Almost a month ago, I returned from an incredible University trip to Kenya alongside other enthusiastic conservation students. The purpose was to explore the realities of conservation in a tropical country with spectacular wildlife. The journey of discovery took us not only to Kenya’s famous nature reserves, but also to the people striving to protect the ecosystems, indigenous communities who must deal with predators on their doorstep and the managers and users of the country’s precious water resources. We travelled across surprisingly diverse ecoregions on our trip, and these provide the framework for the following two articles, describing the wildlife and the key issues in each habitat.
1-Urban Kenya
Our trip began around Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Despite the country’s 50-year independence it is still strikingly British, as all the signs are predominantly in English. However, the disorganised shanties would be a British health and safety inspector’s nightmare (In stark contrast to the grand, manicured government developments in Narok town). Wildlife thrives in the unkemptness of the shanties. Two large birds are common here, the Black Kite and the Sacred Ibis, both making a living by rummaging in rubbish for meat scraps. They are joined by the Pied Crow, an impressive raven in magpie’s clothing. Flocks of superb starling are a surprising dazzle of colour in the dusty towns, completely metallic and painted blue and green with an orange chest. Scattered acacia trees are festooned with the hanging baskets of weaverbird nests. The various species dressed in black and yellow are frustratingly difficult to tell apart. These urbanites are few, yet successful, especially as Nairobi continues to expand.
Our trip began around Nairobi, Kenya’s capital. Despite the country’s 50-year independence it is still strikingly British, as all the signs are predominantly in English. However, the disorganised shanties would be a British health and safety inspector’s nightmare (In stark contrast to the grand, manicured government developments in Narok town). Wildlife thrives in the unkemptness of the shanties. Two large birds are common here, the Black Kite and the Sacred Ibis, both making a living by rummaging in rubbish for meat scraps. They are joined by the Pied Crow, an impressive raven in magpie’s clothing. Flocks of superb starling are a surprising dazzle of colour in the dusty towns, completely metallic and painted blue and green with an orange chest. Scattered acacia trees are festooned with the hanging baskets of weaverbird nests. The various species dressed in black and yellow are frustratingly difficult to tell apart. These urbanites are few, yet successful, especially as Nairobi continues to expand.
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| Kenyan urbanites. 1)Sacred ibis(Threskiornis aethiopicus), 2)Black kite(Milvus migrans), 3)Pied crow (Corvus albus), 4)African pied wagtail (Motacilla aguimp), 5)Speckled pigeon (Columba guinea), 6)Superb starling(Lamprotornis superbus), 7)Village weaver(Ploceus cucullatus), 8)Vitelline masked weaver(Ploceus vitellinus) , 9)Browed sparrow-weaver(Plocepasser mahali). |
2- Savannahs
The Savannah is the habitat most people associate with
Kenya. The vast grasslands are home to the World’s largest and most famous land
mammals. Tourism has habituated the wildlife to
vehicles, but there is still a world of difference to seeing them in a zoo. Although
we visited during the dry season, high rainfall in recent years has made the
savannas much greener and more verdant with wildflowers than the yellowing
grass landscape we were expecting. The trip wouldn’t be complete without
safaris, and our duty to collect data from our observations made them slightly
more productive than the typical tourist experience.
Our first stop was Nairobi National Park. Though relatively small it was packed with spectacular wildlife, including a family of White Rhino and our first views of stately Maasai Giraffes. If you were prepared to ignore the tower blocks on the horizon and the occasional plastic bag in the bushes it was a tropical paradise!
At Olerai conservancy we had a walking Safari, giving us the opportunity to see the Savannahs hidden treasures. There were delicate wildflowers in a variety of shapes and colours, along with spectacular invertebrates, including large tunnelling wolf spiders and their predators, huge spider-hunting wasps with black bodies and iridescent wings. More about Conservancies later.
At Hell’s Gate National Park, we were able to walk amongst game animals. The park is in Kenya’s portion of the Great Rift Valley. It is deemed safe to walk through due to a lack of big cats, but we found several signs of cheetah and a leopard was seen last year. Though our objective was to collect data on the game animals we saw, we couldn’t help being distracted by the amazing geological landscape. It is also home to a major roost of endangered Ruppell’s griffon vultures.
The grand finale was the Maasai Mara Game Reserve where we had the complete African wildlife experience including elephants, lounging cheetahs and a 20+ strong herd of giraffe (known as a tower). The jewel in the crown was finding lions feeding on an old buffalo carcass surrounded by a full cast of scavengers including jackals snatching bites under the lion’s nose, a mixed flock of vultures and spotted hyenas waiting in the wings.
Hyenas provided some memorable moments in the Mara. Firstly when a safari bus had a blow-out and a hyena approached to check its chances of a tourist takeaway and the next day when another chased a gazelle fawn straight across the road in front of us. Our wild camping experience in a neighbouring conservancy was put into perspective when we encountered a pack of five on a drive a few hundred meters away.
Overall, the bus group I was part of was the only one to see the Big Five (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Black Rhino and Elephant) thanks to a brilliant spot of a leopard in the grass at Nakuru National Park. Asides from the spectacular megafauna, the group also saw some of the smaller, more elusive mammals, some on a night drive around one of our camps. Dikdiks, groups of banded mongoose, hares and a genet slinking along (An attractive carnivore like a graceful cross between a cat and a mongoose). One group even saw a serval walking close by.
Not forgetting the primates. Troops of shifty-looking olive Baboons scattered around the Savannahs and in our camps kept us entertained with their family activities and quickly took advantage of dropped food. The more graceful black-faced vervet monkeys in the wooded areas were still not averse to raiding car park bins, whilst the handsome black and white colobus were content picking leaves from the trees, where they were agile leapers despite their bulk. Fisherman’s camp was famous for its nocturnal bushbabies, located by their torch lit eyeshine, though I did not see any myself.
The sheer number and diversity of birds of prey on the savannahs showed that the smaller wildlife must be doing well too. The most common was the Augur Buzzard, smartly black and white with a red tail, and we were also lucky to see pallid harriers coasting over the grass, several eagles, hawks, falcons and the distinctive ground-hunting secretary bird, one of which put on a spectacular flying display for us. Other memorable birds included ostrich, the technicolor lilac-breasted roller, and the long-tailed widowbird, a species where the male’s tail has evolved so long to attract a mate that he has difficulty flying!
Our first stop was Nairobi National Park. Though relatively small it was packed with spectacular wildlife, including a family of White Rhino and our first views of stately Maasai Giraffes. If you were prepared to ignore the tower blocks on the horizon and the occasional plastic bag in the bushes it was a tropical paradise!
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| The bizarre contrast in Nairobi National Park, where the city has grown to meet the wilderness. Photo by author. |
At Olerai conservancy we had a walking Safari, giving us the opportunity to see the Savannahs hidden treasures. There were delicate wildflowers in a variety of shapes and colours, along with spectacular invertebrates, including large tunnelling wolf spiders and their predators, huge spider-hunting wasps with black bodies and iridescent wings. More about Conservancies later.
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| A selection of wildflowers growing in Olerai Conservancy.Photographs by author. |
At Hell’s Gate National Park, we were able to walk amongst game animals. The park is in Kenya’s portion of the Great Rift Valley. It is deemed safe to walk through due to a lack of big cats, but we found several signs of cheetah and a leopard was seen last year. Though our objective was to collect data on the game animals we saw, we couldn’t help being distracted by the amazing geological landscape. It is also home to a major roost of endangered Ruppell’s griffon vultures.
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| Zebra watching at Hell's Gate National Park. Photo by author. |
The grand finale was the Maasai Mara Game Reserve where we had the complete African wildlife experience including elephants, lounging cheetahs and a 20+ strong herd of giraffe (known as a tower). The jewel in the crown was finding lions feeding on an old buffalo carcass surrounded by a full cast of scavengers including jackals snatching bites under the lion’s nose, a mixed flock of vultures and spotted hyenas waiting in the wings.
Hyenas provided some memorable moments in the Mara. Firstly when a safari bus had a blow-out and a hyena approached to check its chances of a tourist takeaway and the next day when another chased a gazelle fawn straight across the road in front of us. Our wild camping experience in a neighbouring conservancy was put into perspective when we encountered a pack of five on a drive a few hundred meters away.
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| Welcome to the Mara! Lion, white-backed vulture and black-backed jackal at the buffalo carcass, watched by buses and balloons. Photograph ©Joshua Baum. Used with permission. |
Overall, the bus group I was part of was the only one to see the Big Five (Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Black Rhino and Elephant) thanks to a brilliant spot of a leopard in the grass at Nakuru National Park. Asides from the spectacular megafauna, the group also saw some of the smaller, more elusive mammals, some on a night drive around one of our camps. Dikdiks, groups of banded mongoose, hares and a genet slinking along (An attractive carnivore like a graceful cross between a cat and a mongoose). One group even saw a serval walking close by.
Not forgetting the primates. Troops of shifty-looking olive Baboons scattered around the Savannahs and in our camps kept us entertained with their family activities and quickly took advantage of dropped food. The more graceful black-faced vervet monkeys in the wooded areas were still not averse to raiding car park bins, whilst the handsome black and white colobus were content picking leaves from the trees, where they were agile leapers despite their bulk. Fisherman’s camp was famous for its nocturnal bushbabies, located by their torch lit eyeshine, though I did not see any myself.
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| Savannah monkeys.Black and white colobus (Left), Black-faced vervet (Above), Olive baboon(Below). Photos by author. |
The sheer number and diversity of birds of prey on the savannahs showed that the smaller wildlife must be doing well too. The most common was the Augur Buzzard, smartly black and white with a red tail, and we were also lucky to see pallid harriers coasting over the grass, several eagles, hawks, falcons and the distinctive ground-hunting secretary bird, one of which put on a spectacular flying display for us. Other memorable birds included ostrich, the technicolor lilac-breasted roller, and the long-tailed widowbird, a species where the male’s tail has evolved so long to attract a mate that he has difficulty flying!
Coming away from the Nature Reserves into the pastoral areas
inhabited by the Maasai was quite a contrast. It was odd to see zebra, gazelle
and wildebeest living alongside the herds of livestock, but the short grazed
grass offered nowhere for smaller animals to hide. Many ground birds seemed to enjoy
this though, with several Lapwing species, handsome crowned cranes, sandgrouse
and the 1.2 meter-tall Kori bustard taking advantage of the easy foraging for
insects and seeds.
We visited these lands to talk to three Maasai clans. Livestock herding or pastoralism
is integral to their culture. Appreciation of Wildlife is another of
their core values, but their attitudes to different animals vary. Unsurprisingly,
large carnivores are not so loved. One tribe told us how lions take around 200
cattle a year, something the Government used to compensate for until some
decided to cheat the system and blame natural deaths on lions. Despite being
illegal, retaliatory killing is still practiced, though other measures such as
flashing lights or fortifying the livestock pens are more effective and promising
methods.
Encouragingly, two of the Maasai clans we visited had set up conservancies. These are nature reserves run by the Maasai themselves rather than the Kenya Wildlife Service government department. Olerai conservancy was recently set up as a legacy to prevent division of the clan’s land into private plots. We were fortunate enough to talk with two of the clan members, helping them understand what tourists would want from the area. We experienced wild camping in the Maasai Mara Conservancy , which was thriving with wildlife freely moving from the game reserve. The conservancies are an encouraging solution to a recent conservation issue. The loss of many clans’ traditional nomadic culture in favour of securing land rights since the 1960’s has led to greater impacts on the land. Setting their land aside to generate a sustainable income from nature tourism gives wildlife not only more space, but more value and greater protection.
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| A family of plains zebra against a backdrop of sheep and farm buildings in Maasai pastoral land. Photo by author. |
Encouragingly, two of the Maasai clans we visited had set up conservancies. These are nature reserves run by the Maasai themselves rather than the Kenya Wildlife Service government department. Olerai conservancy was recently set up as a legacy to prevent division of the clan’s land into private plots. We were fortunate enough to talk with two of the clan members, helping them understand what tourists would want from the area. We experienced wild camping in the Maasai Mara Conservancy , which was thriving with wildlife freely moving from the game reserve. The conservancies are an encouraging solution to a recent conservation issue. The loss of many clans’ traditional nomadic culture in favour of securing land rights since the 1960’s has led to greater impacts on the land. Setting their land aside to generate a sustainable income from nature tourism gives wildlife not only more space, but more value and greater protection.
Morning in the Maasai Mara Conservancy camp. Photo by author.
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| The take-home shot from Solio Ranch. Black rhino herd against Mount Kenya. Photo by author. |
1. 1. African long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)-The males have
the longest headcrest. Their main prey is small rodents, but they will also
take other small animals and even fruit.
2. Long-tailed fiscal (Lanius cabanisi)-A species of shrike common almost everywhere in
Kenya, perched conspicuously in the open where they watch for insects on the
ground.
3.
Long-tailed
widowbird (Euplectes progne)-With
his ridiculously long-tail to attract a mate, this species is a textbook
example of the powers of sexual selection. Males closest to the physical limit
for tail size are considered most attractive by the females.
4. Yellow-throated
sandgrouse (Pterocles
gutturalis)- Relatives of pigeons, sand grouse are superbly adapted
to arid conditions. They nest in the dry season and the adults have absorbent
breast feathers to carry water from pools to their chicks.
5. Dung beetles- Bury the dung and lay their eggs on it to feed
their offspring. Whilst burrowers simply tunnel under the dung , rollers form
balls which they take away to be buried, reducing competition.
6. Waste paper plant- Grows in heavily grazed
areas where it is a parasite on the roots of grasses. Named for the resemblance
of the scattered, flimsy flowers to scraps of tissue paper.
7. Colotis butterfly-Various red, orange and yellow
colitis sp are the most common butterflies of the savannah. They seem to have
boundless energy as they fly almost non-stop
in random directions.
8. Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori)- At an impressive 18 kg and 1.2m
long, this is the World’s heaviest flying bird. They usually stay on the
ground, where they hunt large insects, lizards and snakes.
9. Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer)- Renowned
as one of Africa’s most dangerous animals, even standing up to lions. Buffalo
feature on the ‘Big 5’ as large, unpredictable lone bulls were prized hunting
trophies.
10. Candelabra tree(Euphorbia ingens)- This giant euphorbia is able to grow up to 10
meters tall. It remains uneaten thanks to its spines and sticky sap which causes
blisters.
11. Mould beetle-Soil sticks to static hairs on
this beetle’s body, helping it camouflage as it forages on open ground.
12. Crowned lapwing (Vanellus coronatus) -Common across Savannahs and pastures in short
grass where it feeds mainly on termites.
13. Prickly pear-Though the spines make it
unpalatable to animals, this cactus has two human food uses, it’s edible fruit
and the red food dye coccineal derived from the aphids which feed on it.
14. Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii)- The commonest antelope in East Africa, ‘Tommie’s’
make up for their small stature with
speed, reaching 80kmph.
15. Plains zebra (Equus burchelli)- Zebras stripes
help create an optical illusion when they move, confusing both predators and biting insects.
16. African hare (Lepus microtis)-Like most hares, rely on their speed to escape
predators in open habitat. They can leap up to 10 feet.
17. Aloe- The succulent leaves of aloes conserve
water. They famously soothe irritated skin, and are sought by elephants as a
hydrating snack.
18. Trap-jaw ant (Odontomachus sp.)-The jaws of these ants are so fast
and powerful they can be used to propel themselves into the air from a hard
surface, but are more usually used to snatch fast-moving insects.
19. Mwanza flat-headed rock agama (Agama Mwanzae)-The male’s spectacular
colouring gets brighter with dominance
and has leant them the nickname ‘Spider man agama’.
20. White-bellied bustard (Eupodotis
senegalensis)-Far smaller than kori’s bustard. The male puffs out a
black beard during display.
21. Common
Eland (Taurotragus oryx)-This
cow-like antelope is the second largest in the world after the giant eland.
Bulls develop a large dewlap with age.
22.
Temminck's
Courser (Cursorius temminckii)- Strangely for
a wader, coarsers prefer arid areas and are good runners.
23.
Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) -
The world’s fastest land mammal in order to catch gazelle, these slender cats
often hunt in the midday heat to avoid more powerful predators stealing their
kills.
24. Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) The ‘warts’ on the side of
the head act as fat reserves and protect the male’s face from their opponents
tusks during fights.
25.
Red-billed oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus)- Long thought to be helpful to large herbivores by picking off ticks,
oxpeckers actually have a taste for blood. They wait until ticks are engorged
before eating them and will keep wounds open to feed from them.
26.
Pallid Harrier (Circus
macrourus) – Migrate to Africa from Eastern Europe and West Asia in winter.
Like other harriers, they coast along low to the grass, watching and listening
for birds and small mammals.
27.
Common Ostrich (Struthio
camelus)-The World’s largest modern bird.Males are the main carers of the
offspring.
28. Topi (Damaliscus korrigum) - In the breeding
season, males gether into leks where both sexes compete for mates.
29. Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) - Named after their head feathers resembling old
secretaries with quills behind their ears, these raptors wade through the grass
using their long legs and feet to subdue snakes and other small animals.
30. Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)-Following the fresh grass growth with the
rains, Kenyan Wildebeest migrate to Tanzania and back. In recent years their
migration patterns have changed , possibly due to climate change.
31. Pompillid- This huge wasp (4cm), paralyses burrowing
wolf spiders and buries them alive to feed her larvae.
32. Pentanisia (Pentanisia. prunelloides)- The delicate pastel-blue flowers attract
butterflies, whilst the root is used
medicinally by native tribes to treat burning-anything from burned skin to
fever and heartburn (though it is not scientifically proven to work).
33. Banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) - A colonial mongoose . Amazingly, all females in a group
give birth within a few days of each other, so the group can care for the young
in a crèche.
34. Burrowing wolf spider(Geolycosa sp.)- One of Africa’s largest spiders. Unlike most wolf
spiders which are active hunters, the females ambush insects from their
silk-lined burrows.
35. Bur marigold (Bidens sp.)-These sunshine yellow flowers patchwork the savannah
and are important nectar source for native honeybees.
36. Yellow-necked spurfowl (Pternistis leucoscepus) -
Closely related to chickens. Both sexes have bare yellow necks and the
males call at dawn from termite mounds.
37. White rhinoceros(Ceratotherium simum) - A
corruption of the Afrikaans "wijd", meaning "wide", after
it’s broad lips used for grazing. White rhinos are not native to Kenya, but
introduced as attractions in the Parks.
38. Pangani longclaw(Macronyx aurantiigula) – One of the few easily-recognisable pipit-like
birds on the plains owing to the male’s orange- yellow throat.
39. Northern anteater chat (Myrmecocichla aethiops )-Presumably eats ants and/or termites, but
very little information is available on this common bird.
40. Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris)-This distinctive and loud gamebird travels in
groups, sweeping the grasslands for edible plants and small animals. They are
thought to be major controllers of ticks.
41. African elephant (Loxodonta africana)- The largest land animal, with an appetite for
destroying trees to maintain open grassland, elephants must range great
distances to sustain themselves.
42. Umbrella thorn acacia (Vachellia tortilis)- The iconic tree of the savannah. The
umbrella-thorn is able to dominate this habitat through being extremely
tolerant of drought, high temperatures (up to 50° C) poor soils, alkalinity and
even night frosts at higher elevations.
43. Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)-Named for their habit of following large mammals to
snap up the insects and small vertebrates which get disturbed.
44. Spotted hyena (Crocutta crocutta)-Hyenas are much misunderstood. Though efficient
scavengers, they mainly hunt their own prey. Despite appearances and behaviour
they are also more closely related to cats and mongooses than to dogs.
45. Black-backed Jackal (Canis mesomelas) –These small dogs hunt rodents, hares and small
antelopes aswell as using their agility and cunning to scavenge kills from
larger predators-often right under their noses!
46. Impala (Aepyceros melampus)-Common in scrubby Savanna in herds of
up to two hundred. Males are territorial in the breeding season, when they
attempt to control a harem of visiting females.
47. Thorn apple (Datura stramonium)-This plant is not grazed since it’s alkaloid
content makes it deadly toxic, at just above the doses for medicinal use!
48. African monarch (Danaus chrysippus)-This butterfly retains poisonous alkaloids from
the milkweed it eats as a caterpillar. It may be the first butterfly to be
depicted in art, in an Egyptian Fresco from 1500BC.
49. Lion (Panthera
leo)-Widely heralded as the Kings of the savannah, being the apex predator
means lions are under threat from habitat depletion and retaliatory killing
when they target livestock. They are particularly reliant on the wildebeest
herds.
50. Serval (Leptailurus
serval) - One of Africa’s smaller cats at less than 1m tall. Their long
legs help them patrol tall grass in search of rodents, and jump an incredible 3m
to catch flying birds.
51. Whistle-thorn acacia (Acacia drepanolobium)-This shrubby tree gets it’s name from the
sound of the wind blowing into holes in it’s galls. The tree grows these
swellings as homes for ants, which in turn protect it from herbivores by
swarming and biting any animal that disturbs the branches.
52. Fork-tailed drongo(Dicrurus adsimilis) -These small crow relatives hunt insects from
perches, often following large herbivores which disturb their prey. Meerkats
and mongoose use drongos as a predator alarm signal, but the drongos sometimes
trick them to steal a prize meal.
53. Maasai Giraffe(Giraffa tippelskirchi) -Ranging around Kenya and
Tanzania, This Giraffe species is distinguished by its jagged brown patches and
is the tallest species, at around 6m tall.
54. Lilac-breasted roller(Coracias caudatus)- This jay-sized bird has a beautiful patchwork of pink, purple
blue and turquoise. It is no surprise that Kenya chose it as it’s National
bird.
55. Hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) -With it’s slender bill, this is the only
vulture species to eat insects aswell as carrion.
56. Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) - The World’s highest
flying bird, recorded at 11,000 metres. The roosting colony at Hell’s Gate
National Park fly to the Maasai Mara to feed, around 185km away.
57. Lappet-faced vulture(Torgos tracheliotos) -One of Africa’s largest and most aggressive
vultures, this species can digest tough hide and sinew which others cannot deal
with.
58. Augur buzzard (Buteo augur) -Kenya’s commonest bird of prey over plains,highland
moors and cultivated fields. Around 10% of the country’s population are
completely black dark morphs.
59. Swallows-Various swallow species are resident
in Kenya, whilst our own, the Barn Swallow migrates here in the Northern
winter. They mingle across the great plains chasing the abundant flying
insects. Left to right: Wire-tailed swallow Hirundo smithii, Mosque swallow Cecropis
senegalensis,Barn swallow H.rustica.
60. White-fronted bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) -This species of bee-eater has a complex
social system of family ‘clans’ with the members helping to rear each other’s
offspring.
61. Sausage fly (Dorylus sp).-This strange flying insect, looking like a cross
between a wasp and a cranefly is actually a winged male driver ant.
62. Martins-Close relatives of the swallows,
martins have smaller, stockier bodies and shorter forked tails. From left to
right: House martin Delichon urbicum, Sand martin Riparia
riparia (both British migrants), Plain martin R. paludicola, Rock martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula.
63. Swifts-Adding to the frenzy of aerial
hunters, various swifts also winter in Kenya. They spend almost their whole
lives in flight and tend to feed much higher than swallows and martins.
64. Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus)-The swept-back wings and stubby,
triangular tail make this handsome eagle very distinctive in flight. It’s name
is French for “Street performer” as it’s wing-rocking motions resemble a
balancing tightrope walker.
65. Tawny eagle (Aquila rapax)-This powerful eagle can tackle hares and guineafowl,
but also uses it’s veracity to steal food from other large birds such as fish
eagles and storks.
66. Lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)- This species is
smaller and more warmth-loving than the familiar Common Kestrel (F. Tinnunculus) since it feeds mainly
on insects.
