Here is the final blog post from Lauren Ross, our Ewaso Lions intern. Lauren spent a month with us and worked really hard in arranging, entering and analysing all the Warrior Watch data. I hope you enjoy her last blog.
I finally saw lions!! My very last day with Shivani was definitely the highlight as I was given a stellar glimpse into the life of Shivani’s favorite big cats. Being that it was my first time seeing lions in the wild I think I got pretty lucky to see cubs, mating lions and two adults feeding on a recent zebra kill. As soon as we arrived a male called Loirish and a female named Nabo came right up next to the car and started mating. Shivani said they must have been getting sick of each other at this point because there was a lot of squabbling amongst the two of them as tensions ran high. Then, Loirish walked up to our rear car bumper, sniffed it, looked up at Jeneria, Taylor and I and growled menacingly. I know we made eye contact and he put me in my place. It was fantastic!! Next, we drove close to the zebra kill and saw Shivani’s favorite female, Nashipai, feeding contentedly. The other male lion, Lguret (Loirish’s brother) was nearby as well. The 3 cubs appeared too but were pushed away by Loirish who wanted Nabo’s attention all to himself. In the midst of all of this I had the best breakfast of my life in the back of the car: chai, eggs, delicious fresh mango, a sunrise, and good company in the presence of lions. What more could a girl ask for? All in all it was an unforgettable experience.
First sighting of a lion in the wild!
One final message to leave you with: Some of you might empathize with me and think, “Poor Lauren only seeing lions once while interning with Ewaso Lions.” But I believe there’s a poignant lesson to be learned here that I want to share. The reason Shivani is here in Westgate finishing her PhD and starting up Ewaso Lions on a tiny budget, is BECAUSE there are so few lions. Yes it’s a bummer that I didn’t see more of them, but if I had seen lions 30 times in 6 weeks there would be no point to her efforts to conserve them and this would be just another crowded tourist destination full of hundreds of cars jammed in around the animals. So I look at it as a lucky break that I saw lions here, and can now understand the gravity of the situation we’re facing throughout Africa with populations dwindling at a rapid rate. Lions need our help. Lions need more people like Shivani, and I’m honored to be a part of the solution to this crisis.
Well my time with Ewaso Lions has come to an end as I move on to my next internship with Save the Elephants. I’ve been lucky enough to split my time between the two projects and thus get two very different experiences in 2.5 months. It’s a bittersweet feeling because I’m excited to begin something else fun and new, but at the same time I’m very sad to leave this camp. I’ve made some great relationships with warriors, Taylor (the other intern) and of course, Shivani, and I’ve grown to love the routine. I’ve become accustomed to the ruggedness of camp and actually just finished telling my family and friends that a part of me prefers being “out of touch” with the outside world. It’s been a great little escape into a dream-world that I’ve enjoyed immensely. I will move on with lessons learned, good stories to tell and memories to daydream about later.
Thank you to my parents who supported me and encouraged me to follow my dream of working in Africa even though at times it seemed far-fetched and unreachable. And thank you to Chip Owen for sparking my interest in Kenya, then fueling my fire for Samburu, and in the end providing me with key introductions that would lead to some awesome internships. I couldn’t have done it without you! Lesere (good bye)!
For Lauren’s previous blogs, please click on the links below: