Ewaso Lions

Category: Community | Date: Nov 02 2009 | By: ewasolions

Ewaso Lions has recently joined hands with Lpus Leluai Primary School in West Gate Community Conservancy.  To increase awareness of the importance of lion conservation, we are working with students and teachers at the school.  Students are requested to write and/or illustrate stories about lions in English/Swahili/Samburu.  The best stories and artwork will be put together and printed in the form of a booklet.  These copies will be distributed locally and internationally to increase awareness of lions.  Using these Simba Stories booklets, funds will also be raised for the school’s educational needs.

All art material has been donated by Shalini Bhalla of SB Management. Lindsay Morency, from Canada, has sponsored editing of the Simba Stories booklet and the Panthera Foundation has sponsored production and printing of some of the booklets.

The students have already begun working on their artwork and have produced some great drawings.  Some of them had never painted before until they received boxes of paints and brushes.

Jeremiah working on his drawing

Samson learning how to paint

Some of the completed drawings

I will send an update on their progress soon!

Tags: artwork, awareness, Community, Conservation, Lions, School, West Gate Conservancy

3 responses so far

Category: Ewaso Lions Camp | Date: Oct 29 2009 | By: ewasolions

The Ewaso Lions camp has a new look!   We’ve lived here now for 16 months and it was definitely time for some improvements.  Click here to see what camp looked like in 2008 when we first moved here.

Sasaab Lodge generously donated and constructed a waterproof shade in camp.  Before this, we had a canvas sheet but unfortunately this got torn and destroyed in the sun and strong winds (click here to see blog on this).  This is what we had before:

Ricila trying to tie the torn fly sheet

The carpenters from Sasaab built the frame for the new structure and we had some iron sheets put on top of it, after which we painted it green.  Our next plan is to put “makuti” (thatch) on top of the roof.

Building the frame

Painting the iron sheets green

The completed structure

Our kitchen also has been renovated! Joseph worked hard to make it bigger and higher so we don’t have to crouch any more.

Joseph working on the kitchen

The new and improved kitchen

The bathroom and loo were also renovated.  The walls are more sturdy now thanks to the thatching, although I’ve had to battle with the camels recently as they were trying to eat the makuti thatching!  To remind you what it used to look like:

Bush bathroom in 2008

New bathroom

Lastly, we now have an office in camp! This was my old tent and has now become a store/office. Our old store had fallen apart and thanks to donations from WildlifeDirect blog readers we were able to get newer, more sturdy tents.  We will eventually get  2 desks and chairs put in.  I have a new tent now - its smaller than my old one (now the office) but still very cool and as I recently discovered, it is waterproof!

New office tent and store

A view of camp

A huge thanks to Sasaab lodge management, Madeliene Todd,  Stuart McCullum, Chip Owen, Sammy Leleseita and Brenton H for funds to  help us make camp look so much better!

Tags: Ewaso Lions, Lions, Sasaab

One response so far

Category: Lions | Date: Oct 19 2009 | By: ewasolions

Amidst this terrible drought, the lions have done great!  Together with the other predators, they are probably the only animals to have benefited from the arid conditions.  The Koitogor pride came together a few months ago and started bringing down larger animals - giraffes, buffalo, zebra - which became their main prey.  Nashipai and Nabo’s cubs have grown and often leave their mothers, hunting alone.  I have been fortunate to have a number of great sightings of them; feasting on giraffe, climbing trees, or sleeping and playing out in the open.

Happy, healthy lions

One of the cubs on a fallen Acacia tree

The pride in Ngare Mara have also done well.  The two young females in that area, Jabdu and Korti, have not ventured far from Ngare Mara River and the swamps.  A few weeks ago, Jabdu gave birth!  I saw her the day after she gave birth - she had blood all over her legs and she was quite nervous.  It will be weeks before we see her cubs as she has them hidden well.  Kofafeti and her 2 cubs have also done well over the past few months, and Loirish and Lguret, the 2 resident males, have been moving between the 2 prides.

Jabdu, a day after giving birth

Loirish and Lguret feast on a giraffe

Lastly, Magilani. I have not seen her since August.   There is no sign of her at all. I haven’t seen any tracks or heard of any sightings from either the community or the scouts.  It has been long and I worry about her safety.  With lion numbers in Kenya declining in most areas, each and every individual lion is so important.  I have monitored Magilani for months as she wanders through West Gate Community Conservancy alone.  I hope she is still alive.

The rains have now begun and things will begin to change for the lions and other predators.  They have had an easy year so far, however this will now change as the prey moves away from the Ewaso Nyiro river and into the hills.  The lions will follow and leave the safe confines of the reserves.  I hope they survive this crucial period.

Tags: Cubs, drought, Ewaso Nyiro, Kenya, Lions, predators

3 responses so far

Category: Other news | Date: Oct 16 2009 | By: ewasolions

The rains are finally here!!! This is the worst drought that most people can remember.  Livestock and wildlife have died in large numbers over the past few months and the river remained dry for most of the year.  It has been desperate and the most difficult period that I can remember during my years in Samburu.

One of the last surviving warthogs died a few weeks ago

Arid landscape

Digging waterholes in the river for the wildlife

A few weeks ago, we began to see signs of rain.  Dark clouds were forming daily and the days were scorching.  It eventually began to rain all around us but never quite reached Samburu.  The Samburu ladies sang in the river, throwing milk and praying for rain to come.  Each day we would look at the river and wonder if today was the last day we would be digging.  This went on for days.

Rains in the distance

Finally on the 10th of October, the river flowed!  This was such an exciting moment.  We had seen signs of rain all around us and knew that the river had to flow soon.  We got word that the river was seen flowing 20 kms upstream from camp and there was a buzz in camp as we knew that we would see the great Ewaso Nyiro River flow very soon.  At 2 am, we heard it! We rushed down to the river at 5:30 am and saw the river flowing – it was amazing to see large volumes of water come past us.

The Kipsing lugga flowed into the Ewaso Nyiro

Clear views of Mount Kenya and the Ewaso Nyiro the day after the river flowed

All signs of rain then vanished and we had clear skies for a few days.  The river was also beginning to disappear again and dropped to low levels.  People were getting very disappointed and some were beginning to lose hope that it would ever rain at all.  But, on the 14th of October at 4:00 pm, it finally began to rain – properly!!! We rushed around camp, packing everything up and throwing stuff into Gypsy (project vehicle) and sat under our shade and watched the rain fall.  It was amazing.  We recorded our very first rainfall amount with our new camp rain gauge.

Rain close to camp

Jeneria, Ewaso Lions scout, excited after feeling rain for the first time in a year

The Ewaso Nyiro flowing on the 15th of  October

A warthog family walk down to the flowing Ewaso Nyiro to have their first drink of water from the river in months

A dikdik drinks from the small waterholes that have filled many of the roads in the reserve

After months and months of dryness and death all around us, everyone is so excited.  I just hope this is not temporary and the rains will continue over the next few months.  It needs to rain pretty much everyday.  Eventually the area will recover and the wildlife and livestock will come back.  Samburu is a stunning area when its green and lush  - its been so long since I have seen it that way and I can’t wait to see what the area will look like in December.

In the meantime, I am heading home to Nairobi very soon.  It has been a long long field season – and a very difficult one because of the conditions here.  We will be packing up camp over the next few days and I will then be in the reserve watching how everything will respond to the new rains, including how lion movements will begin to change after they have spent months and months along the river.

Speaking of the lions; they are doing great and have had an easy time over the past few months.  I’ll be writing about them soon but in the meantime, here is a photo of Nanyiro, that I took a few days ago.

Nanyiro looking great a few days ago

Its raining all around me and I can hear thunder everywhere as I post this blog!

Tags: drought, Ewaso Nyiro, Lions, Livestock, Samburu, wildlife

8 responses so far

Category: Donors | Date: Sep 17 2009 | By: ewasolions

Dear Michael, Heather and Katherine,

Thank you SO much for your donations to Ewaso Lions.   Things are currently very difficult in the Samburu region -  see my previous blog on the drought.  Your donations will really help us enormously with continuing our conservation efforts.

Thank you again.

With my best wishes from Samburu,

Shivani & the rest of the team

Here is one of our new cubs in Buffalo Springs

Tags: Conservation, drought, Ewaso Nyiro, Lions, Samburu

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Category: Other news | Date: Sep 09 2009 | By: ewasolions

The drought is continuing. This has been the worst drought that most people can remember. I have been in Samburu for 7 years and I’ve never seen it this bad. People working and living here for more than 30 years say they have never seen it this bad. Here is an update of the current situation.

The last few months have been very difficult in the area. The local people, their livestock and the wildlife have all really struggled to survive during this ongoing persistent drought. The rains totally failed in April and the river has barely flowed this whole year. In most places, the Ewaso Nyiro River is the only source of water and the drying of the river has greatly affected the local people. They struggle to find enough water for their livestock who have begun to die daily. They now need to move further in search of pasture and water including inside wildlife areas. But now even these wildlife areas have reduced to nothing. There is not a blade of grass or vegetation cover. Only dust, sand and soil.

Jeneria, Ewaso Lions scout,  gives water to goats from a dug hole with the Samburu elephants in the background

Unfortunately, due to the lack of water, waterbuck, impala, buffalo, warthog, cattle, donkeys and sheep have begun to die everyday. Large groups of close to 20 warthogs that were around in April and May have now reduced to 1 or 2 warthogs and even they have begun to die. I watched a crocodile die the other day. He had come out of hibernation and literally dropped dead outside his hole. More animals will die over the next few weeks reducing the species numbers and diversity within the area. Pressure on the reserves from livestock will continue. Animals are dying; every week, every day, every minute.

Crocodile dies in the Ewaso Nyiro

Vulterine Guineafowl search for water in the dry Ewaso Nyiro

The animals that are still alive are weak and some barely able to move. They traverse through this arid landscape in search of whatever pasture they can find. We have seen animals walking in the river Ewaso Nyiro in zig zigs searching for water and trying to dig.

A thin warthog struggles to stay alive

I have never experienced such a difficult field period and I apologize to everyone for not having written a blog in so long. We are so busy in the field, trying to help in whatever way possible to ease the pressure of the drought on the local people and the wildlife. Every day we are talking to people to try and ask them to tolerate the predators. The local people are losing everything – livestock to the drought and also all remaining livestock are weak and lethargic and get lost, often becoming prey to the roaming predators. We speak to the herders daily, assisting them to find lost livestock, informing them of predator locations and giving advice on where to graze and where not to graze. We are digging waterholes daily, but even this does not appear to be enough, but we are trying to do as much as possible. Each day I drive around and smell death and see carcasses littered all over the landscape during my drives.

Ewaso Lion Scouts digging in the dry river bed

A waterbuck carcass in the Ewaso landscape

On a positive note, the Ewaso Lions are all doing pretty well. They have not really moved far away from the river over the past few months. As the Ewaso Nyiro is one of the only water sources in the area, the lions lay along the river and wait in ambush for prey to come down to drink from the few waterholes that have been dug. They are doing well currently in this dry season as there is lots of food around. With many animals dying, the lions have plenty to choose from. However, due to the drought and the river drying up, there is more pressure on the reserves from livestock, increasing the human threat to lions and we are working hard to try and monitor all individual lions inside the reserves.

Loirish, Kofafeti and her 2 cubs healthy and happy in July after they fed on a giraffe for a few days

I hope to catch up with writing more blogs soon. In the meantime, I hope you can all bear with me as we get through this difficult period. Please do help anyone working and living in a drought stricken area. We need your help as I am sure my fellow bloggers do who are also working hard to help the situation. You can help by making a donation to allow us to keep going with our efforts in helping the people, their livestock and the wildlife.

It is now the middle of September. Everyone is saying rain is on the way and we also see a few signs of clouds building up. Lets hope the rain comes soon. We need it NOW as things are so desperate. I’ve almost forgotten what the river flowing looks like… but believe me, when it does flow, I will be amongst many in Samburu, celebrating.

Tags: crocodile, drought, elephants, Ewaso Nyiro River, Lions, rains, Samburu, wildlife

8 responses so far

Category: Other news | Date: May 27 2009 | By: ewasolions

Here is another blog from guest blogger Nina Fascione- Click here for 1st blog

One day, Steve and I accompanied Shivani when she gave a presentation to the 25  West Gate Community Community scouts who patrol the conservancy monitoring wildlife, enforcing security in the area, preventing illegal grazing in protected core areas, and sensitizing communities to the importance of wildlife.

Working in the bush can be difficult, and giving a PowerPoint talk presented its own unique set of problems. First, we had to borrow a generator and projector to show the PowerPoint images. However, we quickly realized that the village rotunda where Shivani planned to give her talk was far too light from the bright African sun for the pictures to show on the screen.  So, we gathered shukas (traditional, colorful wraps) and hung them around the rotunda to try to block out the light.  No luck.

Setting up the equipment - projector, screen, generator

We then moved the equipment into a near-by office at the Conservancy Headquarters and covered the windows with blankets.  It worked to block out the light, but quickly became a sauna with so many bodies crammed into such a small and airless place.  Nonetheless we persevered, and Shivani gave her presentation. She focused on conflict with wildlife and led a discussion on how to prevent it.  She also showed images of various wildlife tracks and worked with the scouts to identify the various paw prints.  It was a very productive talk.  Interestingly, the suggestions from the scouts as to what tools might work to prevent conflicts with lions, hyenas and other African predators were identical to the methods used in the United States, such as guard dogs and compensation programs to reimburse for livestock killed by predators. One interesting idea was the suggestion from one scout that they practice “natural selection of livestock” to breed livestock that would be more resistant to predators.

Raphael and Shivani going through tracks of different predators

After lunch, I gave a presentation on my work at Defenders of Wildlife.  I was struck by the similarities with Shivani’s talk: human-wildlife conflicts, habitat loss, the problem of pesticides such as carbofuran hurting the environment in both countries and so on.  The topics were the same, the species different.

Explaining about human-wolf conflict in the US

The scouts were fascinated by my slides of North American wildlife – most of them had never seen images of our animals before.  While they thought that wolves were interesting – we explained they were like wild dogs – they thought that grizzly bears were really cool. I had never had such a rapt audience in my life.  I had also never given a talk where every audience member carried a gun!  It was a little disconcerting but without a doubt the most enjoyable presentation I have ever given.

Scouts listening intently

Upon returning to work back in Washington, DC, it was fun to then give a presentation on the wildlife and people of Samburu to my co-workers, completing the sharing of information across continents.

As someone who has maintained both a personal and professional interest in wildlife conservation for years, I cannot praise Shivani’s work enough. While her main focus is on the lion population in West Gate Community Conservancy and the nearby Samburu National Reserve, Shivani knows that any successful conservation program must be comprehensive, incorporating both biological and sociological components. The relationships she’s building with the Samburu people, along with the outreach and education she provides, will clearly help Northern Kenya’s lions and other wildlife for years to come. I encourage all of you who care about Africa’s predators to support her work. And by all means, plan a visit to see this wonderful country and these magical creatures with your own eyes.  Steve and I were sad to leave Shivani and her staff, and we can’t wait until our next trip!

Tags: Conservation, Kenya, Lions, Samburu, West Gate Community Conservancy, wildlife, Wolf

7 responses so far

Category: Other news | Date: May 25 2009 | By: ewasolions

I was thrilled to have Nina Fascione and her husband Steve Kendrot come and stay with us at the Ewaso Lions camp a while back.  Nina is the Vice President for Field Conservation for Defenders of Wildlife and a renowned human-wildlife conflict expert.  Today we have a special guest blog written by Nina!

After looking for her intently for so long that my eyes strained, I wasn’t actually expecting to see her when we did come upon her. Lekuraiyo, standing next to me with our heads sticking out of the top of the jeep (his head sticking out much farther than mine!), gently tapped me on the shoulder and said “lion.”  And there she was, standing partially hidden in the brush and still as a statue, staring at us without moving a muscle, the better to remain unseen.  In my excitement, I leaned down, punched Shivani on the arm and hissed “lion!”  Shivani was thrilled to see Magilani, the lioness she had been monitoring for several weeks, but not as much as I was, as this was my first wild lion. Indeed, it was my first trip to Africa.  Despite having worked with animals and in the conservation world since 1980, I had never before made this journey to the epitome of wildlife meccas.  My husband Steve, also a wildlife biologist, and I traveled to Northern Kenya to visit Shivani and learn more about her work.

Nina with Francis (Ewaso Lions Scout) and Lekuraiyo (Ewaso Lions tracker) standing in Gypsy

I met Shivani when she became a student in the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) class, a leadership training program that I co-founded and teach.

Shivani’s large carnivore conservation resonated with me because it parallels the work I oversee in North America as vice-president for field conservation for Defenders of Wildlife. Defenders has successfully worked to restore wolves, grizzly bears and other endangered species to parts of the United States, and the challenges we encounter while doing so are similar to the challenges Shivani faces in her work studying and protecting lions in Kenya: primarily, conflict with humans, including direct conflict as well as human-caused habitat loss and fragmentation.

Conflicts between humans and wildlife can seem like overwhelming obstacles to successful conservation programs.  In the United States, some ranchers and hunters object to the restoration of large carnivores, as they view them as a threat to their livelihoods.  Defenders has helped ameliorate these conflicts through several successful programs, such as our livestock compensation trust, in which we reimburse ranchers for verified livestock losses to wolves and grizzly bears.

We also maintain a proactive program, through which we work with ranchers to take steps to prevent livestock losses.  Defenders will fund the purchase and implementation of tools to keep wolves and bears away from livestock. These methods include livestock guarding dogs, fencing, employing range riders to monitor livestock and so on.

These programs have gone a long way in preventing conflicts, as well as reducing the animosity some local residents feel toward large carnivores and, presumably, the legal or illegal killing of carnivores. Through the Ewaso Lion project, Shivani is similarly working with local people – the Samburu – to understand the causes of and find solutions to prevent conflict and animosity towards predators and other wildlife in Kenya. For example, Shivani is working with local villages to ensure that bomas, the pens made out of brush where the livestock are housed at night, are strong enough to deter predators.

Biological studies are increasingly demonstrating that predators are essential to a healthy ecosystem. In addition, they bring vital economic benefits to regions through ecotourism. And perhaps most importantly, carnivores provide us with deep-rooted cultural and aesthetic values. Whether working to protect wolves in Yellowstone National Park in the United States or lions in the Samburu ecosystem in Kenya, we should all care about their conservation.

Tags: Africa, Conservation, Ewaso Lions, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Kenya, Lions, Samburu, wildlife

2 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: Ewaso Lions Camp | Date: Mar 24 2009 | By: ewasolions

We are now desperately in need of small camping tents for the Echo Lima (Ewaso Lions) Camp.  We donated one to the community scouts a few weeks ago as they often work at night in the Conservation Area in West Gate.  Now, our second small tent has succumbed to the intense heat and strong winds we have been experiencing recently in West Gate.

The fly sheet has totally disintegrated and a few days ago the poles broke.  We tried using duct tape to fix the pole, but it didn’t work!  Raphael uses this tent and is now pretty desperate for a new one.  I have had this tent for 18 years now and used it often during camping trips when I was a child.  I think the tent has come to end of its life!

The disintegrated tent with broken poles

Raph trying to hold the tent together

Please consider our appeal for new tents.  Our mess tent also fell apart and now this tent.  We urgently need new tents.  Any amount donated will be put together to purchase 2 new tents costing $150 in total.

Tags: Conservation, Lions, Tents, West Gate Community Conservancy

5 responses so far