Severe Animal Losses at Kenya’s Most Popular Park
Masai Mara reserve is known for its spectacular populations of wild animals such as lions, wildebeest, impala, leopards, zebras, elephants, spotted hyenas and many others.
But a recent scientific study has documented significant declines in six hoofed species throughout the 1530 sq. km reserve. In the last 15 years these drop-offs have occurred in the giraffe, hartebeest, impala, warthog, topi (pictured above) and waterbuck populations.
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Monthly sample counts have indicated losses of 95% of giraffes, 80% of warthogs, 76% of hartebeest, and 67% of impala. Previous studies showed similar declines for wildebeast, gazelles and zebras. The lead author of the International Livestock Research Institute’s study, Joseph Ogutu stated, “The situation we documented paints a bleak picture and requires urgent and decisive action if we want to save this treasure from disaster.”
Human Impact
The pressing wildlife situation has been traced by the researchers to increasing human populations along the borders of the reserve. The Masai locals have been using wildlife grazing territory for their own food production. Also some people continue to illegally hunt wild animals within the park for food.
Over the last several decades many of them have shifted from living semi-nomadically to gathering in larger fixed communities. These larger communities of people have been illegally using the reserve to graze their livestock, thereby eliminating space and food for the wild animals. This practice has occurred mainly because the Masai have not had economic choices and often live in poverty. In their traditional economy, they existed more in harmony with the park and its wild inhabitants.
Working Together
Some Masai are working with safari tour companies and the researchers to try to strike a better balance between wildlife and their own livestock. Scientists there know they can’t protect the declining wild animals without the cooperation of the Masai. Without the animals they will not receive revenues from safari tours. So they have incentives to maintain a viable animal population, but their own behavior has been too frequently damaging.
Public education and an innotative land leasing program may help steer the situation towards a better future. The leasing program encourages families living with livestock on open land not to sell, develop, or fence it. Having the land remain open and not flooded with livestock, ensures the wild animals will not die out completely. The Masai actually own the reserve and manage it, because it has not been made into a national park. At some point it might also help to have Masai Mara recognized officially as a national park, so that at a government policy level its functioning receives more national consideration and support.
Image Credit: Snakeeyes
Gallery Credits, Impala - Hans Hillawaert, Lion Cubs - Mila Zinkova, Hartebeest - Profberger and public domain for others.
We need to do more to protect these animals…sadly, they can’t defend themselves against our actions in the home…We need more open chatter about the effects of climate change and what people can do to help.
Anyone here taken a look at these student videos? Tomorrows World sponsored a contest and these were the winners:
http://www.tomorrowsworldcompetition.com/
It’s amazing what kids can accomplish when someone gives them the opportunity. I think we should encourage this more. Check them out and spread the word!
Thank you, Jake, for this important story. I wonder if you could follow it up with a comparison of the Masai Mara reserve with other game reserves that have more effective collaboration with the surrounding population.
I understand that visitors pay a hefty fee to enter the Masai Mara reserve, but that NONE of this money goes to the people living around the reserve (except a few who are employed as you described). Where does that money go? How can the Masai people feed their children if their land is taken away as it has been? Why don’t the entry fees directly support local services and families?
There are African game reserves where all the local people — not just those few employed by tour companies — gain a lot of benefit from the presence of the reserve. Could lessons be learned from them?
Not good for the environment… Pretty saddening if you ask me. acai
Excellent questions by Charles. Continued national and international efforts must be increased to relieve the harsh conditions of subsistance living of so many people around the globe. Many organizations strive to work towards this goal. On an individual basis, we can contact NGO’s of our choice to support with whatever financial donations we can afford. Further to that we can let our federal representatives (particularly those on relevant United Nations committees), know of our concerns and interest in these areas. These days, we can even expect a letter to the President of the U.S.A. will be respected!:) Every voice counts; the more the better.
Ten years ago I visited quite a few Kenyan parks, though not Masai Mara. Most were showing signs of decline from human pressure, but I thought that didn’t apply to Masai Mara. I’m shocked to hear the truth.
Working with locals is important, but we keep avoiding a more fundamental question, apparently because discussing it isn’t politically correct: when are we going to get serious about human population control? If we keep multiplying, all the political and economic nature preservation efforts will be only delaying actions in the ongoing destruction of earth’s biosphere.
The “recent study” was six years ago!
Go here to find out what the Mara is like today:
http://www.maratriangle.org/blog/2009/4/23/if-six-years-ago-the-giraffe-population-had-already-fallen-b.html
Anne,
You are completely incorrect!
The study was published very recently.
The monitoring to establish trends and extrapolation was done from 1998-2003.
“is based on rigorous, monthly monitoring between 1989 and 2003 of seven “ungulate,” or hoofed, species in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which covers some 1500 square kilometers in southwestern Kenya.”
“Monthly Surveys over 15 Years Link Surge in Human Settlements Near Mara Reserve with Large Losses of Wildlife That Have Made Kenya Popular Safari Destination ”
Please get your facts correct before spreading misinformation.
Mass poaching in Masai Mara in 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthcomment/3334590/Masai-Mara-reserves-face-mass-poaching.html
More poaching in Masai Mara
By Kimojono, Masai Mara Anti Poaching Warden.
Now that the tourists are gone from the Mara I have been at home with my family, this is not to say that there is no work for us to do but it is because there is no longer the funding for us to carry on.
It is hard to say, but we do not know when the tourists will come back. This was meant to be one of our high seasons, but without the revenue we receive from entrance fees we have had to
drastically cutback on all of our operations.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/mara-poaching738.html#cr
sorry i meant to write 1989-2003. the losses were for that period. the study is about the TREND, which is clearly downward.