It's now deep into the dry season and the vegetation has almost completely dried out. Strongs winds have picked up and most of the seasonal streams have dried up. While water levels have dropped significantly in the permanent rivers flowing through the National Park due to the cessation of rains and heavy use upstream by farmers to irrigate farms. Hopefully, despite water utilisation by farmers, the volume of water will still be sufficient to flow through the park.
July was a big cat month for the Meru Veterinary Unit, with lions at the heart of interventions. The problematic candidates are those that were released into the Meru Conservation Area in the recent past: As they search for their own territory as they acclimatise to the new area, they find themselves outside the Conservation Area or in new/occupied territory resulting in human-wildlife conflict or territorial fights.