Community – Page 2 – Ewaso Lions

Warriors – Transition (New Warriors) 1000×667

New Warriors – My Reflections

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]New Warriors – My Reflections

Shivani Bhalla’s story, as told to Resson Kantai Duff[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I can hear laughing down the hill. Boisterous, belly laughs. The kind that only come from teenagers with too much to prove to each other and the world. I didn’t realise the laughter in this camp has changed. The men I’ve worked with for years are older. Calmer than they used to be.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”8011″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Today I took pictures of eight young warriors in the fading sunlight. They are the newest entrants into our Warrior Watch Programme. As I grinned at their contagious toothy smiles, I was transported back almost 15 years to the Acacia tortillis tree where I met Jeneria, Jeremiah, Francis, and later a whole gang of equally enthusiastic young men.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7999″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Together we set up a camp using borrowed tents, make-shift tables and stones to demarcate our pathways in the camp. I had no idea what I was doing back then, but I knew why, – and that is what mattered and what kept us going. Lions that ventured out of the reserves either returned very quickly to safety, or never returned at all. The young men around me knew why, and had every reason to resent lion presence. Lions were killers of their cows and goats. But over time, lions became much more to them. We all got to know these lions together. We drew their faces, marked their whisker spots, tracked them on parched sand along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro. We watched them have families and brimmed with pride as their cubs grew up on community lands.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”8009″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We all grew up. Slowly, the sounds of cheering youth were replaced by little feet. The warriors got married in the most colourful ceremonies. They had children. And finally, I watched the last of the lot take off his beads and feathers, and shave his long ochre-filled mane, the last step before becoming a junior elder. He sat silently with the neat shaved hair in his hands like he was holding the cup of his youth for the last time.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”6740″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7991″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Then came 2020. The year of circumcision, initiation into a new age. We all shed some bitter-sweet tears watching a new group decorate themselves for the first time, and strut their stuff.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7995″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”7994″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Lekalkuli, Lekakwar, Lemarle, Lekoomet, Lekamario, Lekilemo, Lolchuragi and Lkasian are here with new courage, new ideas, new energy. We welcome them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Meeting them has made me reflect a lot. Firstly, this new generation is, just like the last, not a homogeneous lot. Too often people talk about the communities that do community conservation as a unit, a living being that thinks the same and acts the same. But people are just people. They are different in their perspectives and actions, and you have to work with everyone if you want to move forward. Today’s new warriors say that they are more attuned to conservation than the previous lot. Maybe they are right. Maybe many of them are. But the challenges are greater than ever, and losing livestock to lions is just as hard, if not harder now. The new warriors have their work cut out for them.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Most importantly though, this passage of time has taught me that conservation itself takes time. I notice the impatience in the world to solve all our pressing issues. We feel like the world is crumbling beneath our feet. It is. Even I have grown impatient as I watch some of the most precious things vanish. But I disagree with the new wave that seems to promise that in one fell swoop, we can solve everything. I disagree with the new projects cropping up promising to save an entire species in a few months. It can’t be done. Trust me![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Conservation takes time. It takes a lot of people, and a lot of failure and tears. But as I photographed these warriors today, I was reminded that out of all of that, comes resilience and hope. The first time we did this, Jeneria held binoculars in his hands and had no idea what they were or how to use them. It was a while before his passion for lions grew into his very bloodstream. And longer before others wanted to join him. Fifteen years later, dozens have clamoured to get these eight spots to join Warrior Watch. All of them want to be like Jeneria. They want to be there to get camels out of harm’s way at dawn, just like him. They want to go out to see Nanai, daughter of Nashipai, and her new cubs.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We have come full circle. That is conservation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7987″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Generously funded by Whitley Fund for Nature, National Geographic – Big Cats Initiative and Houston Zoo.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

A week in the life of Jeneria

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7030″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Naramat was in trouble. She had wandered into an area in Westgate which would put her on a collision course with some of the camels there. Having heard this grave news, Jeneria’s week began by racing there to keep the lioness and the community’s camels safe. Mission accomplished, Jeneria had no time to rest as the very next day – Monday – Nadala killed two cows north of Samburu, and Loeku’s GPS points put him ominously close to the town. Jeneria went with some Warrior Watch men to deal with both of these issues, negotiating for Nadala’s life and keeping a close eye on Loeku’s movements.

Switching it up, Jeneria now had to put on his workshop hat. On Tuesday, he headed to pick up conservancy managers from three different areas for a training. When they were done, the fun reached a crescendo when Jeneria found himself in the midst of a spectacularly colourful Turkana wedding in Ngare Mara, surrounded by 200 feathered Turkana warriors. A rare occasion for Samburus and Turkanas to mix, Jeneria was asked to speak, further bridging peace to the two communities at the celebration.

As the excitement died down, Jeneria’s thoughts veered back to Loeku, and he went straight back to check that he was in a safe area.

Having dropped everyone back to far flung homes, Jeneria went to a meeting with the women of Westgate. Looking out at these pioneering women, he passionately gave them advice and showing all the men’s support for women to have a stronger voice in conservation.

On Saturday, serious matters were afoot, and Jeneria went to participate in the Annual General Meeting of a key conservancy: Kalama, keeping lions on the agenda there.

Time for a break? Well, maybe Sunday brought a break of sorts. Jeneria joined Munteli, our Mama Simba coordinator as she took Westgate Mamas out for a wildlife safari. With the rain and the lush bush, there was lots to see and lots to celebrate as Munteli drove everyone through the windy paths.

Jeneria’s breakneck speed, passion and efficiency inspires us all every day, and is helping to build up the next generation of those who want to be just like him. We salute him, and the world salutes him too. This frantic week also brought with it a coveted prize. Jeneria is among 50 wildlife rangers across the continent to receive the African Ranger Award from the Paradise Foundation. He is being honoured for his courage, bravery and efforts in securing a future for wildlife, and we couldn’t be more proud.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Educating & inspiring a new generation of Kenyan conservationists

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”5251″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]6^th December 2017 – Twenty-four children wave enthusiastically as they board the ‘Bush bus’ for the final time. It’s the end of the Lion Kids Camp. The past five days have been filled with wildlife education, safaris and conservation-themed games and activities. From the smiles, the laughter and the jubilant singing that accompanies their departure, it is clear they have had fun.

But, enjoyment aside, how do we know if we have actually made a difference? – Has their knowledge about wildlife and conservation improved? Have their perceptions towards wild animals changed at all? What can we learn from this camp that will help us run even more successful camps in future?

In order to answer these questions (and more), we evaluate each of our Lion Kids Camps. We conduct pre-camp and post-camp surveys and quizzes to assess changes in children’s knowledge and attitudes, as well as gather feedback to inform programme development.

Here, we are excited to share the results of our most recent LKC with students from Remot Primary School, held between 2^nd and 6^th December 2017. Click here to view the full report: Evaluation Report Lion Kids Camp

As part of our preparations to scale-up our LKC programme in 2018, we have also made some changes to the way we conduct our evaluations. In a bid to both increase efficiency and go ‘paper-free’, we employed two new digital data collection methods in December: Promethean Activote student response devices for asking multiple-choice questions and Wild Form surveys on tablet devices for open-ended questions.

By evaluating our LKCs in this way, we can continue to improve our successful Lion Kids Camp model – educating and inspiring a new generation of Kenyan wildlife conservationists.

For more information about our LKC programme see: http://ewasolions.org/conservation/lionkids/

Acknowledgements:

We are very grateful to Westgate Conservancy, Samburu Reserve Management and our sponsors for the camp – Alta Vista Elementary School, who has been supporting Remot Primary for years through National Geographic’s Sister School Programme, & Prince Bernhard Nature Fund. Thank you all so much for bringing conservation education to Remot students and for inspiring them to become conservationists!
We would also like to thank Dave Grosvenor (Bowland Charitable Trust) and Helen Toole (Learning by Questions) and Neil Bailey and Ric Talbut (both Wild Knowledge) for their technical advice/support concerning Activote student response devices and Wild Form, respectively.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Join Ewaso Lions in Samburu

Ewaso Lions Conservation Safari, Kenya
with Dr Shivani Bhalla
9 – 13 August 2018

A special opportunity to see first-hand a conservation programme in the field and to financially support the long-term survival of lions in Kenya.

9 August
Dinner and overnight at The House of Waine, a charming colonial manor house with eleven bedrooms in the residential district of Karen in Nairobi.

10 August
Transfer to Nairobi Wilson Airport for the flight to Samburu 1020 – 1120 hours. Transfer to our private bush camp in the Westgate Conservancy, which borders Samburu, and is where Ewaso Lions are based. Our mobile camp is semi-luxurious without being ostentatious and offers a real bush experience. Each tent is furnished with comfortable beds and lovely linens and has its own en-suite hot water shower, wash basin and WC. Dr Shivani Bhalla the founder and Executive Director of Ewaso Lions joins you for lunch.

In the afternoon visit the Ewaso Lions headquarters to meet some of the other members of the team and to learn about their field research, monitoring of lions and work with the local Samburu people, including Lion Kids Camps. This is a simple base camp where Shivani and her small team of dedicated lion conservationists live. There will be time to do a game drive looking for wildlife in the vicinity. Although outside the protected area of the Samburu Reserve, Westgate has the same ecosystem and so you may see ‘northern’ specialties including Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich, as well as lion, leopard and elephant. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of aardwolf. The day finishes with drinks own by the river and a delicious supper in camp.

11 & 12 August
The next two days will be spent understanding and experiencing the core essence of Ewaso Lions – putting people at the heart of lion conservation. This will include visiting a local Samburu village and Mama Simba school, a bush walk with some of the Warriors and a game drive in Samburu National Reserve.

The Samburu, like the Maasai, are nomadic herders and live in traditional dung and mud huts within a boma-enclosure. Their lives have changed little and each village has a chief and their wealth depends on the number of cattle, camels, sheep and goats they have. Visiting one of their villages will really help you understand their way of life and the importance of putting people at the heart of lion conservation.

Ewaso Lions started a Mama Simba and Warrior’s School utilizing local community schools at weekends. Now the ladies have made their own ‘bush school’, which we will visit. The women in the local communities are often overlooked and marginalised, so the bush school provides a valuable programme that educates and empowers Samburu women. You’ll see first-hand the Mama Simba ladies being taught new skills and crafts that can help them earn a living and change their lives. After circumcision young Samburu men become ‘Warriors’ and leave their villages to become men. They graze their cattle further afield and protect their cattle by killing lions. Ewaso Lions has changed this and has successfully created a peer-to-peer network of Samburu warriors who now serve as wildlife ambassadors and first responders to lion conflict.

Breakfast and dinners in camp. Picnic lunches.

13 August
Bid farewell to Shivani and the rest of team and fly back to Nairobi 1210-1315 hours. Lunch and dinner in Nairobi. There will be time to do some shopping this afternoon.

N.B. This safari is offered independently or as an extension to our Masai Mara Wildlife safari with Jackson Looseyia 4 – 9 August.

The safari is in partnership with Spencer Scott Travel Services Limited. Please contact Liz Drake on liz.drake@spencerscott.co.uk for more informaton including prices for the lion safari.

The Warriors Need You

On a dry and dusty night, the night sky of Kenya rises above Jeneria and his team of Samburu warriors on the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro River. They are relaxing after a hard day of tracking lions in their Landcruiser 4×4, collaring one, and checking on the health of two young cubs. Suddenly, the radio crackles with anger and panic. A lioness has killed a cow. The villagers are furious and heading out to kill her.

Jeneria, his fellow Warrior, Yesalai and others in the Warrior Watch team jump into the vehicle and head for the far away village. They are greeted by angry warriors who are ready to track the lion. As Jeneria tries to reason with them, shouts fill the arid landscape. Calmly, a few Ewaso Lions Warriors listen to the villagers’ story, and Jeneria assesses the strength of the cattle boma (livestock enclosure). The lion has taken a prime cow: money in the bank to her owner. The community is vengeful and fearful. The Warrior Watch team listens for hours. As the sun rises high, the team and the community discuss alternative solutions to killing the lion. The lioness lives. As the team returns to Ewaso Lions camp, victorious after saving another lion, and happy to have helped the villagers rebuild their cattle compounds stronger, Jeneria goes over plans for the next day: community meetings to attend, new areas to explore for lions, and a collared lion that needs tracking. There is no day off when saving lions.

This story is getting harder to achieve. The 4×4 vehicle that Jeneria and the other Warriors depend on is old. It breaks down frequently and cannot be relied on to get them to surrounding villages in a hurry. Even the daily work of tracking lions and exploring landscapes is proving difficult. More and more time is spent fixing the vehicle, rather than protecting the species they have dedicated their lives to save.

You can help them. Our goal to is raise $80,000—the amount needed to replace the vehicle and cover new collars and field costs for Warrior Watch—by the end of 2017. We hope you will help us reach this goal by supporting Ewaso Lions. The Warrior Watch programme is a formidable force in lion conservation in Samburu. The lions need the Warriors. And the Warriors need YOU.

Please DONATE today to help Ewaso Lions reach this goal.

Mama Simba on safari in the Mara – Ewaso Lions

Warrior & Mama Simba Adventures

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In September, our team of Warriors visited the Maasai Mara in southern Kenya – for some – this was their first time leaving Samburu. The objective of the trip was to learn about conservation in a new landscape. In the Mara there is less human-predator conflict than in other areas because of the larger amount of grazing land available to support large wild herbivores. The presence of these populations of herbivores means lions have enough natural prey and do not turn to killing livestock out of desperation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7629″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Our team drove down across Kenya and spent 1.5 days in the Mara. The team saw over 30 lions in that short period and new animal species they hadn’t seen before such as topi, rhino, hippo and thousands of wildebeest who were moving through the Mara. Lebasha, one of the warriors said, “I wish I could bring my lioness Nadala here for a week so she could get healthy and fat, and then take her back to Samburu“. The lions seen were very healthy and hunting daily, sometimes twice a day because of the availability of food everywhere. It was a real eye -opener for the warriors to see plentiful prey for lions everywhere!

Our Mama Simba ladies also had an adventure of their own in September. They travelled to Samburu Reserve on their first ever “Bush Bus” safari together with other women from the village, followed by an exciting team building adventure to climb Lolokwe, the Samburu sacred mountain north of Samburu. This was the first attempt to climb the mountain for our entire group of ladies and they completed the climb in less than 5 hours, and sung their way to the top.

We are very grateful to the Whitley Fund for Nature for the funding for our Warriors to visit the Maasai Mara and World Women Work for all the support provided for the Mama Simba programme. Thank you for enabling the Samburu communities to experience new landscapes and wildlife.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Naramat Has 4 Cubs

Naramat and her cubs – a few weeks after they were born in Westgate

We are really excited to announce that Naramat gave birth to 4 cubs in Westgate. This is the 3rd time she has had cubs (in different areas), and also the 3rd time in the past 10 years that a lioness has given birth and successfully raised her cubs in this community area. This has not been easy – it has taken years of community engagement, meetings, wildlife safaris with community members, daily patrolling by our team of warriors and scouts, quick response to conflict incidents and round the clock lion monitoring. Most of the community in Westgate have now embraced lion conservation and everyone knows Naramat and her cubs.

Human-Lion Conflict Increases During Drought in Samburu

Elephants cross the drying Ewaso Nyiro River in February

The Ewaso Nyiro River dried up in early January causing immense challenges for the wildlife, the local people and their livestock in the region. Wildlife and livestock congregated at small waterholes, and human-lion conflict increased during this time. Our team remained extra vigilant and responded quickly to conflict incidents. Carnivores stayed close to the river and were seen frequently -including lions, cheetahs, leopard and the endangered wild dogs.

Wildlife congregate at the waterholes in Samburu

Together with our partners, we dug waterholes in the dry river and set up camera traps at night to see which animals came to drink from them. In early April, some rain arrived and the normally dry river beds flowed for the first time in years. The Ewaso Nyiro River also started flowing which was a huge relief. The rains have been localised and in very low quantities. Much more is needed to allow the land to recover and the grass to grow.

Watch this video to see more:

Digging waterholes for wildlife

Chalisa Moves to Lewa

We are thrilled to report that a young male lion who we last saw in Buffalo Springs National Reserve in November 2013, has been sighted in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The Lewa lion research team led by Mary Mwololo alerted us that a new male had appeared in Lewa in January and sent us photos. We looked through our lion database and through whisker spot identification, we confirmed that the male in Lewa was indeed Chalisa – the Buffalo Springs male.

Chalisa in Lewa in 2017 (Photo by Lewa)

Since he was found in Lewa, Chalisa has been collared as part of a wider dispersal study (with Lion Landscapes) across the landscape. We are keeping a close eye on him and grateful to work with our partners in Lewa, Lion Landscapes, and the local communities, to ensure continued movement of lions through this landscape.

Mama Simba Women Tackle Waste Issues Through Visit to Western Kenya

In rural northern Kenya, Samburu women regularly buy staples such as sugar, tea and maize from local shops. These items always come packaged in plastic or thin nylon bags. The bags, along with other waste items, are often burned or discarded in the bush or around the manyattas, where livestock and wildlife may ingest them.

There are no waste disposal or recycling services here. In the past, the ladies said they would wait for the rains and then rush down to the river to let the surging water carry away their waste.

To face this environmental threat, Ewaso Lions has organised several clean up campaigns in the local villages to raise awareness about importance of a keeping the environment clean and healthy. At the same time, we know there is a local demand from the community for more recycling opportunities, based on recent surveys.

We are now exploring long-term solutions to this waste problem and want to enhance the business skills and training for our Mama Simba women. Thus, we have reached out to organisations with expertise in waste management and setting up community-based recycling enterprises. One such group, Zingira Community Crafts, based in Kisumu, Western Kenya and founded by Evance Odhiambo, tackles such development issues facing the environment and development while also providing employment to talented artisans. The project trains artisans to create products made from recycled or sustainable materials.

Earlier this month, our Mama Simba Coordinators, Munteli and Mparasaroi, together with our Resident Wildlife Artist, Samson, attended a two-day product development workshop organized by the Zingira team in Dunga, Kisumu. The workshop was primarily designed to enhance the craft-making skills of Dunga community members (mainly women and youth), as well as providing ecotourism advisory – and Evance kindly extended the invitation to the Ewaso Lions team.

The ladies learned two techniques for making intricate baskets and bags. One technique involved using water hyacinth (an invasive species from South America introduced into Lake Victoria) to create beautiful woven baskets, which the ladies proudly showed off upon their return to Samburu.

The Mama Simba ladies are now excited to experiment with applying this technique to other materials, such as plastic bags, which are more readily available in Samburu. They have already started collecting bags around their villages – they don’t want to forget what they have learnt.

Meanwhile, Samson learned how to create interesting artworks and candlesticks using tins and other scrap metals. As our Resident Wildlife Artist, we hope Samson can apply these new skills in his own work, as well as supporting any creative enterprises that form part of the Mama Simba programme.

The team was particularly impressed by the business acumen of the Zingira team and were excited to learn how they might apply this to their own beadwork enterprise and, hopefully, in future their own recycling enterprise. Munteli certainly has big plans to establish a centre where she can train other members of her community one day.

We are immensely grateful to Evance and his team at Zingira Nyanza Community Crafts for inviting Samson and the ladies to attend the workshop. We are also excited for the next phase of our partnership with Zingira. Next month, their team will be visiting Samburu to conduct a feasibility study for a Mama Simba recycling enterprise.

1 2 3 4 … 7