Pure African Gems! The special five of Northern Rangelands of Kenya

I will be writing a lot about my travel in Samburu, isiolo and Laikipia Counties. A lot has been said and written about Samburu National Reserve, Buffalo Springs National Reserve and the Shaba National Reserve.  These three National reserves are located in the Samburu and the Isiolo counties and form one ecosystem I would call the SICA (Samburu Isiolo Conservation Area) for ease of typing. In reality the three reserves form one important and very vital ecosystem for both wildlife and tourism in the North Eastern part of Kenya. One good aspect I like about SICA is that it is a conservation area managed by the local counties for the benefit of the resident communities. So every time you enter and pay the conservation fee at the gate, remember you money is ideally trickling down directly to the development agendas of the people of Isiolo and Samburu!

The SICA is home to the special Five. The special five consist of the Grevy’s Zebra, The Oryx Beisa, The Gerenuk, Reticulated Giraffe and the Somali Ostrich. You are most definitely going to encounter these special five species when you visit SICA than anywhere else in Kenya!  So next time you are in SICA get your eyes and camera ready we want to know where you spotted any of the special five!

The Grevy Zebra (Equus grevyi)

Listed as an endangered species by CITES.  Grevy zebras are mostly found in in Laikipia, Samburu and Isiolo. Most threat to their population right now in Kenya is their shrinking habitat and competition to water and other resources from livestock.

 There is a Oryx Beisa in the background

The Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)

Also nick named the Somali Giraffe mainly found in the Somali, Ethiopia and the Northern Kenya. They are the most Graceful animals and I just love them I studied Giraffe for my Masters Research together with elephants and rhinos.

  The hills in the background!! What can I say Tembea uone mengi SICA is breathtaking!

The Somali Ostrich (Struthio camelus molybdophanes)

Other common must see species when you are in the SICA. The male and the female are so distinctively different. As often as I have spotted this ostrich I am yet to see any burying its head in the sand!

Both the male and the female ostrich

 The female Somali Ostrich

 The male Somali Ostrich

The Oryx Beisa (Oryx gazella beisa)

I have only seen them in SICA not in any other park in Kenya. Beautiful with their long sharp horn resembling unicorn those I used to see on story books.

 I am still to get an up close photo I will update once I do

The Gerenuk (Litocranius walleri)

They are the prettiest of all the antelopes if you ask me! With their long necks and small heads, no wander they are nick named Giraffe necked antelopes.

The Gerenuk doing what it does best, standing on twos and browsing the high up leaves!

Next I will be talking about the small five, so keep it here!

The faces after my own heart!

For the sake of the friendships I still have in Nairobi I promised not to mention anything bad about Nairobi especially not about the faces you meet every day as you go about your business in the city and let’s be honest it’s not just Nairobi but most cities in the world. 

The person driving in the car next to you in the traffic as you enter the city through the Globe roundabout or the guy passing suspiciously next to your car wearing a baggy coat eyeing your side mirrors we all know what happened to the old ones two weeks ago at almost the same spot you are right about now, the face of the cleaning lady you meet in the elevator as you enter at the ground floor only to realize someone at the basement as called for the elevator only for it to open and the face is of your boss who upon seeing you checks his wrist watch and yes you are almost one hour late because of the traffic. Ohh damn it! Am really sorry I almost forgot I promised not to talk about Nairobi! 

Yesterday I was in Laikipia in a dispensary called Il Mutiok where we were distributing tree seedlings to be planted along the Ewaso river along the riverine area which has been degraded due to uncontrolled sand harvesting, soil erosion and general land degradation in the areas adjacent. Luckily the same day was also a child care/ nutrition training day at dispensary. The doctor was passionately teaching the mothers about food and proper diets for the children. As I interacted with the children it just hit me how different I now interact with strangers I meet every day! Now it takes only seconds to make friends and just minutes to be friends enough to be invited for lunch in someone’s home! Below are photos of different people I have met in Samburu, Isiolo and Laikipia as I went about my work as a mere ecologist. Just goes to remind me of my Lecturer one Mr. Ayeko back in University who said ‘we cannot separate conservation from the people, these people have lived with wildlife for hundreds of years …..they know the wildlife better than anyone who comes here and is said to have discovered a certain species ….. Just ask……. They know the routes taken by elephant, they know when they leave and where they are headed because they shared more than land with this animals they shared water, they shared browse for the livestock…….’ I can not separate my ecology work from the people. To learn better about Samburu, Isiolo and Laikipias' wildlife and the ecosystem as a whole I have to interact and listen to the people!

A Maasai Woman contributing to a discussion we had about planting of trees along Ewaso River and in their homes

 Having lunch after a community meeting discussing tree planting, we were using an old tree trunk fell by an elephant as our seat!

 All inclusive conservation! Maasai Morans for conservation In Ol Donyiro, Isiolo

 They stand chest out like the warriors they are! Now warriors for wildlife

Lovely Maasai woman from Koija in Laikipia, much respect for this woman never fearful to express herself even in meeting! She is one brave woman.

Met with this young Lad helping the lamp just born a few hours ago, you should have seen his face when I gave him some drinking water he was ecstatic!

Mother with their young ones keenly listening to the doctor at Il Motiok Dispensary in Laikipia County

 Carefully peeling the paper off the tree seedling so she can plant into our planet Earth

We just had to have a selfie............ hahaha!

 Taking home a tree of hope

Children looking on as we work on Predator proof bomas in their homestead

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This is what traveling through the rural Kenya has taught me, every face I meet is special and their voices are relevant!

In heaven and not turning back!

Since I moved from Nairobi my life has been packing,unpacking, hotel rooms, tents, the 110 defender(we need to come up with a name for this great machine for the places she/he has taken us?!........ none else would have), fresh air, really rough roads, wildlife, freedom, jeans and Tshirts (anyone who knows me from my previous life in Nairobi knows Plain Tshirts don't like me) packed meals,(when delicious I call it picnic lunch/ breakfast, when its horrible cold tasteless food taken just for survival I call it Murrum like how we used to call Githeri during our high school days.... remember?). Now this is how travel ruined my life. I said good bye to the horrific traffic of Nairobi.......... I said good bye to green gas emission and my carbon clogged respiratory system is recovering, my ears are almost working well away from the hooting and the crazy Matatu music. I know i know some of my friends have heard me complain about how I wish there was a Java around somewhere in Maralal town for their leomonade or Artcaffe for their delightful croissants.

 Even for the love of croissants there was no way I was turning back! Not after my first visit to Samburu and Isiolo.