It’s a worst-case scenario. This week there was a deadly human-elephant interaction in the ALOCA conservancies involving an elephant mother, her two calves, and a local herder. The herder tragically did not survive.

After much consultation, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) determined that the best course of action would be to move the family to Tsavo East National Park, where they would have less chance of further human interaction.

Big Life rangers monitored the small group for three full days after the tragedy, keeping the elephants safe and preventing further incidents until the enormous Jurassic Park-style transportation trucks could arrive to relocate them.

A helicopter joined the fleet of Land Cruisers, trucks, and the Big Life Super Cub airplane, creating quite a scene. Relocating an elephant family does not happen often and is only done when absolutely necessary. Everyone from the nearby villages gathered to witness the impressive undertaking.

KWS led the operation with Big Life rangers on hand to provide support. Big Life’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Millar, helped to spot and herd the elephants to more accessible terrain with the airplane and it wasn’t long before the KWS vets had successfully darted all three elephants.

With the elephants sedated, a team from Amboseli Trust for Elephants was able to take body measurements and DNA samples as well as fit the mother with a tracking collar to monitor her future movements. After a few short hours all three had been safely loaded and sent on their journey to Tsavo East, where it is hoped they will thrive.

These severe incidents of human-wildlife conflict are complex and emotional; we sympathize fully with family of the deceased, and thank everyone involved in the professional response.

Photos: Josh Clay

This past November, 12-year-old Edwin was walking to school near Isinet town like he does every morning. It is not uncommon for him and his friends to see wildlife along the way, because Isinet shares open borders with Kimana Sanctuary and Olepolos Conservancy. But that morning, his commute was cut short by a juvenile giraffe. Spooked by something, it ran headfirst into poor Edwin, trampling him, severely fracturing his arm and leg in the process.

Big Life rangers were called to the scene, where they found Edwin in desperate need of medical attention. Even a juvenile giraffe has legs you don’t want to mess with. They immediately took him to the nearest hospital in Oloitokitok, but his parents were unable to pay for the medical bills and the prognosis was not looking good. Because helping to mitigate human-wildlife conflict is key a part of what Big Life does, Big Life stepped in to cover Edwin’s medical bills, so that he could get the treatment he desperately needed.

Two crutches, seven pins, and 15 stitches later, the doctors think he will make a full recovery. Through all of this, Edwin has kept his megawatt smile and proudly shows off his x-rays, saying that thanks to his treatment, he hopes he might even be able to play football again soon.

Big Life rangers are always responding to cases of crop raiding by elephants or livestock depredation by predators, but a kick from a giraffe is certainly not a call that happens too often, and we certainly hope it doesn’t happen again anytime soon! But if it does, our rangers will be there.

Photo: Josh Clay

The short rains we’ve been crossing our fingers for have not materialized.

There was a brief ray of hope, when Amboseli saw some scattered showers in December. Even the Maasai Olympics in Kimana Sanctuary a few weeks ago was interrupted by a heavy downpour, but only briefly.

The Chyulu Hills and the slopes of Kilimanjaro also saw a fair amount of rain, providing some temporary relief for grazing animals.

That said, the rains have not been widespread or consistent enough. What grasses have recovered are quickly being diminished by wildlife and livestock that has moved into the areas flush with green. So while we’ve had a brief respite, at this point it’s clear the short rains have largely failed.

We typically wouldn’t expect to see rain again until sometime later this spring, in March/April. There’s no such thing as “normal” weather anymore, so there’s always a chance for something to materialize sooner, but we cannot count on miracles.

In short: we have a tough couple of months ahead of us.

To all of you who have donated to support us through this crisis, thank you. We’ll continue to do what we can to support the ecosystem through this challenging period.

Photo: Jeremy Goss

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