This morning we drove across the conservancy to visit the Ol Pejeta anti-poaching K-9 unit. This was the activity I specifically voted for, and I was pretty giddy when we arrived.

They have several dogs, mostly bloodhounds along with one Belgian Malinois they are training for a nearby family, and a Spaniel that is trained to sniff out firearms and ammunition. They (the dogs AND the rangers) were incredibly friendly, and we had a chance to scuffle some ears and play with a few of them.

We learned a lot about how they are used – while they haven’t had any poaching in the last eight years (partly thanks to these dogs) they help local authorities with solving crimes and locating missing persons. They use them as part of their community building efforts – the more the surrounding communities buy into the mission of the conservancy, the better their results.

Murphy picked one of the dogs, Watson, to give us a demonstration of how they use scent to track humans, and I got to walk the dog on its lead out to where we staged the demonstration. The ranger complimented me on how I handled the very excited and energetic dog ( thanks Gina #PacWestK9!) which was a nice ego boost. Murphy and Ed went off into the brush to hide, and something we commented on later – the ranger with them had a large caliber semi-automatic with him… because we were outside the fenced area and out in the open. The demo was fun, the dog did a great job, and there was time for me to hang out with him some more before we left.

After returning to ‘camp’ for lunch and a rest, we headed out for lion tracking. Two vehicles with a ranger who was using a radio receiver to track a lioness. They put collars on two of the lionesses because one or both will be with, or frequently return to, the pride. That allows the rangers to monitor where the pride is located in regards to the livestock in the conservancy. Ol Pejeta Conservancy is one of the only conservation efforts integrating both wildlife, including large predators, and livestock.

We eventually found two lionesses, after pausing to watch some baby giraffes (!!!) and other animals. These lions were the opposite of fierce looking – mostly laying around saving up energy for snagging a pre- snooze snack (most likely warthog, or “lion sausage” as our guide called them). Even though there was more yawning than eating, these large cats move with a powerful ease and grace that is awe inspiring.