Nowhere embodies the symbol of wild places better
than the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, a vast tract of land lying astride
the Kenya-Tanzania border - a far-off place steeped in mystery.
Two million years ago man’s early ancestors moved
onto the plains to eek out a living as hunterer-gatherers. In more
recent times Masai herdsman have staked their claim to the grasslands,
moving with the livestock according to the seasons, following the rains
just like the migratory herds
.
When the rains disappear in the Serengeti, the
wildebeest and zebras move north, following the rains into the Mara.
It was the Masai, the nomadic
cattle people of the East African plains, who named the sea of grass
between the Isuria escarpment and the Loita Hills.
Mara means “spotted”
in the Masai language. Like a cheetah is spotted, the Mara is dotted
with acacia in open grasslands, interspersed with braided streams,
rivers and dense riverine forest, more than 1500 square kilometers where
plains game and predators wander freely in their old abundance.
Within this tapestry are elephants, giraffes, buffaloes,
gazelles, topis, wild dogs, hyenas, jackals, vultures, and , of course,
the big cats. Into this
kingdom come a million and a half wildebeest and zebras in search of new
grazing.
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The Masai Mara National Reserve is by far the best known
and most beautiful of
Kenya
's many wildlife strongholds. It is one of the last places
in
Africa
where huge concentrations of big game can still be seen:
elephant, black rhino, buffalo and, above all, lion. Nowhere else are
lions so numerous. In all, 22 separate prides roam the Mara's plains,
some with more than 40 members
Africa
's other big cats - the leopard and the cheetah - are also
abundant, making the Mara a wildlife viewer’s dream. Throughout the
year its high, rolling grasslands present a never-ending pageant of
predators and plains game. And as July approaches, when the migrating
Serengeti wildebeest pour into this kingdom of lions in their hundreds
of thousands, the scene is set for the greatest wildlife spectacle on
earth.
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For two hundred years this was the home of the Masai, but
towards the end of the last century their cattle were annihilated by
rinderpest and the tribe itself was stricken by smallpox. Soon the
Maasai clans were scattered. Their enkang-iti (stockaded villages) lay
empty and the land reverted to the wild
This was the Mara that the
first Europeans saw: an earthly paradise inhabited only by teeming herds
of game and a few honey hunters. The next few decades saw the heyday of
the professional hunters, the Out of Africa era of Denys Finch Hatton
and Karen Blixen, when rich westerners would pay handsomely for the
chance to bag a black-maned Mara lion.
After the Second World War the Mara lay wide open to
exploitation. Shooting became an uncontrolled free-for-all and, with the
gradual return of the Masai, cattle encroached as far as the tsetse fly
would allow. But in 1948 the Mara Triangle - 520 square kilometers of
land between the Isuria escarpment, the
Mara
River
and the Tanzanian border - was made a national reserve.
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In 1961
a further 1300 square kilometers was added and the whole area became the Masai Mara National
Reserve. It happened just in time. When the killing stopped in that year
fewer than ten male lions remained on the Keekorok Plains. In 1984,
bowing to pressure from the Masai for the return of vital water holes
and dry-season grazing grounds, the government de-gazetted 162 square kilometers of the reserve, effectively reducing the
size of the Mara by one-tenth.
Since then other changes have
overtaken Masailand. The modern world is closing in.
 |
Great wheat ranches now reach
out along the road from Narok to the very edges of the Mara. Masai children go to school, grow up and put aside their red
cloaks and longbladed spears to become doctors, lawyers and
Members of Parliament. Yet even in the midst of progress the Mara has survived, a
vast sweep of old, wild Africa as it used to be.
.
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Today,
the Mara is one of the most popular tourist destinations in
Africa
,
attracting more visitors than the pyramids of
Egypt
.
The money they bring - tourism is
Kenya
's
primary source of foreign exchange - exceeds US$500 million
a year and is the best possible guarantee for the reserve's survival.
And, despite the proliferation of lodges, tented camps and tourist
vehicles, the Mara remains true to itself - a wildlife showcase without
equal
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Ngorongoro Photos:
Buffalo
Lilac Breasted Roller
Nursing Zebra
Reclining Lion
Two Zebras Drinking
Giraffe on Hill
Crater Panorama
Stuck Buffalo
Elephant Chasing Lions
(Schirmer)
Warthog (Schirmer)
Video
Clip:
Tourism: Fees paid by visitors go toward maintenance and
improvement of facilities and services. Fees also go to the central
government and are an important source of foreign exchange.
Education and Research: Scientists from throughout the world
come to the NCA for research in anthropology, wildlife biology, botany,
geology and other disciplines.
|
The NCA includes a
large area (3200 sq. miles) of interrelated ecosystems consisting of the Crater Highlands
(Ngorongoro Crater and surrounding uplands) vast plains, bush and
woodland, swamps, lakes and rivers. The plains are part of the great
Serengeti ecosystem and many animals move freely from one area to
another.
Climate: Distinct wet and dry seasons
characterize the area with most of the rain falling from April to May.
Rain in any given area can be quite variable depending on topography and
yearly differences. Prevailing winds bring moisture from the Indian
Ocean to the east and south sides of the highlands, with the driest
areas being the plains and Olduvai gorge in the "rain shadow".
From June through October it is mostly dry everywhere. Cold weather sets
in during June and July, especially in the highlands, producing dense
fog around the crater rim while the crater floor has clear sunny
weather.
Protection Status: The NCA is an
example of multi-use protection, administered by an independent body,
the NCAA (Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority) whose purpose is to protect and integrate the following
diverse values and interests:
Wildlife: all wildlife is protected throughout
the NCA. Hunting for sport is not allowed and strenuous efforts are made
to prevent poaching. An endangered species, the black rhino, occupies
the crater.
Forestry: The Northern Highlands Forest Reserve
protects the natural forest which occurs on the southern and eastern
slopes of the highlands. This forest is important as watershed and soil
conservation. Agriculture around Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara depends on
the groundwater springs resulting from rain in the highlands.
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Ngorongoro Crater,
at about 20 km in diameter, is one of the world's largest
calderas (a collapsed volcano). Its steep sides, permanent water
supply, and surrounding intensive agriculture have reduced migration
for many of its species. Many of those that can move freely in and out
of the crater tend to stay there to enjoy its lush conditions. For this reason it is one of Tanzania's premier
and most visited wildlife viewing areas. This has led some to call it
little better than a drive-through zoo. We found it to be a spectacular
setting for up close observations of animals and their behavior. The
wildlife is certainly habituated to vehicles. Because of this we felt like
the proverbial "fly on the wall", the animals behaving as
if we weren't there.
Because of isolation and other factors the crater's lion
population has been adversely affected in recent years. Much research
has been done and is continuing on the lion populations of the NCA and
Serengeti. [See The
Lions of Ngorongoro Crater ] and [The
Crater Lions PBS]
People: Wildlife doesn't have the crater to itself. Local Maasai
tribes still bring their cattle into the crater to obtain salt. This
practice is scheduled to end soon. Traditionally nomadic, the Maasai
have been making permanent settlements in and around the NCA, and
supplementing their traditional diet of milk, blood, and meat with
grain. Until 1992 no cultivation was allowed within the conservation
area. Limited cultivation is now permitted but is scheduled to be phased
out.
Anthropology:
The NCA includes Olduvai Gorge where in 1959 Mary Leaky discovered Zinjanthropus
(Australopithecus boisei) and Laetoli, where the first human
trackway was discovered. These and other stone age sites are protected
by the NCAA. |
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