The Chyulu Hills have always been linked with fire. They were created by volcanic activity, and the expansive lava flows that sprawl for kilometers into the plains are reminders of their turbulent past.

Grassfires happen occasionally during a dry season, and they clear much of the dead matter to allow for the growth of new shoots. One of the trees that thrives on these slopes is the beautiful Erythrina abyssinica, whose corky bark is fire resistant. Known as a “flame tree,” their blooms are a dramatic reminder that fire can be restorative and plays an important role in this ecosystem.

That said, the hills have experienced more frequent blazes than usual over the past few years, and this is largely due to human activity and climate change. Some fires are caused by honey hunters, others are started to bring in fresh grazing or to facilitate miraa picking. And poachers light them to lure wildlife looking for fresh grass after the burns, making them easier targets.

Together with our ecosystem partners, including the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, KWS, and MWCT, Big Life’s rangers have been called out repeatedly over the past few months to try and prevent these fires from spiraling out of control. The concern with these fires, other than the obvious immediate risk, is that if they happen too often, they might prevent the regeneration of plant species that have adapted to longer cycles of burning.

The good news is that following several welcome downpours higher up in the Hills in the last few weeks, these apocalyptic scenes have started to change and the areas in these photos are already on their way to returning to their famed shade of green.

We hope to receive more rain over the next month. If we don’t, then the ecosystem will sink deeper into a drought crisis. For now, we will continue to do all we can to help. ** Any amount helps, and all donations through December are being generously matched up to $200,000, doubling your impact **

Photos: Josh Clay

Good news travels fast. Humans far and wide get it by text message and phone call. Animals see it on the horizon and smell it on the wind. When the rains arrive, everyone starts moving.

So it was a couple of weeks back when storm clouds began to gather over the Chyulu Hills, a volcanic mountain range on the eastern side of Big Life’s operating area.

On top of the drought, fires had been raging through the Chyulus, and as the rain started to fall we felt an immense sense of relief. Over the course of several days, more fell and the fires were quelched. As if called, wildlife of all types began to head to for the hills and the promise of fresh grass.

But that’s where the good news ends for now. The rains have stayed mostly high up in the hills and hardly reached the open lowlands across the rest of the ecosystem.

So while the Chyulus have turned their famed green, the ecosystem is still very much in a drought. Complicating matters, news of rain in the Chyulus has attracted livestock from across the drought-stricken region, some as far as Nairobi. In combination with the high wildlife densities, there are too many mouths to feed, and the green won’t last long.

We hope to receive more rain over the next month. If we don’t, then the ecosystem will sink deeper into a drought crisis. For now, we will continue to do all we can to help wildlife and our partners communities through this difficult time.

** Any amount helps, and all donations through December are being generously matched up to $200,000, doubling your impact **

With only two weeks left until the Maasai Olympic finals, it’s all stations go as we get ready for the 10th of December. Invitations have been sent out, posters have gone up in all the local towns, and the warriors have been practicing hard.

While some parts of the ecosystem have started to see rain, it has not been enough, so everyone and everything in this region is still holding their breath.  Whether or not the rains arrive, one thing is certain: the Maasai Olympics are going ahead. This event has already been delayed by two years because of COVID-19, and while the drought has raised concerns about hosting it this year, we believe that the games are precisely the occasion to bring all the communities in the Amboseli ecosystem together after such a difficult year. It is an opportunity to celebrate Maasai culture, while taking everyone’s minds away from the drought, even if just for one day.
 
We are also extremely excited to share that our guest of honor for the past four Maasai Olympics is returning to make it five out of five. The two-time Olympic gold winner and 800m world record holder, David Rudisha, will be attending this year’s games. If ever there was a person that could lift the spirits of everyone in this region, then it is David.

 
The Maasai Olympics would not be possible without our generous partners and sponsors including: National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative, The Disney Conservation Fund, Chester Zoo, Great Plains Foundation, Zoo Basel, and Angama for letting us host the games in Kimana Sanctuary.

We are also very grateful to our newest Maasai Olympics sponsor this year, Play for Nature, whose philosophy is to reconcile the protection of nature with human activities. Thank you!

Photos: Jeremy Goss

Mbirikani is a typical rural Kenyan village with a small assortment of shops along a single avenue, and a population of only around 200, yet these photos show just how much plastic waste this tiny community produces in just under six months.

Like much of rural Kenya, there is no formal rubbish collection here. Everything from plastic bags, bottles, and clothes gets discarded out in the open. Plastic bags and wrapping get caught in bushes and trees and the rest can be seen almost everywhere. While some gets burned, this does little to put a dent in the ceaseless stream of waste.

Single use plastic bags were banned in Kenya several years ago, which definitely helped the situation, but has not solved waste problems entirely.

As part of Big Life’s community work program started this past summer, local women who would not otherwise have had any income as a result of the drought are being paid a modest amount per week to do jobs like picking and sorting the plastic, glass, and metal waste from where they live for recycling. They have also been digging bunds – small, semi-circular 1m x 2m pits that capture rainwater and encourage rangeland restoration.

These women spent almost a week sorting plastic into various categories before it was collected by the Tsavo Heritage Foundation and taken to be recycled in Nairobi. This is a promising new collaboration and one of the first tentative steps towards addressing one of the biggest problems affecting Kenya’s rural areas.