After the Mara experienced nonstop rainfall in April, the Talek River broke its banks on May 1 leaving 14 camps, their staff and guests surrounded by rushing waters. Mara Elephant Project joined the Kenya Red Cross, Narok County Government and the community to rescue people by air and on foot.
I was first on the scene after waking up to a call from the manager at Basecamp Mara that the flood waters were rapidly rising. The trained MEP team immediately mobilized with Search and Rescue (SAR) equipment to assist from the ground while I was in the air in the helicopter. The MEP team evacuated guests two at a time from five camps and daisy-chained ropes to ensure no one was left behind. Changes in the landscape and climate have created the perfect storm for flooding, a large amount of water moving quickly over degraded land. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, the Mara received 42% of the total rainfall for all of 2023. Fortunately, in the Mara, the rapid waters claimed zero victims on May 1. Now, more than ever, MEP is dedicated to increasing the number of rangers in the Mara that receive SAR and water training thanks to support from the Basecamp Explorer Foundation-Kenya (BCEF-K).
Speaking of BCEF-K, they supported the MEP Training of Trainers (ToT) to enhance the skillsets of wildlife rangers throughout the Mara. The free training courses cover a variety of disciplines and benefit a total of 125 rangers from 24 conservancies with the goal of transferring these new skills to their broader team, elevating the overall impact of wildlife rangers across the Mara. The first group of 29 rangers arrived at the Ranger Education Campus in June and BCEF-K CEO Nick Trent stopped by to see the SAR and Water Borne Assisted Recovery-Hands On Guidance (WARTHOG) training firsthand.
Since 2011, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and MEP have collared over 80 elephants to track their movements in real time. In May, MEP received government approval to collar or re-collar 25 elephants across the Mara. The team didn’t delay, and six elephants were re-collared in June, Polaris, Lempiris and David in the Mara, Dicki in Shimba Hills and Siham and Omondi in Tsavo. All of these collaring operations were supported by KWS Vet Dr. Njororge and Rob Walker supported our efforts in the air. They are all sporting the latest Savannah Tracking collar model, and their real-time movements will be used to keep them safe for another three years.
Beyond collaring operations, on June 12, The MEP helicopter provided aerial support while our partner KWS Vet Dr. Njoroge from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) Mobile Vet Unit treated a bull elephant for an infected arrow wound on his hip in Naboisho Conservancy. I also aerially monitored collared elephant Tino, an elephant recently translocated by KWS to Tsavo and noted that both he and his collar were in good condition. In June, the helicopter was used in several instances to respond to escalating conflict situations and conduct aerial reconnaissance.
Speaking of collared elephants, in April, Kegol, a prominent bull elephant and tusker passed away following injuries sustained in a fight with another male. Tracked since 2015 and estimated to be in his 50s, Kegol had tusks weighing 110 lbs. and 108 lbs. His movements were monitored continuously by KWS, WRTI, and MEP his tracking for nearly a decade ensured his safety and allowed him to die naturally.
We added to our herd in the second quarter. Mara Elephant Project UK welcomed Senior Philanthropy Manager Lindsey Dixon, Mara Elephant Project USA welcomed new board member Lisa Konieczka and the MEP Advisory Committee welcomed Seedballs Kenya Co-Founder Teddy Kinyanjui and the Co-Founder of Stop Ivory, David Stulb. The organization is fortunate to have these accomplished individuals joining our dedicated team.
