Masai Mara Project Updates and Achievements from Q4 2017 - African Impact

Hours Spent on Each Activity

Big Cat Monitoring

Game counts

Conservancy work

Conservation Education

KGS Guide school

Data Entry

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We successfully monitored and studied 4 prides of lions throughout the quarter, totaling 40 lions inclusive of their young cubs. It is amazing to be able to follow their journey so closely and watch their cubs gaining more and more confidence.

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9 cheetahs were monitored, including the cheetah we refer to as Nebati. She is the newest mother on the reserve, with 4 healthy cubs.

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More babies! Both of the leopards we monitor have also given birth to cubs, so it’s a fantastic time to come and watch these young cats exploring the world.

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• “MyDuring club,was volunteers hadlearned so many things about wildlife, environment, Kenyan time onthe theApril Masaiholiday Mara project great. I have the chance toiswork completing culture.

The staff reallywith kind,teenagers and I had great interactions with guiding school students. It is amazing to be in this their Presidents physical recreation country with so manyAward animals…

One of the best days of my life was when we saw a cheetah with her 4 cubs!” hours. Teens were trained athletics; - Laura,inFrance, Big Cat Research Volunteer 2017 including sprinting, long jump and high jump!

• An astonishing 6,226 wildlife were counted in the woodland area of the Naboisho Conservancy, while 16,164 individual animals were counted at the plains. This gives management of the reserve vital data to best conserve their land.

• To ensure the health of the conservancy and the animals that live there, volunteers managed to successfully uproot many invasive plant species. In particular, Datura Stramonium, which is poisonous to wildlife.

• 12 erosion fences were built this quarter, which

helps to combat the effect of erosion. Further to that, it ensures that the reserve is well-maintained to continue offering tourism-related activities that generate income for the local people.

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30 new students enrolled at the Koiyaki Guiding School. The school educates local Maasai school leavers in tourism, guiding and other nature-based enterprises that help them find a job in the wildlife-tourism industry. Volunteers assisted the school this quarter in confidence and communication workshops.

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Volunteers prepared lessons and taught in a local primary school, where they helped environmental club students embrace conservation and appreciate nature.

“The Maasai Mara National Reserve is also a day trip. On my visit, we saw coalitions of 5 cheetahs hunting and making a kill. We were invited to a Maasai Wedding; Caroline was gracious enough to dress us in traditional clothing to wear to the ceremony. It was a once in a lifetime experience. You also have the option to stay in a lodge at a discounted price if they have availability. I stayed at Eagle View, which had a breathtaking view, great room and delicious food.” – Karoline Hood, Volunteer 2017

“There is no better way to describe how life is, here in the Naboisho Conservancy. As my first time as a volunteer and in Africa, I had no idea what to expect. But the moment I entered the wild lands of the conservancy, I understood that I had made the best decision of my life.

No worries… that will be your motto! Getting to see this exceptional concentration of wildlife up close, surrounded by all these amazing people (staff and volunteers) that I can now call family, was a dream come true. There’s not a day that passed here when I felt like I missed home, I WAS already home.”

- Arnaud Legrand

THE MARA TEAM ☺