November 2025

GENERAL

November ended as the driest November since the Conservancy started operations over 24 years ago and there is no immediate sign of rain.  If this is the case, most of Narok will suffer a drought and we can expect immense grazing pressure on the Reserve.  The Triangle is fortunate in that we have had scattered showers and most it is green.

We hosted a team from Africam in South Africa, we are looking at installing cameras on two of our anti-harassment vehicles so that they can sit back from sightings and record any misdemeanours or issues of interest. They will also install cameras at crossing points to monitor vehicles and behavior.

COLLABORATION AGREEMENT

  • We had to resurface the Ol Kiombo airstrip, it was closed for four days.  This is the second time in two months that we have had to close and repair it.  We are looking at the possibility of adding a soil stabilizer to help.  These airstrips were never designed for the 30-50 seater aircraft that use them on a daily basis – sometimes several times a day.  It is unfortunate that the bigger airlines won’t contribute to the upkeep, though they are the first to complain.

  • We repaired two drifts between Look Out and Talek, we had to completely re-concrete the major drift over the Ol Keju Rongai.

  • We have graded and resurfaced the road from Mara Bridge, though Look Out to Talek.

  • We have constructed housing for workshop staff at Sekenani and will start on ranger accommodation in the Ngama Hills.

  • We have almost completed rehabilitating the housing at Talek and have constructed a new kitchen/mess block for all the staff. 

  • We have also upgraded the public toilets at the gate.  We will now re-roof the gate and paint the offices. We have upgraded the public toilets and painted the gate at Musiara.

  • We have started on replacing the ferro-asbestos roofing at Sekenani and will concentrate on the main offices and the Administrator’s house to begin with.

STAFF

This month was a training month:

  •  The Community Scouts completed their two-month training with the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPOK); a group of retirees, many of them very senior, who have set up as trainers.  It was a very professional course and well worth it.

  • Our staff were trained in the importance of snakes, how to identify and catch them, instead of killing them, and how to respond in case of a bite.  It was very interesting and well received.

  • Twenty-five of our staff were given First Aid training; very valuable and useful training.

  • The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) is conduction an assessment of our adherence to the labour laws, will meet with heads of department and then train our staff on the laws, together with editing our Staff Handbook.

  • Mr. Victor Cheruiyot went on a training course on LoRaWAN network.

WILDLIFE

A giant pangolin was killed in an electric fence on the escarpment and there was a report of an aardvark slashed with a machete; efforts to locate and treat the aardvark were unsuccessful.  Human/wildlife conflict continues to be a major problem outside the Triangle, with almost daily reports of animals injured by arrows, spears or machetes.

Most of the remaining wildebeest left in early November, leaving a thousand or so near the border.  Zebras have remained in good numbers, and we have hundreds of elephants.

TOURISM

We had slightly more overseas visitors in October than last year – 7,023 vs 6,547 in 2024.  Tourist numbers dropped dramatically in November as expected, those that visited the Mara were treated to excellent game viewing and wonderful weather

 SECURITY

Twenty-five people were arrested in November, bringing the total for the past three months to 137.  The rangers collected 185 snares and found: one wildebeest, one waterbuck and two zebra dead in snares; four zebras were rescued; and two wildebeest, one buffalo, one impala, a hippo and two zebras had been butchered

Eight snares were collected on the 1st and second, one waterbuck and a wildebeest were dead in snares, and two wildebeest had been butchered.

Three people were arrested on the 7ᵗʰ, one was arrested during the day with the help of one of the tracker dogs.  An ambush was set that night and two more people from the same gang were caught at Kasarani in the Lemai Wedge.  These people had been hunting warthogs with spears and dogs.

A buffalo was killed and butchered in the Triangle near Ngiro-are on the 14ᵗʰ .  This is the first known poaching incident in the Triangle in years.  A person was arrested on the 15ᵗʰ in the Lemai Wedge, he was one of three who were hunting with dogs, they had killed an impala.

Four more people were arrested the following day in the Ngiro-are swamp – two during the day and two at night.  They had come from setting snares around Maji ya Bett, just in the Serengeti.  Another three people were arrested in the same area on the 19ᵗʰ as they checked their snares.  In all 130 wire snares were collected; three zebras were rescued, two were dead and three had been butchered.

On the same day, the 19ᵗʰ, a group of four people were arrested along the Mara River as they hunted hippo – two of them had been arrested before.

Twenty-eight snares were recovered on the 20ᵗʰ in the same Maji ya Bett area – it was the only area with a concentration of wildebeest and zebra.  One zebra was rescued.

We set up an observation post at Konyoike on the Tanzanian border on the 23ʳᵈ and the following day three people were seen approaching Maji ya Bett at 3 pm.  One of them was ahead of the others and setting snares.  He tried to escape when approached by the rangers but was tracked by one of our dogs and apprehended.  His two companions were arrested in an ambush that night.  Seven snares were recovered. 

Four snares were collected on the 25ᵗʰ and the next day poachers managed to kill and butcher a hippo across the river.

Five people were arrested on the 27ᵗʰ, they were hunting along the river.  Two were arrested during the day (both had been arrested before) and the remainder were caught that night as they tried to return home.  Five snares were recovered.

Two more people were arrested very close to Kogatende on the 28ᵗʰ, they were fishing when caught.  The rangers recovered seven snares near Maji ya Bett on the 29ᵗʰ.

REVENUE & ACCOUNTS

We have seen a significant drop in the number of visitors, and hence revenue, in November.  We can expect a spike in the latter half of December as people come for Christmas and New Year.

REPORT ON FOCUS FOR NOVEMBER 2025

  • We completed the new toilet block the Oloololo camp site, realigned the road and leveled off an extension to the camp site.

  • We have leveled off the area for the Visitor Centre, Tenders have been shortlisted, and we expect construction to begin in January.

  • We also managed to repair roads around Oloololo and to the Salt Lick.

  • The old toilets at Purungat were leveled off and we have made additional space for picnicking.

  • Housing at Little Governors will be completed in early December.  We had to replace the borehole pump

  • We are concreting a drift on the new road along the BBC lugga.

  •  We are fencing the borehole for the community at Kawai.

FOCUS FOR DECEMBER 2025

  • Complete work at Little Governors;

  • Maintain roads;

  • Complete FKE audit/training;

  • Send Ops Room staff to Lewa.

Work on Collaboration Agreement

  • Start on toilets at Keekorok;

  • Connect water at Keekorok airstrip;

  • Complete renovations on housing at Talek;

  • Continue with renovations at Sekenani;

  • Start renovations on Talek Gate;

  • Continue at Ngama Hills;

  • Send Conservation Centre staff to Lewa.