2020- The Year That Was
What a year it has been! It was meant to have been a leap year but for much of the year, the world ground to a halt. On the savannah though, life went on almost as usual putting paid to human notions of indispensability. Our highlight of the year undoubtedly was coming back to the camp one evening to find Nempiris on the White Rock, roaring away. When the year started, we had no idea what was in store for us. One day on game drive we found a small wildebeest calf all alone. We restored it to its herd and were rewarded with the sight of its mother welcoming it with a jump of joy. A few days later, the one-tusked elephant, Imiet, came to inspect our vehicle as it was being washed just behind the camp. Muchiri who was doing the washing, jumped inside, and waited while Imiet took his time to walk away. We had been seeing Nebati and her cubs born in 2019 for many months and spent many hours with them in 2020 too. And then we had to close the camp in March at less than a week’s notice as the lockdown hit us.
For four months we cooled our heels, chafing at the bit. Finally, when we could reopen in July, much seemed to have changed. Nebati and her cubs were gone, the Rekero male lions were on their way out and were being seen only sporadically. Instead, we had a couple of nomadic males from the Enesikiria pride. They too moved on after a few weeks. They weren’t the only transient visitors. We saw a lioness who we don’t know, with a pair of cubs. She too vanished after a few days. And then we were incredibly happy to see Nebati again, this time with three brand-new cubs in tow. As the short rains rolled in, we had an elephant up on the White Rock one morning. It was very relaxed. Not all our elephants were as fortunate. Our rangers spotted one with an injury apparently caused by conflict with humans. Luckily, we were able to track him and call in a Kenya Wildlife Service vet. He darted and then treated him. Towards the end of the year, we helped drop Naramat’s collar and then retrieved it for repair and reuse.
2020 has left the world upside down. Perhaps the best way to deal with a situation like this is with the Finnish concept of Sisu, or grit, stoic determination, and courage. We saw that too on the savannah. In the closing weeks of the year, we came across a lone, gaunt, and emaciated lioness who found about fifty howling, ravenous hyenas on a kill and instead of running away, scattered them and finally got a meal- perhaps after many days. May the spirit of Sisu guide your actions in these tumultuous times and may 2021 be better for all of us.
Keep the audio on, as you watch this 366 second summary of the 366 days of our 2020.
