In August, we obtained an thrilling ‘textual content message’ from Arden, a tracked feminine from considered one of Samburu Nationwide Reserve’s most famed elephant households, the Royals. The ‘textual content’ was despatched from her GSP monitoring collar on to our researchers at our camp positioned in the course of the reserve.
The textual content advised us that Arden’s household – a subgroup of the Royals – had made a unprecedented journey west to Oldonyiro – their first go to in over 20 years! Most significantly, that they had travelled alongside an important migratory hall linking the Samburu and Laikipia ecosystems. What impressed this surprising detour from their ordinary vary between Shaba and Samburu Nationwide Reserves? Was it greener pastures or one thing else?
Arden (collared) with members of the Royals household on the outskirts of Samburu Nationwide Reserve
Oldonyiro, positioned over 150 km from Samburu, is residence to considered one of northern Kenya’s key elephant migratory corridors, connecting the Samburu and Laikipia ecosystems. These corridors are very important lifelines for elephants particularly as their habitats proceed to shrink because of increasing agriculture and infrastructure growth.
STE’s WildTracks app reveals Arden’s actions (in yellow) as she and the Royals journeyed to Oldonyiro
Fragmented landscapes intensify human-elephant battle and drive biodiversity loss. To make sure a sustainable future for elephants, we should combine their motion patterns into panorama planning – primarily, listening to what elephants are telling us about their wants and giving them a robust voice by our GPS monitoring knowledge.
Utilizing this knowledge, Save the Elephants and the Wyss Academy for Nature have partnered with native communities to safe key migratory corridors in northern Kenya. This collaboration helps protect important routes for each livestock and wildlife, resembling the Royals, permitting them to entry sources and observe seasonal rains with out additional habitat fragmentation.
A map of the Oldonyiro hall
To this point, we’ve engaged over 1,000 neighborhood members in hall conferences, and eight key corridors have been outlined. These corridors are actually carefully monitored by the Mama Tembos – ladies chosen by their communities and supported by Save the Elephants to patrol and defend each wildlife and livestock routes.
Hall markers in northern Kenya
“Creating profitable connectivity depends upon native assist,” says STE’s Hall Supervisor, Benjamin Loloju. “Corridors should present actual advantages to communities with the intention to be valued and guarded.”
Securing ecosystem connectivity in a quickly altering Africa stays a prime precedence for Save the Elephants. By defending wildlife corridors, elephants just like the Royals can freely transfer and adapt to seasonal modifications, guaranteeing their survival for generations to come back.
In the end, Arden and the Royals spent three weeks in Oldonyiro earlier than returning to Samburu Nationwide Reserve again the way in which they got here – alongside the hall. Though we will’t make sure, we suspect the herd was initially lured out west by the plush vegetation and up to date rains. Their outstanding journey serves as a robust reminder of the essential want to guard these very important migration routes for elephants in northern Kenya.
Arden with members of the Royals outdoors Samburu Nationwide Reserve
Photographs by Jane Wynyard/Save the Elephants