MAASAI MARA WILLD LIFE CONSERVANCY.

BACK GROUND
The Maasai tribe (or Masai) is a unique and popular tribe due to their long preserved culture. Despite education, civilization and western cultural influences, the Maasai people have clung to their traditional way of life, making them a symbol of Kenyan culture. Maasai’s distinctive culture, dress style and strategic territory along the game parks of Kenya and Tanzania have made them one of East Africa's most internationally famous tourist attrac-tions.
The Maasai people reside in both Kenya and Tanzania, living along the border of the two countries. They are a smaller tribe, accounting for only about 0.7 percent of Kenya's population, with a similar number living in Tan-zania. Maasai’s speak Maa, a Nilotic ethnic language from their origin in the Nile region of North Africa. The Samburu tribe is the closest to the Maasai in both language and cultural authenticity. Through rituals and cer-emonies, including circumcision, Maasai boys are guided and mentored by their fathers and other elders on how to become a warrior. Although they still live their carefree lives as boys
Raiding cattle, chasing young girls, and game hunting - a Maasai boy must also learn all of the cultural prac-tices, customary laws and responsibilities he'll require as an elder. The wildlife, culture, conservation and edu-cation village Centre offers volunteers the ultimate opportunity to explore, learn and interact with the Maasai community and their culture. The Mara conservation gives them a platform to serve, interact and also live like the Maasai people. Above all, the conservancy is managed according to a model that protects the deli-cate eco-system and benefits the landowners who are the Maasai people. The wildlife, culture, conservation and education in Kenya is home to the big cats situated on the mararienda most point of the Greater Mara Ecosystem; borders the Olchorro Oiroua Conservancy to the south, and MMNC to the East. The important focus of the conservancy is livestock improvement through innovative cattle management programs, run-ning alongside novel tourism projects. The habitat comprises wooded acacia savannah with open plains on flat plateaus, riverine acacia forest and rocky, undulating hills which provide a varied habitat for browsing and grazing ungulates, as well as hideout thickets for the predators. The Mara River runs alongside the con-servancy. There is a large number of giraffe and resident buffalo that live close to the Olerai boundary along the Mara River. Elephants frequent the conservancy and there is a pride of lion based on the edge of osero. There are many hippos and crocodiles in the section of the river that borders the conservancy and the riverine forests which provide an area popular with leopards. Rare species such as Aardvark, Caracal, serval cat and Aardwolf are
Occasionally found. Colobus monkeys have been spotted in the valleys on the Kileleoni Hill and there have also been sightings of wild dog in Enonkishu. There is no doubt that Mara Osero offers an incredible game viewing experience.