Snapshot – Kimana Sanctuary
Every year thousands of tourists flock to Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, famous for its large elephant herds and breathtaking views of Africa’s tallest peak – Mount Kilimanjaro. What many may not know is that Amboseli forms part of a much larger ecosystem, stretching northeast towards the Chyulu Hills and Tsavo West National Park. At the heart of this ecosystem is the modest, but vital, Kimana Sanctuary.
Although the sanctuary is just 5,700 acres, it forms a wildlife corridor between the larger wilderness areas either side of it. At its narrowest, this corridor is only 70 metres wide, but is traversed by some of the largest elephants left on the planet. Kimana’s significance stretches beyond its role as a passageway for the region’s wildlife. Its springs and swamps are also a critical water resource and habitat within the ecosystem, where seasonal fluctuations in water and resource availability dictate animal behaviour. Competition for water between humans and animals in the area is at an all-time high, too, so the sanctuary’s value as a perennial water source has increased in recent years.
The responsibility of protecting this important corridor was taken up in 2018 by the Big Life Foundation, with support from the Global Environment Facility, the D.N. Batten Foundation and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, who have covered the cost of the lease to the 844 Maasai who communally own the land. As an example of the work that Big Life have carried out in the sanctuary, they recently completed a 48 kilometre human-elephant conflict-mitigation fence along the southern edge of the Kimana corridor conservancies, where rangeland borders farmland on the slopes of Kilimanjaro.
Big ‘tusker’ Tim in Kimana with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. Tim sadly passed away from natural causes earlier this year. Photo by Shaun Mousley
To help fund these operations, and the lease of the land, there has also been a renewed push for eco-tourism within the sanctuary, including the improvement of their campsite infrastructure. Two of their campsites – Olchani and Elerai – are located in tranquil spots by the Kimana River, shaded by acacias with broad canopies and trunks that have been gnarled by years of elephant rubbing and stripping. Upstream from the campsites, and within the same lush fever tree forest, is Kimana House – an attractive four bedroom property with a wide veranda and a natural plunge pool.
Kimana House. Photo by Jan Fox
Head to www.kimanasanctuary.com to learn more about the sanctuary and the work of Big Life.
