MARA PREDATOR PROJECT ANNUAL REPORT January 2013 Kasaine Sankan [email protected] Sara Blackburn [email protected] Dr. Laurence Frank [email protected] Tel - +254 (0) 717 593 338

Lion Numbers The most basic goal of the Mara Predator Project has always been to accurately document the lion population on the conservancies north of Masai Mara National Reserve, and to establish long term monitoring that will allow us to detect trends. Kasaine Sankan’s 2012 work in Olare Orok, Motorogi, and Ol Kinyei Conservancies, Niels Mogensen’s and African Impact’s data from Naboisho, and Sara Blackburn’s data for MNC, Lemek and Ol Chorro Oirowua at the end of 2011, show that there are a minimum of 131 adult and subadult lions on the 881 sq. km of these conservancies. Kasaine has identified another 31 in the Marsh and Ol Kiombo prides within the Reserve. Many prides no doubt use areas beyond conservancy land; only a GPS collar in each pride would give us accurate data on actual movements and pride home ranges. However, these numbers suggest that lion density in the conservancies is about 15 lions per 100 sq. km., the same that Stephanie Dloniak documented within MMNR in 2005. Lions are doing as well in the conservancies as within the Reserve, a remarkable conservation achievement in an area used by large numbers of cattle, and far higher than any other unfenced rangeland in Kenya. Conservation and management measures in the conservancies are clearly working very well.

New Directions Kasaine has been running the Mara Predator Project on his own for most of the last 18 months, and doing a splendid job of documenting lions on Olare Orok Conservancy, in spite of having no car for nine months. Rob O’Meara and Nathaniel Robinson have made him welcome and comfortable at the OOC headquarters, and assisted in all logistical aspects of his work. Kasaine recently started working on elusive lions living on Motorogi Conservancy, as well as on Ol Kinyei,

where he has been made welcome by Jake Grieves-Cook and his colleagues. We are extremely grateful for the enthusiastic support of conservancy lodges and management.

This region is too large for one person to cover effectively. To make up for limited resources, Sara Blackburn and Laurence developed the plan to enlist tourists in what has come to be called ‘citizen science’, in order to tap the thousands of game drives and lion-viewing hours in the Mara. Sara developed a website that makes it easy to identify individual lions from photos, and printed materials for all camps, encouraging people to participate in lion conservation research. Intensive efforts with the keenest guides showed that this approach does work; Sara found that a few motivated guides can reliably document an entire local lion population in about three months. However, we may have overestimated most visitors’ capacity to participate, and our ability to motivate most guides to report lion sightings and involve guests.

Sara’s website continues to be an exceptionally valuable resource for both researchers and visitors, and will be kept up to date with profiles and histories of all known lions using the conservancies. However, we recently decided that, rather than asking guides and visitors to submit detailed data, it may be more efficient to simply ask guides to phone or text Kasaine when they encounter unfamiliar lions. Now that he again has reliable transport, he can follow up himself to take ID photos and data. This more traditional approach, still taking advantage of guides’ eyes and expertise, may prove more productive than attempting to involve large numbers of visitors in identifying and reporting lions. We will continue to involve dedicated guides and lodges, especially in any future detailed monitoring work with known and regularly visited prides.

Kasaine is also working with herders in areas peripheral to intensively used game drive routes, asking them to let him know when they spot simbas. As the better-known lions in the primary tourism areas are added to our database, we are increasingly focussing on less-visited areas and working more closely with local herders.

We are recruiting an additional biologist to work with Kasaine and Sara. We have received applications from a number of highly experienced and qualified people, and hope to introduce a new colleague soon. Sara will return to the project this year, and will be undertaking an MSc. course. As part of this, she will analyse her past three years of data for the northern conservancies and publish current lion numbers in the region. Although our work currently

focusses on the conservancies, we hope to eventually incorporate lions within the Masai Mara National Reserve.

We are also extremely pleased to be working more closely with Niels Mogensen, to better coordinate the efforts of his Mara Naboisho Lion Project and the MPP. Both projects have been working with African Impact to identify and monitor lions within Naboisho, and both projects have since expanded onto Ol Kinyei. To avoid unproductive overlap and to coordinate limited conservation resources, close collaboration is the only sensible way forward. We congratulate Niels and KWS on putting GPS collars on two Naboisho lions, as these will yield highly detailed data on movements and behaviour that cannot be obtained any other way. Tracking these collars also helps accustom wary lions to vehicles, increasing the areas in which lions can be seen by visitors.

As always, we welcome all advice and information from all involved with Mara conservation.

Lion sightings for June-December 2012 within Naboisho, Olare Orok and Motorogi

Lion News Moniko Pride Nguro and Mama Kali had been on their own after they split from the main Moniko Pride and have for several years been sandwiched between OOC’s big prides (Moniko and Engoyanai), resulting in fights and loss of their cubs. They had been missing for a whole year between October 2011 and September 2012, when they re-emerged with three new cubs of about 4 months. Unfortunately, they were recently involved in a fatal fight with the Engoyanai pride. OOC scouts found Mama Kali’s remains close to Porini Lion Camp after having been fed on by hyenas. Nguro and the three cubs reunited, but the cubs soon disappeared and Nguro has been seen infrequently.

Moniko lions cannibalise Nguro and Mama Kali’s four cubs, October 2011

In late October, Rekero guides reported the two pride males from the Moniko Pride to be in Naboisho Conservancy. The temporary movement is believed to have been triggered by visitation of the Notch boys, who were sighted by Mara Plains guides near Ron’s residence. The Notch boys returned to the Game Reserve, and the Moniko males returned to their normal range.

Cubs from 2010/2011 are now subadults and they have started to separate from the main pride. On a number of occasions they have been found by themselves and are still a strong unit together. Four Moniko females now have new cubs, but due to heavy rains, Yeyio is the only mother confirmed thus far.

New Lion Profiles Motorogi Lions So far MPP has identified 7 new lions on Motorogi, and two small cubs. Monitoring is on-going with great help from OOC, Motorogi, and Daniel Sopia. We hope to get a clearer picture of these cats in the near future.

Engoyanai Pride With great help from Olare Camp, Mara Plains and Kicheche Bush Camp most of the Engoyanai lions are now identified. There are a total of 17 lions: 2 adult males, 4 core females, 7 subadult males, 1 subadult female, 1 large female cub and 2 large male cubs. Nashipai has recently had new three new cubs.

Nashipai with one of her three cubs, 27 Dec 2012. Engoyanai Pride, OOC

Ol Kinyei Lion monitoring was initiated this year at Porini Ol Kinyei. The main Ol Kinyei Pride is believed to have split earlier this year and 5 females now remain. They seem to have been taken over by the former pride males from the Enesikiria pride on Naboisho: Saruni, Saitoti and Sadala. Two more lions have been seen and are thought to be a different pride, possibly comprising up to 8 lions. Lolparpit and Olbarnoti have moved on occasion from the OOC into Naboisho, and they may have roamed further. This group may be the ones which split from the main pride; further monitoring will establish an accurate picture of the Ol Kinyei lions.

Summary of Camp and Guide Participation New lodges have been recruited in order to cover a greater area. We have also focussed on fewer lodges and guides in current monitoring sites. Providing guides with cameras has resulted in more accurate data through our ability to validate sightings, and we continue to refine the reporting system. Monitoring was discontinued in MNC in late 2011, but we still retain information on those lions. On OOC, Nelson Kasoe of Kicheche Bush Camp consistently collects valuable data, and we are very grateful for his enthusiastic and reliable help. Two new guides, Johnmark Kisemei and Jackson Ronko, were trained at Porini Lion Camp, as were guides at Kempinski’s Olare Camp. Jimmy Sengeny of Porini Mara Camp has been particularly helpful with recent lion history on Ol Kinyei. African Impact on Naboisho contributed very reliable data throughout 2011 and 2012. We continue to work with other lodges throughout the region.

We are very grateful to all who contribute support, sightings and information – we cannot do this work without you.