Archive for the ‘Maasai People’ Category
Right now, besides from emergency things like finishing a report for paralyzed lion case, I am trying to organize my dog handler to attend “community animal health assistance” (course on basic veterinary knowledge and medicine). He has been extremely helpful in my work and it will benefit him in the future if he gets a official certificate from Trans Mara district veterinary department upon completion of his course. I really feel that it will give him more confidence in his work (as dog work in Maasai culture is something people look down upon) and community will look up to him when they know he is certified. Lesingo has never been to school in his life, so he can neither read nor write. He also do not know a word of English (just Kiswahili and Maasai language). This means I have to arrange a course which is taught everything in Kiswahili and classes which comprises of practicals only so he can get hands-on experience instead of textbook course. I have been considering his request for long time, but it was difficult to arrange a course with other people due to his problem with reading skill (most people who consider attending this course can read and write). I have inquired district veterinary department whether it will be possible for them to organize a course for someone who cannot read nor write. They told me it will be difficult, but just last week they gave me a quotation on how much it will cost to organize such a course. It will costs Ksh 33,000 (USD 550) which covers for his trainers (district veterinary officer and livestock officer) as well as their transport from district capital Kilgoris to training center in Lolgorian. Right now, I am tied up trying to raise funds to pay for Mara Conservancy ranger salaries for April. It will be wonderful if anybody can assist Lesingo with his course so he can get his first education at the age of 27!
My vaccination work has been put on halt, but that does not stop me from doing other conservation work. After persistantly talking about Dupoto forest, I managed to bring my friend from Nairobi who works for tour agency. She was absolutely thrilled to see this pristine forest and last week she came with film crew from Japan to do introductory footage for Dupoto.
My friend liked the forest so much, she even went further in her effort help the Dupoto by deciding to bring group of 40 primary school children from Japan in March. They will be coming for a week to learn about nature and conservation work. Students will join the local students from Olopikidongoe Primary School for the tree planting ceremony where they will plant seedlings collected from Dupoto forest. The forest caretaker collects small number of seedling from forest floor, grow them in their jua kali (make shift) nursery and sell them to local schools(money is directed towards their operational fund). The student group will come to Dupoto every year for the next five years.
Couple of nights ago, friend of mine came to my house at midnight. Walking! Even worst, without a torch!(flashlight). He was completely drunk. “Peleka mimi nyumbani”, he insists me to drive him home. “My car is not working”, I tell him. He then ask to be given my askali (guard) as an escort to his house. It is midnight and his house is on the other side of Dupoto forest, there is no way I am sending my askali. “Are you crazy?! You don’t hear the elephants breaking the tree just behind our house?” I don’t know how he even managed to get himself to my house without being trampled by elephant. They are less than 50 meter away. “Sleep at our house or go back to the bar in Kawai (nearby center), but don’t even try to walk home now” He did not take my advice seriously. “Kama ni hivyo, ni sawa” (then so be it) He disappeard into the darkness of the Dupoto forest before we could even have a chance to stop him. My friend is raising his voice like dancing murran (warrior) and in the background I am also hearing the elephants breaking trees. I quickly call my friend’s brother and explain to him that his older brother is completely drunk, refused to stay at our house, disappeared into forest in attempt to return home and that someone needs to go rescue him if they hear any screaming from the forest. Next day, my friend came over to my house, ALIVE and NOT remembering how exactly he got home…
Here is revised version of Dupoto Forest Flora list! Botanical List
Here are wonderful photos from Dupoto Forest!
Last but not least…
Maasai guys from Dupoto Forest came by my house with lists of tree, mammals and birds. I promised them that I would type out what they have written on notebook paper, but I did not have time to counter check what they listed. They also listed some Maasai names for the species. Dupoto Forest Botanical List Mammal List Bird List
My dog handler is called Lesingo. He has helped me vaccinate 2,500 dogs and he is known locally as ‘dog boy’ nowadays (not a great thing for Maasai, but he says he likes working with dogs and do not care what other people say). This week, Lesingo went to his first Enkaputi (engagement) with 5 cattle and plenty of shuka (red cloth) to please his future wife. Lesingo is 27 and new wife to be is 18. He is very nervous since it is his first wife. I asked him how many wives he would want to wed in the future, and he tells me that he is still thinking and that it all depends on number of cattle he gets in the future. My next door neighbor got 5 wives, but nowadays it seems like having 2 wives is much more common rather than having numerous wives!
Right now we are doing dog vaccination around forest called Dupoto. People are busy surviving in the Trans Mara. All the forest I have been in the past had signs of human activities (cutting of wood for house building, firewood, charcoal), but this particular forest is beautiful untouched forest. It is a forest reserve started by Maasai elders in the early 90’s and now it has passed onto younger generation. The forest is so deep, you can walk for two days and reach the Trans Mara capital town of Kilgoris without seeing a break in the forest. I took a walk with my friend couple of weeks ago in Dupoto. Elephant tracks were all over the place (dung, feeding marks on tree trunks, place where they rested). The Maasai guy tells me that this is one of the most important breeding ground for the elephants. Excellent bird life too. We saw so many birds, even rare birds like Ross Turaco. Although this place is an absolute beauty here in Trans Mara, the young Maasai are crying out for more publicity to attract tourists so they can generate income from the forest. Yes, not many tourists visits here. Perhaps, no one knows that this forest exists since it is almost 25km from the reserve. Unfortunately, something which does not generate income tend to disappear in real life and I really hope that younger generation Maasai would not lose interest in protecting this precious forest for price for farming and charcoal…
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