After a two-year delay, the Maasai Olympics are back. Last Saturday, 160 young Maasai (120 men and 40 women) competed in the 5^th biennial Maasai Olympics finals.

The Maasai Olympics represent a history-changing shift from killing to conservation.  The idea was first hatched in 2008 by the Menye Layiok, or Maasai “cultural fathers,” to create an organized sports event based on traditional warrior skills to replace the long-held tradition of hunting lions as a mark of bravery and prestige.

Every two years, teams are selected through a series of tournaments leading up to the finals across six categories: rungu and javelin throwing, high jump, and 200m, 800m, and 5,000m races. Competing villages include Eselenkei, Kuku, Mbirikani, and Rombo.

The games have been a biennial event since 2012, but 2020’s games were cancelled due to COVID-19. The festivities this past weekend were long overdue and hugely welcomed by the community; thousands turned out to enjoy the competitions. With the drought, skyrocketing costs, and lingering impacts of the pandemic, the event was a rare chance for people to celebrate. The day was even briefly interrupted by rains, a welcome relief.

Mbirikani village was announced as the overall winner and presented with a prize bull and trophies. Team Captain Nickson Kupere said, “We Maasai have been living with wildlife for such a long time, but we often saw them as a threat. This competition has changed that…it needs to be protected because it brings us benefits like tourists who come to spend their money here. We’re able to put our children through school.”

Joseph Lekato, who successfully defended his title of javelin/spear-throwing champion added, “The Maasai Olympics have really helped change the way that warriors and all people here think about wildlife. You won’t find anyone now in all Amboseliland who wants to kill a lion.”

Special thanks to our event sponsors for making the day a success: National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative, the Disney Conservation Fund, Chester Zoo, Play for Nature, Zoo Basel, and Angama.

Hongera to all who participated!

Video by: Keith Allen
Photos: Jeremy Goss

KIMANA, Kenya

Shortly after take off from an airstrip close to where the Maasai Olympics were being held today, a light aircraft carrying David Rudisha, the 800m World Record holder, and a number of other people connected to today’s event, was forced to make an emergency landing. One of the passengers was injured and is being treated at hospital. The others, including Mr. Rudisha, who is the patron of the Maasai Olympics, suffered no significant physical injuries. As is normal following any crash involving an aircraft, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority will investigate. Until they have completed their report, it is not appropriate to comment further. The best wishes of Big Life and all involved in the Maasai Olympics are with the injured passenger for a speedy recovery.

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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 **