By David Western

I did another aerial count of the Amboseli National Park and basin on 29th September and was thrilled to see so many animals around the swamps, the most I have seen since before the drought of 2009. Buffalo numbers are now above 300, half way to their pre-drought level. Zebra and wildebeest numbers are recovering somewhat faster and are two thirds back to their pre-drought numbers. Though still far short of full recovery, the tightly concentrated herds around the permanent swamps in the late dry season make Amboseli one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Africa.

Despite the recovery so far, the longer term outlook for Amboseli’s wildlife is far from secure. I only counted 358 elephants, down sharply from earlier in the season. With some 1,300 elephants dispersed out of the park and farmers and herders facing a harsh season, conflict has become the biggest hurdle to conserving elephants in Amboseli. The falling numbers in the park reflect their heavy grazing impact on the swamps. The sedges have been grazed down all along Simek and over most of Longinye Swamp. Open water and green weeds now dominate the wetlands. The open water is still expanding and has pushed fresh floods northwards alongside the Namanga Road.

On the downside, I counted nearly 7,000 cattle and over 1,000 sheep and goats in the park, the biggest influx in many years. Several herds had pushed into the middle of Longinye swamp, others were scattered across Kalunyet and large herds were watering in the park. The long rains in southern Kenya were below average and the weak rebound due to heavy grazing has created an acute shortage of pasture. Tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and goats have pushed deep into Tsavo West National Park and the Chyulus Hills.

The pressure on Amboseli will continue to mount even with good rains. The influx of livestock has rapidly depleted the abundant grass reserves at the start of the dry season. If not for the flooding and new growth in the swamps, this season would be harsh for zebra and wildebeest too.

I anticipate that with livestock numbers fully recovered from the 2009 drought due in part to animals purchased and imported from elsewhere, the pressure on Amboseli will thwart a full wildlife recovery and raise the specter of another drought. The reasons why, are explained in the following news section on the growing causes of drought in Amboseli.

By Victor N. Mose

ACP, ACC, and NAU launched a NASA-funded One Health survey using GEDI and local monitoring for ecosystem health.

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The heavy prolonged El Niño rains boosted pastures across the Amboseli ecosystem

By David Western, Immaculate Ombongi and Victor N. Mose

Our study traces the transition from traditional livestock practices based on seasonal migrations to permanent

Amboseli a grand wildlife spectacle again but facing more hard times

Authored by : David Western
Posted on October 27, 2015

I did another aerial count of the Amboseli National Park and basin on 29th September and was thrilled to see so many animals around the swamps, the most I have seen since before the drought of 2009. Buffalo numbers are now above 300, half way to their pre-drought level. Zebra and wildebeest numbers are recovering somewhat faster and are two thirds back to their pre-drought numbers. Though still far short of full recovery, the tightly concentrated herds around the permanent swamps in the late dry season make Amboseli one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Africa.

Despite the recovery so far, the longer term outlook for Amboseli’s wildlife is far from secure. I only counted 358 elephants, down sharply from earlier in the season. With some 1,300 elephants dispersed out of the park and farmers and herders facing a harsh season, conflict has become the biggest hurdle to conserving elephants in Amboseli. The falling numbers in the park reflect their heavy grazing impact on the swamps. The sedges have been grazed down all along Simek and over most of Longinye Swamp. Open water and green weeds now dominate the wetlands. The open water is still expanding and has pushed fresh floods northwards alongside the Namanga Road.

On the downside, I counted nearly 7,000 cattle and over 1,000 sheep and goats in the park, the biggest influx in many years. Several herds had pushed into the middle of Longinye swamp, others were scattered across Kalunyet and large herds were watering in the park. The long rains in southern Kenya were below average and the weak rebound due to heavy grazing has created an acute shortage of pasture. Tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and goats have pushed deep into Tsavo West National Park and the Chyulus Hills.

The pressure on Amboseli will continue to mount even with good rains. The influx of livestock has rapidly depleted the abundant grass reserves at the start of the dry season. If not for the flooding and new growth in the swamps, this season would be harsh for zebra and wildebeest too.

I anticipate that with livestock numbers fully recovered from the 2009 drought due in part to animals purchased and imported from elsewhere, the pressure on Amboseli will thwart a full wildlife recovery and raise the specter of another drought. The reasons why, are explained in the following news section on the growing causes of drought in Amboseli.

By David Western

I did another aerial count of the Amboseli National Park and basin on 29th September and was thrilled to see so many animals around the swamps, the most I have seen since before the drought of 2009. Buffalo numbers are now above 300, half way to their pre-drought level. Zebra and wildebeest numbers are recovering somewhat faster and are two thirds back to their pre-drought numbers. Though still far short of full recovery, the tightly concentrated herds around the permanent swamps in the late dry season make Amboseli one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Africa.

Despite the recovery so far, the longer term outlook for Amboseli’s wildlife is far from secure. I only counted 358 elephants, down sharply from earlier in the season. With some 1,300 elephants dispersed out of the park and farmers and herders facing a harsh season, conflict has become the biggest hurdle to conserving elephants in Amboseli. The falling numbers in the park reflect their heavy grazing impact on the swamps. The sedges have been grazed down all along Simek and over most of Longinye Swamp. Open water and green weeds now dominate the wetlands. The open water is still expanding and has pushed fresh floods northwards alongside the Namanga Road.

On the downside, I counted nearly 7,000 cattle and over 1,000 sheep and goats in the park, the biggest influx in many years. Several herds had pushed into the middle of Longinye swamp, others were scattered across Kalunyet and large herds were watering in the park. The long rains in southern Kenya were below average and the weak rebound due to heavy grazing has created an acute shortage of pasture. Tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and goats have pushed deep into Tsavo West National Park and the Chyulus Hills.

The pressure on Amboseli will continue to mount even with good rains. The influx of livestock has rapidly depleted the abundant grass reserves at the start of the dry season. If not for the flooding and new growth in the swamps, this season would be harsh for zebra and wildebeest too.

I anticipate that with livestock numbers fully recovered from the 2009 drought due in part to animals purchased and imported from elsewhere, the pressure on Amboseli will thwart a full wildlife recovery and raise the specter of another drought. The reasons why, are explained in the following news section on the growing causes of drought in Amboseli.

By Victor N. Mose

ACP, ACC, and NAU launched a NASA-funded One Health survey using GEDI and local monitoring for ecosystem health.

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The heavy prolonged El Niño rains boosted pastures across the Amboseli ecosystem

By David Western, Immaculate Ombongi and Victor N. Mose

Our study traces the transition from traditional livestock practices based on seasonal migrations to permanent

Posted on October 27, 2015

By David Western

I did another aerial count of the Amboseli National Park and basin on 29th September and was thrilled to see so many animals around the swamps, the most I have seen since before the drought of 2009. Buffalo numbers are now above 300, half way to their pre-drought level. Zebra and wildebeest numbers are recovering somewhat faster and are two thirds back to their pre-drought numbers. Though still far short of full recovery, the tightly concentrated herds around the permanent swamps in the late dry season make Amboseli one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in Africa.

Despite the recovery so far, the longer term outlook for Amboseli’s wildlife is far from secure. I only counted 358 elephants, down sharply from earlier in the season. With some 1,300 elephants dispersed out of the park and farmers and herders facing a harsh season, conflict has become the biggest hurdle to conserving elephants in Amboseli. The falling numbers in the park reflect their heavy grazing impact on the swamps. The sedges have been grazed down all along Simek and over most of Longinye Swamp. Open water and green weeds now dominate the wetlands. The open water is still expanding and has pushed fresh floods northwards alongside the Namanga Road.

On the downside, I counted nearly 7,000 cattle and over 1,000 sheep and goats in the park, the biggest influx in many years. Several herds had pushed into the middle of Longinye swamp, others were scattered across Kalunyet and large herds were watering in the park. The long rains in southern Kenya were below average and the weak rebound due to heavy grazing has created an acute shortage of pasture. Tens of thousands of cattle, sheep and goats have pushed deep into Tsavo West National Park and the Chyulus Hills.

The pressure on Amboseli will continue to mount even with good rains. The influx of livestock has rapidly depleted the abundant grass reserves at the start of the dry season. If not for the flooding and new growth in the swamps, this season would be harsh for zebra and wildebeest too.

I anticipate that with livestock numbers fully recovered from the 2009 drought due in part to animals purchased and imported from elsewhere, the pressure on Amboseli will thwart a full wildlife recovery and raise the specter of another drought. The reasons why, are explained in the following news section on the growing causes of drought in Amboseli.

Recent Posts

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The outlook for livestock and wildlife in the short dry season normally stretching from January to the long rains

By Victor N. Mose

ACP, ACC, and NAU launched a NASA-funded One Health survey using GEDI and local monitoring for ecosystem health.

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The heavy prolonged El Niño rains boosted pastures across the Amboseli ecosystem

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Our study traces the transition from traditional livestock practices based on seasonal migrations to permanent

By Victor N. Mose, PhD, ACC/ACP, Nairobi, Kenya.

The MOSAIC field mission to the Amazon region, following a previous mission to East Africa

By Victor N. Mose, PhD, ACC/ACP, Nairobi, Kenya.

In a recent community meeting held at the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust offices in southern Kenya.

By Victor N. Mose and David Western

The Amboseli Conservation Program (ACP) has conducted regular aerial sample counts of Amboseli and eastern Kajiado

By Victor N. Mose, David Western and the ACP Team

The Amboseli Conservation Program (ACP) continued to monitor the conditions of the rangelands, livestock and wild

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A notable discussion at the forum focused on disparities in data availability between the Global North and South.

By Victor N. Mose, David Western and the ACP Team

The effects of the good short rains have been felt in the Amboseli area.

Contact Us

Amboseli Conservation Program
P.O Box 15289-00509 or 62844-00200
Nairobi, Kenya.

Tel/Fax: +254 20 891360 / 891751
Email: acc@acc.or.ke