Reporter’s Journal part II: Snapshots of Kenya
Cattle in Kenya's Laikipia Province
I’m The World’s Andrea Crossan, and I’m currently criss-crossing Kenya with 11 other journalists. We’re part of the International Reporting Project. In my first entry, I visited Nyanza Province. In this installment, I’m off to Laikipia. Major kudos to Sean Harder for all photos.
As you can see, this is cattle country. Laikipia is in the middle of Kenya. Much of the land in this district is used for raising cattle, sheep and goats. This is supposed to be the wet season, but it’s bone dry. In fact, this is the third year of drought here. Instead of tall grass and thick shrubs, Laikipia is a dust bowl. We’re spending two days at the Mpala Research Center and Conservancy. The Center is home to a team of scientists who study a variety of land and wildlife issues, including how the drought is affecting this region.
Besides the usual cast of wildlife characters — elephants, impala, hyenas, hippos –Laikipia is home to some very rare creatures, like African wild dogs. There are only a few thousand African wild dogs left in the world. They’ve been endangered by habitat loss and hunting. They look at bit like wolves, but they’ve got long, pointed ears. Like wolves, they hunt in packs. On this day, they’re being stalked by a pack of camera-toting journalists!
Wild dogs are making a slow comeback in Kenya. This is good news for animal conservationists and bad news for farmers. The dogs have taken to supplementing their diet of impala with the odd sheep and goat. Elephants are also causing headaches for farmers. One elephant going for a wander through a crop can destroy an entire year’s harvest in an evening.
There are a number of scientists at Mpala who are focusing on how to keep wildlife from encroaching on farm land. One relationship in nature that doesn’t need any outside help is the one between the Whistling Thorn Acacia and the ant. Whistling Acacia’s avoid being munched on by elephants and giraffes with the help of millions of their six-legged friends. Here’s a short video I shot on the Flip camera:
Ants and the Whistling Thorn Acacia from Clark Boyd on Vimeo.
More from this Reporter
- Saving Kenya’s Lions
- Kenya’s peace graffiti artist
- Reporter’s Journal part V: Snapshots of Kenya
- Disease Detectives in Kenya
- Reporter’s Journal part III: Snapshots of Kenya
From Other Reporters in This Country
Also appeared in…
- PRI's "The World"
