Saving Stripes

Category: Competition | Date: Aug 21 2009 | By: savingstripes

Here I am working on setting up an experiment in the hopes of finding ways to reduce competition between cattle and wildlife. But two days ago saw a form of cattle-wildlife competition I never expected: an elephant killed a cow, right in one of my experimental plots!

Nobody knows exactly why, except that this elephant is an angry lady (she also chased a herder, who escaped by removing his clothing, which the elephant attacked instead of him). It’s possible that the elephant and her family have come down into this region from an area further north where poaching is a problem.

One thing’s for sure: better watch out for elephants out there!

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Category: Competition | Date: Feb 27 2009 | By: savingstripes

Competition with livestock is one of the biggest threats facing Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife here in northern Kenya. Grevy’s, like most species, live mostly in unprotected land – that is, outside of parks. This means they are relying on private and community-held land where livestock (such as cattle, sheep, and goats) are also grazing.

As you can imagine, wildlife and livestock are often competing for the same food and water. On some ‘pro-wildlife’ private properties, people want to support wildlife populations. These ranches usually keep a relatively low number of cattle, sheep, and goats, and there is plenty of grass left for wild herbivores. On other properties, especially the communal ranches, livestock numbers are quite high. Often the people living on these ranches are very poor; livestock are their main source of sustenance and income. These ranches tend to be heavily grazed, with little left behind for wildlife.

Here’s an example of what a heavily grazed area looks like – not much grass to eat:

Heavy grazing doesn’t just hurt the wildlife; it also hurts the land. When grass plants are grazed day in, day out, they eventually die. As bare soil increases, so does erosion. In time, erosion takes away all the topsoil, and what remains is bare rock. And it doesn’t take a plant ecologist to tell you that not much will grow on the land, after that!

So what is there to do? You have people who need to feed their children. You have wildlife whose populations are declining, and soil that is washing away with every rainstorm. Are there ways to manage the land more sustainably, in a way that helps people as well as wildlife?

In the next posting, I’ll tell you a little bit about a project we’re starting to try to answer some of these questions. In the meantime, send us your thoughts!

-Corinna

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