LIONS IN OUR MIDST – AN UPDATE
(Posted 17th July 2014)
It seems but days ago, and yet it is now two and a half months already, that a visit to the Olare Mara Kempinski brought me face to face with a lioness and her two very young cubs which had turned the space underneath one of the tented suites platforms into their home.
At the time many questions were asked as the story made its way around the world. While Kenya has since that visit come under siege, barreled by the harshest anti travel advisories the country has ever suffered and sections from the international media behaving like hyenas and vultures, it is stories like ‘Lions in our midst’ which showcase the upside of the destination, the daily miracles of nature visitors can find, close up and personal and take home with them memories which last a life time.
The Olare Mara Kempinski closed for its annual spring cleaning and to carry out maintenance just a day after I left at the time for the Kenya coast and the lions were left undisturbed while work started at tents the furthest away from the proverbial lions’ den. And then, nearly two weeks after my stay, reports filtered back, confirmed by Manish Nambiar, Kempinski’s General Manager in Kenya, that one fine morning the lioness had taken her cubs across the Ntiakitiak river, seen by the camp guards, and then disappeared into the sprawling conservancy to perhaps rejoin a pride or else roam the wilderness but without passing by the reception to settle their accommodation bills (adds yours truly tongue in cheek).
Kempinski subsequently ran a social media campaign and asked Facebookers and Tweeps for their suggestions what to name the two cubs and then selected the two name proposals mentioned the most, one being Imara – the strong one – and the other Zuri – the nice one.
Efforts are underway to ‘re-connect’ with the three and while they have not been seen in the immediate vicinity of the Olare Mara Kempinski have other camps on the conservancy also started to look out for the lions.
It is one of those stories which tell the world #WhyILoveKenya – a hash tag campaign now in full swing and why Kenya as a safari destination, and as a beach destination, still got what it takes to make those dream vacations come true. For added information on Kenya visit www.magicalkenya.com and click on www.kws.go.ke
