Photo Safaris By Region AFRICA - Botswana Wildlife - Madagascar - Masai Mara Wildlife Reserve, Kenya ANTARCTICA - Ultimate Antarctica ASIA - Essential China—Iconic Landmarks & Landscapes - India—Rajasthan & Puskar Fair - Japan's Winter Wildlife - Laos & Vietnam - Mongolia—The Golden Eagle Festival EUROPE - Best of the Greek Isles - Eclectic Holland - Finland's Arctic Wildlife - Turkey—Continental Crossroads - Tuscany - White Horses of France's Camargue NORTH AMERICA - Alaska Overland - Aurora Borealis—Fairbanks, Alaska - Bald Eagles of the Chilkat River, Alaska - Bosque del Apache & White Sands, New Mexico - Brown Bears of Katmai National Park in Summer - Brown Bears of Katmai National Park in Autumn - Colorado Fall Colors - Denali National Park in Autumn - Exploring Lake Powell - Florida Birds—Best of the West - Grand Canyon at Havasu Falls - Great Smoky Mountains - Horses & Icons of the Wild West - Humpback Whales of Alaska's Inside Passage - Mexico's Colonial Heartland - Monument Valley & Slot Canyons - Nova Scotia—Photo Tour for Women - Olympic National Park, Washington - Predatory Animals of North America - Springtime in Callaway Gardens, Georgia - Ultimate Wolves - Ultimate Yellowstone - Washington's Palouse Country - World's Best Raptor Shoot - Yellowstone & Grand Tetons in Autumn - Nature & Digital Photography Seminars with John Shaw PACIFICA - Midway Atoll SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA - Galápagos - Patagonia's Mountain Landscapes - Ultimate Dolphins Wildlife Models Shoot - Wildlife of Brazil's Pantanal Photo Safaris By Date JANUARY - Ultimate Wolves - Nature & Digital Photography Seminars with John Shaw, Dallas, TX & Raleigh, NC - Ultimate Yellowstone FEBRUARY - Japan's Winter Wildlife MARCH - Florida Birds—Best of the West - Nature & Digital Photography Seminars with John Shaw, Phoenix, AZ & Boston, MA - Midway Atoll - Aurora Borealis—Fairbanks, Alaska - Monument Valley & Slot Canyons - White Horses of France's Camargue APRIL - Springtime in Callaway Gardens, Georgia - Galápagos - Finland's Arctic Wildlife - Patagonia's Mountain Landscapes - Eclectic Holland - Great Smoky Mountains - Grand Canyon at Havasu Falls - Mexico's Colonial Heartland MAY - Wildlife of Brazil's Pantanal - Turkey—Continental Crossroads - Ultimate Dolphins Wildlife Models Shoot - Best of the Greek Isles - Tuscany JUNE - Washington's Palouse Country - Predatory Animals of North America JULY - Brown Bears of Katmai National Park in Summer - Olympic National Park, Washington AUGUST - Washington's Palouse Country - Humpback Whales of Alaska's Inside Passage SEPTEMBER - Masai Mara Wildlife Reserve, Kenya - Denali National Park in Autumn - Alaska Overland - Essential China—Iconic Landmarks & Landscapes - Brown Bears of Katmai National Park in Autumn - Madagascar - Yellowstone & Grand Tetons in Autumn - Botswana Wildlife - Colorado Fall Colors - Predatory Animals of North America - Horses & Icons of the Wild West - Mongolia—The Golden Eagle Festival OCTOBER - Exploring Lake Powell - World's Best Raptor Shoot - Nova Scotia—Photo Tour for Women - India—Rajasthan & Puskar Fair NOVEMBER - Laos & Vietnam - Ultimate Antarctica - Bald Eagles of the Chilkat River, Alaska DECEMBER - Bosque del Apache & White Sands, New Mexico

		Ultimate Antarctica January 5–February 1, 2008 With its incredible variety of wildlife and birds, Kenyas Masai Mara is as close to a photographers paradise as I think well see on this earth; but, sadly, we are in danger of losing this not-so-little bit of heaven. If youve made a photo safari to Kenya, you know the Mara as Kenyas crown jewel, where game is abundant and access for great photographs is fairly easy. Indeed, some of the worlds most famous wild big cats were photographed in the northern section of this large reserve. If you have seen the BBC or Animal Planets Big Cat Diary; or if youre familiar with Half-Tail, Zawadi, Queen, Princess, Shadow or Amber, youve been introduced to some of the Maras leopards and cheetahs. Mary and I could write an entire book praising the wonderful photography and incredible wildlife viewing available in the Masai Mara, for weve spent some of our most productive time afield here, amassing nearly a years worth of field work in this reserve alone. Weve seen, and photographed, lions killing bull buffalo, leopards nursing cubs, and cheetahs leaping upon our vehicles and often resting within an arms length of our reach. Weve filmed martial eagles eating young gazelles, witnessed the birth of a common zebra, and watched the antics of hyena cubs at their den. Weve seen all of this, and more, but sadly weve also seen the degradation of the Mara as modern progress has eroded the beauty of this incredible land. What follows is a depressing reportan anecdote that typifies the changes, the abuses and the mismanagement weve seen in this most special place. But before I do that, let me say this: The Masai Mara still offers the best wildlife photography in Africa. It is still the greatest show on earth, and photographers visiting the Mara can be assured that they will return with spectacular photographs and, for the most part, wonderful memories. Its a great place to visit and a wonderful place to photograph; only trouble is, it will not last, at least if the trends that have developed continue unabated. While Mary and I have seen the Mara slowly changing over the years, a recent event exemplifies the magnitude of this crisis. The day started wonderfully, with our spotting a pair of lionesses in the predawn at a location wed not seen the cats before. One of the lionesses had a pair of cubs, and as is typical of lionesses in a pride, her sister (or a related femalemother, aunt or daughter) accompanied the mother, helping her hunt until she rejoined the pride. Wed been observing the pair for days, shooting some wonderful images of the two adults hunting or grooming, and too many images of the playful, seven-week-old cubs. We were concerned for the cubs well-being, as their mother had a bad hind leg and most of the hunting was left to the other adult lioness. Wed seen several botched hunts, sometimes where it seemed impossible that the lions would miss, but they did. The adults were growing thinner by the day, and we knew that if they did not eat soon the healthy lioness would desert her sister and rejoin the other members of the pride, where hunting success would be higher. Eventually the mother would abscond as well, leaving her cubs so that she could live to breed again. In nature, more young are born than survive, and while the desertion of a mother lioness might seem cruel, it is a survival strategy that works. The lionesses, that morning, were far from their usual hunting groundsa windmill-driven spring on the edge of the Musiara Marsh. Hunting should have been good here, as almost daily herds of zebra and small family groups of warthog or topi would meander to the wetlands for a drink. But the lions had not had success, and now were headed back to a small forest where the lioness had given birth several weeks before. For over an hour we followed the lionesses as they slowly made their way to the forest. That hour was one of the most intense shoots Mary or I had ever experienced, as several times the mother would pick up one of her cubs and carry it some distance in her mouth. While it is hard to say for sure, it appears as if cubs do not like to be carried, but once picked up they almost go into a trance, hanging limply without any signs of annoyance or discomfort. In fact, up close, the cubs almost seem at peace. We had plenty of chances to observe this behavior, as sometimes the lioness walked straight toward where we had stopped our vehicles, and we were treated with straight-on, full-frame poses of the mother and a cub. Eventually the lionesses and cubs disappeared into a woody lugga (a gully or ravine) that led into the forest. We continued on, ecstatic with our luck and the shooting opportunity we had just experienced. This encounter was the highlight of the day, perhaps of the entire safari, and it surely was the best photo opportunity Mary or I had ever had for filming a mother carrying a cub. We could have ended our trip at that moment and been perfectly happy; but as events unfolded there was one final story to tell, which would leave the preceding experience as a very bittersweet memory. That afternoon we did another game drive in the vicinity of the lionesses forest. Another driver who had just passed by the forest hailed our driver, and we were told the lionesses had killed a young eland. We were thrilled and thankful, as a young eland would represent a great meal for the two lionesses and the cubs. We were a bit perplexed as well, for we hadnt seen any eland in this area for days. But game can travel great distances in a short time and an eland herd could easily have entered the area while we were gone. We headed in that direction. We found the lionesses at the kill, about a hundred yards from the forest and within sight of a small herd of Maasai cattle grazing close to the Maras park boundaries. Two young boys were tending the cattle, but they were far enough away that the lionesses did not seem concerned. Lions frequently retreat when they see Maasai, as the cats are often persecuted, but we attributed the cats boldness to their hunger. The boys seemed unconcerned as well, and were slowly moving their cattle toward their village. Our driver was the first to notice that something was wrong. Its a cow, he said. Its not a baby eland. Its a Maasai calf, look at the stripes! I looked more carefully, and saw the distinctive scars the Maasai use as brands to mark their cattle. Bad news. The Maasai kill cattle-killers. But the question was, had the Maasai boys noticed that one of their calves had wandered off and been killed? If they did not, the boys would be in trouble when they returned to the village and a count was made, but the lions would be safe. If they had noticed... They had; as we watched the lions feed the distant whistles and shouts of a group of Maasai reached us. About twenty-five Maasai men and teenaged boys were running across the grasses toward us. Through binoculars I could see them clearly, and their demeanor seemed light and frivolous. Many carried spears, but several looked unarmed, and to me it seemed as if they were hoping that their noise would frighten off the lions and their mission would be over. I know thats how Id feel. But as we watched, the Maasai paused and several of them unstrapped short bows and knelt to string them. Others unsheathed their pangas and as a group they advanced again, spreading out into a line as they ran toward the lions. The Maasai were still several hundred yards away when the lions bolted, turning tail and running off and out of sight. The cubs were not with them, and we hoped that the lions would remain hidden until nightfall. The Maasai charged on. The Maasai ran past our vehicle and to the kill, screaming and shouting angrily while they inspected the corpse. They only lingered a moment, and then resumed running, fanning out as they sought out the lions and dashing our hopes that the cats would be safe. Our drivers were concerned with our safety and drove to a nearby hill where we could overlook the area and watch. Wed lost track of the lions, and we hoped that they had continued running until theyd be out of range of any vengeful Maasai. But watching the men as they ran across the grasslands I secretly wondered if that were possible. To me, it appeared as if theyd have run forever until they found the lions and exacted their revenge. As it was, they didnt need to run very far. As we watched, a shout rang out and the Maasai converged on a shrubby lugga not too distant from the kill. It really didnt seem possible that any lion would be that close, and we hoped the cry was a false alarm. Then I saw a spear raised above the brush and a second later the weapon was launched. An instant later we heard the roaring snarl of a lion, a sound Ive honestly never heard a lion produce before. Our hearts sank. We knew the lion had been hit. Other men joined in, throwing spears and swinging pangas. Brush and shrubs prevented us from seeing the cat and our surrealistic view was limited to swinging arms and knives and bobbing heads. Suddenly it was over and the Maasai stepped back into the grasses. One held the bloody severed tail of a lion high overhead. Another stumbled about screaming and holding the side of his head. Others danced about excitedly, and several slapped each others hands in a Maasai high-five. We drove closer for a better look, despite the strong protests of my driver who feared for our safety in this adrenaline-charged atmosphere. The screaming man walked by, still screaming incoherently but unwounded. Other Maasai passed, many tossing angry eyes in our direction and shouting at our drivers. Later we were told the Maasai were angry that the safari drivers had not driven to the village to deliver the news about the lion. The Maasai continued on, heading back toward their distant village, and the grasslands seemed strangely quiet. I pressed my driver into circling the lugga to find the lion. I had to photograph the cat, to document this, and to show the world what was happening. He wasnt happy. The Maasai might come back, he warned. The other lion may be nearby. I didnt care, and knew that either possibility was extremely remote. We found the lion and I climbed out of the vehicle, carrying a wide-angle lens and my tripod, for I knew I couldnt possibly be steady enough to make a sharp image with the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Our vehicles radio crackled with the shouts and questions of the other driversWhat is he doing? Get him back in! The other lion is in the bush! The surviving lion wasnt there, of course. Im not crazy enough to go through brush with an angry lioness about, and I was sure that the surviving lioness was in the next county by now. Still, it was a bit nerve-racking climbing down through one steep ditch and across another to reach the murdered lioness that lay in a small grassy clearing. What followed is hazy for me. I remember shooting, trying several angles and bracketing several exposures to insure that I got this right. I rolled the cat over to inspect its wounds, and I remember the stickiness of the blood upon my hand and the sense of coolness as the cats body heat dissipated. The lion had been hacked in several places, its tail severed, and its belly ripped open to retrieve the stomachs hairball the Maasai prize as a talisman. I worked fast, urged on by the shouts of my driver to get out before the other lioness, or the Maasai, returned. We left the area shortly afterwards. Two other photographers shared my vehicle and all of us were silent. Periodically someone muttered a curse in disgust but we were too shocked, too emotionally drained, to process what we had just seen. And what had we seen? The Maasai and the Mara lions have shared the Mara grasslands for centuries, and such events were once a milestone in the passage of a teenage boy to manhood. The Maasai have a saying: The day belongs to the Maasai, but the night belongs to the lion, and until recently both shared and ruled the land. The Maasais cultural heritage, their birthright, dictates that they protect and, if necessary, avenge their cattle. While we found their behavior deplorable, it is simply what the Maasai do when confronted by a cattle-killing lion. To a Maasai a cow represents value, socially and financially. In actual value, however, a cow may be worth around 1,000 Kenya shillings, a little over $100 US. Our group, in park fees alone for the time we spent in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, paid over $3,000 to see lions, cheetahs and the Maras other wildlife. There are provisions for compensating the Maasai for any cattle lost to wildlife predation, but two factors conspire to defeat this plan. One, culturally the Maasai are accustomed to handling cattle-killing lions in a traditional manner. Two, the corruption and bureaucracy one faces in making a claim may deter anyone from doing so or to expect compensation. However, as the figures above illustrate, a lion is worth more to the Maasai or to Kenyas economy than is a cow. But it appears that the average Maasai, the tribesmen who indeed lose their cattle to predators, never see any of the money that tourism generates. Because of this, I cannot honestly fault the Maasai, but I can find tremendous fault in the system that allows these tragic events to occur with ever greater frequency. This lion killing took place outside the Masai Mara Game Reserves boundariesbut just. One of the reserves main tourist entrances, Musiara Gate, was within a half mile of the killing, and the unmarked park boundary was closer still. Not that this matters, for the Maasai rarely respect the park boundaries these days and we have often seen Maasai grazing their cattle deep within the park or using the reserves water holes. And not just in the northern Mara. A few years ago we passed a huge herd of cattle grazing within sight of the Kenya Wildlife Services headquarters building in the southern Mara, and I knew then that the Mara was doomed. The Masai Mara Game Reserve is not a national park. It functions like one in many ways, but it is managed by the Masai district government, not by the central government. For the Maasai, and for Kenyan tourism, the Masai Mara is a cash cow. The Reserve sees more visitors than any other park, and its wealth of wildlife and viewing opportunities are without equal. Years ago, and Im talking about the time I started doing Kenya safaris15 years or sothe boundaries of the reserve were inviolate, and the area surrounding the Reserve was considered a wildlife buffer zone where traditional Maasai practices could occur. Bomas and temporary villages were erected, but within a year or so the Maasai would move on. I have photographs of lions standing atop the roofs of deserted villages. The Maasai were pastoralists and wanderers, and their effect upon the land and wildlife was minimal. Deadly lion/Maasai encounters no doubt occurred, but the number of Maasai was relatively low and the villages scattered. Inside the reserve the animals were safe, unstressed by the threat of man, and lions, hyenas, and even leopards would be active and visible by day. Today this has changed. The buffer zone outside the established boundary of the reserve still holds wildlife, but also hosts established, permanent Maasai settlements and shops. Its virtually impossible to be outside the reserve and not see a Maasai, a distant herd of cattle or a village. Its not uncommon to spend hours following a hunting cheetah only to have the hunt spoiled when a herd of Maasai goats or cattle appear over the horizon, spooking the prey or blocking the cheetahs pathway. Too often, the hunt is aborted and the cheetah retreats to the shelter of the brush. Lions, just five to eight years ago, were as common and easy to photograph in the wildlife-rich buffer zone as they were inside the reserve, but today your chances of seeing a lion or a pride outside the reserves boundaries are limited, usually, to the first few minutes after dawn. As the sun rises and the light strengthens the cats retreat to the safety of the brush where theyll spend the day, sleeping if theyre lucky or slinking off, belly to the ground, if they hear the clanging of Maasai cowbells as cows graze nearby. Hyenas and leopards were once common in the buffer zone, but both are much less common now, either forced into a strictly nocturnal existence or simply dead, killed by poison or a lucky arrow or spear. The reserve is fairing no better, as the boundaries are completely ignored by herdsmen and their cattle. In drought years this behavior might be understandable, as the Maasai will argue that if the game has eaten their grass it is only fair that their cattle will eat the games. But goats and cattle denude the countryside and valuable game habitat is stressed or ruined. Fly over Maasai cattle country and youll see this for yourself: the land for miles around any village is bare and denuded, well on its way to permanent desertification and wasteland. In contrast, game areas, if free from cattle, are still covered in protective grasses, even in the driest years. Why is this happening? There are several reasons. One is certainly attributable to tourism, which brings in money and jobsand, with the popularity of the Masai Mara, more and more tourist lodges and camps have been established. These facilities require a support staff and housing, and almost inevitably most of the camps or lodges located outside the parks borders soon have villages established which house the workers and their families that are servicing the camps. Ever buy a trinket? Especially from a roadside hawker, either along the road or at the gate to the reserve? Monies spent in this manner encourage other hawkers and soon, at the more lucrative sites, cheap souvenir kiosks are erected, usually with a few tin sheds to house the operators. In the upper Mara area, and all along the eastern boundary, the Maasai are abandoning their wandering pastoral existence for a more settled life in permanent structures. Mud and dung roofed huts are increasingly replaced by huts capped by tin or sheets of plastic, or by hot tin structures that glow brightly in the harsh light of the equatorial sun. Plastic water bottles, cellophane and blue plastic shopping bags collect in roadside ditches. As some Maasai prosper, their cattle (the symbol of their wealth) increase, as do their goats (the four-legged locust of the animal kingdom) further denuding the land. Health care has, at least to some extent, contributed as well and where, historically, the human birthrate/death rate was in stasis, the population now steadily grows. For years Kenya has ranked among the worlds leaders in rate of population growth. With this increase, of course, come the pressures of feeding, housing and simply accommodating this expansion. Depressed? Still want to go to Africa? To Kenya? While I certainly sympathize with any depression this article generates, Id still encourage everyone to visit, to photograph, Africa, especially Kenya and the Masai Mara. After witnessing this lion kill, several of our participants wondered whether theyd ever return to Kenya, or if wildlife photographers and nature lovers should simply boycott the country. Id certainly urge everyone not to even consider such an action, for tourist dollars are vital for preserving the countrys wildlife. Not that much of the money tourism generates gets put back into the system, as any appraisal of the miserable road system leading to or traveling through the Masai Mara would show, but at least the powers-that-be can see that tourist dollars are generated. Without this cash incentive, what value would the wildlife hold? Would the Masai Mara simply be plowed under for wheat fields? Areas just outside of the park that were once part of the wildebeest migration route are now sterile wheat fields, dotted occasionally by a beautiful umbrella acacia tree that sadly echoes the beauty of what has been lost. Boycotting the country is not the answer. While the Mara has changed radically over the past five years, it still offers a wonderful shoot but it is an opportunity and an experience that will not last. Mary and I would urge people to enjoy Kenyas Masai Mara while they can, while the Mara still exists, or at least does so with some semblance of the grandeur it so recently enjoyed. If that sounds selfish, and if this admonition to enjoy it while you still can bothers you, then there is something you can do. Let those with some influence in the future of the Masai Mara Game Reserve, in the long-term survival of Kenyas wildlife, in the economy of the country and the health of its tourism, know your concerns. Please contact the following organizations: Kenya Wildlife Service Director: Parks@kws.org Kenya Wildlife Service Research: research@kws.org Kenya Wildlife Service Tourism Department: Tourism@kws.org East African Wildlife Society: eawls@form-net.com Kenya Association of Tour Operators: info@katokenya.org Kenya Tourism Board: info@kenyatourism.org The future may lie in our hands, and we can all take a role in preserving a natural heritage that is truly the worlds heritage, not merely one countrys. Get involved, write!

	Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. P.O. Box 655, Vashon Island, Washington USA 98070 Phone: (206) 463-5383   Fax: (206) 463-5484    Email: info@photosafaris.com Copyright © 2008, Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc.