The African Conservation Fund

OLKIRAMATIAN, SOUTH RIFT VALLEY, KENYA - On June 7 we reported on an important new integrated carnivore research project getting underway in Kenya's South Rift Valley. We just received the first Report from the Field from researcher Paul Schuette of San Diego State University - Paul spent the last three weeks getting his preliminary research underway. Paul writes from Kenya: ". . . to conserve both large and small carnivores and to better conserve the entire ecosystem, we must understand how species interact with each other, and more importantly, how they behave in a human-dominated landscape. These ideas formed the basis of my research trip to the southern Rift Valley in Kenya . . ."

Report from the Field: Paul Schuette - OLKIRAMATIAN, SOUTH RIFT VALLEY, KENYA:

Most people are familiar with impressive African carnivores like lion, cheetah, leopard, wild dog, and spotted hyena. But, have you ever thought about the smaller carnivores like the black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, serval cat, and genet?

Over the last several decades, researchers have obtained a good understanding of each species’ behavior, particularly the large carnivores. However, to conserve both large and small carnivores and to better conserve the entire ecosystem, we must understand how species interact with each other, and more importantly, how they behave in a human-dominated landscape. These ideas formed the basis of my research trip to the southern Rift Valley in Kenya.  

On July 1st, I arrived in Nairobi to meet with Dr. David Western, director of the African Conservation Centre (ACC), and Samantha Russell, an ACC biologist studying large herbivores and vegetation.

After preparing our supplies, we set out for Olkiramatian and Shompole Group Ranches (GRs), located between Lake Magadi and Lake Natron, near the border of Tanzania (click here to see a map; photo, right, is Mt. Shompole, visible throughout the region; all photos, Paul Schuette). Home to the pastoralist Maasai, their livestock, and plentiful wildlife, this region presents an ideal setting to study the relationship between people and carnivores.

The short duration of my trip would not allow me to adequately examine all aspects of the carnivore community, so I tried to obtain preliminary data that will assist development of a long-term study in the region. With assistance from Samantha, research assistant Joel Sakaya Muponyi, and the local community, we obtained some interesting baseline data with which to work.

First, I wanted to determine which small and large carnivores occupy the two group ranches.  Track plots were prepared by smoothing ~4 m diameter area of soil and placing a scent lure in the middle (Joel and Paul prepare a plot, left).

During the night, carnivores investigate the scent and leave their tracks in the soil. Through this method, we identified seven different carnivore species: lion (pictured below, with a baboon skull for scale), hyena, leopard, black-backed jackal, serval cat, bat-eared fox, and genet.

We were certainly enthused to have detected so many different species!  In future research, we hope to determine differences in species composition between areas used for livestock versus Conservation Area land, which was set aside by the local community for conservation and eco-tourism projects. No one likes to lose money, and for the Maasai, when carnivores kill their livestock, they lose a significant portion of their income.

To clarify which species pose the biggest threat to livestock and livelihood, I spoke with several community members on Olkiramatian and Shompole. I found that leopards frequently attack sheep and goats near river areas, often in the middle of the day. One man I spoke with had lost 34 goats to one leopard in the past year.

In more open habitats, hyenas frequently attack sheep and goats, while lions occasionally prey on cows. Understandably, individuals get quite upset when carnivores attack and kill their livestock. For leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, and lions to persist, it is critical we determine why carnivores attack livestock and determine methods to improve livestock protection.

By the end of my trip, I had met some incredible people at the ACC and in the Olkiramatian and Shompole communities. Over the next several months, I plan to further develop these ideas into an in-depth study of the relationship between people and carnivores in the southern Rift Valley of Kenya.   

If you would like to donate to help protect carnivores like cheetahs, lions, and hyena in the South Rift, click here. 

Related story: Integrated carnivore research project