BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-08)

74 BBC Wildlife August 2020

means up to 100 vehicles now jostle at river

crossings, impeding the safe passage of

wildebeest and zebras, while dozens crowd

around predator sightings.

Cats and cows

Yet the most striking change we have

witnessed in the Mara is the illegal

encroachment of tens of thousands of cattle

into the reserve at night, and sometimes

during the day. Every year, we lose lions to

retaliatory killings by Maasai herdsmen,

who have walked these lands for generations

in relative harmony with wildlife and

understandably think of the Mara as their

own. Lions that take cows outside the reserve

must suffer the consequences. But during

the past decade, the situation has escalated

beyond reason, with the lions increasingly

compromised in the very place they are

meant to be protected.

Events came to a head in December 2015,

when eight members of the Marsh Pride

were poisoned after a cow was killed inside

the reserve. Three died, including the iconic

lioness Bibi, of Big Cat Diary fame. Things

have since improved, but as conservationist

Richard Leakey says, “If we are serious

Controlling visitors

at river crossings

is a priority.

The Mara Triangle encompasses the area

of the Maasai Mara National Reserve

that lies west of the Mara River – about

a third of the total protected area. It

has been managed by the non-profit

Mara Conservancy since 2001, with

great success. Anti-poaching efforts are

stringent (to date, rangers have arrested

some 4,500 poachers and removed more

than 56,000 wire snares); the impacts

of tourism are mitigated by, for instance,

limiting vehicles to five at off-road

sightings; roads and ranger stations are

spotlessly maintained; and relationships

with local communities have been

strengthened. maratriangle.org

Trailblazing the triangle