Olorgesailie Middle Stone Age - Archaelogical Site in Kenya

Olorgesailie prehistoric site found in the great right valley floor of Kenya is one of the best is the World. It measures 300 Kilometers square and dates back 1.2 million years according to scientists. The areas is about one hour’s drive south of Nairobi city and has sites such as the butchery originally the a place for hunting expeditions which scientists believe was used by Homo erectus as well an in-situ museum which contains stone age hand axes.

According to Dr. Rick Potts the place has so many prehistoric tools and they can easily be found in sediments when digging through the layers of soil in the area.

The prehistoric site was originally discovered in 1919 by John Walter Gregory and was eventually visited by Louis and Mary Leakey in 1942 that have done great fossil hunting in Kenya over the last century. The area has a gang walk all over the area which was initiated by the first African Archaeology Congress which was held in 1947.

According to Mr. Potts who has studied the area more than any other person in the last 30 years, Olorgesailie has sediments with each layer telling a lot about the history of mankind. He has worked in conjunction with the National Museums of Kenya closely over the years.

The area is full of prehistoric tools and bones as well as fossilized papyrus which are buried deep in the layers of sediment. The papyrus suggests there was a lake in the area, however it is now a dry dusty area with day time temperatures soaring to 40 degrees celcius. The area is buried in dust layers from the volcanic ashes of the nearby Mount Olergesailie and Mount Esakut. Remains of elephus recki which is believed to be closely related to the present day Indian elephant and is larger than the present elephants have been unearthed in the area.

According to Dr. Potts during a conference which was organized by the Prehistory Club and Kenya Museum Society which was held in the National Museums of Kenya, hand axes keep rolling out the layers of sediment in the region and he believes that the tolds which have been used for over 1.5 million years were first used in Africa before the technology was transferred to areas like Asia and Europe. Kenya Safaris

Archaelogist says the olorgesailie sites represent two eras the most recent being the Middle stone-age site which dates back to 500,000 years to 100,000 years ago during which was the time that they used the sophisticate flakes. The flakes are sharp-edged tools which are made from a precise strike on a core stone. The earliest time being the hand axe site is between 1.2 million to 500,000 years ago. However according to Dr. Potts the stones used to make the tools are not found locally and were from 150 kilometers away an indication that people exchanged products even as far back. The Middle Stone age is a time that is characterized by increased social networks, smaller technology and increased use of symbols which corresponds with modern African wildlife.

The Olorgesailie is the largest studied site in the world for the period covering the period of 1.2 million years ago. It is also the oldest known middle Stone Age site in the whole world.

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Olorgesailies archaelogical site

$20 Charge For Mountain Gorilla Killers

The mountain gorilla killers in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park; Fideli Begumisa, Ronald Byamugisha and Amos Kazongo were recently fined Shs. 50,000 which is approximately $20 dollars. This is peanut is comparison to the money mountain gorillas brings into the economy. A gorilla tracking fee costs $500 per person and this caters also for the park entrance fees as well as the guide fees.

Uganda Wildlife Authority officials, the body charged with taking care of the wildlife in Uganda; have vowed to raise the matter with the office of the Chief Justice. The three culprits were each charged with just under $20 which is no where near what a gorilla permit costs.

Tourism in Uganda has seen a significant growth thanks to the attraction of mountain gorillas which can only be found in Bwindi impenetrable forest and Mgahinga national parks in Uganda. In 2009, mountain gorilla tour fees brought in $3m which is a significant amount.

It is not uncommon to find Uganda safari packages involving a gorilla safari to Bwindi. List as critically endangered, there are only about 800 mountain gorillas left in the wild.

If the Country can up the protection afforded to wildlife in the protected areas as well as outside of it. It will greatly help in promoting tourism and preserving our natural heritage.

Killing of Bwindi Black Back Gorilla Sparks Anger

The Killing of a black back – a male juvenile mountain gorilla in Bwindi impenetrable forest national park has sparked a lot of fury among conservationists. Conservationists are calling for more stern measures against poachers in the national park as well as other national parks in the region.

Poaching although it has been reduced is still being carried out in different Uganda national parks and conservationists believe that a strong stand against poachers will help curb the vice.

Mizaano was a black back that belonged to the Habiyanja family of mountain gorillas. However it suffered injuries from poachers who had setup traps in the national parks from which it died.

The police in south western Uganda arrested eh suspects Byamugisha Roland, Begumisa Fidel and Kazonga Amos who are all residents of Mpungu village. Gorilla safari is the leading Uganda tour package bringing 80% of the revenue in tourism.

Mizaano whose name means “Playful” was the only black back – a male juvenile in his family and is thus a great hindrance to the starting up of another family. Black back mountain gorillas go on to become silverbacks – the dominant males in a family.
According to Lillian Nsubaga who is the Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Makara the dominant silverback in habiyanja family was likely to be succeeded by Mizaano. However it is now going to take a while before the family can recover.

Poaching in Uganda is a major vice, during a recent trip to Murchison falls national park, I happened to interact with many of the locals and was astonished to find out that bush meat from the killing of animals in the park is readily available as long as one understands the language. For hippo bush meat all one has to say is that they want “Makar” which when translated means “charcoal” and you would be available with smoked hippo meat.

Murchison falls safari is one of the leading tour attractions in Uganda as it brings in lots of tourists visiting this majestic falls.

New Gate For Amboseli National Park

Amboseli national park is to see the construction of a new ultra modern gate complete with an information centre, waiting lounge, computers and the ability for visitors to use electronic cards which is aimed at improving the services being offered by the Kenya Wildlife Services to the visitors.

The Amboseli national park gate is going to cost 21 million Kenya shillings given the high cost of the latest technology according to the Director of Kenya Wildlife Services – KWS Mr. Kipng’etich Julius. The gate will have staff to orient the visitors to Amboseli national park about the birds and wildlife species found in the national park.

According to Mr. Kipng’etich, Kenya Wildlife Services wants the visitors to the park to know as much as possible about the details of the animals in the national park before entering the park as this will help the visitors know the rich wildlife diversity that the park has to offer.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service director, the safari smart cards that will be introduced starting on the 1^st of July 2011 will be able to be used at any supermarket across the Country. They can top it up at any supermarket and this will help them save time as they move from safari park to park.

Amboseli national park is one of the most visited national parks in Kenya contributing 22 percent of the total revenue from Kenya’s safari national parks with Nakuru national park offering 29 percent.

Kenya Wildlife Service’s chairman said that on completion of the ultra modern gate they will then construct curio shops to help the locals in the community peddle their crafts. The chair Mr. Mwiraria David says it will take over 6 months to complete the project.

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Tourists and Tour Guides Say the Road To Masai Mara in Need of Repairs

Masai Mara is one of the most renown game reserves in the World with it over 2 million wildebeest migration forming one of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the World. However, the game reserve despite the huge revenue it generates from the thousands of tourists visiting the Country has been slightly neglected.
The road to the Masai Mara has been neglected for quite some time now and the road is strewn with potholes. My Masai Mara safari holiday was a little blighted by the bumpy ride we experienced as one branches off to the game reserve.
Tour guide drivers have renewed calls to have roads leading to the Masai Mara National Reserve repaired.
Addressing journalists in Narok Town at the weekend, hundreds of drivers said a 40-kilometre stretch of the Narok-Sekenani road was almost impassable.
“The situation has been worsened by rains currently pounding the Mara area. We urge the government to upgrade the roads before the long rains expected in April,” the vice-chairman of the National Tour Drivers Association, Mr Andrew Mungatana said.
He added that tourists were fatigued after using the route and sometimes slept in the wild when vehicles get stuck in the mud.
“We are also incurring high maintenance costs, which are driving us out of business,” Mr Mungatana said.
The drivers said they were also forced to part with a lot of money to youth filling potholes at various sections of the road yet they were paying taxes.
A gift shop owner, Mr Leonard ole Kenta, said business was low since many tourists opted to fly into and out of the Mara. Masai Mara fly in safari
When contacted, Roads minister Franklin Bett said tenders had been issued for the road and that repair works would soon start.
Record earnings
The protest by the drivers came even as the government and Narok County Council predicted record earnings from Kenya tourism industry.
Tourism minister Najib Balala said revenue from the tourism sector was projected to hit a high of Sh100 billion with at least 1.2 million foreign tourists arriving in the country.
Narok County Council clerk Pius Mutemi said the council will reap a record Sh1.5 billion from the Mara this financial year, which is set to surpass the record set in 2007. Kenya safari
He attributed this to aggressive marketing by the council, the Kenya Tourism board and the Kenya Wildlife Service.
Mr Mutemi, however, absolved the council from blame on the drivers’ concerns, saying their mandate was to maintain roads within the park, which he said were in good condition.
He projected the earnings will go beyond Sh3 billion after the introduction, later this year, of the smartcard for use in paying bills. Kenya wildlife safari
“This will seal all loopholes and bring out more accountability to the management of this popular destination,” he said.
Narok and Trans Mara county councils earn more than 80 per cent of their revenue from the wildlife resort.
The local authorities gain from the reserve by charging gate entries, royalties in the lodges as well as balloon settings and airplane landings. Masai Mara balloon safari