Ewaso Lions

Category: Reserves | Date: Oct 22 2009 | By: ewasolions

Samburu is transforming!  Every day the landscape changes colour.  Trees are the greenest they have been this whole year and its amazing to watch the animals come alive.  All the animals seem more energetic and excited with the new greenery and water.  Impalas, oryx, waterbuck and buffalo who managed to survive through the drought are now feasting on the green shoots.  I watched an oryx the other day - in the morning he was in a mini green paradise eating all the grass - 6 hours later he was in the same spot, still eating.  Even the monkeys are happy.  Its such a thrill to see the place come alive this way and so quickly just after a few rain showers.  Below are some photos of some happy drought survivors taken 2 days after the first rain:

Impalas graze with the Samburu sacred mountain, Sabache, in the background

A thin impala finds some new grass 2 days after the first rain

Almost all the buffaloes died in the drought.  Here is one survivor who just managed to stay alive…

A dikdik a few minutes after a rain shower

Happy monkeys

A thin oryx makes the most of the new grass

Numerous waterbuck also died in the drought.  This male made it.

A not so happy lion cub in the rain!

Here are photos taken exactly 1 week after the first rain:

Grass!!!

Lots of grass for the Grevy’s zebra

Finally - some happy warthog!

Tags: Buffalo, drought, Impalas, Monkeys, Samburu, Waterbuck

5 responses so far

Category: Lions, Reserves | Date: May 19 2009 | By: ewasolions

Hello friends,

I am sorry for the long long silence!  I was in Nairobi all of April, working on data and reports.  I returned to Samburu about 2 weeks ago and have been busy setting up the Echo Lima Camp once again in West Gate Community Conservancy, trying to find the lions, catching up with the Ewaso Lions team and much more.

Sadly, things are not very good here.  The rains have pretty much failed.  Normally when I return to Samburu every May, it is green, the Ewaso Nyiro River is flowing fast, elephants are everywhere, cats are hard to find and all animals are happy and energetic in the lush green vegetation.

This time however, it is a different scene. When I arrived, the river was still dry, elephants were lethargic with numerous calves dying in large numbers, the lions were still in the reserve concentrated along the river and the ground still bare and very very dry.

The Ewaso Nyiro still dry when I returned in early May

The situation in West Gate is no better.  The Samburu people are moving daily in search of rain (its raining around us - just not here), there has been cholera outbreaks in the region with people dying.   Livestock are dying daily and sadly Grevy zebra too.  I was also faced with 3 dead (1 dying) elephants the day we set up the Echo Lima camp.

Amidst this sad news, there is some good news and hope.  It is raining around us and the river finally began to flow after being dry for 5 months!

The Ewaso Nyiro started flowing a few days ago in West Gate Community Conservancy

I had a fantastic sighting of all the lions from the Koitogor Pride in Samburu National Reserve a few days ago.   Nashipai, Nabo and their 5 cubs are looking great and healthy.  The cubs have grown and are almost full size now.  Uni’s 4 cubs have all survived and are also looking healthy.  It is always such a relief to see the lions after being away for a long time.

Nashipai and one of her cubs looking great during the persistent dry season in the reserve

Uni’s cubs looking healthy

There is much more to report on - some good and some bad.  I will be posting many more blogs about everything soon, so stay tuned. Some really exciting news is also on the way….

But in the meantime, where is the rain? We keep hoping it is still on the way…

Tags: elephants, Ewaso Lions, Ewaso Nyiro, Lions, Samburu, West Gate Community Conservancy

2 responses so far

Category: Reserves | Date: Mar 05 2009 | By: ewasolions

I was very fortunate yesterday to witness something very special.  I had gone out just before noon to collect some lion scat in Samburu National Reserve, when I drove around the corner and saw a new baby giraffe drop from its mother.  I drove over cautiously, grabbing for my camera.

I watched for 2.5 hours as the newborn opened his eyes, tried to stand after falling more than 10 times, being cleaned and licked by his mother and also welcomed to the world by other female giraffes in the area.  It was a very special scene and definitely one of the highlights of my years in Samburu.  Below are some of the images of this extraordinary event.

The newborn just after its birth

Giraffe baby trying to stand

Giraffe baby falling over as it tries to stand

Baby giraffe wobbly on his feet

Baby giraffe stands for the first time

A male giraffe comes to check out mother and baby

Mother cleans baby

Another female welcomes the newborn

Mother licks baby

Needless to say, I forgot all about collecting the lion scat!  I found both baby and mother again this morning and he’s doing really well.  2 jackals came close to him and he watched as they jumped around and ran away.

Its tough times for young prey at the moment.  The river has been dry for months and there is not much food around.  And lions are everywhere!  This baby survived through his first night surrounded by 3 lions so I think he is a real survivor!

I am off now to go and find the lion scat… I hope its still there!

Tags: Birth, Giraffe, Lions, Samburu

11 responses so far

Category: Reserves | Date: Feb 25 2009 | By: ewasolions

I am super excited to report that I saw wild dogs on the 21st of February in Samburu National Reserve!  This was the 4th time I have seen wild dogs, but by far this was the best sighting I have had.  Prior to this, I have only seen them at night and dashing across the road.  This time, I was able to have a good look at them and watch them cross the road behind me chasing dikdiks.  There were 7 dogs in total and a few of them were youngish pups.

Wild dogs are endangered and numbers have fallen to only a few thousand in Africa, mainly due to habitat loss and hunting.  Here, the wild dogs use the area to move between Laikipia and Samburu Districts, but it now appears they may be resident somewhere in the area; between the reserve and West Gate Community Conservancy. On the 19th of February, they were in West Gate and I saw them a few days later in Samburu Reserve.

With only a few hundred wild dogs remaining in the Samburu-Laikipia ecosystem (their numbers are increasing), I feel totally privileged to have seen a few of them.

Below are a few photos of some of the dogs that I saw. 

Tags: Endangered, Laikipia, Samburu, Samburu National Reserve, West Gate Community Conservancy, Wild dogs

8 responses so far

Category: Reserves | Date: Oct 10 2008 | By: ewasolions

I journeyed to Shaba a few weeks ago for 2 days. It had been many months since I had last visited Shaba and I was really excited to go.

Shaba is a stunning reserve, East of Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves. It is larger than Samburu and Buffalo Springs and has many more swamps and springs to attract wildlife, especially large herds of buffalo. The Ewaso Nyiro flows through it and there are beautiful sites all along the river to visit.

Stunning scenery in Shaba

Another important difference – lions. There are many lions in Shaba but no estimate has been acquired as yet. The lions are also bigger and stay in their prides. And it appears that their main prey is buffalo!

Shaba is also home to big bull elephants, Grevy zebra, tons of buffalo, the big cats and much more. It was also the home of Penny, the leopard, who was raised and released by Joy Adamson in the late 70s.

We drove around for 2 days and I was thrilled to come across 7 lions hunting buffalo. It has been ages since I have seen such a large number of lions together. I managed to get a few ID shots of them and this was the beginning of my Shaba lion identity database.

First lion in Shaba to be identified

This was just a small taster of what’s in store in this dramatic landscape. I hope to spend 3-4 months in Shaba to census the lions and get a detailed understanding of lion ecology in this area. One thing I know for sure is that there are exciting times ahead and I can’t wait.

5 responses so far

Category: Reserves | Date: Jul 23 2008 | By: ewasolions

Firstly, I must apologize for not having posted a blog in a really long time. Fieldwork has consumed every minute of my time. It has been an amazing month in the field with a lot going on. I will be posting a few blogs over the next few days to inform you of what’s been going on here.

On Monday the 7th of July, I was preparing to leave for Archers Post to pick a student who was coming to assist me with lion scat analysis, when I received a phone call from Abdi Sukuna, the Senior Sergeant of Buffalo Springs. Abdi informed me that a dead cheetah had been sighted in the reserve and requested me to investigate the situation. Accompanied by Paul Thomson from the African Wildlife Foundation, who was visiting for a few days, I left Samburu and headed to the Ngare Mara Gate in Buffalo Springs. I picked up Abdi and Rasheed another ranger and we drove towards the springs. It took us about half an hour before we arrived in an open area and there it was. A huge male cheetah.

Identifying the zebra tracks

I immediately called Daktari Stephen Chege, the Kenya Wildlife Service vet in charge of the area, who asked us to guard the cheetah from hyenas and lions and he would arrive early the next morning to perform a necropsy. He asked me not to touch the cheetah as it was crucial to leave it the way it was. We agreed to guard the cheetah along with the rangers from Buffalo Springs. Luckily we had some food (a cabbage and some rotting carrots) in the car (and crates of lion scat as well!) but unfortunately no tent (I have learnt my lesson here!) so as on many previous occasions, Gypsy came to our rescue and was our home for the night.

Two lionesses approached the cheetah at 10pm but were scared off by the headlights of the ranger’s vehicle. A hyena also came at 4am. The rangers left at 6am and we watched the sun rise over the plains and the dead cheetah. Zebra, oryx and Grants gazelle surrounded us.

Guarding the dead cheetah

Dr Chege arrived at 9 am and immediately began the necropsy. It had probably died 2 days ago and as it was lying out in the sun it had decomposed pretty badly. Dr Chege said that the cheetah appeared to have been healthy before its death. He sliced through the head and within less than a minute stated that the cheetah had died of a brain hemorrhage. There was a fracture down the skull which was very clear. After walking around the site, we noticed many zebra tracks right next to the cheetah ones. It was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. The cheetah was hunting a zebra and unfortunately in this case lost out as the zebra kicked it straight in the head with its hind leg. Dr Chege said the cheetah must have died instantly.

Performing the necropsy

The necropsy was complete by 10 30 am and we left the area. I am currently comparing all the cheetah identity photos that I have collected this year. I knew of 2 male cheetahs in the area where we found the dead male and will soon know if this was one of them.

Photos by Paul Thomson

6 responses so far

Category: Reserves | Date: May 21 2008 | By: ewasolions

Over the past few weeks I have spent so much time looking for lions and rarely took the opportunity to sit and watch the elephants. It is such a fantastic time to be in Samburu with elephants absolutely everywhere. I had a guest last week and decided to try and show him some of the big bulls who were around. We drove to Wire Bridge in the core area of Samburu and I saw many elephants. As we approached a family, I saw one of the big musth bulls who was also present. We watched for a few minutes and the bull suddenly went close to a female and started to follow her intently. She was in oestrus and with her head held high and tail up, she walked away quickly. He followed her round trees and bushes as we watched. He suddenly mounted her and it was less than 20metres away from us. This is only the third mating that I have seen and quite an incredible sight as you can see from the photo.

One response so far