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January 18, 2007 - Masai Mara - Kenya

by Chuck DuVivier

The days begin early at Kichwa Tembo camp. A predawn wake up call comes as a softly spoken "Good morning, sir. I have some coffee for you" as the doors to our comfortable tents are unzipped and the hot coffee and cookies are delivered to the table inside. The hot water bottles that were slipped under the layers and layers of blankets and comforters, warmed up your bed last night. Hopefully you've been able to keep the bed warm all night, but now it's time to hop up and brace for the chilly air. The birds are loudest at dawn, the warthogs are already grazing in the clearing in front of the tents and you can hear an occasional red-tailed monkey passing through the trees above. But it's time to get up and see what the Masai Mara has to offer today.

The Land Rovers take us through the Olooloo Gate where we get to see a skeleton of a hippo laid out to impress all who pass. And I am impressed each and every time I see the gaping jaws. Mind you, the skulls and skeletons here are not antiseptically cleaned specimens, they are scavenged from what has been left in the park, with bits of dried skin and flesh still attached.

We see colonies of weaver birds and swallows and then drive seven or eight kilometers before one of our guides spots a lion at a distance at the base of the escarpment. We drive through tall grass and find two mothers and four healthy cubs who let us watch them until we move on. As the day progresses, the list of animals sighted grows longer: topi, Thomson's gazelle, waterbuck, giraffe, Coke's Hartebeest, plains zebra, elephant, Cape buffalo, eland, wart hog, impala, jackal, cheetah, Grant’s gazelle, baboon, hippo, black rhino. It’s been a good day!

The Masai Mara is named after the Maasai tribe and Mara or "spotted land," is a description of it's scattered trees. It is the northernmost portion of the Serengetti Mara ecosystem and receives almost 40 inches of rain annually and is four to five thousand feet above sea level. The escarpment to the northwest rises another 1200 feet. All the animals we are seeing are year round residents.

The Maasai tribe has occupied this area for three centuries and because they are cattle herders and don’t hunt wild animals, the natural wildlife cycles are undisturbed. Because we have seen so many animals and such a diversity, it's hard to believe that the real season for wildlife viewing is July to October, when an additional two million wildebeest, zebra, antelope and gazelle migrate into the area to consume the plentiful forage.

Rain falls from March until June, but by July when the migration arrives, the weather turns dry. Hunting is very easy for the predators during this time of year. Another rainy season lasts from November through December and the grass is replenished for the animals that we are seeing.

Dusk arrives and another great dinner is served, then lights out.

Dental Clinic (by Judy Gallegos)

Today Philippe, Mel and I visited a medical and dental clinic at the camp that serves the local Maasai community. The clinic is operated by a Kenyan Medical Clinical Officer which is similar to our Nurse Practitioners. Once a year, for about four months, a retired Dentist from Seattle, Washington and his wife come here to give dental care to the community. They are sponsored by The World Health Dental Organization. Their dental equipment is kept in a secure trailer when not in use and becomes a part of the medical clinic when the Dentist is in residence.

A Beaverton, Oregon Rotary Club donated a high speed drill in cooperation with the manufacturer, A-Dec. The drill cost $5,000 The Dentist wanted us to see the equipment and report back to the Rotary Club in Beaverton that the equipment was very useful and being kept secure. The Dentist just arrived yesterday and this is only the second day of its use. His excitement was indescribable. The Maasai people travel up to 30 km to make use of the medical and dental facilities here.