All of us at GZT have been deeply saddened by the losses of Grevy’s zebra over the drought period. Although we did all we could to alleviate their suffering, in the last month there was barely any vegetation left and the animals were exclusively feeding on hay, rather than it serving to supplement their natural diet. Watching the Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife struggling with lack of grazing and water was heartbreaking. But there were two members of our team who had to deal with this more than others, who had to face this worsening situation day after day in their efforts to save the Grevy’s zebra: Joel Loongo’nyo and David Muriira. Joel, who grew up in Samburu North, is our GZT camp manager and David, who is from Meru, is our senior driver. They joined GZT in 2013 and 2007 respectively, and are invaluable members of our team. They were both responsible for managing our supplementary feeding program in the national reserves, spending all day, every day, delivering hay to the various feeding locations and monitoring the health of the Grevy’s zebra and their use of the hay. They also worked closely with the reserve rangers, lodge operators and communities in the area, garnering support for the feeding program and enlisting their help with logistics. We are incredibly proud of their strength and dedication.
“Our feeding team had a long, restless time visiting the feeding sites within the National Reserves making sure the Grevy’s zebra were fed well and assessing the body conditions. We have been attending every single dead, sick zebra and getting samples where possible. Sometimes it was so depressing! I’m very grateful for our partners who responded to the feeding effort. It would not be easy if it wasn’t for those who funded toward the feeding to save the life of the wildlife. Thank you all.” Joel Loongo’nyo
