The lands of the Namunyak Conservation Area include approximately 75,000 hectares close to the famous
Mathews mountain range of northern Kenya. This is home to the Samburu people, timeless semi-nomadic shepherds who have always shared this fantastic habitat with wildlife.
The Samburu say they are one of the
lost tribes of Israel, in fact the Jewish law and culture still have a strong echo within their lives; many of their stories are based on anecdotes from the Old Testament.
When elephants and black rhinos lived in abundance, Namunyak was a huge open grassland similar to today's
Masai Mara . The main challenge for the local community became soon to maintain a balance between vegetation and wildlife. In fact, elephants and rhinos usually skin trees to feed on leaves and bark but often even eradicate them completely, compromising the growth of local vegetation.
