Hippo-proof Data Logger for the Mara...First Prototype

Well, probably not actually hippo-proof.  

Amanda and I are headed back to Kenya soon and plan on installing four of these water quality loggers into the Mara and Talek rivers at a few strategic points.  They will collect a ton of great data on the rivers every 15 minutes for the entire summer.  

We have been a bit worried about some of the larger wildlife possibly damaging the data loggers so we've had to come up with a housing that will hopefully protect it.  This is our first attempt.  The housing was designed to also protect the unit from theft...although the different groups hosting these loggers over the summer will be looking over them while we are elsewhere in the basin.  This housing will give us a few different possibilities for mounting them in the river.

Here is a shot of the probes...

Small Update on the Fish Die-off

Dr. Dominic of the Mara Mobile Vet Crew just posted a short update on the fish die-off that occurred last month.

Investigations on the deaths of fish in Mara River

During the month of February 2011, there were reports of fish dying in Mara River; three different fish species were affected, the deaths were concentrated at the ‘Mara Old bridge”, Olonana area, Mara Buffalo area and near Little Governors area. It was a one time mass-die-off of fish that lasted only one day after a heavy down-pour.

Postmortem examinations revealed extensive haemorrhages and congestion of the liver and intestines, blood oozing from anus and mouth. The deaths were suspected to have been caused by pesticide poisoning due to pesticides washed downstream from the nearby wheat farms.

Fish samples, water and soil samples were collected from the different locations of the river and submitted to the Government chemist for toxicological analysis, results are still awaited.

The Mara Crocodiles

Check out this article for some recent pictures of a croc trying to get a wildebeest in the Mara River.  The article states that the late rains delayed the migration which in turn reduced the food availability for the crocs.  We have seen in the Mara that with lower flow levels, the crocs can not hunt as effectively.  Lower average flows and a delay in the migration could have an effect on the reproduction cycle of the Mara population.  Anecdotally, we've noted lower crocodile nesting success following years of lower flow.  During lower flow years, the wildebeest can effortless cross the river and are not subjected to mass drownings - like in 2007.

It is interesting to imagine what else is impacted by low flow levels and how those changes could cascade through a system.  

ProMED-mail picks up the Mara fish die-off

ProMED-mail is a mailing list from the International Society of Infectious Diseases.  The mailing list is devoted to reporting potential infectious diseases as they emerge.  The last fish die-off was just picked up by their mailing list.  Here are a few of their comments in response to the Standard article:


A heavy flood can wash soil, sediment, and a variety of chemicals,
plant life, animal waste, etc. into a water drainage area, such as the
river. While agricultural chemicals may be involved it seems extremely
early to be making such comments.
...

A full necropsy of the fish, and appropriate testing should help us
understand what is happening here. However, unless the dead fish are
cleaned up, they will soon be a perfect medium for the growth of
bacteria that can produce botulism. Then when other animals, such as
birds consume the dead fish or the maggots infecting the dead fish,
then they will be poisoned by botulism and we will be hearing about a
host of dead birds in the same area.

See their full post on it here.

Fish deaths in the news...

The Standard has now picked up the fish death controversy.

Organisations investigate deaths of fish in Mara River

Perspectives on the Serengeti Road Issue

A few perspectives on the Serengeti Road controversy;

• Serengeti-Mara Road & the future of 2 million Tanzanians
• Implement road project, Serengeti villagers urge government authorities
• ALERT! Stop the Serengeti Highway
• FZS Statement on the Proposed Serengeti Commercial Road
• World Bank offers to save Serengeti from bisecting road

More fish die in the Mara...

We've been getting some emails from friends in the Mara River Basin that tell us a large fish die-off has just occurred in and around the Masai Mara National Reserve.

You may remember that we have previously documented several large fish die-offs in the Mara River over the last few years and we blogged about one in 2009.  The exact causes of this annual event remains elusive...but I aim to shed some light on it with my upcoming research.

This coming summer I will be conducting research that I've entitled, "Sediment fingerprinting in the Mara River Basin: Uncovering relationships between wildebeest, tourism, and non-point source pollution."  I plan on looking at the sources of sediment and non-point source pollution within the protected areas (between Emarti and the lower Mara bridge).  More on this to come soon...

In the meantime, here is a quick round-up of several other massive fish die-offs that have occurred recently in other systems:

• Large fish die-off at the mouth of the Mississippi
• Massive Fish Kill in Gulf Caused by "Dead Zone," Oil?
• Two Million Dead Fish Appear in Chesapeake Bay
• 7.6 Million Fish Die In A Day At Salton Sea
• DNR: Fish die-off in southeast Michigan is natural occurrence

Keep an eye on the Mara Triangle Twitter feed for up-to-date info on the current Mara River fish die-off.

Flesh Eating Hippos of the Mara River

Amanda and I have an article on the potential carnivorous tendencies of hippos in the Mara River in the current issue of SWARA - the Journal of the East African Wildlife Society.  Pick up your copy today.

Below is a short movie I made with some of the additional pictures...pick up a copy of SWARA for the full story then let us know what you think.

Snow

Amanda and I are still preparing our research plans in New Haven for this coming summer of field work in the Mara River Basin.  Yale is a great fit for both of us and our ideas are growing every day as we continue to capitalize on all the intellectual resources available here.  More on this to come soon...

But in the meantime, check out these pictures of all the snow we just received!

'Nairobi NGO seeks to block new Serengeti road'

As the first civil legal challenge to the putative Serengeti road, it will be interesting to track how this case moves forward. Additionally, it will be an important test for the EAC justice system.

African Network for Animal Welfare (Anaw) sought an interim order from the court to stop the project on the grounds the road would harm the park’s ecology.
…
The suit says building of the road across the Serengeti, the largest national park in Tanzania which borders Maasai-Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, infringes Articles 5,89,111, 112,114 and 116 of the EAC Treaty.
…
“The Serengeti is part of a transnational ecosystem straddling Kenya and Tanzania. It is also a World Heritage Site of outstanding universal value”, Anaw executive director Josphat Ngonyo said after the case was filed.

Read more here…