Population Survey

The Maasai Mara Ecosystem (MME) is an important transboundary wildlife conservation region that strands the Kenya-Tanzania boundary to join the Serengeti Ecosystem. This region is known for the largest and most scenic wildlife migration (wildebeest) in the world. Wildlife monitoring through aerial censuses in the MME has been undertaken historically. The current census adds to the rich wildlife data collected by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other conservation partners. This year's total count was undertaken in May 2021 and covered 12,500 km2. The objectives of the census were to (i) Document the abundance and distribution of all large mammals including elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, etc (ii) Understand the trend in wildlife numbers in the MME, (iii) Map human activities in the MME including fences, logging, settlements, farming, and charcoal burning, (iv) Provide baseline wildlife data for the National Wildlife census (v) document the distribution and numbers of livestock (e.g. cattle, goats, and sheep) and (vi) interpret the information obtained to guide the management of elephants and other wildlife in the ecosystem. Five aircraft (1 helicopter and 4 high fixed-wing aircraft) were used during the census that lasted six days. The total count time during the census was 79 hours and 51 minutes. This translated to a census search effort of 157.1 km2/hr. The results indicate that the MME still hosts a wide diversity of wildlife. A total of 10 species were recorded during the census. These were: wildebeest (n = 32,281), common zebra (n = 32,358), buffaloes (n = 11,604), impala (n = 10,610), Thomson gazelle (n = 8,278), Topi (6,923), Grants Gazelle (n = 3,892), elephant (n = 2,595), giraffe (n = 2,109), and eland (n = 1,280). The elephant population showed a slight increase from 2,493 individuals in 2017 to 2,595 elephants. The highest density of elephants was found in Mara Triangle (1.71 elephants/km2) and Maasai Mara National Reserve (0.64 elephants/km2). A total of 6 elephant carcasses were counted during the census, representing an overall carcass ratio of 0.24% for the Mara ecosystem. All the carcasses were classified as either old or very old explaining the stable population in the ecosystem. As well, the buffalo population increased by 5.0% from 9,466 buffaloes counted in the same season four years earlier in 2017. However, giraffes dropped from 2,607 animals recorded in 2017 to 2,109 animals in 2021. Anthropogenic influences continue to mount pressure on the MME. Charcoal burning and tree felling (logging) continue to destroy wildlife habitat and important catchment areas. Furthermore, fencing of lands in this region is increasing and is fragmenting the landscape as well as impeding wildlife movement. Even then, over 300,000 and 180,000 herds of shoats and cattle were recorded during the census respectively. Free-ranging pastoralism affords the best land use option for wildlife conservation in this region