tall grass) and does not
open it straight away but stays for
up to one hour scanning the area
and starts eating only when sure
that there are no other predators
around. Once the prey is opened,
a cheetah eats continuously for
up to three hours and leaves the
spot, unlike Serengeti cheetah,
which eats faster and leaves before
kleptoparasites arrive (Caro 1994).
During the rain Mara cheetah will
stay with the kill at the same spot
for two days continuously feeding
from the same carcass because the
rain creates a natural barrier for
dispersal of smell so hyena within
200m cannot detect a kill.
• Despite the fact that cheetahs
roam within the Mara-Serengeti
ecosystem, they display different
patterns of behavior and different
survival strategies depending on
the area they inhabit. In Serengeti,
the minimum distance at which
a cheetah allows an approach
by a vehicle would be 15 meters,
while in the Mara the relationship
between cheetahs and tour vehicles
is a controversial issue. Some
cheetah allow cars to approach
to a distance of 20-30 meters
and take off at attempts to get
closer. Some use them as shelter
and observation points, which
is a cause for concern. Serengeti
cheetah which visit the Reserve are
very different. We have watched a
male following a Mara female to
mate. When the female fearlessly
passed between cars at a distance
of 2-3m, he hesitated at a distance
of 15-20 meters.
• Cheetahs learn the behavior of
visitors and differentiate it in different
areas. For example, in the Triangle,
in the areas where off-road driving
is restricted, females with cubs can
tolerate vehicles at a distance of 15
and less meters. The same females
in areas that allowed off-road driving
kept a distance of more than 30m.
• Mothers teach cubs by showing
examples of different behavioral
strategies in various situations.
If a mother tolerates vehicles,
cubs adopt the same behavior.
During playing, cubs improve
their hunting and climbing
skills. Being curious, they try all
elevated objects, starting from the
mother’s back and then bushes
and trees. Depending on the level
of tolerance to the vehicle of their
mother, they might approach tour
vehicles.
• In the 1980s in the Reserve,
there were at most 1-3 cars near
the cheetah and the maximum
number of vehicles simultaneously
present at a cheetah site was six.
In 2002, the maximum number
of cars watching a cheetah at the
same time was 23, while in 2012
we observed 63 vehicles near one
cheetah.
• Our previous study in the Mara
in 2002 showed that in the
presence of tourists, cheetah
behavior was changing by 75%.
Cars at a distance greater than
In order to take better shot, tourists often surround cheetahs and come too close, breaking Park Rules.
CONSERVATION
13m had less influence on cheetah
activity and behavior. The critical
distance at which cars with
tourists had the greatest impact
on cheetah behavior was around
6-8m. Reducing the distance
further produced a reduction in
activity, when cheetah lies down
(sometimes with closed eyes) and
does not show any sign of activity.
Such behavior is a sign of apathy
(stress immobility) induced by
tourists. The more cars surround
cheetah, or the shorter the
distance became, the more often
cheetah lie down.
• While travelling, cheetahs leave
messages on their physiological
and reproductive status to their
counterparts by scent marking
different substances. They claw
different surfaces and urinate
and defecate on elevated objects
such as termite mounds, logs, tree
trunks and forks. Cheetah that
climb cars often defecate on the
roof. They leave their marking
scents to pass out information
to their counterparts. Thus, if
this is done on a tour vehicle, the
information becomes lost in the
mail!
• Visitors should ensure maximum
silence at animal sightings with
zero harassment such as calling
or whistling at sleeping animals.
Do not follow cheetah going for
Migration provides abundant prey to all
carnivores. These two brothers lose half
of their kills to lions, but during migration
have some relief because of reduced food
competition with lions.
hunt or courtship; observe them
from a distance for this will reduce
incidences of interrupted hunts
and mating. Avoid ‘markings’
under trees, bushes and on the
grass as these are greatly utilized
by animals as resting points,
marking areas and food. Do not
allow cheetah to climb your tour
vehicle; as much as cheetahs use
elevated areas as observation
points, they also utilize them as
marking points leaving a message
addressed to another cheetah.
• The Mara is a fast-changing
ecosystem where land
fragmentation and habitat loss
for the cheetah is leading to
increased levels of human-cheetah
interactions. This is because,
as cheetahs move across the
ecosystem, they often pass by
human habitation and sometimes
go for small domestic stock. In
retaliation, Maasai livestock
owners want to do away with the
predator.
• It’s becoming difficult for cheetahs
to move around freely because of
the increasing number of fences
going up. Traditionally, the
Maasai were nomadic but now
they are settling down – hence the
increased private land delineation
by fencing. Interviewing Maasai
around the Reserve revealed
that 67% respondents out of 63
•
•
•
•
confused cheetah for leopard.
They use mostly one word for
both carnivores - Olouwaru keri
- meaning “spotted one”, Nearly
60% blamed cheetah for losses,
and out of these, 37% pointed at
a cheetah photo but described
leopard behaviour: “At night the
cat climbed into a boma, took a
sheep/goat and ate it up on a tree”.
To save the cheetah in the wild,
we have to save its environment.
And this means enhancing the well
being of those communities that
bear the direct cost of living with
wildlife, cheetah.
For us, education and public
awareness is key to saving the cat.
Working with the communities, we
are researching their perceptions,
knowledge and attitude towards
wildlife in general and cheetah
in particular to form the basis
for producing the most relevant
and easy to understand education
materials for them.
Since we identified core conflict
zones around the reserve, we are
working out different ways of
mitigating human-wildlife conflict
in the area. Apart from applying
boma-improving strategies, we are
developing educational materials
targeting different age categories –
from kids to elders.
For the Maasai, cattle are their
wealth and premier source of
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Research team in the field recording cheetah behavior.
income. But, with little pasture
and drought, alternatives to
maximizing benefits accruing from
cattle keeping should be sought.
These alternatives should be of
ecological sound acceptable within
the culture and way of life by the
Maasai lead.
• Despite being classified as a
felid, Cheetah have the following
common features with the Canids;
the skeleton is similar to the dog
with a scapula built like in a Grey
wolf. Its milk is 99% equal to
that of the African Wild dog and
more similar to the milk of Grey
wolf than to any cat. It has color
binocular distant vision. The
cheetah’s retina has more cones
(photoreceptor cells responsible for
day vision and color perception)
and fewer rods (responsible for
peripheral and night vision, to
detect brightness and shades
of gray) than in other cats. This
explains the cheetah’s poor vision
in darkness when compared with
other felids. In addition, Cheetah
has a visual field span of 210
degrees versus 140 in humans
and, it can isolate details up to a
distance of 5 km during the day.
• Cheetahs exist in a variety
of habitats ranging from the
savannah to deserts and high
mountains. They are tolerant
to high temperatures, daytime
fluctuations, and the snow. They
swim across rivers, climb trees and
rocky hills. They are active by day
and night. Their prey varies from
small to medium and fast moving
to slow moving large ungulates.
Cheetah exhibit different hunting
techniques depending on the
type of habitat and number of
individuals involved in the hunting
exercise.
• Their social organization is unique
and represented by temporary and
permanent units. A litter size of
up to eight cubs is thought to be an
adaptation to high cub mortality
whereas a high growth rate of
cheetah cubs, compared to other
felids, is thought to be a further
adaptation to high predation
risk. After the mother leaves her
sub-adult cubs, they stay together
for about half a year, after which
a litter split occurs. Depending
on the number of males, they
start solitary life or group life in
a permanent unit – a coalition,
which lasts life-long and may
accept unrelated males. Most
females live a solitary life, but in
certain environmental conditions,
they also form coalitions from
sisters-littermates.
• Out of five identified subspecies,
four live in Africa and one
in Eurasia, where only 120
individuals of the so-called Asiatic
cheetah survive in Iran. Recent
study proved three subspecies
to be genetically distinctive:
Northern-East African cheetahs
(Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii),
Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx j.
venaticus) and South-African
(Acinonyx j. jubatus), which gives
hope for greater genetic diversity
of the species.
• There are two stronghold
populations left in the world:
one in Southern Africa (Namibia,
Botswana and South Africa),
and the other in Kenya and
Tanzania, represented by
different subspecies. Except for
two subspecies, cheetahs are
considered “Vulnerable” by the
IUCN and are listed in CITES
Appendix I.
CONSERVATION
The name of Jake Grieves-Cook has been synonymous with tourism
in Kenya for four decades, especially in the Maasai Mara. A former
chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board and Council member of EAWLS,
he is now CEO of Gamewatchers, which operates prize-winning lowimpact camps in the Mara along the sustainable, community-centred
lines he so passionately espouses. SWARA will be visiting one and
reporting back in the 2015 - 02 issue.
People say the balance
between conservation and
tourism in the Mara has
reached tipping point,
crisis point or already gone into
critical decline.What’s your view?
The Mara was where I started
my career in tourism over
40 years ago, based at what
was then the only tourist lodge in
the Reserve, so I have seen some big
changes over the years! During the
past two decades there has been a
huge increase in the number of tourist
accommodation facilities, with new
lodges and camps mushrooming both
inside the Mara Reserve and outside on
the periphery in places like Talek or as
ribbon developments along the Mara
River. There have been complaints
that sometimes new camps and lodges
have been built on sites that were the
home territory of various wild animal
species but the main adverse impact of
all this new development has been to
greatly increase the number of tourist
vehicles inside the Reserve during the
July to October peak season. This is
when masses of minibuses and 4x4s
congregate along the Mara River in the
hope of seeing a “crossing”. There are
now just far too many vehicles in the
Reserve during the migration season
with the tourism density often so high
that it spoils the visitor experience and
can actually obstruct the animals and
prevent them from crossing at their
favourite spots. Another problem has
been caused by the greatly increased
human settlement in recent years near
the Reserve and the accompanying
increase in livestock numbers. This puts
pressure on the Reserve with frequent
livestock incursions as herders look
for grazing for their cattle after much
of the outer Mara has now become
over-grazed, or privately owned and
fenced off by the owners following subdivision, or cultivated by wheat farmers.
Livestock grazing on the savannah
plains can actually have a positive effect
for wildlife in providing short grass and
stimulating the new growth favoured
by some animals such as gazelles or
warthogs. Also areas which have been
grazed down are preferred by many
herbivores which deliberately avoid the
long grass in which predators such as
lions could be hiding. Unfortunately,
nowadays the amount of grazing by
livestock is often so excessive during the
dry season that nothing remains for the
wildlife and this causes real problems.
However one positive development,
which addresses both the issue of
tourism density in the Mara and grazing
for livestock, has been the establishment
in the last ten years of new wildlife
conservancies on community-owned
land adjacent to the Reserve at Ol
Kinyei, Naboisho, Olare Motorogi and
Mara North Conservancies. These
conservancies have created a buffer
zone taking the pressure off the Reserve,
increasing the area of protected habitat
for wildlife, and providing a greatly
improved wildlife viewing experience
for tourists while at the same time
generating incomes and livelihoods for
the hundreds of Maasai landowners
whose plots have been leased to form
the conservancies and where small
scale controlled livestock grazing can
be allowed on a limited and rotational
basis.
Is there sufficient
coordination between
all Mara stakeholders inhabitants, the tourism
industry, Conservationists, KWS,
Local Government and Central
Government?
There have been numerous
workshops, conferences,
meetings and studies in recent
years looking at ways of
reducing the tourism density inside the
Mara Reserve and seeking to identify
the best ways of protecting the Mara
as one of the world’s greatest wildlife
parks. At one stage a few years ago there
was an attempt to have a moratorium
or a “freeze” on any new tourist lodge
developments, which meant that no
new applications could be considered by
National Environmental Managaement
Authority (NEMA), in the hope that this
would stop the increasing number of
camps and lodges that were springing
up. However all that happened was
that many developers just went ahead
without bothering with NEMA approval,
so that many more beds were added
during the moratorium period. There
was also an attempt to introduce a
management plan for the Mara Reserve,
which would have established high
use and low use zones as a means of
controlling tourism density but this was
not approved and the recommendations
were not adopted. Since more tourists
means more income from park entry
fees, there has been some resistance to
CONSERVATION
any suggestions that visitor numbers
should be limited. However, as
mentioned, one positive outcome has
been a new co-operation between the
private sector and the local communities
to set up conservancies adjacent to the
Reserve which have now been given
recognition by government as legal
entities. Within the conservancies there
is a strict control on tourism density as
they adhere to a formula of a maximum
of one tent (2 beds) per 700 acres of
conservancy and a maximum of one
vehicle per 1400 acres. The income
earned by the landowners, whose
plots make up the conservancies, is
based on a fixed fee per acre and so
does not depend on visitor numbers.
There is now a growing realisation that
the form of tourism provided in the
conservancies is more responsible and
sustainable and the conservancy safari
experience is gaining popularity with
visitors as can be seen by recent articles
in the international media and the many
positive reviews on TripAdvisor.
If nothing is done, and
current trends continue
unchecked, how do you see
the Mara as a world tourist
attraction in 10 or 15 years’ time?
The Mara is still a worldclass safari destination and
offers wonderful wildlife
viewing for visitors. Fortunately it
is not isolated but is part of a vast
protected eco-system, connected to
the larger Serengeti and with the new
conservancies further expanding the
habitat for wildlife. So there is no
reason why it should not continue as
a huge draw for tourists, an important
repository of bio-diversity and a
valuable national resource. If action can
be taken to control excessive tourism
density during the few weeks around the
August high season period every year,
by coming up with ways of reducing
the number of vehicles that congregate
along the river, and if the conservancies
can go on providing a protected
dispersal area beyond the Reserve,
then the Mara can continue as one
of the world’s finest places for seeing
large concentrations of wildlife in great
variety and in a spectacular natural
setting. However, a serious challenge is
posed now by the fragmentation of the
former group ranches and community
lands beyond the conservancies.
The sub-division of this vast area
into thousands of small plots owned
by individuals has meant that the
traditional nomadic pastoralist lifestyle
of the local people has had to change.
Pasture land and communal grazing
areas are being lost as they become
individually owned, fenced off, sold to
developers and speculators, or turned
into sprawling peri-urban settlements
and trading centres. Livestock herders
no longer have the same areas available
for their cattle to graze and are being
forced to look for free grazing in the
Reserve and the Conservancies. What
is urgently needed is for areas to be set
aside to protect livestock rangeland
CONSERVATION
for cattle in the same way that the
conservancies have been established for
wildlife. Unless this is done now, within
a few years there will be nowhere left
for many of the Maasai livestock owners
to graze their livestock herds. This will
cause a huge pressure on the wildlife
habitat in the Mara Reserve and the new
conservancies with the very real threat
of serious environmental degradation
through over-grazing by livestock
in the remaining areas available to
them. The conservancy movement has
shown how savannah grassland can be
conserved and set aside for wildlife to
generate an income and livelihoods for
the landowners and we need a similar
movement to conserve pastureland
for the Maasai livestock so that we do
not end up with a situation where the
only grazing left is in the areas meant
to be for wildlife. There is also a need
for changes to the form of livestock
husbandry with a greater emphasis
on smaller herds but higher quality
livestock and use of feedlots and hay as
an alternative to nomadic grazing.
Kenya's tourism industry
is reeling after Westgate
terror attack, the Travel
Advisories and mediadriven misperceptions. How does
Kenya go about rebuilding its
international profile?
Kenya’s tourism industry has
had its share of ups and downs
over the last 30 years and most
of the downturns have been as a
result of negative media reports relating
to security issues over the years such as
armed robberies, civil unrest or terrorist
attacks. However in the past these
problem periods were usually shortlived as action was always taken to
address the issue and to rebuild Kenya’s
image in the key overseas markets.
What is different now is that we have
had an extended period of decline
lasting for more than two years without
any concerted efforts being made to
address this, until fairly recently. For
as long as potential visitors are being
made to feel convinced that it is unsafe
to come to Kenya for a safari or a
beach holiday, the demand will remain
depressed and the numbers of visitor
arrivals will be unlikely to reach the
level required to generate an adequate
return on investment for the industry
and to give the boost that tourism
could make to Kenya’s economy. This
will mean the loss of thousands of
jobs for Kenyans, a big reduction in
tax revenue for the government and
a lack of income for KWS, the parks,
reserves and conservancies. Tourism is
the biggest contributor to conservation
and if we allow our nature-based
safari tourism to collapse then this
will have a massive negative impact on
conservation of Kenya’s iconic wildlife.
If media misperceptions are causing
the collapse then there needs to be
a serious effort to re-build a positive
image for Kenya in the major markets
which have international flights coming
into our national airports and which
have the highest volumes of outbound
travel such as Germany, with 80 million
outbound trips, or the UK with close
to 60 million overseas visits a year.
Ideally we need the services of a wellestablished international PR company
that can assist this country by lobbying
the foreign governments on behalf
of Kenya to make them aware of the
damage caused to both sides by blanket
warnings to their citizens against
travelling here, to make them recognise
any actions taken to enhance security
and to engage with the media owners to
secure more positive reporting on Kenya
and its attractions.
Wouldn’t a few years of low
tourist numbers actually
be a boon for both the ecosystem and the tourism
industry, enforcing a breathing
space in which to rethink and
repackage both?
Definitely not! If tourist arrivals
fall to such an extent that there
are inadequate funds to pay for
conservation then the eco-system will
certainly not benefit and will actually be
harmed since alternative forms of land
use will quickly replace conservation of
habitat in the protected wildlife areas
used by tourism and many of these
alternatives will result in wildlife habitat
being lost forever. And if the tourism
industry collapses further, so that hotels
and safari companies close down, then
this will cause considerable hardship
to the many thousands of Kenyans
who will lose their jobs with little hope
of finding alternative employment.
Our tourism industry in Kenya is
closely linked to many other sectors
of the economy which are suppliers of
goods and services for tourists such
as agriculture, transport, aviation,
banking, insurance, breweries and
soft drinks, food producers, printers,
car dealers, fuel companies and many
others as well as being an important
source of tax revenue for central and
county governments, so all of these
will also be adversely affected. What
is needed is for the government to
succeed in addressing the security
situation effectively, combined with
a concerted effort to repair Kenya’s
image and to carry out Marketing and
Public Relations campaigns to compete
with other destinations. This will help
to attract the growing numbers of
outbound tourists travelling from the
key international markets while also
encouraging more visits to our tourist
attractions by the local resident market.
Are the days of highvolume low-cost tourism in
Kenya over?
Kenya is served by many
international airlines from
all over the world and is a
mature tourist destination
with some wonderful attractions and
a wide variety of tourist products
ranging from mass-market beach hotels
and big safari lodges to small, high
quality boutique hotels and up-market
exclusive camps in private wildlife
conservancies. Tourism offers Kenya
a great opportunity to create jobs for
hundreds of thousands of its citizens,
to bring in foreign exchange and to
boost the country’s economy. We need a
greater realisation by all in government,
CONSERVATION
the local media and other institutions
in Kenya that our tourism industry,
which has been taken for granted and
undervalued for so long, can actually
be an economic engine of growth for
the nation as it is for so many other
countries in the world which earn an
income from tourism even though they
may not have Kenya’s natural resources
and attractions. We are wasting what
could be a valuable national asset and
we need the government to recognise
the economic importance of tourism
and give it more support to fulfil its
true potential. Look at the example
of countries like Malaysia, Mauritius,
Barbados, Turkey, Australia and Greece,
all of which have used tourism as a
means of boosting their economies
and creating employment for their
citizens. Developed countries have long
understood that tourism is an important
sector in their economies, for example
the USA earns $140 billion a year from
tourism, Spain earns $60 billion, France
$56 billion, China $51 billion and Italy,
Germany and UK each earn over $40
billion a year. However Kenya is not a
cheap destination and is becoming less
competitive. The recent imposition of
VAT on tourism, combined with the
current visa charges and relatively high
park fees, has added an extra layer of
costs so that Kenya is becoming more
expensive. However we have seen
price-cutting and “added value” offers
in recent months by many hoteliers
in an attempt to encourage bookings
and if visitors can be encouraged to
travel outside the peak season months
of July to September they will find
that costs are lower. As the security
situation improves and travel advisories
are softened and if the government
supports more effective marketing and
PR campaigns to boost awareness of
Kenya as an attractive destination in
the biggest markets, then we should see
higher volumes once again.
Kenya's population rate
is rarely mentioned as
part of the mix of things
building pressure on land
and resources. Do you think
population numbers are given the
importance they deserve?
Kenya’s rapid population
growth is definitely putting
huge pressure on land and
resources. Kenya now has
approximately 80 people per square
kilometre which is more than most
other countries in Africa that have
wildlife-based tourism. This figure of
80 people per sq km in Kenya compares
with 51 in Tanzania, 41 in South Africa,
17 in Zambia and only 4 in Botswana.
And considering that many areas in
Northern and Eastern Kenya are arid
and sparsely populated, this means that
the density in most places in Kenya is
actually more than double what it is in
Tanzania and South Africa. We must
realise that one of the main reasons
for the global decline of wildlife in the
world is loss of habitat. Today we are
one of the world’s 30 most populous
countries with one of the highest birth
rates and rapidly heading towards a
population of 50 million. We already
have over 20 million Kenyans under
the age of 20 and the population of
children in Kenya is now double that
of a country like the UK. This is going
to put greater pressure in the future on
land and will cause increasing demand
for space to grow food and for access to
water. As a result of the rapid increase
in Kenya’s population, people need
new places to live and have already
settled on land that was previously
wildlife habitat so that outside the
parks and reserves the rangeland for
wildlife is fast disappearing. Forests
and woodland are being cut down for
charcoal or cleared for cultivation or
for housing developments. As well as
causing habitat loss for wildlife, the
increasing growth in human settlements
has also caused human-wildlife conflict
as wild animals are seen as pests or
are considered dangerous and end up
being exterminated. In order for wildlife
habitats to be conserved there is an
economic imperative which requires
them to be economically viable and to
generate an income for the landowners
and local people that can match other
alternative land uses.
Communit y conser vancies
in Kenya come of age
The Kenya Wildlife Act, which took effect in 2013, gave Community Conservancies legal
recognition for the first time. The EAWLS, together with the Northern Rangelands Trust,
an organisation that supports community conservancies in the north of Kenya, were
part of the lobbying team for the passing of the Bill. This is the first of a series focusing
on NRT – what it does, who does it, and who and what benefits.
Sophie Harrison
works for Northern Rangelands
Trust as a Media and
Communications consultant
I
n the past, livestock and people
were excluded from formally
protected wildlife areas such as
government-owned national parks
and private ranches. These areas were
set-asides for wildlife conservation,
off-limits to neighbouring communities
and their livestock. They were bubbles
The Northern Rangelands Trust conservancies
cover over 25,000 km2 of land spanning nine
counties in northern Kenya.
of managed conservation in a rapidly
developing country and the prime
beneficiaries, wildlife apart, were
tourists.
But 60% of Kenya’s wildlife is said
to reside outside of these formally
protected areas, sharing space with
people, not always harmoniously,
but cheek by jowl. Few benefits from
tourism accrued to the people who lived
among the wildlife.
All that has changed over the past
10 years. A new movement called
Community Conservation has been
quietly and confidently emerging in the
north of Kenya, and came of age with
legal recognition in the Kenya Wildlife
Act of 2013.
In the community conservation
model, local people set aside their
land for cohesive livestock grazing and
wildlife conservation. There are now 20
community conservancies in the region,
home to more than 280,0000 people
who manage more than 25,000 km2 of
land.
This movement is safeguarding
the future of a huge range of species,
securing peace in a historically volatile
area, rejuvenating degraded rangelands
By selling to NRT, pastoralists get a
better price for their livestock than they
would through traditional markets
and improving rural livelihoods.
Yet, until the new Wildlife Act, these
conservancies were completely invisible
under Kenyan law.
The Northern Rangelands Trust
(NRT) was established in 2004, when
the Honorable Francis Ole Kaparo
suggested to Ian Craig, then the
manager of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy,
that it was time to assist the growing
number of established community
conservancies in northern Kenya.
Ian had a vested interest in making
sure wildlife that migrated out of
Lewa would still be protected, and
had already started reaching out
to surrounding communities. NRT
supports the conservancies in a number
of ways; through fundraising, providing
them with advice on how to manage
their affairs, supporting a wide range
of training and helping to broker
agreements between conservancies
and investors. The impact that NRT
has had on communities and wildlife
has attracted international attention;
the Trust’s principal donors for core
programme support now include the
United States Agency for International
Development, The Nature Conservancy,
the Danish International Development
Agency, the Royal Netherlands
Embassy, and Fonds Fraincais por
l’Environnement Mondial.
The conservancies, now legallyregistered institutions, are each
governed by a democratically elected
board, with dedicated grazing, tourism
and finance committees, all made up
of local people. They have brought
about significant improvements in
rangeland management and helped
to stabilise, and frequently increase,
wildlife populations. In the case of the
highly endangered hirola antelope,
now thriving in a community-operated
sanctuary in Ishaqbini, they have
been instrumental in preventing the
extinction of species from certain areas.
Conservancy rangers, supported
by NRT, are playing a significant role
in tackling ivory poaching and other
wildlife crimes. A 28% reduction in
elephant poaching in the conservancies
in 2014 speaks for itself. Just as
importantly, the conservancies have
helped to bring peace and security
to areas which have been plagued by
violent conflict, cattle rustling and
banditry.
With the help of NRT, the
conservancies are generating millions
The Hirola is one of the most endangered
mammals in the world - but the community
of Ishaqbini are helping to secure its future.
of dollars of investment from tourism
and livestock sales. These profits
are pumped back into community
projects such as school bursaries, and
conservancy operating costs.
Over the two years of 2012 and 2013,
964 pastoralists from 11 conservancies
had sold 66 million Kenyan shillings
(USD 740,000) worth of cattle to NRT.
By selling to NRT, pastoralists get a
better price for their livestock than they
would through traditional markets. At
the same time, the grazing programme
provides communities with skills
and incentives to restore grassland
productivity. Better grasslands
attract more wildlife, which lays the
foundation for tourism operations.
Conservancy and bed-night fees from
tourists generated over 47.4 million
Kenyan shillings (USD 532,500) in
2013. This was used to pay for rangers’
salaries, water projects and other
ventures identified as a priority by local
communities.
To empower women in the
communities - NRT manages a
programme that is providing women
in the conservancies with a significant
source of income. Profits to women’s
groups selling beaded jewellery to the
NRT Trading project rose to 8.8 million
Kenyan shillings in 2013, benefiting
over 800 women. A microcredit scheme
established by NRT has also helped
women to set up new enterprises. These
endeavours have significantly improved
income and family welfare, with many
women using the profits from bead sales
to buy better food and pay school fees.
With a regular Spotlight section
in SWARA now dedicated to NRT,
coming issues will feature the stories
behind each of the Trust’s specific
Rendille pastoralists return after a trip to
town to sell their goats - NRT are working
with communities to develop sustainable
grazing practices in conservancies.
programmes. This is conservation
being driven by local people, who are
adapting traditional livelihoods to
create a future of peace, steady income,
abundant wildlife and healthy cattle.
The ripple effect of the conservancies’
success continues to change the
mindsets of marginalised communities
across northern Kenya, who are now
increasingly willing to take charge of
their own destinies.
NRT principal donors
Famed Arabuko Sokoke Forest wins
reprieve from Oil Company
By EAWLS Correspondents
O
n November 21, the American
oil company CAMAC Energy
cancelled plans to prospect
for oil in the Arabuko Sokoke Forest
Reserve, one of the largest coastal
forests in Africa and home to many
endangered species.
CAMAC’s letter (Pg 52) followed
international media publicity of its
plans to blast and check the forest’s soil
for oil in the increasing scramble for
new sources of the fossil fuel all over
East Africa.
The reserve is home to more than
100 forest elephants, at least three
endangered mammals: the Aders’
duiker, or antelope, the Bushy-tailed
mongoose and the Golden-rumped
elephant shrew, which are found almost
exclusively inside the reserve. Its 420
km2 of cover is the largest coastal
forest in East Africa and home to six
endangered birds, including the Sokoke
scops Owl, the Sokoke pipit, and more
than 250 species of butterflies. It was
listed by UNESCO as a “biodiversity
hotspot”, one of only 25 in the world.
Prior to the reprieve, CAMAC began
exploration of Block 16, licenced by
the Kenyan government, by blasting
every 60 metres along two transect
lines, which go through the forest and
adjacent areas, sending shockwaves
up to 4k below the earth’s surface to
measure for potential oil deposits.
Conservationists ran into opposition
from local people and their leaders
anxious to secure jobs should oil be found
– an understandable priority in an area
where employment from tourism has
nosedived because of recent insecurity.
But is the CAMAC letter a victory
for campaigning conservationists, or a
reprieve? Whilst the letter from CAMAC
Energy says that they will not enter
the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve,
the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Adjacent
Dwellers Association (ASFADA) is not
convinced that this will save the forest.
ASFADA maintains that the
Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment (ESIA) conducted by
CAMAC is flawed and completely
inadequate with little or no public
consultation. It is asking the National
Environmental Management Authority
(NEMA) for the ESIA to be completely
reviewed.
As one of the main lead stakeholder
groups in the area, ASFADA, was not
included in the CAMAC ESIA. Transect
lines continue to be dug near and on the
boundary of the forest, however, and on
View of Arabuko Sokoke Forest
Left: Sokoke Scops Owl
Right: Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew
ASFADA members greatly benefit from the
forest and place a high value on it. They see
themselves as the guardians of the forest. If
their adjacent lands are impacted, who will
protect the forest?
5th December 2014, seismic drilling took
place at the Jilore Forest station.
CAMAC and its Chinese BGP team
partners were eventually chased away
by KFS, KWS and ASFADA members.
The Mjimboni Association Chief then
announced at a public meeting on 6th
December that a new transect line
would be added from the Arabuko
'Elephant' swamp. This swamp is a
critically important water source for
many species and especially the forests
elephants. Seismic work is seriously
disturbing to elephants. Local people
have described the sonic testing as being
like an earthquake.
ASFADA is also concerned about
what will happen in the follow up survey
work and more to the point, what will
happen if oil is found in the area. Will
the Kenya Government pledge to keep
the Arabuko Sokoke Forest safe for
eternity? ASFADA members greatly
benefit from the forest and place a high
value on it. They see themselves as the
guardians of the forest. If their adjacent
lands are impacted, who will protect
the forest? So far there are no reports
of community members receiving any
compensation for the work CAMAC /
BGP have carried out on their lands.
Fears are deepening, especially as there
was no previous consultation regarding
compensation. Many have lost crops
due to be harvested. In spite of an order
by the Kilifi County Governor to stop
work for two weeks from November 21
in order to assess the situation, CAMAC
/ BGP continue their work.
Block 16 is one of the most highly
valued environmental and culturally
diverse of all Kenyan exploration blocks.
A very large part of Block 16 is made
up of numerous important sensitive
sites, as well as the Arabuko Sokoke
Forest; such as the Malindi - Watamu
Marine Protected Areas, the Dakatcha
Woodlands, Gede Forest & Ruins,
several Kayas (sacred sites) and the
Sabaki riverine wetlands and estuary,
amongst others. All these are within
Block 16. Many wonder when an in
depth environmental impact survey
of this highly sensitive area, was not
done before it was considered as an
exploration block.
Hells Gate National Park and Geothermal Development
D
espite Vision 2030 incorporating
wildlife based tourism as a
major economic driver, there
is increasing pressure on our protected
areas. This can be seen in Nairobi National
Park, the Maasai Mara National Reserve
and Hell’s Gate National Park for example.
The purpose of this article is to highlight the
very real concerns in regard to Hell’s Gate
NP. It is vital to do this because Geothermal
development is being considered in
Longonot National Park, Eburru, Soysambu
Conservancy, Menengai, Lake Nakuru,
Lake Bogoria and Lake Baringo and some
of these areas are World Heritage Sites.
Firstly, it needs to be recognized that
Hells Gate National Park is a prime asset
in Kenya’s National Park network, with
unique landscapes. The cliffs themselves
have provided nesting sites for 3
endangered Birds of Prey. Two of these
– the Lammergeyer and Egyptian Vulture
have gone extinct in the park largely due
to disturbance factors. The third species –
Ruppell’s Vulture has significantly declined
and is under threat from KenGen activities.
This site is one of two known nesting sites
in Kenya and the only one occurring in a
protected area.
On the face of it, the basis for a good
relationship between Kenya Wildlife
Service (KWS) and Kenya Electricity
Generating Company Limited (KenGen)
is there, in the form of a MoU but due
diligence has not been applied by either
party and this has led to some real issues.
These issues include the following:
• There is a management plan setting
out zones. These zones include
ones where in theory it is agreed no
geothermal development will occur.
Yet drilling has been taking place in
one of these zones. The KWS Field
Team wrote to KWS HQ pointing
out this violation. No response has
been forthcoming.
• EAWLS has seen in writing
that putting the steam pipes
underground would be very
expensive. Over the ground, these
pipes provide a considerable
eyesore and certainly interfere
•
•
•
•
•
with wildlife movements and tourist
enjoyment. But on a site visit, it was
confirmed by KenGen that these pipes
could go underground for the cost
of digging the appropriate trench in
exactly the same manner as oil pipes
are placed.
There is an agreement that Well 40
should be shut down because of the
risk it poses particularly to the vulture
colony due to water overspill into the
nesting area. But so far this agreement
has been ignored.
The principle of setting limits to the
Geothermal development in Hells Gate
was agreed as desirable, but no such
limits have been defined or set.
The equipment used on the wells is
substandard and permits unnecessary
atmospheric pollution and noise. The
standard that should be followed is that
provided by the example of Omart 4.
Environmental monitoring is undertaken
by NEMA, Vision 2030, the World Bank
and the Electricity Regulatory Board.
The experience from visiting the park
and obtaining the information from such
a visit, suggests this monitoring is not in
any way adequate or thorough.
Expanding Hells Gate area is seen as
a panacea for addressing some of the
environmental issue brought about by
the Geothermal development. But there
is a disconnect here as no amount of
expansion can replace the quality of
the core area if that is compromised by
the geothermal development. Related
to this is an idea that KWS should own
a ‘Wellhead’ as a way of improving
its income. But this should not
compromise KWS in sticking to its core
business of looking after the National
Park to the best of its ability.
The main challenge that therefore need
to be addressed is getting a commitment by
all parties that Kenya can have Geothermal
development but it should not undermine the
other Vision 2030 strategy of keeping our
wildlife resources as the basis for growing our
economy through the tourist sector.
The second challenge is getting a much
better engagement between the stakeholders
where Ken Gen in particular listens much
more carefully to what is being highlighted
as concerns and suggested remedies.
To meet these challenges , it is important
to echo the recommendations made by
the recent Wildlife Security Task Force as
follows:
1. Set up a compliance committee to
provide the oversight and monitoring
that is now urgently needed. This
committee should be chaired by the
Ministry of Environment, Water and
Natural Resources, since national
parks fall under that portfolio. Other
members should include the Ministry of
Energy, KWS, KenGen, NEMA and one
or two committed and knowledgeable
stakeholders, such as Nature Kenya
(Hells Gate NP is an important Bird
Area), and possibly the key donors,
such as World Bank.
2. Revise, update and convert the MoU
into a contract, which can be properly
enforced and monitored.
3. Ensure that limits to the Geothermal
development in Hells gate are set and
respected so that the integrity of the
National Park is maintained.
4. Ensure that any economic analysis
reflects the economic value of Hells
Gate as a national park and not just
what is best for KenGen’s profit.
5. Ensure that the management plan is
strictly adhered to and remedy where
the plan has been ignored.
6. Ensure Well 40 is removed as this
directly threatens the Vultures.
7. Ensure that environmental best
practice is applied to the laying out of
the steam pipes and to the noise and
pollution emissions from the wells.
These recommendations were made
available in June, 2014. Investigation as
to whether any improvements have taken
place reveals that no changes for the better
seem to have occurred. This suggests that
the Hells Gate NP issues are falling on deaf
ears, which is very disillusioning and does
not bode well for the future of Kenya’s
environment.
Steve Trott
is a marine zoologist and Chairman
of Watamu Marine Association.
WMA is made up of 30 groups and
organisations from the community,
tourism and conservation sectors
in Watamu. WMA runs sustainable
tourism and ecotourism projects,
community waste management and recycling
enterprises and marine conservation and research
programs.
Facebook watamumarineassociation
www.watamu.biz
S
eptember 20th was International
Coastal Cleanup Day. This annual
event is organised by the Ocean
Conservancy www.oceanconservancy.
org based in the USA. The data they
receive from the event helps them
to collect scientific information for
education purposes and to gain
support and lobby governments and
policy makers in an effort to reduce
the amount of garbage and pollutants
entering the world’s oceans. Last year
648,015 volunteers in 92 countries
picked up 5,590,000kg of garbage.
In 2013 Watamu Marine Association
(WMA) and partner organization Ocean
Sole Foundation www.ocean-sole.com
organised the first East Africa cleanup.
Sixteen coastal communities took part
from Kiunga in the north of Kenya to
Mafia Island in Tanzania. Together
we collected 9,803kg of marine debris
(garbage) from our beaches.
In 2014 we saw another great effort
with 41 groups, organisations and
schools from 12 coastal communities
taking part from Lamu to Dar es
Salaam. 14 beaches were cleaned
Watamu Madrassa School children beach cleaning.
Top Left: Marine debris flip flops made into
beer coolers.
Below Left: Plastic bottle caps are the most
common items found on our beaches.
Right: Flip flops from Watamu beach ready
for recycling.
covering more than 30km. More than
1,100 people collected 9,803kg of
marine debris which was an amazing
coincidence as it is exactly the same
amount as last year!
Data collected gave us an indication
of the most common types of marine
debris found on our beaches which are
small plastic pieces, polystyrene, plastic
bottle caps, plastic bottles and flip flops.
The good news is that plastic and flip
flops can be reused or recycled. WMA
operates a plastic recycling facility
where our plastic waste is put through a
crusher machine and reduced to small
chips which is then sold by the kilo to
plastic recycling industries in Mombasa.
Profits from this enterprise help fund
the “Blue Team” community waste
collectors who carry out weekly beach
and village cleanups. Flip flop waste
is used by Ocean Sole and Watamu
community artists to create unique
sculptures, curios and works of art.
The Global Challenge
Over the last 30 to 40 years, millions
of tonnes of plastic have entered the
world’s oceans. Global production of
plastic now stands at 288 million tonnes
per year, of which 10% ends up in the
ocean over time. Most of that - 80% comes from land-based sources. Litter
gets swept into drain systems and ends
up in rivers which flow out to the sea.
The plastic is carried by currents
and congregates in five revolving water
systems, called gyres, in the major
oceans, the most infamous being the
“Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, half way
between Hawaii and California.
The concentration of plastic in these
areas is high and has been described
as a “plastic soup” and is spread out
over an area twice the size of Texas.
What's more, the plastic does not stay
in one place; it rotates and stretches for
millions of square kilometers.
The amount of plastic being discarded
into the marine environment is such
that we could eventually see an ocean
where the amount of plastics is roughly
one third the total biomass of fish – 1kg
of plastic for every 2kg of fish, according
to Nicholas Mallos from Ocean
Conservancy.
According to the UN Environment
Programme there are on average 13,000
pieces of floating plastic per square
kilometer of ocean, but that goes up to
millions of pieces in the gyres. Many of
these particles end up being accidentally
ingested by marine animals, which can
die of starvation and other problems
caused by plastic filling their digestive
systems.
Sea turtles are common victims of
plastic bags, which when immersed in
water look very similar to jellyfish, an
important food source for some turtle
species. A sea turtles throat anatomy
makes it impossible for turtles to
regurgitate bags once they've started to
swallow.
Plastics can also act as a sponge and
absorb chemicals in the water. Sea
Sea birds, such as
albatross, and many
fish eat small pieces of
plastic mistaking them
for food items. This can
result in ill health
and death.
Sorting plastic waste for recycling after the beach cleanup.
birds, such as albatross, and many fish
eat small pieces of plastic mistaking
them for food items. This can result
in ill health and death. A worrying
question is, how does that transfer up
the food chain and what is the impact?
Marine debris is now floating and
sinking its way to all parts of our oceans.
Dr. Kerry Howell, a deep-sea researcher
at the University of Plymouth says she
has found marine debris in the deepest
parts of the ocean. "You're going to
a place no-one's ever been to before,
you're going to the last frontier on earth,
exploring new places, and you find that
our litter's got there first," she says. "It's
like going to the moon and finding a
crisp packet."
Floating ocean plastic eventually
breaks down into tiny fragments called
microplastics, which then make their
way throughout the water column and
settle in sea bed sediment and beach
sand. The impact this scale of pollutant
may have on our ocean ecosystems is
yet unknown but it doesn’t take a team
of scientists to prove that it will not be
good.
Currently teams of scientists,
engineers and inventors worldwide are
trying to develop cleanup technologies
designed to capture plastic in rivers
and oceans. These technologies may be
a long time coming and will be costly
to operate. What we need right now is
global commitment from the plastic
manufacturers to put measures in
place to reduce plastic waste and for
governments to create effective policies
and waste management plans with
adequate financial backing to drastically
reduce the amount of plastic waste
entering our rivers and oceans.
There is little profit in taking back
waste and it doesn't cost us anything
to throw it away irresponsibly. But
the cost to our oceans and the health
of our blue planet could be very
high in the long term if we continue
as we are. Government-subsidized
plastic recycling industries is an
obvious solution as well as support
and investment in community based
recycling enterprises.
In the meantime we can all do our
bit and make a difference by keeping
our beaches clean and free of plastic
waste. If you live near the beach try
and join or form a local group and do
regular cleanups; get the kids involved
and make it a fun event. If you are on
a beach holiday each time you go for a
walk, take a bag with you and collect
what you can. If you visit Watamu,
WMA can advise you on where to take it
for recycling. Karibu and join us on the
beach for the next cleanup!
Major Amboseli camp goes
with the solar glow
Rupert Watson
is a naturalist, author and lawyer
who has lived in Kenya for more
than 30 years.
I
t was a couple of lines in the Kenya
Airways magazine, Msafiri, that
caught my eye - words to the effect
that Cheli & Peacock’s Tortilis Camp in
Amboseli had, on June 1st 2014, gone
100% solar - 24/7.
Well, I thought, is that such a big
deal? Surely lots of camps use solar
power. How often have I stayed
somewhere that encourages me to
shower in the evening while the water is
still sun-hot, or at least sun lukewarm?
Some of the 190 solar panels that
power the batteries
So I started to ask some
questions, and yes, it may
well be.
This is how it was
before. Two 60 kva (kilo
volt ampere) generators
throbbed away for five hours
each, every day, to power
the facilities for 40 visitors,
80 staff, two swimming
pools and all the rest of the
paraphernalia that goes
with a camp of that size. The
tents, kitchen and public
areas were additionally
serviced by four banks of
batteries, each with its own
inverter, thus ensuring
continuing 24-hour power
to these areas when the
generators were off.
A ton of Carbon Dioxide
Fuelling those two generators took 28,000 litres
of diesel every year. The Cheli & Peacock publicity
material estimates that burning this every year
produced 60 tons of Carbon Dioxide. I’ve never
sorted out how gas can be weighed in tons and
Stefano and Tortilis camp manager Andrea Lanzone among the batteries
reading several so-called explanations
to the question on Google gets me no
nearer to an understanding, except it
seems generally agreed that one ton
will fill a balloon about ten meters in
diameter.
One day Stefano Cheli asked himself
a question? Why are we producing all
this awful exhaust, in a conservation
area, when the sun shines for most
of 320 days a year? Is there really no
viable alternative?
So Stefano looked around, did a lot
of sums and quickly realised the camp
couldn’t possibly afford to install the
infrastructure to replace the generators
with solar power. Undaunted, he
continued his searches for a solution,
and ended up in touch with the South
African owned Kenyan company, NVI
Energy, whose Solar4Africa has been
involved in the installation of solar
energy projects all over Africa. The
company targets both off-grid (diesel
users) and on-grid sites with its solar
alternatives. And this is what they
worked out together.
Solar4Africa would install all the
capital equipment, at its own expense
- and continue to own it. It would
also manage and maintain the whole
system. The camp would pay for the
electricity it consumes on a pay-foruse basis at a rate that ensures it
never pays more than the cost of the
generator-supplied power it used to
use. This cost was calculated to include
the diesel, generator maintenance and
depreciation.
So, little change in cost to the
camp, but huge change in cost to the
environment.
The sun’s energy is gathered up by
190 solar panels, covering an area
of 440 m2, and carefully sited for
minimum visual impact. These power
a bank of 48 batteries, each weighing
a colossal 216kgs, perhaps the largest
storage bank in East Africa. The 47 kwp
(kilowatt peak - being the maximum
power production under full sun)
system is designed to replace all the
camp’s 28,000 litres of diesel with solar
energy.
Once up and running, one of the
generators and all the old type batteries
were sold, but yes, ‘100% solar’ still
doesn’t quite mean what it says and the
remaining generator needs to kick in if
there are two consecutive cloudy days.
Meanwhile, Solar4Africa manages
and maintains the equipment, most
of the time without going anywhere
near it - to the extent that if a battery
fails to charge, this shows on a Nairobi
computer. And both companies are
exploring further use of the formula
they worked out for Tortilis, although
to reap the full benefits of such a
large initial capital outlay, 40 beds is
about the minimum needed to make it
worthwhile.
By Colin Church
Left: Crowds gather for the 2014
Masai Olympics at Kimana/Sidai
Oleng sanctuary in Amboseli.
Top Right: Javelin thrower
Main Photo: David Rudisha the
world's fastest 800 meter runner and
Olympic champion (rear) is starter
for the four finalists from Kuku,
Olgolului,and Mbirikani group ranch
manyattas in the Maasai Olympics
800 meter race.
F
ield and track events of
traditional Maasai style is the
warrior challenge in Amboseli
today – no longer lion killing.
The National Geographic Society
sponsored the second ever Maasai
Olympics at Kimana/Sidai Oleng on
December 13, 2014 and witnessed
the current warrior age group of the
Amboseli/Tsavo ecosystem compete in
traditional Maasai events – hurling the
spear (javelin) and the rungu, vertical
jumping and running.
Proposed by the menye layiok ‘fathers
of the warriors’ representing over
100,000 inhabitants, the new warriors
of the 2012-2027 age group have
committed to athletics as the passage
to manhood, instead of killing lions, the
traditional stepping stone to being a
recognised adult.
Patron of the Maasai Olympics David
Rudisha – Kenya’s greatest middle
distance runner, 800-meter world
record holder and Olympian super star
at the 2012 London Olympics – himself
a Maasai - attended the event.
Rudisha challenged the finalists and
winners at the prize giving ceremony
when he declared: “As a Maasai of this
same age group, I am convinced that
our people can become great athletes
with a cause. By doing so we will
introduce a greater and more rewarding
challenge to manhood than killing
lions.”
Media exposure placed the Maasai
Olympics as top human story during
the weekend of December 13-14 with
coverage on all major global TV, print
and radio channels including BBC,
CNN, AFP, AP, and Reuters, CCTV
“Our warriors have been training for
months before the heats so that all who
achieve places are the top athletes of our
region,” said one of the winners
A rigorous round of competing heats
in all events including two events for
girls – 200 meters and 1500 meters –
was completed in the build up weeks.
An array of medals and prizes were
competed for. But the big challenge for
the manyatta-based teams competing
was a premier breeding bull for the
manyatta with the highest results
overall. This was won by Mbirikani for
the second time.
Student scholarships and cash prizes
made up the overall pot of winnings for
the teams.
“We warriors hunted lions as a
manyatta group and now we hunt for
rewards in athletics. Our 500-year
culture has taken a dramatic turn away
from the sport of lion killing ”, said
5000 meter winner David Karisia.
The Games remain embedded in
traditional warrior skills – running
at 200 meters, 800 meters and
5000 meters, and three field events
– throwing the spear (javelin) for
distance, the rungu for accuracy and
high jump, but in the classic Masai
vertical fashion - standing – not running
up to a bar.
Top Right: Crowds cheer on 5000 meter
winner David Kirisia of Mbirikani Group
Ranch manyatta in 16 minutes 12 seconds.
Below Right: Warriors of Mbirikani of the
Masai Olympics hold the winners cup aloft.
Below: Charles Sankale 800m runner
of Olgolului Group Ranch manyatta
congratulated by David Rudisha.
With its emphasis on team participation, all compete for the group ranch/
manyatta prize of most points overall. Mbirikani were the winners again this year
followed by Olgolului, Kuku and Rombo in that order.
Olgolului won the Chester Zoo conservation award for scholarships.
Mbirikani’s 5000 meters champion David Karisia and Olgolului’s
800-meter winner Charles Sankale won the coveted winners of the places in
the 2015 New York Marathon
Other major sponsors include Chester Zoo with a conservation prize,
African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), InterActions and Solidarity (Monaco),
Charles Tate (USA) and the Maasai Wilderness Trust (providing two New
York Marathon prizes).
Contributors include Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Olive Branch
(providing the use of the Kimana/Sidai Oleng Wildlife Sanctuary, Ol Donyo
Lodge/Great Plains Conservation, Loan Travis (USA, East African Portland
Cement, Marleen Groen (Netherlands) and writer/photographer, Carol
Beckwith (USA).
Co-founder with the Maasai community of Amboseli/Tsavo – and
organizing sponsor of Maasai Olympics is Big Life Foundation.
The first ever Maasai Olympics was staged in December 2012. It runs
on a bi-annual calendar with a build up momentum of rigorous training
amongst the thousands of young warriors and girls in the period prior
to the heats and actual event. It is aimed at creating a new generation of
highly skilled and motivated Maasai athletes to compete in national and
international events instead of the traditional lion killing of the past.
The next event is scheduled for December 2016.
“Who will now care for the animals, for they cannot look after themselves? Are
there young men and women who are willing to take this charge? Who will raise
their voices when mine is carried away on the wind to plead their case?
George Adamson 1906-1989
By Paul Udoto
C
onservationists of all shades
recently trooped to Kora
National Park, popularly known
as ‘the last wilderness’, to respond to
the above call at the climax of the 25th
anniversary of the death of legendary
conservationist George Adamson, ‘the
Lion Man of Africa’.
Like the Biblical grain of wheat, which
must die to bring forth new and better
life, George Adamson’s horrific death
inspired a legion of conservationists the
world over.
George Adamson was the poster
child of Kenya’s conservation prowess
for decades and put the country on the
world map. His image as a sun-gnarled
figure with mane of yellow white hair
usually dressed in shorts and sandals
with the signature pipe and whisky,
remains etched in many of his fans’
minds.
The conservation icon and his wife,
Joy Adamson, are best known through
their gripping movie Born Free (1966)
and best-selling book under the same
title. The movie is based on the true
story of Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned
cub they had raised in Kora and later
released it into the wild but with which
they maintained a friendly relationship..
Several other films have been made
based on George Adamson's eventful life
such as The Lions Are Free (1967), An
Elephant Called Slowly (1969), Living
Free (1972), Christian the Lion (1972)
and To Walk With Lions (1999).
To carry on his legacy, Kenya
Wildlife Service (KWS) is working with
neighbouring county governments
and other stakeholders to create a lion
sanctuary in Kora in Tana River County,
the area he immortalised through his
adventures.
Kora National Park is the third largest
park in Kenya after Tsavo East and
Tsavo West. It has bragging rights as
the least-visited, utterly unspoilt and
the most geographically diverse park in
Kenya. The national park was gazetted
in 1989 in honour of George Adamson’s
wishes and covers an area of 1, 787 sq km.
Its key attractions include pristine
wilderness, inselbergs, Tana river,
Adamson Falls, George Adamson
graveside, George Adamson Bridge known as Kora Bridge, Kora Rapids
and diverse wildlife and birds. For the
adventurous, the places to stay in the
park include Kampi ya Simba and Kora
picnic site.
Visitors to the park have various
activities to engage in at their disposal,
including camping, birding, star gazing,
rock climbing- Kora Rock and guided
bush and walking safaris.
George Adamson was murdered by
people who were reportedly unhappy
with the success of his conservation
efforts and his strange antics of
domesticating and living with the king
of the jungle.
So, what is the significance of George
Adamson’s life and times for the
modern generation, a quarter a century
after his death?
Though he was deeply loved and
respected by so many people all over
the world, not many have visited where
he used to work, to see how he used to
live, and where he was buried. That is
why the anniversary was marked by his
graveside and in the area he lived and
loved.
The commemoration held at
Adamson’s grave aims to celebrate
his conservation efforts and devise
ways of getting the new generation of
conservationists to carry on with his
legacy.
Participants at the anniversary
camped at Adamson’s Camp and Tana
River Campsite for the three days where
they watched his films, visited cultural
manyattas and a gallery exhibition.
They also visited Kora Rapids and
Kora Rock before participating in a
cultural festival in his honour. Lastly,
prayers were made by his graveside.
The significance of George
Adamson’s life lies in the fact that
his legacy seems to be on a shaky
ground given that conservationists
have warned that lions may become
extinct in Kenya within the next 20
years unless urgent action is taken to
save them.
Kenya has been losing an average
of 100 of its 2,000 lions every year
due to poisoning, growing human
settlements, increasing farming,
climate change and disease. Yet lions
have a special place in Kenyans'
livelihood and conservation efforts.
Other than being the symbol for
national strength and role in the
ecosystem, they are among the Big
Five, a major attraction for visitors
to Kenya.
There were 2,749 lions in Kenya in
2002 and their population dropped
to 2,280 by 2004 and to roughly
2,000 today, according to Kenya
Wildlife Service. The trend of lion
population decline is disturbing and
every effort is being made to ensure that
Kenya either stabilises its population at
the current population or increases the
numbers to an ecologically acceptable
level. That is the reason the anniversary
is significant.
It’s ironic that a renowned British
wildlife conservationist put Kenya
on the global wildlife conservation
map through his pioneering work of
rehabilitating orphaned lions in the
1970s and now country he made famous
for lions faces possible extinction of the
species.
George Adamson was shot dead by
Shifta bandits on August 20, 1989, at
the age of 83. The late conservationist,
then popularly known as the father
of lions in Africa, is best remembered
for keeping and nurturing a pack of
domesticated lions in the wilderness of
the expansive park.
George Adamson, the professional
big game hunter –turned-warden, first
visited Kenya in 1924 and embarked
on a series of fascinating adventures
that ended when he was shot dead
by bandits in Kora National Reserve.
Shortly after his death, the government
gazetted Kora as a national park in
honour of his work.
‘Mr Lion Man’ George Adamson
gained world fame and affection
for rehabilitating captive or
orphaned big cats for eventual
reintroduction into the wild. He
believed that lions had a sixth sense
and was convinced that a scientific
explanation would one day be found
about the mysterious, apparently
telepathic communication skills of
lions - particularly between lions and
human beings.
He must be among the few people
in the world with the honour of being
buried in a protected area.
The burial site makes him lie in the
league of American millionaire Sir
Northrup Macmillan who was buried
near the peak of Kilimambogo in Ol
Donyo Sabuk National Park, a few
kilometers from Thika Town towards
Garissa.
Long live George Adamson,
‘the Lion Man of Africa’.
By Paul Udoto who is the spokesman
for Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)
How to get there
From Nairobi, Kora National Park is in the eastern side and reached
either by air to Kinna or Mulika airstrips in Meru National Park or
travel by road along the Nairobi-Meru-Maua-Meru National Park
road via the Kora Bridge on River Tana and drive along the river
till you get to the camping venue which is all set or drive along the
Mwingi reserve to Tseikuru, Macuungwa then into Kora or travel
by road from Nairobi-Thika-Mwingi-Tseikuru-Macuungwa road and
also from Mombasa-Garsen-Garissa-Bangale-Asako road into Kora
National Park.
Road distances vary from 320km to close to 480km depending
on your point of origin. Private airlines from Wilson Airport in
Nairobi and Mombasa or Malindi to Meru National Park are
available.
Places to Stay
•Kampi ya Simba
•Kora picnic site
Kenya the home of the global Born Free brand
“Making the film in Kenya had a
tremendous impact. Bill and I learned
to love lions and love Africa. Guided by
George and Joy we began to understand
how every animal is individual and that
wild animals belong in the wild.”
Virginia McKenna OBE
The Born Free Foundation is a dynamic wildlife charity, founded by
the actors Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna OBE in 1984. Although
based in the UK, it prides itself as having its umbilical cord buried
in the Kenyan soil. It was described by The Times as “Big Enough to
make a difference but small enough to care”.
In 2002, Born Free established an office in Kenya to coordinate
support for projects in the region. Today, led by the couple’s son Will
Travers, Born Free takes action worldwide to save wild animal lives,
stop suffering, rescue individuals and protect species.
From small beginnings, Born Free Foundation has grown into a
global force for wildlife. In 1966 Bill and Virginia starred in the classic
film Born Free. It told the extraordinary true tale of Elsa the lioness
and George and Joy Adamson’s battle to return her to the wild.
The fate of the African lion and the charity are inextricably linked,
they feature Elsa the lioness on their logo and the true story of her
journey to freedom inspires everything the charity does.
The Born Free story has been enjoyed by tens of millions around
the globe, inspiring a generation and changing the world’s attitude
to wildlife forever. In 2002, Born Free established an office in Kenya
to coordinate support for projects in the region. These include
elephant studies in Amboseli and Mount Elgon, support of the
Kenya Wildlife Service elephant and giraffe relocation team and vet
unit, lion conflict resolution, anti-poaching patrols, snare removal,
bushmeat awareness, legislative reform and protecting the Mount
Kenya and Tsavo/ Mkomazi eco-systems. The charity, in collaboration
with Kenya Wildlife Service and the local Maasai community, has
supported the construction of dozens of lion-proof bomas in
Amboseli. The community members now promote peaceful coexistence between predators and people and no longer see the
need for retaliatory killing of carnivores. Kenya Airways joined
forces with the charity to raise funds for wildlife conservation in
Kenya and across Africa.
Where Luxur y and Philosophy Meet
By Andrew Hill
T
ake an old cattle ranch facing Mount Kenya on 50,000 acres of sumptuous
Kenyan savannah. Build eight separate wood and thatch villas to Conde’
Nast luxury travel standards with a hot tub on every veranda overlooking
a watering hole for every view. Add fine cuisine, an extravagant and huge art
collection, enlightened Community Conservation programmes and run it all on solar
power and sustainable water management and what do you get?
The answer still would not add up to the unique experience that is Segera Retreat.
The scope and breadth of it all defies simple addition.
So does the philosophy of the Zeitz Foundation, which is behind it – one whose
mantra is sustainability through the 4 C's – “a healthy balance of Conservation,
Community, Culture, and Commerce.”
On Safari
FACING PAGE:
1st Left: A Segera
room.
2nd Left: Elephants
migration with lots
of young.
3rd Left: One of
the dining areas
with gorgeous
candelabra.
4th Left: Male Lion in
hunting mode.
1st Right: Impalas
2nd Right: Giraffe
and zebra in
foreground, of the
lodge.
Top: The Segera compound. Ancient cactus
encloses it all. No need for electric fences.
Below: Editor with the biplane used in Out
of Africa, which now resides in the Segera
Hangar.
Small wonder that Jochen Zeitz, the
man behind Segera, and a chain of allied
destinations, was invited to provide
a keynote address representing the
global business community at this year’s
International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) World Park Congress,
a landmark global forum on protected
areas in Sydney last November.
In these troubled times of global
economic uncertainty, violence and
security blighting Africa’s tourism, it
takes a wealthy man to propound such
views with confidence, and he is and
does. We will interview him in a future
issue.
Segera oozes high-end luxury, and it
takes a privileged pocket to pay for the
experience at about $1,000 per person
per night. Such people voted Segera
as one of the world’s top new hotels in
Conde Nast Traveller magazine.
But it’s the kind of place, and
experience, that sings “Special” and
takes the term unforgettable out of the
realm of hyperbole and into reality.
There’s something reminiscent
here of Out of Africa, the 1985 Sydney
Pollack film that launched a generation
of safari-suited visitors to the continent
and a wave of films, books and shops to
feed that curiosity.
It’s not just the yellow Gypsy Moth
bi-plane in the hangar, the same one
used in the film and flown occasionally
by Zeitz, or the convertible Rolls Royce
Silver Shadow on display in the garage.
Being there reminds you of Africa’s
unending magnetism for those in search
of space, spiritual refreshment, wildlife
and astonishment. And in remarkable
comfort.
It’s odd to be writing about a
relatively new addition to Kenya’s highend lodges – Lewa and Ol Jogi are not
far away – when the country’s tourism
is in the doldrums.
But manager Jens Kozany is
unphased, phlegmatic and optimistic.
“We are actually doing quite well.
On Safari
Waterbank for school children under construction.
Tourism will increase again, that’s sure,
and it’s not all about making money, it’s
to share. “
This is not New Age babble or
Marketing-Speak but reflects the
philosophy of Zeitz, whose foundation
set up the Long Run Initiative grouping
35 similar destinations around the
world, and allied establishments trading
under the banner as Global Ecosphere
Retreats (GERs).
The mission of the Zeitz Foundation
is to “create, support and sustain,
ecologically and socially responsible
projects and destinations around the
world to achieve long-lasting impact
and sustainability.”
“Without ever generating income,
we can only preserve so much of
this planet, therefore we'll have to
create concepts and ideas that are
commercially based that will ultimately
allow us to increase the amount of
protected areas", Zeitz says on one of
the movement’s websites.
How does that thinking translate into
what happened when Zeitz acquired
the property eight years ago? “The first
thing we did was to tear down all the
wire fences so that animals could move
freely, especially as this is a migration
corridor,” says Kozany, all except for the
fence to the South, “ to keep the animals
away from the communities and keep
them safe.”
Community involvement is Laikipia’s
watchword and Segera has engaged
local people in Grazing Committees
so that they can feed their livestock in
an organized way at rates agreed by
landowners across the plateau.
The lodge employs about 200 local
people but the community has, with
Segera help, created income for itself
by growing and cultivating food with
rainwater harvested for the purpose.
“We thought we could teach people
how to grow vegetables. What happened
was that we created a sustainable
business for the community – they
sell a lot and women have turned into
remarkable entrepreneurs,” says Kozany.
Water shortages are omnipresent on
Laikipia. What Segera did was to get
three schools for children built with
help from the Zeitz Foundation, all
innovatively designed with inverted
roofs and water catchment tanks to
catch the downpours, feeding school
and community gardens. There’s a
library, environmental education centre
and sports stadium too, also supported
by Zeitz Foundation, Segera and
neighbouring ranches.
“Many kids just didn’t go to school.
They went out and collected water.
So now they come to school instead.
There’s a programme on hand washing
to stop infections, and we’ve noticed
that two thirds of the children are now
free of stomach upsets. All that in a
short time.”
Inside the retreat itself sustainability
is a watchword. The place runs on
solar power completely with backup
generators for emergencies. “We don’t
just shine in the front and burn at
the back,” says the manager. “We are
serious.”
Grey water is recycled for the
ornamental and vegetable gardens.
On Safari
The SATUBO Beading Group, transforming
tradition into financial enterprise.
An extraordinary tower shaped like a
Samburu women’s neck decoration,
which keep 20,000 bottles of African
wine cool through a collected rainwater
system and solar-powered air
conditioning.
There are numerous other touches
too that remind you that the governing
ethic is not to take things out of the
ecosystem for ever.
Small wonder that the animals
appreciate the retreat too. Segera has
not had a single case of poaching in two
years and relies on its own community
guards and people to sound the alarm if
intruders come into the area.
I saw innumerable elephant on a
private game drive in addition to the
ones that performed dusk and dawn
around the water hole in front of my
villa. Martial and Snake Eagles, Silverbacked Jackals were highlights.
The Zoological Society of London
is involved in projects to monitor
Cheetahs and wilddogs, whilst other
conservation organisations work
with Segera to monitor and protect
lions, Grevy’s zebra and the rare
Patas monkey. Whilst Patas numbers
fluctuate, these have risen in numbers
since Segera’s active conservation
efforts started and I didn’t get to see one
but only because time was short.
Some of the
exhibits in the
Retreat's huge
collection which are
scattered all over
the living areas.
They come from
one of the largest
collections of
modern African art
in the world.
No two villas are alike but all are
furnished to the highest standards and
taste. Guests are encouraged to enjoy
the place as the word retreat suggests:
“a religious or spiritual term for time
taken to reflect or meditate.”
There are no organised daily game
drives, no bells sounding dinner. Guests
can dine together if they want, but
privacy and serenity are respected above
all. It can take only 30 guests in the
eight villas, which is low-volume highcost tourism in action.
The villas are enclosed behind a
natural fence that has been there for
decades and once protected cattle;
inside the landscaped garden drips
bougainvillea and succulents and
indigenous trees interspersed with a
salt-water pool and striking sculptures
from all over Africa. Zeitz’s collection of
modern African art is one of the world’s
biggest, and the Segera selection is
striking in its mix sculpture, painting
and artifact. Some are housed in
what were once the stables, each door
opening to another artist and another
concept.
Segera’s Paddock room – you can dine
downstairs and lounge upstairs – is,
like most public areas, decorated with
some of Zeitz’s personal art collection
and eclectic antique collection, anything
from an ancient hand-written bible to a
1920s alto saxophone.
This is a wonderful space in which
to sink into an armchair and look
at nightfall over Mount Kenya with
elephant, giraffe and zebra in the
foreground.
From somewhere, my memory
perhaps, I think I could hear Mozart’s
Clarinet Concerto in A playing scratchily
on a wind-up phonograph.
From a prospective pastoralist
to a convinced conser vationist
Felix Patton
is a rhino ecologist, who
writes and broadcasts about
the species from Africa and
Europe. He has an MSc in
Conservation Biology and a
PhD based on research into
individual rhino identification
and social behaviour. He is a frequent
contributor to SWARA.
P
atrick Agaba is Project Manager
for the Ugandan Conservation
Foundation. A Ugandan hailing
from the Ntungamo District in the
south west of the country and bordering
Rwanda, Patrick was born into a
family of pastoralists with no interest
in conservation. A large swamp in the
area ensured wildlife was abundant
with sitatunga, wild pigs and herds
of buffaloes whose aggressive nature
sometimes meant it was too dangerous
to get to school. Far from being a
conservationist, Patrick says he “grew
up with the idea that wildlife were a
problem and just good for the hunters”!
Having done well at primary school,
Patrick was offered a place at a nearby
secondary school but he stubbornly
wanted to go to another school, further
away, that he had applied to. His father
refused so he ended up working as
a pastoralist with the family’s cattle.
After a year, the headmaster of the local
school persuaded him to try furthering
his education and he never looked back.
However, there was still no idea of
working in conservation and a career in
banking seemed most likely.
With a glowing report, Patrick
was sent to High School in Kampala
where he chose to study Mathematics,
Economics and Geography. The school
had a wildlife club which met every
week and went on field trips such as to
Entebbe Zoo (now the Uganda Wildlife
2015
Education Centre) and Murchison Falls
National Park. Patrick says “however
interesting and enjoyable, this exposure
still did not point me towards a career
in conservation”.
In 1991, Patrick became the first
member of his family of five brothers
and four sisters to be offered a place
at a university and, with the help of
a government scholarship, attended
Makerere University in Kampala
from where he graduated with a BA
in Geography and Political Science
in 1994. Typically there were no
jobs and the next year was spent
without employment. Then a friend
offered him a job in Rwanda, the
home country of his mother. After six
months, Patrick started working for
the Rwanda Ministry of Rehabilitation,
Reconstruction and Resettlement
registering Rwandan returnees and
helping get assistance from NonGovernmental Organizations (NGO’s)
for them to settle. A year on, fate
University graduation
Top Left: The water hyacinth problem
Below Left: Patrick the safari operator
Top Right: Working with Uganda Wildlife
Authority
Below Right: Waterways Project
patrol boat
intervened and Patrick was summoned
back by his family to sort out the affairs
of a dead cousin and so he was again
effectively unemployed.
In May 1996, the chance came to join
a United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) supported
project for the control and management
of water hyacinth where the weed was
threatening the ecological health of Lake
Victoria and thereby the livelihoods of
lakeshore communities that depended
on income from particularly fishing.
The work was undertaken by the US
company Clean Lakes Inc., a specialist
in aquatic ecosystem restoration and
maintenance. As the local co-ordinator,
Patrick was responsible for the office
management in Kampala controlling
finances, bank reconciliations,
stakeholders coordination and
operational support to the government
of Uganda.
After some 7 years, the company
closed the unit and Patrick joined the
Concord International Travel Bureau
Limited, based in Kampala, as a tour
guide for safaris within Uganda and
Rwanda. As Patrick says “this was my
first exposure to wildlife and I soon
grew to appreciate nature and how
wonderful the natural resources of
Uganda are”. With his administration
experience, Patrick was promoted
to assistant operations manager
responsible for the logistics of the
safaris, strategy for improved marketing
and drawing up the annual plan.
With an ever-increasing love for
wildlife, Patrick became anxious to
work more closely in conservation and
the opportunity came in 2006 when
he was appointed Projects Officer
at the NGO Uganda Conservation
Foundation (UCF). At the time, UCF
was a small but developing UK based
charity committed to conserving the
wildlife of Uganda following years of
civil war, political upheaval and heavy
poaching of wildlife. Its sister notfor-profit company based in Kampala
was responsible for organising and
administering the projects. In essence,
UCF works closely with the Uganda
Wildlife Authority (UWA) to provide
resources to assist in solving wildlife
issues so, as Projects Officer, Patrick
could “at last exercise my passion for
wildlife and conservation”.
One of the first projects that Patrick
was, and still is, instrumental in
developing is termed ‘the Waterways
Project’ in the Queen Elizabeth
Conservation Area (QECA) in the south
of Uganda. UWA needed support for
their anti-poaching measures – hippo
SWARA JANUARY
JANAURY--MARCH
MARCH 2015
2015 71
SWARA
Working with the communities and below working with the Uganda Conservation Foundation team.
poaching, bush meat trade, ivory
trafficking and illegal fishing – and for
community and tourism water safety
and rescue capability.
UCF have provided much needed
patrol boats, boat stations and training
for UWA rangers in the QECA. Patrick
was involved in determining with UWA
where the problem areas were, sourcing
materials for the marine stations
and contracting and facilitating the
International Rescue Organisation and
latterly Poole Harbour Sea Survival to
carry out the training programme.
Due to this, the legitimate fishing
communities are beginning to see a
small recovery in their catches and
fishing village economies are gradually
improving. Control of fishing in
restricted areas has also resulted in
fewer crocodiles, otters and birds being
caught and drowned in the nets. In
addition, Patrick has helped with the
counting of hippos and so learned a lot
about their behaviour. The Waterways
Project has been extended into the
Murchison Falls Conservation Area.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is
one of the worst areas for problems
2015
with crop raiding elephants for which,
under current Uganda legislation,
there is no compensation leading to
the communities taking retaliatory
measures against the culprits. Patrick
has led the project to build a 2 metre by
2 metre trench and fencing in the valleys
around communities which has kept
the non-jumping wildlife (elephants
and buffaloes in particular) away from
human habitation. With the finance
channelled through UWA, Patrick held
meetings with the community to ensure
the funding was truly beneficial. He
further helped in creating a community/
park committee in the Park’s Ishasha
sector to coordinate communications,
agreements and partnerships.
Dealing with people at all levels is
a key part of the job. One day Patrick
might be briefing UCF directors on
the progress of a project, the next in
a meeting with UWA and the Park
Managers discussing the challenges
they are facing and how best to spend
available funds and then the next
day making a presentation to a local
community in how to avoid humanwildlife conflict. Fortunately Patrick
is a natural ‘people person’ who has
developed great empathy for those
he works with and for. As he says
“working as I do at ground level with
UWA rangers and local communities
has given me an understanding of
the hardships that people have to go
through and engendered a desire to help
as best I can”.
Patrick was promoted to Project
Manager with a wide range of
responsibilities including identifying,
developing and delivering projects and
engaging appropriate stakeholders.
Project budgets have to be drawn up
Working on elephant research.
and when approved monitored and
reported on to the board of directors.
Finance for the projects requires
assisting with fund raising applications
and initiatives. UCF spending on
projects in 2013 amounted to over
US$120,000 so requires careful
management and accounting by Patrick.
“I really love my job because I love
nature. When I am out in the wild I
am transformed by the behaviour of
the animals. They have such a calming
effect on me after the hustle and bustle
of the city”.
Since 2012, UCF has been working
with UWA in Murchison Falls NP.
Patrick has been instrumental in
supporting elephant anti-poaching
operations in the delta area between
Buligi and Pakwatch where poachers
pose among the fishermen and then
set snares to catch the elephants. Says
Patrick “UWA resources in Murchison
have been stretched with rangers
needed to guard the oil exploration
activities. The three new UCF funded
ranger posts offer much needed facilities
for rangers to help protect the elephants
but we also need the government to put
pressure on consuming countries if we
are to win the war on poaching.”
Patrick assists with research
work. Alongside UWA, he has been
investigating the cause of a serious
skin disease that affects the Rothchilds
giraffe in Murchison Falls NP while as a
personal member of Nature Uganda he
assists with bird censuses.
As to the future for wildlife in Uganda,
Patrick is very optimistic if peace and
stability remain. He says “whilst wildlife
populations are growing, we must
always be vigilant as any insurgency can
do a lot of damage in a very short time.”
From no interest in, to a passion for,
wildlife, Patrick Agaba is a fine example
of how it is never too late to make a
career in the world of conservation.
For further details of the
projects supported by UCF see the
website ugandacf.org.
JANAURY - MARCH 2015
SWARA JANUARY
2015 73
PORTFOLIO
Dr Munir Virani
directs raptor conservation programs in
Africa for The Peregrine Fund. He has
a fervent passion for photography and
has been working on birds of prey for
the last 20 years. For more information
about his work, please visit:
www.peregrinefund.org and
www.munirvirani.com
O
n our way out of the Maasai
Mara Reserve last year, my 11year old son, Kaisaan suddenly
2015
perked up and said “I think those
hyenas will bring down that wildebeest”.
Having never seen hyenas make a kill, I
was rather sceptical.
Clicking away in frenzy, we witnessed
two hyena sauntering behind a
wildebeest. One managed to bite its left
hind leg. The wildebeest fell on its front
legs. Within seconds, the other hyena
tore into the groin of the flaying victim.
The wildebeest was now on the ground
as the two hyenas began tearing into the
underside of the animal, its eyes wide
open, still alive while his tormentors fed
on his living flesh. Overhead, vultures
circled, preparing to do what they do
best. So for those who think that hyenas
are mere scavengers, think again. They
are without a doubt one of the most
powerful and respected predators on the
African continent.
PORTFOLIO
JANAURY - MARCH 2015
SWARA JANUARY
2015 75
PORTFOLIO
2015
BOOK REVIEW
Culture Clash
By Rupert Watson
ISBN#978-9966-757-14-2
Published by Old Africa Books
P.O. Box 2338 Naivasha,
Kenya
S
WARA contributor Rupert
Watson – lawyer, author and
naturalist – is in print again,
and we should be grateful. This time
it is a true story revolving around the
collection of cattle in 1946 by a young
District Commissioner, Hugh Grant, a
Maasai herder, Karambu Ole Sendeu,
and the herder’s beloved bullock.
Karambu speared Grant to death when
the bullock was appropriated. The
young herder was subsequently hanged.
Watson first heard the story in the
1970s and became fascinated by it; he
researched it, interviewed those he
could and travelled to the Loita Hills,
where the fatal incident took place.
M
A field guide to the Larger
Mammals of Tanzania
Charles Foley, Lara Foley,
Alex Lobora, Daniela De Luca,
MaurusMsuha, Tim Davenport &
Sarah Durant
Princeton University Press
£19.95
y first thought was ‘why do
we need another field guide
to African mammals’? But on
closer scrutiny, this book is a welcome
addition to that genre. The book is
divided into three parts. The first part
contains the introductory elements on
how to use the book, Tanzania’s major
vegetation types and an overview of
the taxonomic order followed by the
book. The second part is the species
accounts of 111 terrestrial mammals
and 18 marine mammals. I think it
is this section which makes the book
stand out. It is the use of some very
good photographs for every species
that makes the difference. This is
particularly useful when looking at the
differences between genet species and
mongoose species, for example. I am
not sure what the definition of larger is
but the book starts in size terms with
hedgehogs and Elephant shrews, which
is a distinct plus.
Apart from the photographs, each
species account includes a description,
reference to similar species, the ecology
and behaviour, the distribution in
Tanzania and the population size and
The fact that it has taken years to write
is a reflection of how seriously the
legal brain works to draw on available
evidence.
In other hands this touching story
of what happens when cultures collide
might have turned into something
of a polemic; in Watson’s, it is so
dispassionately told and meticulously
researched that the narrative needs no
more embellishment that the feelings
it arouses in the reader. “None of the
details of this story is imagined, and if
there are mistakes, they are probably a
consequence of innacurate deductions
from the available evidence,” Watson
writes, in a considered summary of
afterthoughts. SWARA readers, and
anyone interested in Kenya’s colonial
development, will enjoy and be moved
by this slim book (151 pages). More
please.
Reviewed by Andy Hill
conservation status. Whilst this book
focuses on Tanzania, it is still good
value for other countries in the region,
as most of the species occur there as
well. What is also unusual is that the
book includes marine mammal accounts
of those species occurring off the East
African coast. So if you are into Whale
and Dolphin spotting, have this book
with you. The species account section
ends with species comparison ‘spreads’
which are also helpful in determining
which species you are looking at. The
third part includes descriptions of
Tanzania’s National parks and major
protected areas and includes the
mammals described in the book that are
likely to be seen there.
The copy of the book I have is
paperback but the covers are encased in
removable plastic, making it eminently
suitable to have with you in the field.
The price is value for money. I would
therefore recommend this book as a
valuable addition to your field guide
collection, whether you are resident in
the region or a visitor.
Reviewed by Nigel Hunter
BOOK REVIEW
eGuide to Birds of East Africa
By Terry Stevenson and John
Fanshawe with Brian Finch
An Application produced by:
mydigitalearth.com
Price: USD 28.99
T
his is not just an electronic
version of the hard copy book.
It is an interactive companion
to the Birds of East Africa field guide.
It covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,
Rwanda and Burundi. It is different to
the book, because this application has
specific features that will enhance your
birding experience. These can be listed
as follows:
• The ability to have Hi-res images,
distribution maps and detailed
text descriptions of over 1300 bird
species, which can be expanded to
fill the entire width of the screen in
portrait and landscape.
• The ability to view the Bird Index
by Common or Scientific bird
names either alphabetically or
taxonomically.
• The ability to use the option “Bird
Compare” that allows you to
compare two birds on the same
screen.
• A personal bird list that stores
your bird sightings saved to
the device that can then be
exported through email.
• The ability to listen to
the calls for more than
1000 species.
For me though, it
is the last feature that
makes this application
so desirable. Brian Finch
has spent considerable
time and effort collecting
these calls, for which
we should be grateful.
Having them included
in this application, adds
an important dimension
to our recognising and
identifying birds in
the field. For example,
separating Cisticolas by
plumage can be tricky, but
once the calls are known,
life becomes much simpler.
This application can be used in real
time to check if what you are hearing
agrees with the call provided under that
species. You can also use the compare
option to check two Cisticolas at the
same time.
On opening the application, the front
page allows you to select the menu,
which has 3 live options – a taxonomic
index; an alphabetic index; and a page
for making your list (the language
option is not active on my version).
On selecting the index, you can do a
quick search by typing what you are
looking for. You can also activate the
compare option by hitting the small
circle opposite bird, but remember to
deactivate after doing your comparison,
by removing the tick in the circle when
you return to the index list. On bringing
up the species page, you will see the call
button below the map and options to
play, rewind and automatically repeat
the call if necessary.
This application first appeared over a
year ago, though that version had some
calls missing and a few other teething
problems. This edition has remedied
that and in addition has included a
section called introduction and help.
The tips will help you familiarise
yourself with the use of this application.
Tapping the introduction button, will
bring you useful information in regard
to landscapes, seasonality, parts of a
bird, a map of East Africa, a map of the
regions important bird areas and other
useful information.
This application is not restricted to
Apple ipads, ipods and iphones which
of course give access to the Apple
App Store. It can be downloaded onto
appropriate android and windows
tablets and phones, by purchasing
it from the Android Play Store, the
Windows Phone Store or the Windows
Store.
For all those who enjoy birding in
East Africa, whether as a resident or
a visitor, this application is a must for
enhancing your birding experience.
I unquestionably recommend its
purchase. It is excellent value for
money. For those who purchased the
original version, I understand a free
upgrade awaits you, so that you will also
have the complete selection of calls,
etc. Lastly my congratulations go to
Terry Stevenson, John Fanshawe and
Brian Finch in conjunction with my
digitalearth for producing this great
Application.
Reviewed by Nigel Hunter
All books reviewed by SWARA are usually available at The
Souk (Karen), the Text Book Centre (various Malls) and
Bookstop (Yaya Centre).
If you have a book for review please send it to:
The Editor SWARA Magazine P.O. Box 20110 - 00200
Nairobi, Kenya.
REAR WINDOW
A tale of a tusk - with a happy ending
By Giovanna Ghirardello
Adriano and Giovanna Ghirardello live in Malindi,
Kenya and are retired. They founded Gaia Italy onlus
Assocation to help communities along the Coast
and have built an orphanage in Pumwani in the
Magarini District. They have also built six watering
holes in Tsavo East. They spend their spare time
in the game parks, mainly observing their beloved
elephants. They can be reached on:
[email protected]
E
very weekend my husband
Adriano and I jump into our
white pickup truck and head for
Tsavo East. The vehicle is so covered in
red Tsavo soil that even the elephants
recognize it. Elephants are our biggest
passion. Entering Sala Gate it is like
going home. After we cross, the rest of
the world no longer exists for us.
We sit and watch elephants for hours.
I am unable to stop taking pictures.
With my zoom i also try to check on
their health; their tusks, their legs,
their ears, their trunks. I have therefore
accumulated over 20,000 photos of
elephants alone and this allows me to
recognize them as soon as we spot them.
Their images are impressed both on my
eyes and in my photos.
I have photographed everything: from
healthy elephants, majestic ones, others
Top Right: Adriano & Giovanna at Mbololo
River, Tsavo East.
Middle: Elephant with ingrown tusk – near
Aruba, Tsavo East.
Below: Elephant with infected leg from
arrow poisoning.
with very long tusks,
some with wounded
or cut trunks, and
others with infected
or broken legs which
have since calcified.
For each of the latter,
there is a story to tell
and for all of these we
have asked for help.
Sadly for the elephants
whose trunks have
been cut, we could
not do much: we were
told that they were
probably trying to raid
crops and the village
people tried to scare them away by
chopping at their trunks.
But there are stories with happy
endings, rather than severed trunks:
Near Aruba Lodge, we spotted an
elephant with a very severe infection in
his leg. We immediately informed KWS,
marking the area with a white plastic
bag, since we had nothing else with us.
KWS arrived within a few hours and
managed to treat the infection and thus
save the animal from a slow and painful
death.
So deep is our love of elephants that
we financed the construction of six
water holes; five near the Pipeline from
Mzima Springs, in collaboration with
Friends of Tsavo, and one just after the
Bachuma Gate in collaboration with
KWS. Water is life, for man and for
beast.
On April 22, 2013, while observing
one of the herds enjoying one of the
waterholes, one elephant left the group
and slowly walked towards our car.
My husband said “Giovanna look! This
elephant has a problem”.
REAR WINDOW
Top: Operating the elephant with
ingrown tusk.
Below: Poster with note from vet at
Sala Gate.
Through my lens I could see that one of
the elephant’s tusks was ingrowing and had
already penetrated the skin under his eye.
The elephant came close to try to draw
our attention to a very serious and painful
problem. I put down my camera and
looked at him straight in the eyes. He was
asking for our help! It was not just the eye
contact but it was as if our brains were
on the same wavelength, allowing us to
communicate with each other. “We
will do everything to help you” was
our answer. It seemed as if he had
understood us as he slowly turned
and walked back to his herd.
We immediately informed KWS
and the David Sheldrick Wildlife
Centre in Nairobi, giving them the
necessary details and location. They
all assured us that assistance was on
its way.
We returned to Malindi and
started sending out photos of the
elephant by email. The Sheldrick
centre confirmed that its search
team was already on the job. I
shared the photos with our friend
Antonella, who posted them on the
Internet and Facebook. I prepared
posters with the elephant’s photo
and my husband Adriano’s cell
phone number. I had 100 copies
made of this WANTED poster
asking anyone who saw the stricken
beast to get in touch with us. We
returned to Tsavo and put these posters
everywhere, especially at the Sala,
Bachuma and Voi gates. The hotels and
lodges and the safari drivers were given
copies to display. We stopped passing
cars and showed them photos of the
elephant, and asked the visitors to call
us if they happened to see it.
Two unforgettable days later, there
were over 100 posters distributed.
Sadly we had to go back to Italy for
about a month, but our thoughts were
always with our elephant with the
ingrowing tusk, and we could not wait
to return.
At the beginning of July, Antonella
received a message on Facebook from
a Dutch vet who sent her some very
special photos. The elephant was found
near Satao. KWS and the Sheldrick staff
tranquilised it and cut off the end of the
ingrowing tusk. The tusk had already
penetrated just below the eye by 10-12
cm, causing a deep wound.
We don’t know how to personally
thank the vet who by now had
returned to Europe. We only know his
name Henk Beumer of Wildlife Care
International. We would like to meet
him and hug him and hope that destiny
will make our paths cross. We want to
know everything about the operation;
how he was tranquilised, how did he
wake up, how is he and how much
antibiotics was he given. We want to
know everything because this elephant
is part of us and we will never forget
him.
We departed immediately for Tsavo
accompanied by Antonella to find him
again. At the Sala gate, we were met
by joyous personnel. Our Poster is
still there, the colours faded, but with
a hand written note on it from the
vet who carried out the operation: “It
has been treated. He now has a clean
bill of health. We sat and cried with
happiness”.
In spite of looking, we have not been
able to find our elephant but others
have seen him and told us he is well and
the huge hole under his eye has nearly
closed. We wish him well and pray that
he never comes across heartless humans
armed with the poachers’ guns.

January to March 2015 - East African Wild Life Society

Transcription

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