Big Cat Conservation & Elephant Research in Kenya

Avoid the Maasai Mara African Impact program. I signed up for a 4 week conservation and research trip in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. The trip promised contributions to vital research with Big Cat and Elephant programs. When I arrived it was clear that there was no serious research going on, no one with research experience in charge of the project, dysfunctional administration and serious communication issues with staff who were leading the volunteers. The location where volunteers were housed and fed was located an hour or more on a rough road to the "research areas" where 1 km game drives (approx 20 minutes) collected data maybe four times a week. Lots of wasted fuel for little data. Additionally, longer drives made to a neighboring conservancy were basically 12 hour game drives with a little time out to pull weeds. It was never made clear to me how any data that was collected was used with the larger programs. I saw no definite communication between the Mara Elephant Project nor the Mara Predator Conservation project and left with a very small understanding of their mission and what they do. The research equipment consisted of one phone with Earth Ranger app installed, three camera traps with only one functioning unit. As a veteran of similar genuine research studies in the region it was clear to me that the program lacked a lead scientist to design a process that would provide infomation to serve Pardamat conservancies long range conservation plans. The weekly school visits and trips to nearby Aitong during market day were basically diversions. The school visits were disorganzied -and with no plan, they mostly served as a disruptive experience and a big missed opportunity. When all else failed we pulled invasive weeds. A strong warning if you are thinking of joining this program. The food is very basic -fried dough, cabbage, ugali, potatoes, rice, spaghetti without sauce -next to no fresh vegetables, and most vegetables were overcooked in the meat sauce. Rice crackers for gluten-free dieters. Fruit only if you asked for it. Not a healthy diet for volunteers. I decided to depart the program early, as more than a few previous volunteers have done, and was met only with "thank you for your suggestions on how to improve our program". This was a lot of money wasted and I left with a very negative opinion of African Impact. If you want a real volunteer conservation experience I recommend Biosphere Expeditions and Imire Rhino Conservation (Imire resells Imire but I recommend you book direct so more money goes to conservation and not marketing).

I have loved every second of being here! The community is the best thing and you get to know the staff so well here. It feels like home and I really don’t want to leave. The food is amazing! You get into the culture so much I feel as though I live here and am always welcome!

I participated in the Big Cat and Elephant Research program in Kenya and it was such an amazing experience! I only did two weeks and I wish I had done at least one more. My first week was a little off schedule due to a couple of factors mostly out of anyone’s control so we missed out on a couple of drives but we made the most of it. Week number two was awesome-back to schedule and didn’t miss out on anything. I really enjoyed the research that we did. It was not difficult work, very easy to pick up once you were shown exactly what information you were looking for. And everyone worked together to get the most accurate details. The only thing I would suggest is for the project to invest in a handheld GPS unit. It was put on the volunteers to be able provide the info and luckily two of the volunteers had phones that were accurate. I felt bad bc my GPS on my phone was not working and I wondered what would happen if no one was able to get accurate GPS on their phone. A handheld device is not something that is extremely expensive and would at least be consistent. I also would suggest that there be a project camera at some point. I know that is a bigger expense but it would be very useful to not have to rely on volunteers sharing pictures bc one volunteer would be in charge of the camera on each drive to get pictures for photo identification purposes. Another volunteer and I sat with Gertrude one day and made some suggestions for communication once at the project because the communication before arriving was great but once at the project there were a few things that we had to go out of our way to ask that weren’t clear. It could be due to the fact that Gertrude is a new project manager and didn’t quite know what things we had questions on yet or due to the fact that she was in the conference all week and was being pulled into several directions at once. So we suggested having written pamphlets of all the information that volunteer’s might ask about being at his project specifically. We suggested having one pamphlet for excursions-which ones were options and what it entails, how much it costs and when it needs to be booked by. And we know that things are kind of up in the air with them so just a disclaimer at the bottom that says: all subject to change. We also suggested another pamphlet for the cost of items while staying at the college such as sodas, beers, wines and the merchandise sold by WTC. And we also suggested one other little blurb about laundry- no one seemed to know that undergarments weren’t washed and that they would provide you detergent to do them yourself. There was such good communication through all of our programs we booked through and then when we got there it kind of lacked at first. But I think once Gertrude gets more into her roll that will cease and communication will be good once you get there too. I don’t want to blame it all on her because she had a lot on her plate the first week I was there and on week two she was super available and asking us questions and taking our feedback. The only other thing that was tough was the truck that was provided for the program. I know it’s probably a big expense but I think it’s time for a new one. This one could get extremely uncomfortable. We were obviously off-road driving so lots of bumps were expected but the benching on this truck was not good. The cushioning was not adequate for the amount of bumps and the benches kind of leaned forward so you felt like you were constantly sliding forward and off the seat or having to clench you leg and glute muscles to stay in place. By the end of the second week I felt like I had gotten more used to it but if there’s ever a chance to purchase a newer vehicle I would take that opportunity. Otherwise my time there was great. Pardamat and Naboisho Conservancies are beautiful with amazing animals and I’m glad to have been a part of their conservation, even in a small way. And at WTC the staff was so friendly and helpful and always willing to do anything you ask of them which can be a big undertaking when you have several requests from several volunteers. Getting involved with the community was also extremely important for education and conservation purposes because they are the ones that live there and need to take care of it and live harmoniously with the wildlife otherwise there is no conservation. I would love to come back one day in the near future and see how much the research is helping the conservation of the area. And I would definitely recommend this project to others like myself that love to visit places but also want to give back to those places while being there. Keep up the great work and I hope to be back one day!