Answering the Call
Written by Gloria Kosgey
A lone cruiser hums through the tall Mara grasses just after dawn, its tyres carving a trail through the soaked terrain. In the distance, a hyena lifts its head. The road is rough, the windows fogged, and inside, a research assistant reviews notes from the night before. This is how restoration begins here. Not in air-conditioned rooms or tree-planting ceremonies only, but in quiet drives across vast landscapes, where the rhythm of conservation beats loudest in the field.
In the Greater Mara, the call to restore the earth is a daily commitment. For Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT), restoration means protecting the delicate ecosystems that hold together wildlife, and people. For the Trust’s research assistants, this mission plays out daily through muddy boots, long hours, and the relentless pursuit of data that drives real change.
In late May, research assistant Calvin Naurori spent three nights in the rain-soaked marshes near Musiara Gate. His goal was to monitor the Marsh Pride, now under the control of the Topi males who had recently ousted the Six Pax coalition.
“The rain didn’t let up, parts of the Marsh were unreachable because of the tall grass, so we tracked from the roads. Still, you could see how the pride’s dynamics were shifting.”
Calvin Naurori
The Topi males have since established dominance, primarily hunting at night. Livestock predation has occurred. Notably, no retaliation has followed. This is a sign of growing community awareness and understanding.
Meanwhile, in the Mara Triangle, research assistant Saitoti Silantoi monitored the Egyptian Goose Pride, the Sausage Tree Pride, and a pair of new male cheetahs. These are recent arrivals and are still shy around people.
“They’re slowly adjusting to human presence, these cheetahs appeared last July but were hard to locate during our last intensive monitoring. Now, they seem more comfortable.”
Saitoti Silantoi
Each pride and coalition, Saitoti says, tells a unique story of adaptation and survival in changing conditions.
Billy Kaitet’s story is one of transformation through opportunity and determination. Once a casual labourer at our Mara Predator Conservation Programme, his passion for wildlife earned him a KWT Conservation Leadership Program (CLP) scholarship to pursue Community Wildlife Management. He graduated with First Class Honours and returned to the programme as a research assistant.
Today, Billy leads monitoring efforts in Mara North Conservancy. He tracks lions, identifies new cheetahs, and documents behaviours to inform conservation strategies.
“Working on the ground, contributing to the future of our wildlife, that’s what drives me.” – Billy Kaitet.
His work is part of the larger CLP’s mission to grow conservation capacity from within local communities.
Lions and cheetahs are more than symbols of the savannah, they are keystone species. Their presence signals ecological balance as their well-being reflects the health of entire ecosystems. That is why predator monitoring is critical. It helps detect changes in pride dynamics, prey availability, or looming threats before they escalate. One such threat that remains persistent is wildlife poisoning.
In February 2025, tragedy struck the Border Pride. After a livestock predation incident near the Kenya-Tanzania border, poisoned carcasses were left behind. Three adult lionesses, a cub, and the collared male lion Osopia died. Thirteen hyenas also perished with the loss sending shockwaves through the conservation community.
But what followed told a story not just of tragedy. It was a story of resilience, partnership, and progress.
Our Mara Predator Conservation Programme, working with the Kenya Wildlife Service, Tanzania Wildlife Authority, Narok County Government, and the Maasai Mara National Reserve Chief Park Warden, responded quickly. Their coordinated efforts led to arrests, the removal of the poisoned carcass, and the continued monitoring of surviving pride members.
This response was not accidental. It was the result of years of community-based conservation. Through well-developed conflict protocols and trusted partnerships, KWT and its collaborators are transforming how we navigate the complex spaces where human needs intersect with wildlife survival.
Each GPS ping from a lion collar, each ranger’s rapid response, and every community sensitisation meeting contribute to a bigger picture. One where people and wildlife can thrive side by side.
Because monitoring is not just about science. It is about stories; Stories of survival, of collaboration, and of a future still worth fighting for.
This effort is a shared responsibility, and it is important to recognise the people who answer the call to conservation every day.
It is not just research assistants like Calvin, Saitoti, and Billy, though they are the backbone. It is also the community members who report sightings, the local leaders who champion coexistence, and the many conservation staff who brave rough roads and rougher weather to watch over the land.
Together, they embody what restoration means in the Greater Mara. Action, resilience, and respect for life in all its forms.
