Participants

Peter Wambua Isack Kalamba

Area Covered

During this month our team has been bust doing patrols along the Athi river and the Mtito River up stream. These two rivers are the boundary of the park and the community.

Findings

The animal’s move from the interior of the park once the water holes have dried up, to look for new drinking and grazing areas. We have witnessed an increase in the animals on adjacent farms owned by non- indigenous farmers. Our team has spent time walking in and around the community for signs of animal tracks. Our team is aware that during the dry season the community members will increase poaching and so it explains why this month we collected a rather high amount of snares, a total of 64. We lifted 16 snares from Sassoon’s farm and 48 from an abandoned farm in the Kamunyu community. I spoke to a few members in the community who informed me that people came from other areas to put snares in the park until there is no more game to snare and then they move on. They come from areas such as kitui. It seems that most of the members in this community are trying to help us, by reporting strangers or any individual who may have killed an animal. The youth of Kamunyu Ngiluni and Kyusani are busy all day now with classes as well as sports and wildlife projects. They are extremely happy with the sporting equipment that they have been given and spend every afternoon playing sport. The schools have closed now but when they open in a few weeks time we will take a trip to other schools to see how the tree planting is going on.

Report by Peter Wambua