Anne K Taylor Fund

Programs: Anne k taylor fund (aktf) thanks to generous support from national geographic's big cat initiative, eden wildlife trust, masai mara wildlife conservancies association, mara angama lodge, and many private donors, the aktf boma team constructs and fortifies predator-resistant stockades for maasai herders around the mara. These stockades, called bomas, protect valuable livestock from wild predators like lions, leopards and hyenas. Because losses of livestock mean loss of potential revenue for the maasai, fortified bomas directly reduce the need for herders to protect their assets by hunting and killing predators. The maasai's traditional bomas are made with wooden posts and thorns. These structures deteriorate quickly and are meant to be reconstructed every few years. Now that the maasai are not as nomadic as they used to be, there is a need for sturdier fences that can stand for longer. Aktf constructs chain link bomas wrapped around pressure treated wood posts and steel corner posts. These structures can withstand predator attacks better than traditional bomas, and they are also easier on the environment, as they use less of the mara's scarce wood. Since 2014 we have built 130 of these metal corner bomas, including the 38 we constructed to meet our project goals in 2017. In total, we have built or refurbished 782 bomas since 2008, protecting an estimated 172,040 head of livestock. In all, aktf's metal corner bomas have been 99% effective at averting predation on livestock. Compared to traditional bomas, aktf-fortified bomas-both metal corner bomas and bomas fortified just with chain link fencing combined-reduce losses from 13. 3 animals per year to 0. 3 on average, which is a 98% improvement. In addition to building new bomas, aktf also visits bomas we fortified prior to developing the metal corner method to make any necessary repairs. This keeps these bomas in working order and maintains strong, positive relationships with maasai partners and beneficiaries. After all, we could not do this work without the support of the maasai themselves, and we rely on their cooperation and financial partnership to successfully protect the mara's wildlife. This year, demand was high for repairs. When wildlife cannot find food in the drought-stressed grasslands of the mara, the stronger species like hippos and elephants will break into bomas to get the green grass growing inside-which until then had been protected by a fence. So, we spent a good deal of time this year repairing damage caused by herbivores.

in 1999, aktf's very first projects were anti-poaching patrols and wildlife rescues before the mara conservancy took over management of the mara triangle. The primary responsibilities of the aktf and mara conservancy rangers currently involved in the project include patrolling key poaching hotspots around the reserve, removing snares set by poachers, and helping the kenya wildlife service/david sheldrick wildlife trust veterinarians to rescue animals with human-induced injuries. The team also collaborates with national geographic big cats initiative, eden wildlife trust, mara north conservancy, mara conservancy, oloisukut conservancy, mara elephant project, wwf, kenya forestry service - as well as many local community members - to fulfill its mission. Our work to save kenya's wildlife for future generations could not be possible without the help of these organizations, and we are extremely grateful for their collaboration. Elias kamande leads, manages, and transports the anti-poaching team. The other permanent members of the aktf anti-poaching team are ole kilonga, ole saitoti, ole sirere, and oloito kinanda, all of whom are local maasai community members. We are grateful to mara conservancy wardens francis pengo, dan kijabe, simon tankile, and senior sergeant peter tankile, as well as mara conservancy (mc) director brian heath, for their support this year on this project along with the mc rangers who accompany our team. In our area of work, the bush meat trade largely drives poaching activity although trophies like ivory and rhino horns also play a role. Though many poachers actually come from neighboring communities, their presence in the mara is only possible with permission from the maasai. To combat this side of poaching, our team regularly arrests poachers caught in the act and communicates with locals about the destructive effects of wildlife population declines on the economy of masai mara. Poachers' weapons of choice to catch animals for bushmeat are metal nooses, called snares, attached to trees near wildlife trails. These snares tighten as the animal walks through and keeps them there until the poachers can come to kill them. Usually, poachers set more snares than necessary in order to ensure a bountiful hunt. As a result, even animals that are not killed and harvested are left to die in the wires. The patrol team removes the snares and releases the animals that are caught in them whenever possible. In the event that animals are wounded by the snares, we call in the david sheldrick wildlife trust/kws veterinarians to help treat the injuries. The patrol team removed approximately 731 snares in 2017, and rescued approximately 25 live animals. Since 2008 when we started tracking the number, we have removed 7,100 snares from the mara (in addition to the several thousand more we removed before we began counting)-representing many thousands of animals saved from death.

empowering local children is the key to a healthy future for maasai mara. However, most of the schools in the area are underfunded and lack even proper facilities for holding classes. As part of our mission, aktf engages in building facilities, training teachers and promoting hygiene at local schools. At oliashire primary school, aktf was petitioned by eager parents to come help them refurbish their school for their children. The crumbling classrooms needed floors, doors and windows, and we found that there were no latrines for the students to use at all. We were thrilled to find the local families so eager to help support their children: they dug sand from the river and carried it on their heads to the building site to help our construction workers make concrete. With three new latrines and sturdy, safe classrooms, oliashire students will be much better equipped to chase the opportunities they desire and deserve. At nailepu junior academy, thanks to the patrick family, we were able to add three new classrooms (making it a full-blown primary school) plus water collection cisterns like the ones we have at oloolmongi. These facilities will help nailepu, safely nurture even more young students, hungry for opportunities in their future. The student body has gone from 36 in 2014 to 136 this year! The need clearly was great, and the children in this area now have the chance of a successful future! At oloolmongi, we built eight new pit latrines to accommodate the growing student body. This gives the students privacy and dignity, and the hand-washing stations also support health. On top of providing the big picture support to schools in masai mara (facilities, field trips, text books, sports equipment and hygiene), we have also noticed the small things that make studying that much easier. For example, this year we started manufacturing large desks that are longer lasting, more comfortable, and have more space on which to work than the tiny wooden predecessors that have traditionally been used in classrooms. With frames made out of steel, these desks will stand up better to the eager energy of young students.