Kenya safaris: Problems facing Masai Mara National reserve.

Kenya safaris: Problems facing Masai Mara National reserve.:  The completion  of the 87-kilometre Mai Mahiu- Narok road brought some relief, another 96 kilometres to the main gate is in a bad state. To...

Problems facing Masai Mara National reserve.

 The completion  of the 87-kilometre Mai Mahiu- Narok road brought some relief, another 96 kilometres to the main gate is in a bad state. Tour drivers said they are forced to divert to people’s farms, a situation which they say have led to conflict between them and the local community.

It is a shame when tourists are blocked by weapon-wielding locals, who are rightfully protesting that tour vehicles are disturbing their livestock and trampling on their pasture,

Vice chairman of the National Tour Drivers and Guides Association Andrew Mungatana and the association’s chief executive Joseph Ole Parpai said the 40-kilometre section of the Narok-Sekenani stretch was almost unmotorable.

Narok and Trans Mara county councils get more than 80 per cent of their revenue from the wild life resort.

The local authorities gain from the reserve by charging gate entries, royalties in the lodges as well as balloon settings and airplane landings. Although Narok County Council announced it had switched to electronic ticketing in a bid to shore up its revenue and seal corruption loopholes.

Tour drivers are asking the government of Kenya to intervene and make sure the road is repaired.

Bird Migration

"The stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed time; and the turtledove, and the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming.”- These are not just any words but are words written in the bible by Job about migration of birds.

In our backyards, most of us won't see anything like the migrating Whooping Crane, but there's a tiny possibility we might, in certain neighborhood wildlife refuges and parks. Sometimes a bird species that's present in our neighborhood the whole year can also be migratory.

Birds do not migrate because they figure out that they need to. It's been shown that, at least in some birds, changes in day length cause glands in the birds' bodies to produce hormones that produce profound changes inside the birds, changes that prepare them for the flight south. In the fall, as days grow shorter, fat accumulates under the skin. This fat contains energy needed for those coming days when the birds will be spending more energy flying than they'll be eating during their occasional rests. Weather changes sometimes trigger a migration's start, but by then the birds are already prepared. The urge to migrate must be very powerful. Starlings caged as their migration time approaches become extremely fidgety and point their bodies in the direction they want to fly toward.

Watching bird migration take place is one of the most exciting and interesting things a birder can do, and it's something you can see in your own backyard but it is wonderful if watched in the wild while on a safari. Especially in the spring when birds are in their bright courtship plumage and males are lustily singing, it's a pure joy to walk around taking note of which species have arrived. In the fall, as Northern-Hemisphere migrants head back and they are much quieter and their plumage is more drab. They're harder to identify, too. Nonetheless, their passage is still a majestic event to behold.

Birds fly at varying altitudes during migration. An expedition to Mt. Everest found skeletons of Pintail and Black-tailed Godwit at 5000 m (16,400 ft) on the Khumbu Glacier. Bar-headed Geese have been seen flying over the highest peaks of the Himalayas above 8000 m (29000 ft) even when low passes of 3000 m (10000 ft) were nearby. Seabirds fly low over water but gain altitude when crossing land, and the reverse pattern is seen in landbirds. However most bird migration is in the range of 150 m (500 ft) to 600 m (2000 ft). However birds too have their destinations and they just don’t go anywhere.

Turkana Tribe of Kenya

Turkana tribe is the second largest pastoral community in Kenya. This nomadic community moved to Kenya from Karamojong in eastern Uganda. The Turkana tribe occupies the semi Desert Turkana District in the Rift valley province of Kenya. Like the Maasai and tribes, Turkana people keep herds of cattle, goats and Camel. Livestock is a very important part of the Turkana people. Their animals are the main source of income and food. However, recurring drought in Turkana district adversely affect the nomadic livelihood.

Like the Maasai and Samburu, the Turkana people are very colorful. Turkana people adorn themselves with colorful necklace and bracelets. Their decorations are made of red, yellow and brown colored beads. Cattle's rustling is common in Turkana district and round its border with Uganda, Sudan and Ethiopia. Tribes inhabiting this area are often involved in tribal fights for livestock and water. Cattle's rustling has been a common phenomenon for many decades and appears to be a sort of cultural game for the nomadic communities living in parts of the Rift valley and its surroundings. With the proliferation of small arms, cattle's rustling has become more dangerous and the Kenyan government has intervened in solving the problem.

With a population of about 250,000 people, the Nilotic language speaking Turkana people have successfully maintained their tradition compared to other tribes in Kenya. Turkana men cover their head with mud, which is then painted blue and decorated with ostrich and other feathers. The main garment for the Turkana people is a woolen blanket. The type of attire worn by a woman is determined by her marital status. Body tattooing was traditionally used to indicate achievement in the community. Men or warriors who killed enemies were tattooed to indicate what they have done for the community. Most of people in Turkana tribe adhere to traditional beliefs while 5 to 15% are Christians but very few are Muslims.

Tourism in Kenya

Most tourists come to Kenya for a close encounter with African wildlife- and you don’t get much closer than being kissed by a Giraffe. This is a common occurrence at the Giraffe Centre, a conservation and education centre located just outside Nairobi, where visitors learn about these gentle giants through intimate experience.
Founded in 1979, The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Kenya was created in a bid to save the endangered Rothschild Giraffe. Kenya is home to 3 sub-species of giraffe, the common Maasai giraffe, the darker coated reticulated giraffe, endemic to Northern Kenya, and the Rothschild.
This most rare species was originally found in Western Kenya and by 1980 loss of habitat to agriculture had reduced their wild numbers to less than 140. AFEW raised funds to captive breed the animals at their centre in Langata (a short drive from central Nairobi). Eventually 4 herds were reared and released into suitable National parks and Reserves: Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, Mwea Game Reserve, Ruma National Park and Nasalot Game Reserve in Kenya.
Ongoing release programs have seen translocations to Soy Sambu Ranch near Lake Elementaita, Kigio Conservancy near Gilgil and Sergoit ranch in Eldoret. Today the wild Rothschild Giraffe population in Kenya is over 300.
Today the Giraffe centre remains a breeding centre and even more importantly, an education centre for the public. A well crafted information centre teaches visitors all they need to know about giraffes and their conservation, while a nature trail through the surrounding dry upland forest lets them explore typical giraffe habitat.
But the real attraction here are the giraffes themselves, and no visitor to the centre will come away without having gained a very personal experience of the world’s tallest animals.
Specially designed wooden platforms mean guests will find themselves eye to eye with members of the resident herds. On arrival, everyone is given a handful of special “giraffe treats’ which are very popular with the more sociable herd members.
Hand feeding a giraffe lets you discover the remarkably gentle nature of these huge creatures. Giraffes are herbivores who feed almost exclusively on leaves, which they pluck not with their teeth, but with a long, prehensile tongue.
The giraffes at the centre are so at ease with their human visitors that they will happily eat from your hand, or if you’d like, from between your lips with a soft lingering kiss.
Beneath the giraffes, family groups of warthog laze in the sun and take advantage of the occasional dropped treat.
This is most certainly not just a tourist attraction. The real aim of the centre is to sensitize Kenyans, especially the youth, to the importance of conserving nature and the environment.
Every day tourists visit the giraffe center and for many it is their first time to see a live giraffe- and any initial fears are quickly dispelled by helpful Kenyan guides, handfuls of treats, and the occasional kiss.
After this experience, the tourists attend lectures, take a guided walk in the forest, and become a part of the centre’s ongoing program to create ambassadors for conservation. In recent years, over 55,000 tourists have had this remarkable experience.
All over Kenya, Africa, human-wildlife conflict is creating a dividing line between people and wild animals- which are seen as threatening, dangerous and unnecessary.
The giraffe centre is helping to blur this divide; international visitors whose entry fees are supporting these programs mingle with gentle giraffes, and learn about their value to Kenya’s great natural heritage.
Every visitor to Nairobi, Kenya should take the time to visit the Giraffe centre, a great way to spend a morning or afternoon that supports an even greater cause.

A “BLACKLEG” AMONG LIONS

Perhaps we shouldn’t call him Blackleg. He is certainly no con artist or trickster. But he is a marked lion nonetheless. From the day he was born the fur over the entire length of his inner right foreleg from under the chest to paw, has been uniformly pitch black.

She is one of the four cubs raised on the eastern fringes of Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. At first it was thought to be a plastering of mud on her leg or an unimaginable injury sustained as a result of fighting.

Blackleg though has never shown any sign being inconvenienced by this puzzling anomaly. Indeed he was-from the outset- the dominant cub always boisterous and spoiling for a fight with his siblings.

The latter comprising of two females and one other male has no such distinguishing black marks.

After all Blackleg’s peculiarity must simply be a birthmark.

Giraffe in Masai Mara

The giraffe population of Kenya's Masai Mara reserve has declined by up to 95% because of increased human settlement around the unfenced park, according to a new study.
Scientists at the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) found that the numbers of giraffes, hartebeest, impala, warthogs, topis and waterbuck all fell "markedly and persistently" throughout the 1,500 sq km reserve between 1989 and 2003. Their sample counts were backed by government population estimates that showed actual losses as high as 95% for giraffes, 80% for wart­hogs and 76% for hartebeest for the period dating back to 1979.
The authors of the study, which was funded by the WWF and will be published in the British Journal of Zoology in May, say it presents the most detailed evidence yet of the rapid decline of ungulate, or hoofed, animals in the Mara, in south-western Kenya.
The main reason for the population decrease was the rapid expansion of human settlements on the land next to the reserve. The area was traditionally used by wild animals for seasonal grazing but is increasingly being turned over to livestock and crop production.
"The situation we documented paints a bleak picture and requires urgent and decisive action if we want to save this treasure from disaster," said Joseph Ogutu, a statistical ecologist at ILRI and lead author of the study. "If nothing is done, these declines will not just continue but accelerate as the human populations around the reserve increase."
The Mara reserve sits at the top of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which hosts the spectacular annual migration of up to 2 million wildebeest and other animals. Bordering the park is an area known as the Mara ranchlands, which is mainly home to the Masai ethnic group.