Category: Cattle Compensation, Maasai Community | Date: Jul 08 2008 | By: William

Yesterday there was a meeting held at Oloololo between the local community and the Conservancy. Sarisa our Administrator was present and reports on the meeting:

Community Members at Oloololo

There were two meetings, the first involving a meeting with the local women, and then a second which was with the men only.

The meeting was opened in attendence with the community and the CEO of Mara Conservancy, the Warden of Oloololo, the Sergeant of Community and the Administrator.

The women lead the meeting , and first gave thanks:

1. They wanted to thank and show their appreciation of the work of the CEO in conjunction with Dr Cheryl with the issue of the cultural bomas.
2. They also appreciated the good working relationship between the Conservancy and the Community.
3. They also appreciated our assistance and us allowing them to collect water from Oloololo Gate.

They then made the following requests:

1. To be given the chance to sell curios and souvenirs at Oloololo Gate.
2. To be helped in the marketing of their items.
3. A request was made to continue with the collection of water from Oloololo, especially now during this dry period.
4. They also wanted the Conservancy to support them in approaching the lodges and camps in and around the Triangle, to see if they could sell their curios and souvenirs in the camp/lodge shops.

The CEO made the following replies:

1. He agreed for William to meet and help the women in terms of marketing and also the building of a website for the Cultural Villages.
2. He also agree that whenever possible, for example when the Conservancy vehicle goes to the community to collect milk for the eland, that it will also carry jerry cans of water for the community.
3. Pertaining the use of Oloololo Gate to sell souvenirs, the CEO said that instead the Conservancy will help the community to better promote the Cultural Village Visit to visitors of the Mara Triangle.
4. The CEO agreed that the Conservancy would help the community approach lodges and camps to sell their curios.

The women were then given transport back to the manyattas and then began the meeting with the men.

Chief Kipas stands to talk. 

It was a very long meeting, with almost 20 men. The men started the meeting and began by thanking the Conservancy:

1. They thanked the Conservancy for the improved security of the area, mostly on curbing Cattle Rustling along the escarpment.
2. They also thanked the conservancy for the close collaboration we’ve had with the community.
3. On cattle compensation they really recognise that it was the Conservancy that first came up with the idea after seeing that it was a real problem. They wanted to express how much they understood the situation after the meetings held with Kimojino and William, and would continue to support us through these difficult times.
4. They also recognised the employment of the community scouts within their areas, and the importance of their radios in terms of communication, in particular with poaching and cattle rustling.

The men then made the following requests:

1. They requested for cattle to graze along the bottom of the escarpment, inside the park, and use the streams available at the bottom of the escarpment. There are no water points up on the escarpment, especially now in the dry season.
2. They requested for payment of the outstanding balances for the cattle compensation scheme which still exist when the scheme was stopped in January.
3. They requested an additional community scout to help Charlie 1 (Tarakwa based at Partakila) because there is a large area between charlie 1 and charlie 2, and so no communication (radio).
4. They also requested a review of prices for cattle compensation - they say that the price of cattle is going up and so they asked that the amount compensated also goes up.
5. They also mention that since we are working in collaboration with the community they request that a holding cell is set up at Oloololo for community members that break park rules (eg. cattle grazing inside the park). They also said that they agreed to the Conservancy’s request to form a committee for the Community to work with the Conservancy.  They also requested that they consult their fellow community members and come up with a standard fine for defaulters of the park laws, and that they all agree on a fine which will be paid by the defaulter and then he can be releaed from the cell.

Answers given by the CEO:

1. The CEO thanked the community for listening to them when they were informed that the compensation scheme was no longer able to continue due to the collapse in tourism during the month of January.
2. The CEO also recognised the importance of the community and was thankful for the close collaboration, and indeed the committee as one of the ways of working with the community - having people who link the community and the conservancy.
3. He also agreed on the request for an extra community scout to be deployed with a radio to help Charlie 1 and Charlie 2. He asked for three men to be suggested by the community for this position, and then the conservancy would decide on one of the candidates.
4. The CEO told the community that unless the county council change the rules, he could not let livestock graze inside the park. The Mara Conservancy is managing the area on behalf of the council as a custodian to implement the rules set by them, we do not have the authority to change park rules.
5. The CEO also informed the community that there will be a seminar of selected community members who will be taken to pilot areas in Amboseli and Laikipia, to see other cattle compensation schemes in place and to learn how to construct better protected bomas. The responses were well received by the community.
6. The CEO also informed them that as soon as funds are available the cattle compensation scheme will recommence. Pertaining the prices, it will be agreed on when the scheme is able to recommence, but he insisted that prices should be according to the local market.

4 responses so far

Category: Great Migration | Date: Jul 07 2008 | By: William

Click here for eye feast.

4 responses so far

Category: Poachers, Snares | Date: Jul 07 2008 | By: William

Kortom tells me that another poacher was caught yesterday by our rangers at Kokakuria in Serengeti. Rangers found two new snares, made the arrest, and then found a further five - collecting seven snares in total. The man was also carrying a sword and a spear.

Please consider making a monthly donation to the Conservancy so that our work can continue for the rest of the year.

3 responses so far

Category: Elephants, Snares | Date: Jul 06 2008 | By: Kimojino

Late Friday afternoon rangers from Ngiro-are outpost reported that they had seen a young, bull elephant with a snare caught around his right, hind leg. KWS were called on Saturday morning and were fortunately in the area and so were able to come to the Triangle immediately.

Dominic from KWS treats elephant.

It was also fortunate that the wire snare had not yet cut through to the bone, just the outside tissue.

Wire Snare caught around hind leg. 

The elephant was darted at 10:30 am and fell down at 10:34. The procedure was started at 10:35 and then by 10:40 the snare was removed. The elephant was given an injection to wake up and was standing by 10:45.

10:45. Elephant wakes after procedure.

A very impressive operation carried out by KWS, and we commend them for such an excellent job. Once the elephant woke he was even walking without a limp.

Ngiro-are rangers yesterday reported seeing the bull elephant at 4pm and said that his condition was good and he was still walking fine. They will continue to check on his progress.

12 responses so far

Category: Poachers, Wildebeest | Date: Jul 05 2008 | By: William

The six poachers and Warden Kortom

Warden Kortom is next to me. He and his men have just come back from patrol with six poachers. Here is his report on the happenings:

Early in the morning, at around 6:30am rangers from Serena, Ngiro-are and Mara Bridge went to patrol Balangoga near Sunni Lugga where the many wildebeest have been passing and not far from where rangers caught the three poachers yesterday.

Rangers patrolled the area for two and a half hours, and came across three wire snares, one wildebeest, still alive, caught by a snare, and one already dead, and the third around the tree, without an animal. We also came across a huge male elephant, that we think died 3-4 days ago but it looks like natural causes. We called the Tanzanian rangers to come and remove the ivory tusks. 

We then caught six poachers near Balangoga river with 15 wire snares. They had arrived in the morning today, after travelling the whole night, and so it is fortunate we caught them early as not one animal had yet been snared by the men.  The men were carrying bhangi, one spear, one sword, three bows with three poisoned arrows, and cooking utensils. The men will shortly be taken to Tanzania for prosecution by the courts there.

10 responses so far