By Yvonne de Jong & Tom Butynski
Posted on the National Geographic Explorers Journal on January 3, 2014
The Huri Hills, a remote region of large lava cones, is located between the Chalbi Desert and the Kenyan-Ethiopian border in central-north Kenya. These hills rise about 300 meters (985 feet) above the lava plateau, reaching 1524 meters (5000 feet) above sea level. Just north of the Huri Hills, separated by a descending plain of black-cotton-soil, lies the granitic Mount Forole (1887 meters; 6200 feet). This sacred mountain marks the Kenyan-Ethiopian border.
By Yvonne de Jong & Tom Butynski
Posted on the National Geographic Explorers Journal on July 22, 2013
Turkana is Kenya’s most remote district. Located west of Lake Turkana in the north-west corner of the country, Turkana District has been high on our list of ‘warthog survey sites’ for years. When you think ‘desert’, you think ‘Turkana’…a logical place to search for desert warthog (scientific name Phacochoerus aethiopicus, Kiswahili name ‘ngiri’).
By Yvonne de Jong & Tom Butynski
Posted on the National Geographic Explorers Journal on June 7, 2013
An extremely hot and dusty road leads us northwards along the Kenya-Uganda border. We are in West Pokot District, central western Kenya. Despite what appears suitable habitat, no warthog (Phacochoerus sp.) will expose itself to us in this heat, and neither will the Guenter’s dik-dik (Madoqua guentheri), olive baboon (Papio anubis) or any other mammal that we hope to encounter in the region….
By Yvonne de Jong & Tom Butynski
Posted on the National Geographic Explorers Journal on April 9, 2013
We have trained eyes for detecting primates, but it took a little while for us to realize that we were looking at a group of olive baboons (scientific name: Papio anubis, Kiswahili name: nyani). The setting here, between the eastern shore of Lake Turkana and the western edge of the Chalbi Desert, is new to us. On a distant rocky hill, surrounded by expansive black lava plains with a sparse cover of thorny acacia (Acacia species) and commiphora (Commiphora species) bush and badly damaged toothbrush trees (Salvadora persica), a group of olive baboons is resting…all eyes fixed on us…..
By Yvonne de Jong & Tom Butynski
Posted on the National Geographic Explorers Journal on February 25, 2013
When you are lucky enough to spot a cheetah (scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus raineyi;Kiswahili name: duma), you typically see a ‘little’ head (well……for a cat of that size ‘little’) sticking out of tall yellow grass under a shady acacia or balanites tree. If you are really lucky, there is a second ‘little’ head sticking out nearby. While conducting our desert warthog survey on the edge of Kenya’s remote Chalbi Desert we had a very different encounter with the majestic cheetah…..
