The rains are finally here!!! This is the worst drought that most people can remember. Livestock and wildlife have died in large numbers over the past few months and the river remained dry for most of the year. It has been desperate and the most difficult period that I can remember during my years in Samburu.
One of the last surviving warthogs died a few weeks ago
Arid landscape
Digging waterholes in the river for the wildlife
A few weeks ago, we began to see signs of rain. Dark clouds were forming daily and the days were scorching. It eventually began to rain all around us but never quite reached Samburu. The Samburu ladies sang in the river, throwing milk and praying for rain to come. Each day we would look at the river and wonder if today was the last day we would be digging. This went on for days.
Rains in the distance
Finally on the 10th of October, the river flowed! This was such an exciting moment. We had seen signs of rain all around us and knew that the river had to flow soon. We got word that the river was seen flowing 20 kms upstream from camp and there was a buzz in camp as we knew that we would see the great Ewaso Nyiro River flow very soon. At 2 am, we heard it! We rushed down to the river at 5:30 am and saw the river flowing – it was amazing to see large volumes of water come past us.
The Kipsing lugga flowed into the Ewaso Nyiro
Clear views of Mount Kenya and the Ewaso Nyiro the day after the river flowed
All signs of rain then vanished and we had clear skies for a few days. The river was also beginning to disappear again and dropped to low levels. People were getting very disappointed and some were beginning to lose hope that it would ever rain at all. But, on the 14th of October at 4:00 pm, it finally began to rain – properly!!! We rushed around camp, packing everything up and throwing stuff into Gypsy (project vehicle) and sat under our shade and watched the rain fall. It was amazing. We recorded our very first rainfall amount with our new camp rain gauge.
Rain close to camp
Jeneria, Ewaso Lions scout, excited after feeling rain for the first time in a year
The Ewaso Nyiro flowing on the 15th of October
A warthog family walk down to the flowing Ewaso Nyiro to have their first drink of water from the river in months
A dikdik drinks from the small waterholes that have filled many of the roads in the reserve
After months and months of dryness and death all around us, everyone is so excited. I just hope this is not temporary and the rains will continue over the next few months. It needs to rain pretty much everyday. Eventually the area will recover and the wildlife and livestock will come back. Samburu is a stunning area when its green and lush – its been so long since I have seen it that way and I can’t wait to see what the area will look like in December.
In the meantime, I am heading home to Nairobi very soon. It has been a long long field season – and a very difficult one because of the conditions here. We will be packing up camp over the next few days and I will then be in the reserve watching how everything will respond to the new rains, including how lion movements will begin to change after they have spent months and months along the river.
Speaking of the lions; they are doing great and have had an easy time over the past few months. I’ll be writing about them soon but in the meantime, here is a photo of Nanyiro, that I took a few days ago.
Nanyiro looking great a few days ago
It’s raining all around me and I can hear thunder everywhere as I post this blog!