Why conservation-focused travel matters: safari travel for good.
Hey everyone, itβs Moon here - and I wanted to share with you a couple of real βgood news storiesβ AND say a big thank you, because your choice of coming to our website, and better yet, coming to stay with us at our safari camp and lodges, has made them possibleβ¦ <3.
Normally, I push writing our monthly blog post to the bottom of my to do list (or, when I am being a nerd, to the 'Not Urgent / Not Important' segment of my Eisenhower Matrix π€ ), but this month's blog was easy: two pieces of good news to share. And neither would have been possible without the guests who stay with us at our safari properties.
The first: four lion cubs on Lolldaiga Hills. Their mother was found limping badly in February, struggling to care for them. We kept watch of them as she fought to protect them. Then the long rains came, the grass grew thick, and we lost them. When we found the cubs again a few weeks ago, the Mum was gone. The cubs were barely alive - lying under a dead patch of grass that showed exactly how long they'd been waiting for her to return.
Kenya Wildlife Service KWS and Lolldaiga's ranger team made the call not to dart them, feeling that they were too weak to survive it. Instead, over the next few weeks, any time an animal was killed on the conservancy, a portion was diverted to the cubs. Lucky guests sat close by and watched as they slowly came back from the brink of death. Then they disappeared again - male lion tracks at the scene, and everyone fearing the worst.
And, then, finally good news! This week, they were found again. Four cubs, being cared for by two females from the western side of the conservancy. Looking strong, healthy and well fed, they had been taken in by the very same pride that we suspected the mother was originally from.
The second: a Green Turtle has chosen Kizingoni Beach on Lamu Island again, for the first time in years - over the last decade turtles have been nesting on these beaches less and less, with plastic pollution and human interference on the beach causing them stress. The nest was spotted by Mzee Mahoud Hajj, one of Lamu Marine Conservation Trust (LaMCoT) rangers near to Chuchungi House; this female turtle found her own spot, above the high water mark, just like nature knew how to, and had been waiting to do.
By staying at properties that prioritise wildlife and landscapes, your conservation fees are put towards projects like these: Chuchungi House's conservation donations towards LaMCoT means that their rangers are able to works tirelessly to protect Lamu's marine life and coastal landscapes. The same goes for Moon's Camp - guest's conservation fees are used to secure Lolldaiga and its wildlife for future generations. And these two small examples prove that it really does work.
