We were recently honoured to join Kicheche Camps in London to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Having worked with Kicheche since their earliest days, it was a privilege to be part of this milestone event along with their wonderful team, a couple of celebrity guests and even a few Safari Consultants clients who are repeat guests of Kicheche Camps. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all.
The biggest take home from the evening, however, was the vital continuing need for conservation in the Masai Mara ecosystem. Kicheche could have used their party to celebrate commercial success and market future business, but like so many of the amazing partners in Africa that we work with, they chose to highlight the plight of the planet and the importance of protecting their richly biodiverse corner of it. This particular event focused on the urgent call to action for the Masai Mara’s cheetah which are vanishing at an alarming rate and a new initiative aimed at population recovery.
SAFARI CAMPS HELPING COMMUNITIES AND CONSERVATION IN KENYA
Kicheche Camps have their origins rooted in conservation and community empowerment. Three of Kicheche’s four camps are situated in the conservancies of the Masai Mara – Kicheche Bush Olare in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Kicheche Mara North in the Mara North Conservancy and Kicheche Valley Naboisho in the Naboisho Conservancy. All three camps are founding members of their respective conservancies, helping to create 150,000 acres of preserved wildlife habitat and contributing to the lives of 1,580 Maasai families.
The conservancies to the north and east of the unfenced Masai Mara National Reserve are owned by Maasai landowners who lease their land to and work in collaboration with tourism partners, managing sustainable livestock grazing alongside wildlife habitat protection. This model benefits not only the local landowners (who receive both larger and steadier incomes, alongside support for community infrastructure) and the tourism partners, but also importantly the wildlife and in particular, the predators.
We work with many fantastic safari camps who operate within the successful Mara conservancies, and Kicheche is not alone. But as an example of a camp’s impact (largely contributed by guests who stay in their camps), 25% of Kicheche’s turnover goes into wildlife conservation and $250 per guest is allocated to wildlife conservation and community projects. To put this into context, over the past 12 months Safari Consultants clients alone have contributed $173,205 to conservation and communities through the payment of conservancy fees and the Kicheche Trust fee.
And yet there is still so much more to be done.
URGENT NEED FOR ACTION FOR CHEETAH
One of the more immediate focuses of Kicheche’s conservation support is targeted towards the protection of cheetah in the Masai Mara region and beyond. Their anniversary event was used as a platform to deliver some sobering figures.
East African cheetahs are vanishing from the Greater Masai Mara ecosystem. Only 35 adult cheetahs have been recorded in the greater Masai Mara ecosystem in the past 18 months, and only 12 remain as resident adults in the ecosystem. The breeding population of females (estimated to be only four or five) is critically low.
The key threats to cheetah survival include human-wildlife conflict (retaliation killings for livestock losses), livestock disturbing female cheetahs when raising cubs and competition from other predators. Habitat fragmentation, through fencing and land-use changes, is also a significant threat – in Kenya alone cheetah have lost 91% of their historical range.
And whilst safari tourism has the capacity to be part of the solution, irresponsible tourism is part of the cause of the demise of cheetah. Vehicles getting too close or pursuing cheetah chases off road all affect hunting success, maternal care capabilities and cub survival.
It appears we are currently at a pivotal moment – if we act soon enough and large enough, this iconic species could survive; if not, we risk losing the cheetah from the Masai Mara landscape.
CHEETAH PROTECTION PATROL INITIATIVE
The Mara Predator Conservation Programme (MPCP) has recently established a three-year initiative to halt the alarming decline in cheetah numbers. The MPCP is the flagship programme of the Kenya Wildlife Trust based in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy and close to the border with Naboisho Conservancy. The programme seeks to address the dwindling number of lion and cheetah across Africa.
MPCP’s cheetah initiative uses an integrated approach to target all the key threats together and includes science-based research, human-wildlife conflict reduction, community training and tourism management.
One of the project’s required resources is vehicles – needed for their critical role in deterring poaching, tracking cheetah movements, and preserving the vast habitats these iconic big cats depend on. Kicheche has been supporting the MPCP by fuelling their research vehicles to enable to continuation of vital patrols across the Mara, ensuring the monitoring and protection of cheetah populations.
With the latest research showing urgent need for action, Kicheche has gone further and launched a Cheetah Protection Patrol Initiative. Funds raised through Kicheche Camps will be donated to the MPCP (via the Kenya Wildlife Trust) and used to purchase a cheetah patrol vehicle. The vehicle will be used to help the plight of young cheetah families particularly. The target fundraise is $65,000.
THE OUTLOOK FOR CHEETAH
With an integrated approach and with local communities at the heart of much of the cheetah initiative’s strategy, the expected outcomes are hopeful. By 2028 the MPCP expects to the see the following outcomes:
- The protection of maternal cheetahs and a verifiable increase in cub survival.
- Strengthened community pride and support for predators with cheetah coexistence agreements in place.
- Evidence-based strategies in place for the protection of habitat.
- Reduction in livestock predation resulting in decreased retaliation killings.
- Better enforced tourism regulation with reduced instances of off road pursuits and overcrowding during cheetah sightings.
- The implementation of policy that supports viable populations of cheetah.
HOW TO HELP
Whilst safari tourism has the capacity to fund conservation and provide huge benefit to local communities, irresponsible tourism will contribute to the destruction of habitat and its wildlife. Our actions create the world we want to live in, and so by only booking reputable, responsible camps, we can make sure we’re perpetuating a safari industry that conserves rather than destroys. Staying in ethically operated camps means that you contribute to ongoing predator conservation and community empowerment through the payment of reserve or conservancy fees. This in turn leads to communities valuing wildlife and reducing conflict and habitat loss. Many responsible camp operators, such as Kicheche, also go further by contributing an amount per guest towards their chosen conservation and community projects.
Even though you may book a reputable camp, guides can often feel under pressure from clients to break the rules and join sightings where there are already a maximum number of vehicles, or to go off road or approach wildlife too closely. If you witness a guide acting with lack of sensitivity or respect for wildlife, never be afraid to ask the guide to stop, or report the behaviour back at camp.
While Safari Consultants supports a number of ongoing projects in Africa, we also support ad hoc initiatives as and when the need arises – and we felt that Kicheche’s Cheetah Protection Patrol Initiative requires support. We have therefore donated to this very worthwhile cause and will continue to follow the progress of the MPCP’s initiative.
Should you wish to donate, you can do so by the following means to the Kenya Wildlife Trust UK:
You can donate via the Kenya Wildlife Trust UK home page – scroll towards the bottom of the page for the Kicheche cheetah appeal section where you can make a specific donation.
Cheques can also be sent to Kenya Wildlife Trust UK Inglewood, 6A Reeves Lane, Wing, Rutland LE15 8SD. Please write ‘Cheetah Patrol Vehicle’ on the back.
