Burning up

There are two things field researchers here fear, floods and fire. While Talek camp has had our fair share of unfortunate floods (and flood scares) in the past, fire is not something we commonly deal with. While research assistants in Serena are very familiar with the burns prescribed by the management of the Mara Conservancy, prescribed burns are extremely uncommon our side of the Maasai Mara National Reserve. However, that all changed in early September when the first prescribed burn on our side of the park in many, many, years began. Rangers started the fire on the far southern end of the Reserve, near Keekorok Lodge. For the first few weeks we could only see the smoke from the flames from the plain outside of camp.

 

The early stages of the fire 

However, the fire burned longer than any of us were anticipating. And it wasn’t long until we could see the glow of the flames in the distance at dawn and dusk on our drives to and from camp. It was then that the air was filled with the distinctive smell of a grass fire; a smell similar to a bonfire but with a slightly sweet aroma. By mid-September the flames had crested the hills that border our southern-most territory and the area consumed by the fire stretched off to the south as far as the eye could see. The southern sky was constantly obscured by smoke, and the haze made observation periods in our southern territories difficult.

Smoke and haze from the fires to the south 

The main fire (one of three) from the top of a hill in our southern most territory 

By September 24^th the fire had burned the hills of our southern-most territory. Then, as if sensing our anxiety and anticipation, burned itself out on the 25^th. While it’s still unclear as to exactly why the burn here was prescribed, we can take many guesses as to why. 

The burned areas of our southern-most territory 

As scary as they may be, fires can do a lot of good for an ecosystem. Fires can help to manage weeds and other invasive plant species from choking out native plants and help restore nutrients to the soil. In fact, grassland communities and their inhabitants around the world have evolved to deal with fire. In a place like the Mara, where tall grass can end up obscuring tourists’ view of animals, a prescribed burn can also provide better wildlife viewing opportunities. Whatever the reason for this prescribed burn was, all of us in Talek camp are relieved and happy to know that the animals in our territories are safe and happy!