Meet Our Friends in Northern Kenya

Author: Brooke Squires

While wildlife was definitely what first brought me to Kenya, the reason I keep coming back is the people. Most of my friends in Kenya are from the communities I have worked with over the years; they are such incredibly resilient and enterprising people.
The communities of Melako and Il Ngwesi are mostly Maasai, Samburu and Rendille and are nomadic pastoralists, with their entire lives revolving around mobile livestock systems. What always amazes me about the people of northern Kenya is their generosity and hospitality. People really rely on each other to survive up in the north so getting to know everyone is important, and guests are always valued. The greeting system in the north is called Serien, which is Samburu for ‘hello’. Basically when you meet someone you have very long discussions about the rain, the grazing, which clan is moving where, who’s getting married, etc. Might sound like idle gossip but in this way herders and families stay in touch with the events across the rangelands, by working together everyone survives. While we are in Melako we will be spending time with the community. Groups like the blacksmith clan, who still use traditional methods to extract metal from the river beds to make spears and other implements, will give us such an insight into living in two worlds, the modern and the traditional.

Visiting one of the schools that I been involved in over the years is a blast, so much enthusiasm for learning. I think this is because of the dedicated teaching staff and school principals and the fact that the community value education so highly. Gabriel Gabana is head teacher at Mercy Primary School in Laisamis. He has about 500 students, from nursery age right through to grade 6. Gabriel is completely committed to the students and he has fought for gender equality, food programs and facilities, everything that we take for granted. It seems like such an everyday thing to send your kids to school, but in Melako it is tough when you are moving from grazing area to grazing area around the country and never in one place for more than a few months. Many schools have built boarding facilities to try and enable the Rendille and Samburu children to access education, even when their families are on the move. Education is still expensive and when money is tight or there is a serious drought, the children are often pulled out of school to help look after the herds.

Quite often education is not as much of a priority for the girls as the boys and when you have to make a choice, the girls usually miss out. One aspect of this that I learnt on my first trip to Melako is that parents will not send their daughters to school without a uniform, which is only $5. Imagine a $5 uniform being the only thing that stops you being able to go to school. Money for uniforms is a fundraising priority for me, so if you can forgo just 2 coffees in one week, that is enough to help a girl child to get an education...so simple hey?? Quite often the community will name donated items after you, so Brooke’s uniforms, Brooke’s well. The last thing I raised money for was a toilet; kind of glad they didn’t name it after me...

RAW Africa Eco Tours also raises money to buy storybooks and stationery for our schools in Melako. In fact if you have spare room in your bag it would be great if you could fill it with stationery or picture storybooks or the community made animal hand puppets that are available directly through Raw Africa Ecotours (these have been chosen by the teachers in Melako as they are culturally appropriate, depict the local wildlife, and make learning fun.)

What would be even better is you joining me on this journey to meet inspirational people like Gabriel Gabana and join him as he proudly shows you around the school to meet some of the great students. Buy some books, a uniform, and one day you just may have a toilet named after you...Come and visit the African Tour Page or drop me a line brooke@rawildlife.com.au

Brooke Squires has worked in zoos, national parks and conservation areas around the world. These days, she divides her time between her beloved rhinos at Werribee Open Range Zoo, Victoria, where she is a rhino keeper, and the International Conservation Partnerships for Zoos Victoria.

bsquires@rawildlife.com.au

Ph: +61 (0) 423 393 836

Meet the Scouts of Melako - Looking after Wildlife in Kenya

Author: Brooke Squires

I think one of the greatest privileges I have when in Kenya is spending time with the Melako game scouts. The scouts were the first people I met when I came to northern Kenya and they have left a lasting impression on me. It is with great pride that I can now state that at least I can pronounce their names. Up until a year or so ago, they were giving me random English names to call them as I was so hopeless at getting their Samburu or Rendille names correct. Before you laugh at that, I challenge you to pronounce Lmennyoi Leolo or Lparakuoni Lekamaya. The big greeting session we have whenever we go to Melako is an endless laugh as I try to get it right. One of the many guests I have brought to Melako made the best faux pas, calling Singida (one of the Melako scouts) Sangrita. Fortunately, Singida didn't realize she’d been calling him a famous Mexican cocktail for 2 weeks!!

I think spending time with Alfred (the head scout) and his team will be one of the trip highlights. Alfred Le Surmat is in his mid 30s, he has three sons and is one of the most knowledgeable, charismatic, friendly people I have ever met. Alfred is from the Blacksmith Clan at Niribi and is a storyteller for his people. There is nothing like sitting around a campfire with a cup of Samburu tea and listening to a traditional tale. All the scouts are hired from within the conservancy and they know the land, the wildlife, and the communities like the back of their hand. To be able to track animals with these men, dig animal water holes, set night cameras, or just sit around a fire, sipping camel milk tea and learning about their lives, adventures, and families as well as their passion for wildlife is such a joy. Many of the activities we will enjoy in Melako they’ve excitedly put together for us.

Out of all of these, I think a good old fashioned game of soccer, Melako style, against the scouts will live in your memory forever. For our scouts, visions of being the next Kenyan Maradona dance through their heads as they take on the ‘tourists’. The minute you challenge the scouts to a soccer match, they will barely draw breath between changing into their soccer gear and heading down to the dry riverbed to play the most hard-core game since the 2006 World Cup.

This is how you play soccer... Melako style.

Soccer pitch = riverbed
Goal posts = elephant dung
Team selection = a lot of yelling
Uniforms = best clothes you have in camp
Rules = none!
Amount of laughter = priceless!!

But I also never forget that these men will put their lives on the line to protect their wildlife, and communities. While Melako is in a safe part of Kenya, RAW Africa Eco Tours support the scouts by paying for their membership to The Game Ranger Association of Africa, and membership to an amazing Australian conservation organisation called The Thin Green Line Foundation (TGLF) www.thingreenline.org.au . TGLF provide life insurance and security training to wildlife workers all over the world and are an important support system for the scouts. Your contribution to the Thin Green Line Foundation through Raw Africa Eco Tours helps to support the system that supports Alfred and his team of scouts. Keep an eye out for the support form in your tour pack or access the many ways to support the scouts and the Thin Green Line Foundation through our ‘Want to do a little bit more’ Program. If you would like to know more about any of the above, please drop me a line at brooke@rawildlife.com.au or join Alfred and me on this great adventure at the African Tour Page

Brooke Squires has worked in zoos, national parks and conservation areas around the world. These days, she divides her time between her beloved rhinos at Werribee Open Range Zoo, Victoria, where she is a rhino keeper, and the International Conservation Partnerships for Zoos Victoria.

bsquires@rawildlife.com.au

Ph: +61 (0) 423 393 836

Wildlife in Melako

Author: Brooke Squires

My biggest adventures with wildlife in Melako Conservancy Kenya usually involve a hyena. I seem to attract them like flies. And yes, at first you do only think about how unattractive they are. Until you see them hunting, or spending time at the edge of camp, and can’t help but gain an appreciation for the importance of their role in nature…that ’s what I tell myself anyway!

Some of my most memorable wildlife encounters have been with the hyena at Oryx camp in Melako. We once had an old goat carcass that we’d decided not to bury. We plonked it on the bonnet of the Landcruiser and drove to the nearby airstrip. We put the carcass on the ground, turned off the engine and waited for the hyena to arrive. It was breath-holding stuff. After about a minute, we heard the whooping call from one member of the pack to another. All of a sudden they came out of nowhere, grabbed the carcass and were gone in a flash. Amazing.

We also have a night vision camera set up at the river bed and that is where you see the big kids come out to play. The scouts started using the motion sensor night vision camera last year when they were digging water wells in the river bed for wildlife. No one really knew which animals were using the wells. To everyone’s surprise the cameras captured images of hyena, elephant, big herds of Grevy’s zebra, one very awkward giraffe and loads of small carnivores such as genets and civets, even a porcupine ( brave soul). I think my favourite set of images is when a particular hyena (yes hyena trouble again) came up to the camera, had a good sniff, a bit of a nibble then dismantled one very expensive piece of equipment...with his teeth, I am sure he thought it was a great joke!!
It is great fun setting up the cameras. You will be helping us on the trip; you might be surprised about who hangs around camp when we are sound asleep…
Melako is home to some incredible rangeland wildlife; these are the tough animals, the ones who can go for long periods of time without water, the ones who can travel huge distances to access food, the ones who are truly wild. I have seen cheetah, elephants, lots of very fat giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, gerenuk and ostrich, but my very favourite is the Beisa Oryx. These desert antelope are exquisite, big brown eyes, elegantly curved horns, almost fawn in colour and so very shy. Some of the larger herds are in Melako, existing where there is no livestock, as they have the ability to go without water for long periods of time. When you see an oryx, it is like finding gold.... they are so precious. That is why RAW Africa Ecotours named our campsite after them and why the oryx is on our logo, we think they are perfect and we want you all to know it! Part of the reason why RAW Africa Ecotours is so passionate about enterprise development is because of the oryx...and the people of course. By providing alternative sources of income, such as through ecotourism, the community members do not have to rely on livestock alone to be able to pay for food, school fees etc, Less livestock in Melako means more grazing and room for oryx and allows communities to diversify their income, so win- win really.
And the best way that you can help Beisa Oryx is by coming on the trip with me, and supporting community ecotourism and local enterprises by purchasing some of the incredible items that the community have made especially for you. Even better is meeting the person who made it...but that’s a whole other story for a whole other blog.

Come and visit the African Tour page...

Brooke Squires has worked in zoos, national parks and conservation areas around the world. These days, she divides her time between her beloved rhinos at Werribee Open Range Zoo, Victoria, where she is a rhino keeper, and the International Conservation Partnerships for Zoos Victoria.

bsquires@rawildlife.com.au

Ph: +61 (0) 423 393 836 

Two Weeks in Paradise

Author: Mark Keenan

I find it hard to describe what a safari experience in North Sumatra is like for those who enquire. I’m often asked, ‘How was your trip?’ or ‘Did you have a good time’ but rarely do I reply with anything more than a stupid grin and ‘it was brilliant’ or words to that effect.

The problem is that I am so enamored with North Sumatra and what we provide at RAW, that I struggle to put my experience into words. I can’t easily tell you how incredible the place is, how warm the people are, how yummy the food tastes, or how incredibly life changing the whole experience can be. Nor can I easily summarise just how much you do and see in two weeks. Well, not unless you are prepared to sit through a three-hour slideshow and accompanying David Attenborough style monologue. Sometimes pictures speak louder than the written word. Well, my words anyhow.

So it is lucky that every time I head to Sumatra, I am joined by free-spirited, adventurous people who put their faith in our company, in our knowledge, and in our North Sumatran friends to show them a once in a lifetime holiday. This is what of our recently returned guests thought of her time away with us:

'The reward at the end of a long and bumpy drive to Tangkahan – our first glimpse of the elephants and Green Lodge, our home for the next week. Instantly we relax, leaving behind the western world as the peaceful atmosphere works its magic. The days stretch out before us, filled with river tubing, jungle trekking, playing with the elephants, excellent food and great company. Who would have thought being on the go from morning until night could be so relaxing? Bathing the elephants, a traditional cooking class, sleeping in a cave, a night walk in the jungle, playing games and swimming with children from the village, the highlights of this trip are endless. And just when we thought nothing could top the experiences we already had, off we went on the four day Elephant Jungle Patrol. Four lovely days of riding through the jungle on elephant back, watching for Orangutans and other wildlife. Each night at the camps was spent getting to know our amazing jungle guides and mahouts. By the time we reached Bukit Lawang we were more like a family than just friends. It was an experience that touched the soul and the memories will never fade'.
- Alison Beal March 2012

This sort of feedback validates all of the energy we put into Raw Wildlife Encounters. I’d like to thank all of my March guests for an incredible fun packed trip, for their support of RAW, and especially to Ali for sharing her heartfelt words with us. I’m sure my family would love to hear of my adventures expressed as eloquently as this.

Unfortunately for them they will just have to sit through another ‘Sir Mark Attenborough’ slideshow instead.

All the Best!

Mark Keenan – RWE Tour Leader

Ngarendare Forest Trust

Author: Brooke Squires

The Ngarendare Forest sits on the Lewa boundary and spreads up towards the base of Mt Kenya. In fact, the elephant herds pass through the forest on their way up the mountain, via the good old Elephant tunnel.

The Ngarendare Forest is one of the few intact indigenous forests in Kenya and has an expanding population of cedar trees; hard to believe that the tree species one would most often associate with northern Europe is actually native to this part of Africa. The scent as you walk through the forest is like something out of a Norsca advertisement (for those of us old enough to remember those soap ads), and just when you can imagine yourself about to come across a Scandinavian log hut or some such, out pops a giraffe or a zebra! Just crazy!

The local community has worked extremely hard over the years to protect the forest and allow it to regenerate. Sustainable harvesting and non timber forest products such as honey have allowed the community to maintain the forest and earn an income. The forest is also full of African olive trees, palms and figs.

The best way to see Ngarendare forest is to get right up in it on the only treetop canopy walk in Kenya. I am not a very good birder (much preferring to spot horned beasts rather than winged ones in the wild), but the bird species in the canopy are just spectacular, so different from the species on Lewa’s open grasslands.

I also love walking along the elephant paths through the forest. We take an expert guide with us on this journey as you never know what you will meet under the canopy...rhino...elephant...buffalo.

After a nice walk, the next best thing to do is swim in one of the pristine water pools that originate from springs in the forest. This is usually followed by a picnic lunch including great local cheeses and then a good old afternoon nap by the side of the stream.

Barely anyone comes to the forest so it is a great way to see such an unusual part of Kenya and support a local community conservation enterprise at the same time. I am sure you will love it.

So come with me on this journey and support local conservation efforts to save this beautiful forest!

Come and visit the African Tour Page

Brooke Squires has worked in zoos, national parks and conservation areas around the world. These days, she divides her time between her beloved rhinos at Werribee Open Range Zoo, Victoria, where she is a rhino keeper, and the International Conservation Partnerships for Zoos Victoria.

bsquires@rawildlife.com.au

Ph: +61 (0) 423 393 836  

Wildlife As You've Never Experienced It

Author: Brooke Squires

It goes without saying that after 20 years of looking after rhino at Werribee Zoo, one of the big things that drew me to working in Kenya was the wildlife, yep.... especially those crazy rhinoceros. Now, I love my big, lumbering, 3.5 tons of rhino at the zoo, but nothing can really compare with the hard core 'I really know how to use my horn' type of rhino that roam Lewa and Il Ngwesi Conservancies in Kenya.

And it is not only the rhino that are so incredible in this part of east Africa. Melako and Lewa are also home to the endangered Beisa Oryx and Grevy’s zebra, as well as huge herds of elephant, giraffe, and cheeky monkeys. And for the big cat lovers out there, I have never been to Lewa without seeing a lion!

Lewa is a pretty stunning Conservancy. It was originally a cattle ranch until an inspiring lady, by the name of Anna Merz, convinced the Craigs (the owners) to turn Lewa into a rhino Sanctuary. Gradually other wildlife was reintroduced and over time the Sanctuary became a Conservancy and joined with the neighbouring community of Il Ngwesi. It is because of Anna and our shared passion for rhino that I first came to Kenya.

Lewa is extraordinary. Just imagine waking each morning to the sound of Crested Cranes flying overhead, or to the call of the zebra stallion as he gathers his herd together, and the unforgettable roar of lion in the swamp not more than 200 metres from your room.

But for me the heart and soul of Kenya will always be the rhino. Lewa has a female Black rhino that is blind and therefore cannot rear her calves, so the Lewa scouts hand-rear these gorgeous rhinos until they can be released onto the Conservancy. Considering that the calves weigh about 40kgs when they are born, it doesn’t take long to develop a healthy respect for these little guys, especially when they take out your kneecaps! Elvis is a 2-year-old Black rhino that was hand-raised on Lewa; he hangs around the camp and offices and admin areas. Often when I go for a wander in the early hours of the morning, cup of hot tea in hand, Elvis is already about. I think he enjoys sharing the beautiful sunrises with someone. At any rate, he is great company and it adds that little bit of magic to my day.

In Kenya every rhino is precious, and with rhino horn worth more than gold on the black market, it is easy to see why. Poaching is a very real threat. Lewa is a big Conservancy with more than 150 scouts employed to protect wildlife around the clock, especially the rhino, and with the incidence of poaching increasing across Africa, Lewa, Melako and Il Ngwesi, scouts are highly trained and take their jobs very seriously. John Pameri (at left) is local Maasai and in charge of the Conservancy scouts and all wildlife management and security services on Lewa. John is so full of fun and laughter that I always find it hard to believe his job is to protect wildlife from poachers...No Matter What. Spending even a small amount of time in John’s company is incredible; this is a man with his finger on the wildlife pulse of Kenya. John is more than happy to have a coffee with us, chatting about wildlife management on Lewa, the challenges and successes, sharing unique stories and insights from his extraordinary job. This is a fantastic opportunity that the average visitor to Lewa does not experience. John may even take us on a walk with one of his scouts.

And let me tell you about the Beagles. Beagles? Oh yes, Beagles. As in the dog variety. Lewa’s Beagles form an integral part of the anti-poaching unit that protects the wildlife of the Conservancy. Nothing can sniff out a poacher quite like a Beagle. They are the kings of tracking. Lewa’s Beagles are used across Lewa, Ol Pejeta and other surrounding Conservancies when there is even the whiff of a poacher. I am eternally grateful that dedicated men like John and his Beagles are keeping an eye on rhino, so future generations will still be able to see these beasties roaming free across the African plains.
Running an anti-poaching dog unit is an expensive exercise, but so necessary. Supporting a Beagle to protect a rhino is pretty easy. All it costs is $30 a month. You can do this through RAW Africa Eco Tours “Want to do a little bit more” program, or even better, why don’t you come and meet Lewa’s anti-poaching dog unit and John, when you come on this trip of a lifetime. Come and visit the African Tour page.

Brooke Squires has worked in zoos, national parks and conservation areas around the world. These days, she divides her time between her beloved rhinos at Werribee Open Range Zoo, Victoria, where she is a rhino keeper, and the International Conservation Partnerships for Zoos Victoria.

bsquires@rawildlife.com.au

Ph: +61 (0) 423 393 836