Moo-Moo Land

Community cattle

The protection of wildlife is expensive and Loisaba depends on charitable grants, tourism, and the breeding of some livestock to support its endeavours. Finding the correct balance between the needs of the wildlife and the nutritional requirements of the cattle, sheep, goats and camels takes some careful juggling, and for this reason, mobile bomas and herding provide a much more sensitive way of sharing and preserving important resources than permanent fields and fencing.

At present there are 4693 cattle on the conservancy of which only 987 belong to the Loisaba itself, the remainder belong to external communities and individuals. Livestock Manager Torrie MacCloud explains:

“The livestock department run a number of schemes to suit the current situation. There are 1702 cows and calves here at the moment which belong to our immediate neighbours under the Dry Weather Grazing Scheme. This is organized through our Community Liaison Officer, Paul Naiputari, who deals with the chairman of each community. This is a short term programme to assist communities through the dry months when grazing and water are scarce within their own areas. The Conservancy employs people from each community to herd the cattle for the duration of their stay but has direct control over where the animals graze. There are currently four communities involved in this scheme and the chairman of each collects a fee in respect of each individual head of cattle which is remitted to the Conservancy. In exchange, the cattle are allocated to bomas in the Conservancy and are sprayed fortnightly (for tick-borne diseases) and given basic veterinary assistance. This scheme will end this month when there should be enough grazing available in their home locations.”

Young Moran taking the cattle to water

“We also run a fattening scheme for communities as a whole and individuals who bring in their steers and bulls. These cattle are also sprayed and are attended by Conservancy staff and at the end of their stay the Conservancy weighs them and sells them on behalf of their owners.”

“There are then individuals who keep both breeding herds and steers on the Conservancy on a semi- permanent basis. As with the fattening scheme these cattle receive the same treatment as the cattle belonging to Conservancy, and again a fee is charged for each animal per month.”

Boran bull

“The Conservancy’s own cattle are all Boran and are split between a breeding boma, a steers’ boma, a beef boma, and a small dairy boma. We have a total of twenty-nine bulls of which sixteen are currently being used to breed; the balance being young bulls. The breeding bulls are rotated into the breeding and dairy herds as required. Tom, the CEO, takes a personal interest in selecting the bulls for breeding based on their build, weight and temperament and the rest are sold. The dairy cattle only supply milk for the Conservancy.”

Boran dairy cow

Boran cattle are known for their easy-going temperament. They were originally developed, over a thousand years ago, from the native Zebu cattle belonging to the Borana Orma tribe and are well adapted to local conditions. They mature young, are very hardy, and docile. They are distinctive because of their relatively small head, loose dewlap, and pronounced hump above the shoulders. Their loose skin helps to repel insects and their fine short hair helps to keep them cool. The males are substantially bigger than the females. The females calve easily and make good mothers, generous with their milk and at guarding their calves against predators. The herds can withstand periodic shortages of water and feed, keep close to one another naturally, and graze on the move.

Boran youngstock

The Dorper breed of sheep were developed far more recently in South Africa. They are a cross-breed between the black headed Persian sheep and the Dorset horn. They became popular in Kenya about fifty years ago, being good mutton sheep which can survive on extremely poor grazing. They drink very little and produce no wool, an advantage in a warm climate where wool is not particularly useful.

Torrie adds, “The sheep at Loisaba are mainly for consumption by the Conservancy although some are sold, similarly the goats. However there are 118 goats which belong to the Ewaso community which are permanent residents. These may be sold to fund a community project or function.”

“On the side-lines of some of the herds, there are donkeys which are used to bring the milk in from the dairy and to collect water for the staff at the bomas.”

Donkey with the dairy herd...

...fancies himself a girlfriend

“Disease is our biggest challenge hence the regular spraying of all resident livestock. The main culprits are anaplasmosis and East Coast Fever, (theileria parva), both of which are transmitted by ticks, and in the case of anaplasmosis, certain flies as well. Both of these diseases are treatable if detected in the very early stages but both are potentially fatal; ECF has a particularly high mortality rate. These diseases can also affect wildlife.”

“Foot & Mouth disease is endemic to East Africa but here on Loisaba it is kept in check with a strict vaccination program.”

Mobile boma

Overnight accommodation

“The other challenge is predators, but the use of predator-proof metal enclosures is very effective. Attacks during the day do occasionally happen but often the stock man with the herd is able to scare the predators away and can always get help from our rangers. If an area has a persistent problem with predators then the enclosures are moved to a different area as they are when the grazing needs to be rested. The bomas and huts can be packed up in very little time, leaving the faintest of circles on the ground like Olympic rings which soon recover once it rains.”

Atero Leptanoi - long time member of the livestock staff

A nice view for a herdsman