Mara Triangle Blog

Welcome Back Sergeant Kerua

2009-11-21T06:47:22Z

Sergeant Kerua Today.

On the 18th August, at 10am, Sergeant Kerua with the rangers from Iseiya was on an Anti-Poaching patrol. As they were traversing through one of the thickets, Sergeant Kerua came upon a lone male buffalo hidden in the bushes.

The buffalo jumped up and charged Sergeant Kerua and, with no time to react, Sergeant Kerua was cut in the right thigh by the horns and thrown into the air, he was then struck a second time, tearing open his stomach.

Kerua was immediately taken to Serena Hotel and was treated by Leonard Nyaga who works in the clinic at Serena. As the injuries sustained were very deep it was necessary to fly Kerua immediately to Nairobi where he was treated by Doctors at Aga Khan Hospital.

The surgery went well, and once Kerua was strong enough he was discharged on the 2nd September, after which he went home to recuperate.

We are now very pleased to welcome Sergeant Kerua back to work at the Mara Conservancy and congratulate him for his courage. We commend all of our rangers for the dangerous work that they carry out daily and know that without their bravery the Mara Triangle would not be the safe haven that it is now.

Update from Kamande on Work of Care for the Wild/AKT Scouts

2009-11-19T06:42:15Z

Care for the Wild/Anne Kent Taylor Scouts work closely with Mara Conservancy rangers inside the Mara Triangle and also in the areas bordering the reserve. This is an update from Elias Kamande, Field Coordinator:

The team and Mara Conservancy rangers patrolled various places adjacent to the Mara Triangle. Most of these places are still in danger as the poachers are still roaming and killing our wildlife during the night.

Dead elephant killed by poachers.

The hide & seek game is the order of the day although arrests are still made almost every month. Poachers are still getting new techniques and using them to trick the forests.

The team was happy with the good collaboration of other wildlife organisations and even school children! K.W.S vet are also very supportive as they are very punctual when called upon to treat the injured animals.

Saitoti receiving the snares from the school pupils.

Last month two medium sized elephants were treated by Dr Doninic Mijele with other K.W.S rangers from Mara reserch station. Some of these elephants got those injuries from the up the Ololoolo escarpment near Egos.

The team and the rangers helping in removing the snare from the baby elephant.

For the first time the team discovered a big baboon trap that was placed in the forest and after a closer look it revealed that a number of baboons or other monkeys were already killed in that trap. It seems that these traps could be many in the forests and that could be one of the reaons as to why the number of primates is decreasing in the area.

The team would like to say a big thanks to the brave Mara Conservancy Rangers,K.W.S Mara station not forgetting all those driver guides who assisted in locating the sick wildlife.The team is still dedicated in protecting the wildlife despite many challages from those who want kill them using many ways. We are still helping in arresting the poachers and helping in keeping our wildlife save. Trying to fulfil all the objectives is still the key factor in protecting our wildlife.

Two poachers arrested by the team.

Elias Kamade.

Links We Like

2009-11-06T07:39:05Z

Calling all lodge/camp managers; do you regularly test your water? - Lots of useful links from Amanda and Chris with inexpensive ways to test your water and protect your guests.

Cattle Crisis on the Narok side of the Reserve and how it affects hyaena behaviour. I'll be interested to see what comments the Hyaena Researchers have.

Basecamp Masai Mara wins World's Best Ecotourism Hotel by Skål International

And Paula from WildlifeDirect responds to FMC's claims that they're doing everything they can to reduce the negative impact of furadan on East Africa's wildlife.

See the Wildebeest Migration in the Mara Triangle... on Google Earth!

2009-11-03T08:44:12Z

We're in the process of installing tracking devices into our vehicles here at the Conservancy, and as our Land Cruiser arrived at Oloololo Gate I had a quick peek at its progress over on Google Earth.

Since I've last been on it seems that Google have updated the satellite image for the top of the Mara Triangle, and you can even see the new toilets that we've constructed over at Oloololo (in the top left hand corner).

I also noticed that our grader is parked outside of the rangers quarters, which means that it's just after we had completed grading the roads inside the Triangle and were about to grade the roads towards all the camps and lodges that are on the outside, just at the beginning of August when the migration was in full swing.

You must at least be able to see some wildebeest, I thought.

Well, you can.

That's quite a few thousand of the chaps swarming their way up towards the north of the Triangle.

You can even see the lines snaking their way across:

I'm sure you'd quite like a look around yourself, and if you don't have Google Earth installed you can have a look with Google Maps below:

View Larger Map

Impressive, huh?

Don't forget to join us on Facebook for wildlife updates as they happen.

Please don't ignore us KWS!

2009-10-25T09:08:16Z

We mentioned back in early June about the Lion Poisoning on the other side of the reserve and we're pleased to see that Mr Omondi from KWS echoed our sentiments in Thursday's Daily Nation:

A total of 10 lions have been killed by herders who have lost their cattle to the large cats. In one case, farmers poisoned a carcass and it left for the lions. It killed not just a lion, but also 300 vultures that ate the carcasses of the cow and the lion.

Mr Omondi says the herders should expect to lose some of their animals if they choose to break the law and let them graze in game reserves. (emphasis mine)

The pressure being put on the Narok side of the reserve by cattle is unsustainable and, as bad as this drought may be, Kenya cannot afford to lose such a large part of one of our National resources.

One of the challenges KWS faces in its efforts to keep cattle out of game reserves is that the Maasai Mara, Kenya’s most famous park, is not managed by the service. Instead, it’s managed by the Narok County Council who, Mr Omondi says, turn a blind eye to the herders.

It's important to mention that since 1996, the management of the Masai Mara Game Reserve has been separated by county council borders. The Narok County Council look after their side, and Trans-Mara look after the Mara Triangle - that's thirteen years of separate management! But enough about political boundaries (although some recognition for the Mara Conservancy after all our years of hard work would be quite nice), Mr Omondi actually raises some very important issues in the article which cannot be ignored.

There have been no illegal cattle incursions into the Mara Triangle and this may be why the wildebeest migration chose to stay in the Triangle for the majority of it's Kenyan cycle. Now I'm not saying that wildebeest stay away from cattle, we know very well that the two often graze in the same area because they enjoy the short grass and the new growth that this brings, but once an area is overgrazed then there is no grass left at all - for cows, or for wildebeest.

Part of the wildebeest migration in the Mara Triangle yesterday.

Also, I was rather surprised to see in the article remarks about large numbers of hippo dying:

“The water level in the Mara River dropped below the minimum sustainable levels and we lost about 500 to 600 hippos,” Mr Omondi said.

We haven't seen any substantial losses like this, in fact, we haven't even noticed a small loss. The Mara River runs along the entire length of the Mara Triangle before heading into Tanzania, and before us it runs through Masai Mara North Conservancy - who I've just contacted and they haven't seen any large losses either. If anyone knows where this figure comes from and if it is indeed for the Mara River, please get in touch.

Feast your eyes and feed the Conservancy.

2009-10-09T08:47:13Z

Sarah and Andy are back to the UK after another trip to the Mara Triangle and are selling some of their excellent photographs with a whopping £5 per print going to the Mara Conservancy.

As you can see, brilliant photos at a brilliant price.

Print Only:

A4 PRINT ONLY - £17.00 + Delivery
A3 PRINT ONLY - £24.00 + Delivery

Mounted with Backing Board:

A4 with BLACK MOUNT - £22.00 + Delivery
A4 with IVORY MOUNT - £22.00 + Delivery

A3 with BLACK MOUNT - £30.00 + Delivery
A3 with IVORY MOUNT - £30.00 + Delivery

What are you waiting for? Purchase your print now!

Do hippos eat meat? Plus other links we like.

2009-10-06T11:49:20Z

Amanda and Chris have written another excellent newsletter, which not only answers the above question, but also gives information on water heights and dissolved oxygen levels; it's informative and interesting and definitely worth the read.

Also worth a look, Chris posted on Friday about The Other Migration that is currently going on in the Mara right now and about Sunday's CBS 60 Minutes Piece.

Great news from USAid who have pledged US $3 million to help save the Mara River Basin, and also some great photos in the Masai Mara by photographer Nick Brandt.

An exhibition of Nick Brandt's works are on display at London's Atlas Gallery.

Elsewhere in the Mara, Jackson Looseiya bids farewell as he has gone home for a well earned break after the high season. Things are also starting to quiet down round here in the Mara Triangle, tourist wise that is, animal wise were filling up once more with thousands and thousands of wildebeest.

CBS 60 Minutes: The Great Migration

2009-10-05T09:51:32Z

In August we were very pleased to welcome CBS who wanted to put together a feature on the Wildebeest Migration and the threats faced to the Migration, and the Mara as a whole, due to the ongoing destruction of the Mau Forest.

The piece aired last night and can be viewed here.

If you would like to learn more about the issues, the BBC have very recently put together an excellent written piece which can be found here: Kenya's Heart Stops Pumping.

Should viewing time around Cheetah Cubs be restricted?

2009-09-04T07:24:27Z

At the beginning of this week we lost two cheetah cubs from a litter of three. Cheetah cubs are extremely vulnerable when they are young, with a high mortality rate due to predation by other carnivores.

Cheetah cubs are also a huge tourist attraction, and it was very rare to find the cubs without vehicles nearby. When they were first spotted we did keep tourists away so that the Mother would have a chance to hunt for the cubs, and then after a few days vehicles were allowed to visit the family.

In the last week however we did note that vehicles were around from first thing in the morning till the last lights of the day - a total of twelve hours. Our Anti-Animal Harassment vehicle was also always with the family to keep the cars at a safe distance, but just the day before the two went missing Kimojino mentioned that the mother had started to hunt in the early evening. This was not a good sign as it meant that it would be difficult to move the cubs away from the kill to somewhere safe before the night had set in, and predators were attracted by the smell of the blood.

We are currently debating whether to have stronger park rules around cheetah cubs, and to limit visiting times to just a few hours a day. It will be costly to enforce, and also not popular with tour guides and tourists, but listed as a vulnerable species maybe it is time to have a policy in place.

We welcome any comments on thoughts on this move - what do you think we should do?

Important Changes to Camping in the Mara Triangle

2009-09-04T06:38:31Z

Thank you to all the campers who have been staying with us. Our campsites are getting increasingly busy during the high seasons, and to avoid disappointment it is a good idea to book in advance.

Before you visit, there are a few things to mention about camping in the Mara Triangle:

1. Security

The Mara Conservancy is responsible for security of the whole of the Mara Triangle, however not individual campsites. There are two vehicles, each night, that patrol the Mara Triangle in the vicinity of the campsites. If those staying at the campsites decide that they need extra security then they can either bring their own askaris, or hire Conservancy Rangers.

The current rate is 1,000 KSh per ranger per night, and you must hire two rangers - no more or less.

2. Water

In the past there has been a casual agreement to allow campers to collect water from Iseiya Headquarters, however with more larger tour operators now using the Mara Triangle the consumption of water has increased dramatically.

The water is actually pumped and treated by Serena Hotel, and the vast quantities being taken was putting an enormous strain on the Hotel - they encountered shortages and had to incur extra costs to extract more water from the Mara River.

We are sorry that we currently do not have the facilities ourselves to provide campers with water, and therefore ask visitors now bring their own water when visiting the Mara Triangle.

3. Rubbish

The Manager of Serena Hotel has also asked that campers stop dumping rubbish outside their facilities. The rubbish is often left in plastic bags that are torn open by hyaenas and baboons.

It is not for Serena Hotel to sort, recycle and transport the rubbish of campers and we ask that campers instead carry the rubbish with them when leaving the Mara Triangle.

4. Firewood

It is not permitted to collect firewood from inside the Mara Triangle - please bring your own or purchase firewood (sustainably grown) from Oloololo or Purungat Gate.

5. Olkeju Rongai Campsite

This campsite is now closed due to the ongoing development of the Somak lodge on the opposite river bank - despite court injunctions and stop orders from the Narok County Council.

If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.