Head Scout’s daily report

Reporting date:         05.04.2011

A young elephant was spotted resting under a Sausage tree (Kigelia africana) by Daniel and his guests while on an Afternoon game drive. The young elephant which was seen mostly playing by himself was at one point seen rubbing his rear on the sausage tree. The sausage tree is known so because of its fruits which are huge, long and shaped like sausages and hang down from the limbs on long, ropelike stalks. The mature fruits dangle from the long stalks like giant sausages and may be up to 0.6 m long and weigh up to 6.8 kg.

Though known as the sausage tree, this tree is known for its use in making alcohol locally known by the Maasai as Muratina. The fruit is fermented and mixed with other herbs to create a strong spirit-like alcohol.

Elephants Love this tree and are sometimes seen shaking the tree to feed on the falling fruits and leaves. However, they also use the tree for sctatching to get rid of skin pests. Also after a mud wallow, the elephant needs to rub off the dry mud and the perfect tree for this is the Sausage tree as it has a rough bark. 

Head Scout’s daily report

Reporting date:         04.04.2011

The Oldest elephant in our conservancy passed on this week due to old age. The elephant, an adult male was a frequent visitor to the conservancy especially after the rains in the past year. Prior to his demise, he was seen in the conservancy for about 5 days. Every evening during our afternoon game drives, we passed by to see him. At one point Daniel, reported that he looked frail and limping. He spent most of his last days resting in the nearby croton bushes at Ntulele plot sometimes straying into Oloropa and Kirok Loirien plots. His behaviour was unusual at first as elephants move a lot in the day searching for food. In fact they spend three halves of their time eating. But when his body was found five days later in Kirok Loirien plot them, we knew that he must have been on his last days. 

Our scouts on patrol discovered the body lying in a bush where he must have struggled as he inhaled his last breath. His tusks were intact. His boby still fresh was opened by a pack of Hyenas who managed to rip open a small hole if the belly.

We invited the Wildlife authorities KWS and NCC who came and removed the tusks for safe keeping. Both tusks were estimated to weigh about 100Kg in total. May Ole Mzee rest in peace!

Head Scout’s daily report

Reporting date:         27.03.2011

Over a week ago, it was very dry and the vegetation were drying up forcing most of the herbivores to migrate to other places outside the conservancy where they could get anough food. Nevertheless, the dry spell is over. Its been raining in the area for the past week and now the vegetation has become green and lush again. Many herbivores are seen streaming back into the conservancy. This afternoon, during our afternoon Gamedrive, we saw many Thompson gazelles, Imnpalas, Topis, Zebras, Masai giraffes, buffalos, wildebeests grazing in the conservancy. As it was getting cooler in the afternoon, Philip and his 2 guests watched a herd of common or plains zebra moving into the conservancy core area where there is more greenery.

Common Zebras live is small herds of 7 - 10 headed by a stallion with several mares and foals. They feed mainly on grasses but also eat shrubs, twigs, leaves and bark. They are quite dependent on water and need to drink daily.