The history, geography and wildlife of Lewa Downs

The Craig family first came to Lewa Downs in 1922 and managed the area as a private cattle ranch for over fifty years.

Unlike many other ranchers in the area, the Craigs always valued the wildlife that shared the land with their cattle and, very early on, they started to develop wildlife tourism as an additional activity.

By the early 1980s the poaching of black rhinos in Kenya had reached epidemic levels, with numbers dropping from 20,000 to just 300 in a decade. It was clear that the only way to prevent their complete extermination was to create high security sanctuaries.

In 1983 the Craigs set up the Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary at the western end of Lewa Downs, taking in rescued and isolated animals from all over the region. It was a desperate last minute operation, but one which proved successful, with the project soon being extended to include white rhinos.

Over the years, as the rhinos bred, the need for more land increased and in 1995 the decision was taken to convert the whole area into the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, with the fence and security being extended around the perimeter. Gaps were deliberately left in the fence lines in order to not interrupt the natural seasonal migrations of various animals, especially the local elephants.

In 1997 the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 2010 William Prince of Wales proposed to Kate Middleton whilst staying at Lewa.

rewilded from colonial cattle ranches

At 220 square kilometres, Lewa Downs is a relatively small conservation area, but one which contains some very pretty landscapes, mostly comprised of open savanna over gentle hills, with stands of mature acacia forest and papyrus swamps along a central river system.

The area represents a critical buffer against the heavily populated and farmed upland areas to the south and serves as a vital wildlife corridor connecting the lush Mount Kenya ecosystem with the vast open ranges of the north.

a relatively small conservation area

The Lewa Downs area is well populated with a full range of wildlife, including lions and elephants, as well as being an important sanctuary for highly endangered species such as black rhinos, white rhinos, Grevy’s zebras and reticulated giraffes.

When it comes to predators, the area is home to around 50 lions, 100 spotted hyenas, 12 cheetahs and 20 leopards, supplemented by occasional visits by roaming wild-dog packs.

The riverine areas are home to rare semi-aquatic sitatunga antelopes (although these are probably not indigenous to this area and that the local lions might have wiped them out).

Of course the main reason for the reserve’s formation was rhinos. Starting out with just 15 black rhinos in 1984, by 2010 the reserve had become home to 72 black rhinos and 66 white rhinos, with over 20 animals having been exported to various wild reintroduction and captive breeding projects. In 2018 the total number of rhinos on the reserve was quoted at an impressive 169 animals.

The Grevy’s zebras are also of great note around here. The total world population of this very strippy mule-like creature is reckoned to be around 2500, of which 90% are in Kenya and 350 are here on Lewa, the largest single grouping.

Lewa Downs also represents a safe haven for elephants and hosts around 400 migratory animals around the year. The reserve does a lot of work in monitoring and protecting elephants across the whole region, including the building of an elephant underpass on the busy Meru-Nanyuki highway in order to maintain the important migration route up into the forests of Mount Kenya.

Other interesting local specialities are Beisa oryx, gerenuks and Somali ostriches.

unusual sightings like Grevy’s zebras and gerenuks