After an overnight at the Panari Hotel, near the international airport in Nairobi , we took the 1000am flight, from the domestic airport, to the Masai Mara with Safarilink. We were the first stop and alighted with others going to different camps in the Naibosho conservancy and next door conservancy; all the conservancies are all part of the Masai Mara eco system.....they have the same wildlife and far less tourists - on a drive you are unlucky if you see more than one other car. All the conservancies are in some form of partnership with the local Masai tribes whereby they get income in exchange for use of their land for the wildlife. In return they don't graze their cattle in them - that said if times are tough they are allowed to graze their animals but only in specific grazing zones which are regularly rotated. In Naibosho - 520 landowners have assigned their land to the conservancy in return for a monthly income - which will increase 8% annually - over a 15 year term. Jackson (from Big Cat diary) was one of the architects of the initiative. Research shows that the people, other than the landowners, don't really understand or support the conservancy - the women are beginning to appreciate it as the clinics and schools appear and improve. It will be generational change - part of the education programme is to bring in young children- who have never seen lions or other wildlife albeit they live amongst them and show them the importance of conservation.
Dixon our Masai guide collected us from the airstrip and took us on a game drive then back to the lodge for lunch en route we saw a family of 6 black back jackals - mum, dad and 4 children all quite big - it's unusual for them to successfully raise such a large family.....food must me good indeed on our night drive we saw them after having just killed a scrub hare. ( Today's picture is of a youngster.) In the afternoon we joined another guest Yoko ( a Japanese lady living in New York) for a talk from Niels a Danish researcher who is researching the lions of the area and trying to reduce the fatal contacts with humans which happens if they attack livestock while out of the conservancy. After an excellent briefing we went on a game drive with him looking for the lions - Sod's law prevailed and we saw none albeit on the night drive element we saw a family of hyenas sitting around their den, white tailed mongoose and the even rarer caracal and a young one......rarely if ever seen by the guides - so it made up 10 fold for zero lions.
We got back about 8pm and went straight into dinner - whilst having a drink and waiting for it to be served, we heard a clattering noise and a topi (antelope) appeared in the mess tent apparently frightened in by lions who were very close- he wasn't sure how to leave but fortunately he didn't cause too much mayhem with the dinner table - he only knocked over a bottle of water - after about 5minutes he found his way out.
Niels stayed for dinner so we able to learn more about his and his girlfriends research ( hers is based on the anthropological side to the conservancy and its impact on the Masai).
Back in the tent we had a nice warm refreshing bucket shower and jumped into a lovely big comfortable bed with crisp cotton sheets warmed by two hot water bottles. For the short while we were awake we could hear lion and hyena calling.