Predator Aware

I am Ole Konene and I will now be helping with our posts about Lion and Leopard Conservation in the Masai Mara communities. This is really important to our Maasai people.We went to a primary school that we work with in the area yesterday to have a lesson on Conservation Education and the importance of protecting Lions and Leopards for our future.

These school children at the Enkoirero Primary School in the Masai Mara community are having a day of Lion Conservation Education. They are mostly 5 and 6 year olds. Our Predator Aware team went to visit the school and had a great day. Wildland Conservation Trust / Predator Aware helped to build this school and to provide some basic learning supplies. We brought pictures painted by a sister school in Florida USA to hang on the walls of the school. Then our Maasai children did their own art work to hang on the walls as well.Most of these children have never had a good experience with Lions and Leopards and their families would regard them as enemies.

It is through these very children that the hopes for Lions and Leopards in our future lie. It is our responsibility and today’s generations commitment to make sure that we have Lions and Leopards and all wild animals for our futures.

EDUCATION is the key to Lion Protection and involving communities.

The children are drawing SIMBAS with great enthusiasm

The Children at their desk

The children saying a big hello to other friends of Lions!

Predator Aware needs your support so that we can continue our work in Conservation Education and the active Protection of Lions and Leopards.Any funds would be very helpful in allowing us to continue.

www.wildlandconservation.org

Predator Aware facebook fan page

Than you Sauwah for your comment. Now most of the drought animals that survived are beginning to thrive and Lions certainly in our area of the Masai Mara are not struggling. We have had no indications of any increase of livestock predation.

To Carryl, Thank you for your comment, and no we have never seen a white Leopard. It would be amazing but at such a disadvantage as they rely on concealment and stealth in their hunting.

Thank you for your comment Mary B and the Leopards we have seen are very fit.

Technorati : Conservation Education, Lion and Leopard Protection and Conservation, Masai Mara Lions, Wildland Conservation Trust

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Predator Aware is making Progress! Through our Conservation Education and Predator Awareness community outreach the message of protecting Lions and Leopards is beginning to really work in this community. We are getting reports on sightings of Leopard, Lion and Cheetah very regularly and the community members, school children, parents, and herdsmen are all understanding that responsible livestock protection is the key to living with these Big Cats and that the Big Cats are valuable to us Maasai for our future.

On last nights patrol we saw Perfect Ears Mother and she was looking really relaxed and fit.

She is still quite young and she has not shown us her two new cubs which she has kept hidden.We think they are about 5 months old.We have only seen their tracks and have had sightings from our Predator Aware Maasai Scouts.

Predator Aware: All we could see at first was her eyes

Predator Aware: A clear view of ‘ Perfect Ears Mother’

Predator Aware: Grooming herself

Predator Aware: scent marking

Predator Aware: She is beautiful and very relaxed

We are continuing our efforts to educate the Maasai people in preserving our Masai Mara Wilderness as this is so important in our effort to protect Lions and Leopards.The message is clear that we Maasai must all want to preserve these wonderful Big Cats and reverse the drastic declines we have seen in recent years.

We need your help and ideas.Please support our daily patrols and Predator Aware Scouts.

www.wildlandconservation.org

Predator Aware Masai Mara facebook fan page

Hi Sauwah, we have not seen Sau and Wah but have had some reports of there whereabouts. We are trying diligently to find them but there is a lot of woodland on Siana and there are areas difficult to get into. Will keep you informed.

Technorati : Big Cats, Big Cats for our future, Lion and Leopard protection and conservation, Maasai Wilderness Protection, Masai Mara, Masai Mara Wildland Protection, Protecting of Masai Mara Wilderness

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Predator Aware

Our Predator Aware Wildlife Scouts first found our Big Male Leopard at dusk last night.

Predator Aware: On the move

Predator Aware: He climbs into this tree

Predator Aware: He has stashed a Thomson’s Gazelle in the tree

Predator Aware: He starts to eat

Predator Aware: One Beautiful Big Cat (Its all in the genes for Perfect Ears)

This Big Leopard is the father of Perfect Ears. He is one of the biggest Leopards we have ever seen. He is in perfect condition and very relaxed in our company. We had a very special evening spent with him.

Predator Aware are continuing in this new year in our Lion and Leopard Protection and Conservation Project.Our funds we have received from our post readers are so vitally important and they are used to continue our daily vehicle patrols, help support our important Predator Aware Wildlife Scouts and our Predator Aware Conservation Education Programme that reaches the Maasai community.We thank you all for our support in this very important work to help Save our Lions and Leopards and involve our Maasai community members.

Finding Values for the Maasai people in retaining Leopards, Lions and Cheetahs is the best long term way of protecting these precious Big Cats.

Predator Aware needs your continued support if we are to succeed.

Check Predator Aware Masai Mara facebook fan page

Technorati : Big Cats in the Masai Mara, Lion Protection, Lion and Leopard Conservation in the Masai Mara

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Some of the Maasai Lions Women’s Group members at our base camp

We had some New Year celebrations at our Predator Aware base camp with some our Maasai community members and the Women’s Group. This was a great day discussing plans for this year and the way forward. With the rain we have had everyone was very happy and optimistic.

Nosentui (centre) with Hellen and Naiswaku, 27 Dec

Elizabeth receiving a gift from the Women’s Group for her work

We are working with our livestock breeding programme for the women and at present we are starting to build a boma (enclosure) for the livestock. This will show the important value of a Predator Proof Boma and how conservation education can help reduce predator / livestock incidents and therefore the need for any retaliation against Lions and Leopards. These women clearly understand this message .This will be a very good business owned by the Women’s group and sponsored by Predator Aware. The women are also very involved with the education of their children in the protection and conservation of our Lions and Leopards for their future in tourism

They wish all of our readers a Happy New Year from Siana.

Thank you Caroline for your encouraging comment and we all look forward to a good 2010.

Please keep reading our posts!!They are essentially letters from the bush.

Have a look at this documentary about the Predator Aware founders and their aspirations for the Maasai people and their precious wildlife. www.snagfilms.com “From the Mara to the Marathon”

Technorati : Lion and Leopard Protection and Conservation, Maasai Women’s Group, Masai Mara, Predator Proof Bomas

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Predator Aware: Perfect Ears Mother scenting

Predator Aware

This female leopard was hunting last night when we found her. It was the Mother of Perfect Ears. She was very fit and was looking great. She is also the Mother of two young cubs that we had in our base camp late one night last week.We would really like to find the cubs again and feel sure that this was her first foray with the cubs away from her den.We have found their tracks on numerous mornings around the camp and the waterhole in front of our base camp. Some of the Predator Aware Wildlife Scouts have seen her briefly with the cubs at night.

We had more rain yesterday which has brought in many plains game. The area has come alive again and the rain has restored the area. It is so good for everything!

Predator Aware

Our Predators are more active now and everything is fresh and green. With the start of the New Year we are moving forward with our Protection and conservation of Lion and Leopard and working with our Maasai community. We are very positive that the New Year will bring more development of our protection and monitoring project.We want to significantly increase our area of operation and thereby be able to identify Leopard and Lion populations in areas we have not reached.

Predator Aware: Perfect Ears Mother hunting

Check our Predator Aware Masai Mara facebook fan page

We still need your help in Protecting and Conserving Lions and Leopards in the Mara.

Technorati : Lion and Leopard Conservation and Protection, Maasai, Masai Mara

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Predator Aware: Cheetah Mother on Siana Masai Mara

Predator Aware: Cheetah hunting in the early morning

Predator Aware: Cheetah Cubs

Predator Aware: Cheetah Cubs hunting with their Mother

Predator Aware: Cheetah cub

We found the Mother Cheetah with her two cubs hunting this morning. The grass is already turning green and the drought has gone. We followed them for a while and they were setting up a hunt. There are many Thomson’s gazelle in the area.

Thank you Sauwah so much as always for your continued support .Just knowing you are out there is a great encouragement to all of us at Predator Aware.

Thank you Susan for your support and the school term starts again on 7th Jan 2010.We enjoy our communication with the school there and it means so much to the children. to have a sister school in Florida.

Thank you Burkhart and please continue reading our posts.

Hi Cassio, good to have your comments, yes the Masai Mara is a wonderful place and we hope it will continue to be so . But like everything it needs a lot of help and collective responsibility to make sure it stays that way..

We need your help to continue our Predator Aware work here in the Mara.

Happy New Year !!

Check our facebook fan page Predator Aware Masai Mara

www.wildlandconservation.org

Technorati : Cheetahs, Conservation and Protection of Lions, Masai Mara, Saving Lions and Leopards, Siana Conservancy

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Predator Aware: New Big Male found on Siana (note his torn ears)

These Lions we found on the night of the 21st December in the Siana Wildlife Conservancy Masai Mara. There were three of them, a mating pair and this Lion above.We were all so excited as the drought was making Lions very difficult to find.These we found at 11 o’clock at night.We were also very pleased to find these two males.One we have not seen for a very long time and one we have never seen before.

Predator Aware: Another big Male on Siana

Predator Aware: Lioness on Siana

Predator Aware: Mating pair(note his smooth ears)

Predator Aware: Rains end the drought on 25th December, What a Christmas Gift!!

Relief from the drought arrived on Christmas day and it has made the area come alive. It has rained well since then and has ended the terrible drought of 2009.

Seasons Greetings to all of you from Predator Aware

Sauwah, thank you for your comments and interest throughout this year. It has helped to keep us going.You are a special friend. Yes there are some tourists lodges that are very supportive of conservation and we hope to have more in 2010.It is ultimately very important to have the tourism industry in the Masai Mara understanding and supporting Predator Aware’s work.It is surely in all of their interests to Save Our Lions and Leopards and stabilise the populations for the future.

Thank you Patty and Paul for your continued support. You have been wonderful friends to Predator Aware and your interest and concern for our work is so appreciated.

Thank you Uwe and Dani for your comments of support they are always encouraging.We look forward to seeing you in Feb.

Technorati : Lion and Leopard Conservation and Protection, Masai Mara, Saving Lions, Siana Conservancy

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Predator Aware: Big Male Leopard near our spring

Is Tourism truly committed to the Conservation of the Masai Mara? Sadly Predator Aware takes the view that this is not the case, there are too many camp owners, hoteliers and tourism investors who are simply in tourism for the money and are not committed to the future of conserving the Masai Mara and its surrounding communities. They invariably want to grab some land for their sole benefit or claim an area for their exclusive use which only benefits a few Maasai people with virtually no regard for other areas and their Maasai owners.This selfish approach of claiming land is unsustainable and clearly not contributing to the overall protection of wild Lion and Leopard habitats. Without genuine commitment and involvement of the tourism industry in development and training for real jobs in tourism and wildlife protection systems of the Maasai people and therefore creating real community values it will be very difficult to sustain wildlife populations.

There is a lot of Resistance by hoteliers in the establishment of a single community Maasai owned wildlife conservancy. Most of these hoteliers are only interested in their small patch to please their own tourists and benefit themselves. They are not made accountable to the community at large and if it remains in this fractured state then there is little hope for the Siana Wildlife Conservancy to succeed.

Predator Aware Male Leopard seen last night

In over 40 years of tourism development in the Masai Mara there has never been a “collective” tourism commitment to the preservation, protection and overall conservation to the greater Masai Mara ecosystem.

Thank you Dana for your comment, The worst affected areas of the Masai Mara have been on the perimeters of the Reserve in southwestern Mara and along the Talek River, Ololaimutia area and Olderikesi as well. Cattle still today are in huge numbers way inside the Reserve.They purposely spend the night inside the reserve and this is when incidents happen. The thing to remember is that many Maasai especially if they are not from the Mara will hide any Lion or predator that they kill and reports of killings are consequently covered up and are difficult to ascertain.The Maasai will preserve their cattle at all costs.The figure of the suggested thirty Lions killed this year is most likely on the low side.

We at Predator Aware need your help in continuing our work.Thank you!

Technorati : Lion Protection and Conservation, Masai Mara, Saving Lions and Leopards, Siana Wildlife Conservancy

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The Masai Mara National Reserve which is a internationally recognised protected area for wildlife was filled with cattle yesterday while we were there for a short visit. Our Predator Aware team witnessed many thousands in separate herds.

The amount of cattle is alarming as it will undoubtedly lead to human / wildlife conflict and in fact it already has this past year. Authorities suggest that as many as 30 Lions may have been killed this year with the influx of Maasai cattle inside the Reserve due to drought. This is obviously intolerable.Predator Aware aims to expand its influence into the Masai Mara Reserve eventually.The strong Conservation message to protect Lions and Leopards as well as Cheetahs and others is so needed in all the Mara communities including those surrounding the National Reserve.

This handsome Lion was not very far from this herd of cattle.

This Cheetah was also very close to the cattle.

The Reserve has had some rain which has made everything green.

We outside in the Siana Wildlife Conservancy have not had any rain and the contrast is unbelievable.

We hope things will be back to normal soon for the sake of our beautiful Big Cats and all of our wildlife.

Predator Aware needs your continued support. Please Help Us.

Technorati : Big Cats, Lion Protection, Masai Mara, Saving Lions and Leopards

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Last night very close to our camp in the bush was the Big Male Lion from the base camp pride.

All on his own. Saving these wonderful Lions is our reason for being here. Monitoring them every day and following them at night, hoping to keep them safe. We are always happy to see them as often as we can. The sky was clear and beautiful . We need rain so badly but it does not look likely for the time being.

Where are his other pride members? They are still split up with the ongoing drought.

We need your support to Save our Lions and also protect the Leopards of the Masai Mara.

Congratulations to Wildlife Direct for receiving the Mongabay Innovation in Conservation Award for 2009. Well Done!!

Technorati : Big Cats, Lion and Leopard Protection and Conservation, Masai Mara, Saving Lions in the Masai Mara

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