"Home"

 

Frezy and Patrick, such special friends of mine. I don't need to say any more. 

  

Hanimals

Kelvin leading out two of the home-bred ponies at Loisaba

Kelvin and Kennedy with the Iberian-cross stallion, Harvey

The security team with their bloodhounds

A donkey with her foal amongst the goats: she's employed to fetch water

Jo's dog in the stableyard

Dorse, the latest kudu orphan being raised by Tori the Livestock Manager

Bounty doing his Winston Churchill impression - he lives at the cattle boma now. 

 

Humps

As always, I spent a lot of time with the camels at Loisaba; I think I have seen them now from every angle!

And the guys who look after the camels are amongst my favourite people.

Kukuman, William, Me, Sharriff, Hassan and Ekomwa. 

Highlights

 

Aching for Rain

The Counties of Samburu and Laikipia in Kenya have been deprived of proper rain for several years and this has led to a crisis amongst the communities that surround the Loisaba Conservancy. A recent consensus showed that the number of cattle owned by the community had reduced from 3,000 to 600, mainly through starvation rather than sales. Wild animals, such as the Grevy's Zebra, have been supplemented with lucerne and desperate measures have been taken to ensure that any rain, any rain at all, can be retained. Moreover the population itself has really suffered, with emergency supplies being sent out from Loisaba Conservancy and other organisations. 

When my visit started, it was the beginning of what should be the rainy season, but every day the clouds would blow themselves up into the most fairytale cumulonimbus, turn dark with water droplets, but then sail across the conservancy and the communities to reach lower areas. We heard that Nairobi was awash, Nanyuki had enjoyed rain, but there was nothing for Loisaba.

One day the rain stopped short of the conservancy, and the sky was lit up by a beautiful rainbow, sending hope but no water across the hills. Everyone and everything ached for the rain.

And then it came, every evening for a short time, but consistently, until one night there was a deluge and the night after that. Everyone counted the centimetres, the grasses and shrubs sent out tentative shoots, and the animals walked away from the dams and the watering holes to eat. Real hope had arrived.

Rain macs

As part of my recovery after my shoulder surgery, I was lucky enough to go to Kenya for three weeks to stay in a beautiful house with a swimming pool. Not only was I able to go out on safari for many hours every day, I could swim in the pool, practise my Swahili, and talk to my friends. Pictures to follow.

Meanwhile, David and Nathalie were in charge of the horses, and they skilfully transitioned to them to taking their boots off and extending their grazing, from soaked hay to unsoaked hay. Jack, has been taking his Prascend easily, and the horses' feeds have been supplemented to help to thicken up their soles. And all the time it rained and rained and rained, making poo-picking, even with an electric wheelbarrow, very hard work. It also rained in Laikipia but this was the cause of celebration not despair.

All in all it has taken five months to fathom our way out of what was a very mild bout of laminitis and Theoden in particular began to look haggard and miserable towards the end. I have booked him in for some body work - along with Dave - but also made the firm decision that I will not sentence him to a life of restriction and no grass. With that in mind, we chucked the whole jolly lot into the winter field two days ago, purchased two rugs for Theoden and Dave ready for Storm Ciaron, and watched to see what the results would be. We will work out next year, next year.