Masai Mara National park, is one of the largest game reserve in Narok county of Kenya, it is contiguous with Serengeti National park in Mara sector of Tanzania. The park is named after the honoring of the Maasai people who inhabited the park area full of Savannah, Scrub, Cloud shadows and many more.
The park is popular of Cheetahs, Leopards, Lions, Zebras, Wildebeests, where the animals migrate to and from the Serengeti from the season of July to October this is known as the Great Migration. Masai Mara is an ecosystem which includes Koiyaki, Olkinyei, Lemek, Ol Chorro, Siana, Naikara, Kerinkani, Ol Derkesi, Kimintet, Oloirien, Maji Moto and many more.
Masai Mara was established in 1961 as a wildlife sanctuary, the park is covered by 520 km2 of the current area which includes the Mara Triangle. The park was extended to the Far East covering an area of 1,822 km2, it was converted to a game reserve. The park became a reserve in 1974.
Masai Mara National park (reserve) is covered in 1600 km2 in the south western Kenya. The park is located in the northern region of Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, the park is covered in 25,000 KM2 in Tanzania and Kenya.
The park is bound by the Serengeti Park, to the south escarpment to the west. Masai Mara is people that are pastoral ranches to the North, East and West. Rainfall in the ecosystem which is along the southeast, Northwest. Shrubs and trees fringe, drainage lines and cover hilltops.
There a number of wildlife species, bird species, bushes, umbrella acacia trees, zebras, wildebeest, cheetahs with cubs.
The big cat family and the big five including leopards, lions, cape buffaloes, Rhinoceros, elephants, and others can be found in this place. Crocodiles, Hippopotamus, Hyenas, Jackals, eared foxes, Jackals and many more in the reserve.
The wildebeests are the most dominant inhabitants of the Masai Mara with an estimation of millions; they migrate from the North from Serengeti plains as they search for fresh pastures. The migration is very amazing and very impressive natural event,
There wildebeests, Topis, Zebras, Elands, Grants gazelles, Antelopes ,Impalas, Hartebeests, Duikers ,Masai Giraffe, bat-Eared fox. There more than 500 bird species that migrate and more than 70 raptors. The bird species include Marabou storks, Vultures, hornbills, secretary birds, Ostriches, Crowned cranes, African Pygmy-Falcons, Long-crested eagles, and Lilac breasted roller known as the national bird of Kenya.
Masia Mara National reserve is under the Narok county government body but not under the Kenyan wildlife service. The eastern part of the park is under the managed by Narok County council well the western part is called the Mara Triangle ,which is named by the Trans-Mara county council it is contracting the management to the Mara conservancy, it’s a local nonprofit organization, it forms several anti poaching units.
Masai Mara conservation is under the administration of the Group Ranch Trusts of the Masai society, they have their own rangers that patrol the park headquarters. A number of wildlife species that keep roaming freely across the reserve and conservation areas.
Masai Mara research centre is one of the best areas where one can spot the spotted hyena. The reserve has a flow assessment and trans-boundary river basin which is located between Tanzania and Kenya it was completed for the river to sustain ecosystem.
Masai Mara, has a cheetah project which keeps monitoring the cheetah population, there is an estimating population dynamics and status which evaluates the predators impact and human activities on cheetahs survival and behaviors.
The Cheetah project is headed by Elena Chelysheva, who was working as Assistant Researcher at the Kenya Wildlife Service Masai Mara Cheetah conservation project.
Masai Mara project, lion limbs of the projects, the data collected helps to reveal the relationships between individuals, the rate of survival of the cheetahs, cubs, and personal reproductive history. The project, works in wildlife service, Narok and Transmara county councils with assistance of coordination of Maasai-mara culture village Tour Association.
The project team, cooperating with Mara Hyena project it works with managers and driver guides from over 30 different Mara camps and lodges. There rangers/drivers and guides that are trained in identifying cheetahs.
Enjoy the balloon safari for the game parks, the Mara Triangle which has only one lodge within the boundaries, weather roads. In Masai Mara there is no poaching which gives one an excellent game viewing, with strict controls over vehicles number, allowing for better experiences while in the game drive.
There few airports in this area including the Mara Serana Airport, Musiara Airport, Keekorok Airport these are all located in the Reserve area of Masai Mara, Kichwa Tembo Airport, Mara Shikar Airport, Ngerende Airport these are all located within the Masai Mara conservation area.
The reserve has 75% of Giraffes, 80 percent of warthogs, 80 % of hartebeests, and 70% of Impala.
Animals have been lost due to human settlement around the reserve. There is high increased population of humans which has led to an increased number of livestock grazing in the park thus increase in poaching.
There is a proposed road from Musoma to Arusha, to Serengeti National park, hence this will disrupt the migration of the wildebeests, disrupting and affecting predators for example the cheetahs, Lions, and African wild dogs.