It has been extremely dry for a long time now here in Maasailand. The short rains hardly came, and the long rains that should be with us now have yet to arrive. Livestock and wildlife are dying due to lack of water and the land is becoming severely overgrazed.
This week, however, all the herders were delighted to see some rain showers in the west and southern parts of our ranch. Livestock were able to access water at close range, unlike other days when they would have to walk for miles in search of water. We are all praying for the rains to continue, since livestock owners and herders are in such desperate need of water.Â
This same week, we have located one of our collared male lions Kasayio. He usually can be found with two others, a male and a female, but he is so shy that we could only see his male comrade.
I think the female he used to hang around with is not with them at the moment, as she was nowhere to be seen. Kasayio has been around our camp for more than three months now, although we don’t get to see him as he hides deep in the thick whistling thorn forest.
[…] Last week we reported a day of rain, which brought hope to the Maasai of Southern Kenya. But since that one day we have had no more rain. Some are saying this is the worst drought to hit our ranch since 1984. Elders of the pastoral communities have described it as the most dangerous of all, and the Government of Kenya has declared it a national disaster. Human beings, livestock and wildlife are malnourished and emaciated and some are dying of hunger. Scientist and other experts have expressed fears that the situation could get even worse if the rain fails between now and end of the year. […]