Amboseli’s history is as ancient as human civilization. Excavators have discovered many fossils here. Although the Bantu people settled in Kenya over the first millennium, the Maasai established themselves in Amboseli. They were a Nilotic tribe but have amalgamated the customs of other tribes to form their culture. They named the region Empusel, which means salty and dusty open place in the Maa language. Maasais are fierce warriors, much like their ancestors, but living in peace with the wildlife population. Hence, the European explorers avoided them initially until an expedition arrived in the region in 1883 led by Joseph Thompson.
Articles by Val Jiwa
One of the geologic wonders of the world is the East African Rift Valley System, which is the largest fracture on the surface of earth. People also call it the Afro-Arabian Rift Valley. It is where the tectonic forces of this planet have created new African plates by splitting the old continental crust apart in the same way it does mid-ocean ridges. So, the East African Rift Valley is a divergent boundary in a region of continental crust. Debates are still going on as to how exactly rift comes into being. But the process is well displayed in East Africa.
Naivasha’s history embarks on a journey of facts and tales revealing the life of its people. Setting foot here unfolds the traces of its momentous events. The population is about 158,680 according to the Census of Kenya of 2009. Commercialization has crept into this quaint little town that Maasais once inhabited before the British colonised it. Lake Naivasha is the iconic feature of Naivasha fed by Malewa and Gilgil rivers flowing down the Aberdare Mountains. The water supports a horticultural industry and geothermal projects. However, this is taking its toll on its biodiversity resulting in environmental degradation, which are unsustainable.
A notable feature of all elephants is their large ears, which radiates excess heat. Other distinguished elements are its face and familial structure. These features of the elephant make up the beautiful side of it. The ugly aspect of the beautiful giants comes out with the intervention of humans. In southeast Kenya, elephants and people enter into contact often, and conflicts occur. The main culprits of the conflict is population growth and climate change. A whole team of experts and field workers is working hard to eradicate the ugliness and restore the elephants to their former beauties that they are.
In the wild, most elephants live in herds or clans that can only be separated by capture or death. Separation from one another, including transfer between different zoos, is a traumatizing event for them. During such trying moments, just like humans, elephants have proven to show great ability to empathize with the misfortune of others. The intelligence and insight of the animal are particularly note-worthy when they console each other in times of trouble. Some even consider that elephants do possess consciousness. Such thinking is not hard to believe. With further analyses, it may be able to ascertain its veracity.
All male and female African elephants grow tusks. The female ones are thin, small, and often of the same thickness. However, in Asia, only some male elephants have tusks. And the female Asian elephants do not have tusks but have tiny horns known as tushes. Perhaps the elephants in Africa have a greater need for digging for sustenance. In elephants, tusks are elongated, enlarged, and modified incisor teeth and are no different from other teeth. Tusks can grow up to eight inches a year. One of the largest ones found weighed about 200 pounds and was about 10 feet long.
The elephant’s memory power is extraordinary. There is an age-old adage: elephants never forget. To say that an elephant never forgets may be an exaggeration. It is equally impossible to claim that an elephant always remembers. It seems more likely that they forget. Although the theory is a myth, it doesn’t stray too far from the truth. Research has shown that elephants do possess the incredible and the exceptionally long memory power for certain things with the ability to keep information for many decades. The face and smell of family members are the two things that it remembers the most.
The elephants in Kenya have lost over half of their range since 1979. There has also been massive poaching for trophies and ivory over the decades. A combination of loss of range and poaching has led to a significant drop in their population. A substantial elephant population in Kenya occurs in well-protected areas. But less than 20% of the habitat is under formal protection. Half of the area comprises the Tsavo conservation area. The Tsavo trust officers in collaboration with Kenya wildlife services monitor and patrol the area daily through ground and aerial reconnaissance and collect information about the elephants.
People have been aware of the fact the elephants are the largest mammal on earth but perhaps did not know that they also have a long life. They live up to the age of 80. Science and field research has proven that elephants are also one among the very few intelligent creatures on earth such as particular dolphins, apes, chimpanzees and even humans. The long-lived and highly smart animal is naturally the perfect focus and target for cognition reasoning experiments, considering its complex cranium structure, highly sophisticated neural circuitry, and large temporal lobe, of course, everything to do with brains.
The elephant’s trunk has evolved among mammals. It is unique to members of the Proboscidea, which includes the mammoths and mastodons. The trunk weighs 130 kg and is capable of lifting about 250 kg. It is also extremely dexterous, sensitive, and mobile, which makes it appear independent of the rest of the body. It is put to use for various purposes. Anatomically, an elephant’s trunk is a combination of the nose and upper lip. The nostrils are at the tip. The proboscis comprises of 16 muscles. The most significant muscle, which covers the top and the sides, raises the trunk.