The Anne K. Taylor Fund Annual Report

Transcription

1 2016 The Anne K. Taylor Fund Annual Report This report highlights projects AKTF undertook in the Mara ecosystem in 2016, including: boma fortifications, anti- poaching patrols, wildlife rescues, school building, education, and nutrition (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens )

2 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION AKTF PROJECTS... 3 A. Boma Fortification Project... 3 B. Anti- Poaching Patrols and Wildlife Rescues... 6 DISRUPTING THE BUSHMEAT TRADE... 6 DISRUPTING THE TROPHY HUNTING TRADE... 8 HALTING ILLEGAL GRAZING... 9 DISRUPTING ILLEGAL LOGGING OPERATIONS C. School- Building, Education, and Nutrition CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS

3 1. INTRODUCTION Anne Kent Taylor began the Anne K. Taylor Fund (AKTF) in 1999 in order to help communities around Masai Mara National Reserve protect their natural and cultural heritage. As the northernmost tip of the enormous Serengeti Ecosystem, the Mara is Kenya s most heavily visited tourist destination. Each year, visitors flock to witness the area s diverse wildlife and dramatic migrations of millions of wildebeest and zebra. Many consider the Mara and its wildlife to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World and a global conservation priority. Unfortunately, the Mara s wildlife face threats from humans both inside and outside of the Reserve. Since there are no fences around the park, animals move freely across its borders to find pasture, medicinal plants, mineral nutrients, and maternity grounds. This dispersal means that the animals also come into contact with human settlements; in these community areas, wildlife face persecution from humans who see them as threats or nuisances for having destroyed crops, livestock, or property and sometimes even for just competing with cows for grass. Herders who lose livestock to conflicts with wild animals often retaliate by killing the animal they believe responsible. Additionally, poachers ply the community areas as well as the interior of the Reserve, setting snares to catch and kill wildlife for their meat or valuable body parts. In order to protect the Mara s wildlife and ecosystem, we spent much of 2016 adapting to the region s changing conditions, including weather, community politics, and poacher tactics. We are committed to evolving our approaches and strategies in order to remain effective and relevant in the ever changing ecological and cultural climate of Masai Mara. 2

4 2. AKTF PROJECTS For the last fifteen years, AKTF has been working to mitigate and prevent human- wildlife conflict in Maasai communities on the northwestern edge of the Mara. We do this by empowering Maasai communities and providing them with alternative perspectives on living with wildlife; by fortifying people s livelihoods against destruction by wildlife; and by protecting wildlife from humans who are trying to kill them. Our goals have been met through the following core projects: A. Boma Fortification Project With generous support from the National Geographic Big Cat Initiative, Eden Wildlife Trust, and many private donations, AKTF fortifies livestock enclosures around Masai Mara. These enclosures, called bomas, keep wild predators like lions, leopards, and hyenas from attacking the valuable livestock held within them. Because livestock are foundational to Maasai livelihoods, fortified bomas directly reduce the need for Maasai herders to protect their assets by hunting and killing predators. In 2016, we continued to collaborate with our longtime partners in the Mara Conservancy and Mara North Conservancy to construct new predator- resistant bomas and to strengthen existing traditional bomas. Felix Munyao, Team Leader Alfred Ngisa, Foreman Erick Osoro, Construction Specialist Traditional bomas are fences built using wooden posts and thorns, and these structures quickly deteriorate in the elements. Since Maasai used to be nomadic, impermanent structures made cultural sense. Now, though, the Maasai are only semi- nomadic, and are building permanent houses, schools, and businesses; under that trend, long- lasting bomas 3

5 are appropriate. AKTF constructs new bomas using chainlink fencing wrapped around pressure treated wood posts and steel corner posts sunk in concrete. Not only does this design create longer lasting and stronger protection for livestock, but it also puts less pressure on the ecosystem by using less wood from forests. Anne and Felix inspect one of the metal corners of a new AKTF boma (left); Maasai herders release livestock from a traditional stick and thorn boma (right). (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens ) We began building this model of boma in late 2014, and since then have built 92 of these metal corner bomas, including the 34 we constructed in In total, we have built or refurbished approximately 750 bomas since 2008, protecting an estimated 156,750 head of livestock. (Our total number is an approximation right now because in the early days of boma fortification, we were only supplying Maasai with chainlink and sending them out to build their own bomas. Now that we take a more integrated approach to installing and repairing bomas, we are discovering and documenting those bomas that the Maasai themselves built using AKTF materials and guidance. We have documented 723 bomas, and the number of new bomas we discover and add to our list has been dwindling over the last year; thus, we estimate 750 AKTF bomas.) Service Provided Number of Bomas Number of Livestock Protected Installations (2016) 34 7,106 Repairs (2016) 24 5,016 TOTAL (2016) 58 12,122 In addition to building new bomas, AKTF also visits bomas we fortified prior to developing the metal corner method to make any necessary repairs. This keeps these bomas in working order and maintains strong, positive relationships with Maasai beneficiaries. After all, we could not do this work without the support of the Maasai themselves, and we rely on their cooperation and financial partnership to successfully protect the Mara s wildlife. 4

6 Above, Masai partners display their new AKTF- fortified bomas. (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens ) AKTF s metal corner bomas have been 100% effective at averting predation on livestock. Compared to traditional bomas, AKTF- fortified bomas both metal corner bomas and bomas fortified just with chainlink fencing combined reduce losses from 12.4 animals per year to 0.3 on average, which is a 97% improvement. Average Yearly Livestock Losses at Bomas Unfortiaied Bomas 0.3 AKTF Fortiaied Bomas In 2016, our Boma Team, led by Felix Munyao, experienced serious logistical difficulties due to heavy rains during the first two quarters of the year. Fortunately, though, we have begun to budget our time and resources to adapt to the often capricious conditions in the Mara. In the end, the Boma Team s hard work and perseverance allowed us to meet our installation and repair goals. We are proud to report that National Geographic has once again offered generous financial support to our boma project. We could not help the people and animals of Masai Mara without NatGeo s partnership, and we are so grateful for their involvement. 5

7 B. Anti- Poaching Patrols and Wildlife Rescues DISRUPTING THE BUSHMEAT TRADE AKTF was created to run anti- poaching and de- snaring patrols in the days before the Mara Conservancy took over management of the Mara Triangle. Now, we partner with the Mara Conservancy Rangers to continue this work by patrolling poaching hotspots in the Reserve, removing snares from the bush, and helping the Kenya Wildlife Service veterinarians (sponsored by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust) to rescue animals that have been caught in snares or have other human- caused injuries. Other partner agencies include Mara North Conservancy, Oloisukut Conservancy, Kenya Wildlife Service, Mara Elephant Project, Born Free Foundation, and Eden Wildlife Trust, as well as many local community members. Elias Kamande leads, manages, and transports the Anti- Poaching Team. The other permanent members of the AKTF Anti- Poaching Team are Ole Kilonga, Ole Saitoti, and Ole Sirere, all of who are local Maasai community members; this year we were pleased to welcome Oloito Kinanda as a fifth permanent member of the Team after he spent significant time volunteering with the Team in We are grateful to Mara Conservancy Wardens Francis Pengo, Dan Kijabe, Simon Tankile, and Senior Sergeant Peter Tankile, as well as Mara Conservancy Director Brian Heath, for their support on this project. Elias Kamande, Team Leader Saruni Sirere Kitono Nenguju Kelonga Oleluka Lelimpa Saitoti Ng oswa Oloito Kinanda Bushmeat trade drives much of the poaching in our area of the Mara. Normally, this is done with wire snares set in strategic locations where wildlife tend to congregate or move. Poachers set more of these wire snares than necessary in order to ensure themselves a bountiful harvest. As a result, many animals are not killed and taken by the poachers but left to die in the traps. The ATKF Anti- Poaching Team looks for snares to remove and rescues any animals found caught in them. Often these animals require medical attention due to deep lacerations inflicted by the wires. In these cases, we call in the KWS 6

8 veterinarians to clean wounds and apply medicines that give the animal the best chance of survival back in the wild. Since 1999 we have removed at least 5,000 snares, and in 2016 alone the Team collected 696 snares and rescued 44 animals. This year, the Team began to notice and address new forms of poaching in addition to snares. On the Oloololo Escarpment just outside of the Mara Triangle, poachers were using motorbikes to chase animals and then slash their legs with machetes, as well as dogs to find and corral animals. With these forms of illegal hunting, poachers are more mobile and can more easily escape detection. The Team had to redouble their efforts on maintaining strong, trusted relationships with the community in order to receive intelligence on poaching activity and help the Mara Conservancy and General Service Unit make ambushes and arrests. An AKTF Team member removing a wildlife snare from the Mara Triangle (left), and Team members displaying some of the hundreds of snares they removed this year (right). (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens ) Quarter Wildlife Found in Snares Wildlife Rescued Snares Collected Wildlife Confirmed Poached Hunting Tools Recovered Poachers Arrested TOTAL

9 We were excited to welcome photojournalists and storytellers Charlie Hamilton James, Simon Thomsett, Edwin Dobb, and Marcus Westberg to the Mara, where they were embedded with the AKTF Teams. Charlie and Edwin were focused on documenting wildlife poisoning, a serious threat in the Mara, for a possible National Geographic article; Marcus took most of the pictures used in this report. We hope the stories they tell from their time in the Mara will help raise awareness and galvanize action on behalf of the animals and people there. DISRUPTING THE TROPHY HUNTING TRADE In addition to bushmeat, poachers also kill elephants for ivory and rhinos for their horns. At the beginning of 2016, we encountered some elephant poaching, but did not see evidence of any such activity in the second half of the year. Quarter Dead Elephants Tusks Recovered TOTAL 3 2 Instead, the Team spent many days over the course of the year helping the Mara Conservancy and Mara Elephant Project herd elephants away from human settlements. Not only have people continued to chop down the Nyakweri Forest, an important elephant dispersal site on top of the Oloololo Escarpment, but they have also begun fencing off the escarpment and planting crops in elephant dispersal corridors. The result is increased contact between elephants and humans. With their food sources in the Nyakweri disappearing, elephants quickly turn to the crops like corn that they find; the damage caused to farmers fields causes farmers to retaliate by throwing spears at elephants. Sometimes these spears are poisoned, and the elephant ends up dying a slow and painful death over several days. When the Team gets a call from community members that elephants are near farmers fields, the Team heads to the site and uses the AKTF vehicles to herd them away. By doing this, we build trust in the community, keep farmers from taking matters into their own hands, and save elephants from being speared. 8

10 Speaking of elephants, after a rambunctious bull elephant destroyed Team Leader Elias s tent while he was asleep in it, we saw it fit to upgrade the Team s camp to barracks made of converted shipping containers. These metal units will be more secure, and keep the team safe from the Mara s elements and wildlife. HALTING ILLEGAL GRAZING Livestock grazing in the Mara Triangle is not only illegal but also ecologically destructive. Because people have sought to increase livestock populations in the Mara, there is not enough pasture land for the millions of head of cows, sheep, and goats the Maasai own. So, at night herders lead hundreds of thousands of these animals into the protected grasses of the Mara Triangle, where they eat the grass reserved for wildlife. This also brings livestock into dangerous contact with predators. When lions kill cows in the Mara Triangle, herders may seek to retaliate. This is essentially what happened last year when the Marsh Pride of lions was tragically poisoned. AKTF helps the Mara Conservancy patrol its borders, looking for trespassing herders. When they find a herd, we help confiscate the cows and send the herder back to his boss to collect a ransom for the livestock. Quarter Cows Killed Sheep & Goats Killed Successful Retaliation Hunts TOTAL The Team also stays vigilant for news that the community is preparing a retaliatory lion hunt after livestock are lost to predators. Usually we receive a tip from concerned community members, and the Team responds quickly to mediate the conflict. This year, we averted several lion hunts and were not aware of any hunts that were carried out, successfully or otherwise. 9

11 DISRUPTING ILLEGAL LOGGING OPERATIONS The mission of our Anti- Poaching Team is to save wildlife, and protecting their habitat from destruction is part of that. We are mainly focused on preserving the Nyawkeri Forest, which provides a critical dispersal area for many species of wildlife in the Mara and is crucial to the region s weather patterns and hydrologic cycle. Without the forest, animal populations will suffer, but so will human populations who rely on rainfall for pasture, crops, and safe drinking water. The main threat to the Nyakweri Forest is from illegal logging and charcoal production. People cut down large swaths of the forest and create charcoal kilns on site. At night, they transport dozens of bags of charcoal out of the forest on motorbikes or by donkey trains. Once the charcoal is removed from the forest, it is impossible to tell its origins, so it is vital that we are able to disrupt and arrest these lawbreakers in the act of habitat destruction. Illegally cut hardwood trees (left); charcoal kilns which the AKTF Team helped discover and destroy (right). (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens ) Quarter Charcoal Kilns Destroyed TOTAL

12 An illegal logging and charcoal operation that AKTF helped stop (left); and some of the loggers and charcoal that AKTF helped apprehend (right). (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens ) Moreover, illegal logging and charcoal operations hidden in the Nyakweri Forest tend to rely on bushmeat for food. Discovering and arresting these illegal loggers and poachers is critical to the conservation of the Nyakweri and the wildlife it supports. The AKTF Anti- Poaching Team assists the Kenya Forestry Service and the Mara Conservancy Rangers in ambushing these operations, destroying charcoal kilns, and arresting loggers. In one fantastically successful ambush in June, the Team helped arrest 53 of these loggers! C. School- Building, Education, and Nutrition We believe that educating the youth of Masai Mara is the most important step in protecting this magnificent landscape. We are focused on facilitating education through Oloolmongi Primary School, where in 2016 we repainted and re- roofed the classrooms we ve built in previous years and continued to provide text books and desks. A photo of the entire Oloolmongi Primary School that AKTF has sponsored and built. (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens ) 11

13 This year, Elene Chelysheva of the Mara- Meru Cheetah Project provided the students with textbooks specifically about conservation. We always enjoy working with Elena, and we are glad that environmental conservation is making its way into the students curricula. As always, we are grateful to Insta Products for providing a fully nutritious porridge that comprises the base of the school s lunch program. A full belly is so important for students focus and success in the classroom, and without this food, most students would have to go most of the day with only a cup of tea for sustenance. In addition, AKTF board member Maina Muchami donated two water tanks to the school, which will provide clean drinking and cleaning water to the students there. Oloolmongi students in uniform study at desks provided by AKTF (above). (Photo: Marcus Westberg, Life Through a Lens ) Because of the comfortable facilities and school lunch program, Oloolmongi has seen a huge increase in enrollment. Currently there are almost 400 students attending classes. This growing student body requires proper school attire, and this year we again supplied school uniforms. Thanks to donations from AKTF supporter Debbie Gallagher, the students were also given soccer uniforms and soccer balls. Now Oloolmongi is a place where students can not only learn and invest in their future, but also just enjoy playing and being children. The results of our work at the school can be clearly seen not just in increased enrollment but also in the student body s accomplishments. After an AKTF- sponsored field trip into the Mara Triangle, the seventh grade class beat out 45 other schools in a mock examination to emerge in first place. They performed exceptionally well in Science and Social Studies, the very subjects in which the AKTF Teams specialize. Also, the Oloolmongi Choir made it through several rounds of competition to emerge as the champions of Narok County and then competed in the Regional Music Competition in Nakuru. It was truly a joy to hear the students proudly displaying their culture through song. 12

14 Finally, the Nailepu Nursery School, built and run by longtime AKTF friend Joseph Mpatiany added three new classrooms this year. This was made possible by a wonderful donation from the Patrick Family, and we are so excited that they have helped support early childhood education in the Mara. 3. CONCLUSIONS In 2016, we adapted our boma building schedule to work around the Mara s rainy seasons; we adapted our patrolling patterns to catch poachers using motorbikes, dogs, and other new tactics to harvest bushmeat; and we helped Oloolmongi Primary School provide services and facilities that support its growing student body s health. As the communities in the Mara continue to evolve, we are committed to evolving with them in order to effectively continue preserving the region s cultural and natural heritage. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS Train more boma builders, especially in other conservancies, so they can help boma owners maintain their structures. Have the Anti- Poaching Team rotate their camping locations in order to surprise poachers and cover more territory each sweep. Continue hosting National Geographic journalists that can help raise awareness of issues in the Mara, especially deforestation. Encourage local government to crack down on illegal logging, namely by enforcing the proper documentation of logging permits. Focus boma fortification projects on areas recommended by the Conservancies with whom we partner. Continue designing new strategies with Mara Conservancy to target deforestation and poaching hotspots: ambushes, roadblocks, etc. Revive our collaboration with Born Free Foundation to show educational video series to local villages to inspire change in perspectives on coexistence with wildlife. 13

15 The Anne K. Taylor Fund 501(c)(3) never sends out a formal fund raising appeal but we would be so grateful for your continuing support so that our critical work in the Maasai Mara may continue. Thank you in advance for whatever you can do. We are also able to accept gifts of securities. I regret we are unable to accept credit card donations. Tax- deductible donations may be made to: Anne K. Taylor Fund 2724 Arvin Road Billings, MT Or, Click the PayPal Donate button on our website at you- can- help/ Anne with the AKTF Boma and Anti- Poaching Teams. Thanks again to each of you. Anne Kent Taylor Anne K. Taylor Fund anne@aktaylor.com 14

16 DONORS LIST In 2016 the following donors contributed generously to the Anne K. Taylor Fund 501(c)3. We are so grateful for this generous support and we thank each and every one of you. Without your support nothing would be possible. The Arzbaecher Family Foundation Aspen Business Center Foundation Baldwin Brothers, Inc., Ms. L. Jones Shahnaz Batmanghelidj and Radford Klotz Mr. and Mrs. F. Blake The Brown Foundation Mr. G. Bunn Mr. and Mrs. J. Buxton Clarks Fork Foundation Mr. W. T. Cooper The Crosswols Foundation Mr. J. Dobrinsky Mr. and Mrs. J. Duncan Mr. Tony Durrant Mr. Javier Echecopar The Ed and Yvonne Parish Foundation Eden Wildlife Trust Elephant Aware Masai Mara, Ms. Kerstin Bucher Mr. E. Engstrom Mr. J. Ferguson Ms. S. Flosi GreaterGood.org Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation Ms. Yen- Ching Ho Jackson A. Dudley Scholarship Fund, Inc. Mrs. G. Jackson Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Jackson Mr. and Mrs. M. R. Jackson, Jr. Mrs. R. Kavo Mr. and Mrs. W. Keenan Kelpie Arts, LLC Mr. J. Levy Mrs. M. Lowe Marie Hell, LLC, Mrs. E. Mandel Ms. Debra Metz Ms. Diana Metz Mt. Moro Foundation Mr. Maina Muchami The Nancy- Carroll Draper Charitable Foundation 15

17 National Geographic Big Cats Initiative Oracle via National Geographic Big Cats Initiative Mrs. A. Pendergast Mr. and Mrs. T. Perini Mr. S. Platt Ms. C. Reed Sasa Designs Dr. V. Schiller Skyemar Foundation Ms. A. Stickney Ms. N. Sunden Tableau Foundation Employee Engagement Fund The Taft Foundation Ms. D. Ward West Towson Elementary School via National Geographic Big Sister School Programme Woodward Family Charitable Trust We would also like to extend our special thanks to: Jim Taylor, for the considerable amount of time he spends assisting with AKTF accounting and administration Stuart Alison, for organizing and manufacturing the materials needed for our metal- corner bomas Bernie Githigi, for assisting with the administration of the AKTF Teams and finances The Abercrombie & Kent Garage in Nairobi, for keeping our cars on the road 16