The lake continues to rise, and in the last few days, the water level has risen to just below the mess.

Nature walks for kids. Georgina is well and happy with her 3 babies.

Rescued Ostrich, George, has been filmed swimming in lake Baringo in Kenya's Great Rift Valley.

George was recently moved from Roberts' Camp on the western shores of Lake Baringo to a more natural environment on Longicharu Island's Ruko Conservation Area.

We now have Kimana Tuller helping Ross and Caro out at Samatian.

She was brought up on the Kenyan coast and is a fun and energetic character, a great host and fabulous cook.

Last year we had a generous donation of 5,000 US$ from the Kushell family to help build a new class room at the local primary school on Ol Kokwa Island.

A 10ft Python was found on Longicharo, where it had eaten a newborn impala. On 29/06/2011.

Fred and Charlie were given the task of catching and moving the python to a new location.

Five impala have been born in the last two weeks. Which brings the population up to seventeen.

The population on the mainland are also doing really well and the rangers count is in excess of 100 Impalas.

The 8 Rothschild giraffe, translocated to Ruko in February, have settled in well and are in good health.

We often see them from the boat or by canoe near the lake shore.

George the ostrich was rescued from a dog and has been living at Roberts’ camp on the edge of the lake.

On 22/06/2011 we decided that he was big enough to be released into the conservancy.

A local schoolboy found an abandoned Duiker, and nursed it back to health. It is fed a diet of goats’ milk, and is very friendly and playful.

The boy was invited with his class of thirty to visit Ruko and have at look at the Duiker’s eventual home and see the Baringo Giraffe and Impalas.

Charlie Beeching and Fred Pilkington have just run the Lewa marathon with Ross in support of Ruko, and have raised in excess of £6,500 for the project. This will go towards covering the monthly overheads of employing sixteen rangers and also contribute to the translocation of twelve zebra in the near future.

Samatian Island Lodge, a part of The Safari and Conservation Company, The Kenya Wildlife Service and The Northern Rangelands Trust today announce a first for conservation in Kenya as eight Baringo Giraffe, a sub-species that have not existed in their native area of Lake Baringo for over 70 years, were  finally brought home.

It was sun, fun, friends and romance under clear blue skies to celebrate the holidays and bring in the new year at Samatian Island in December!

Rachel commissioned a fancy new Gadditch to be crafted by the locals for Chris' birthday in December.

A Gaditch is a small fishing boat crafted from the Balsa wood that is found in abundance around Baringo.  The local fishermen Paddle effortlessly over the lake throughout the day.  The staff, ready with their own personal watercraft, decided Chris needed a lesson in gaditching and a challenge was born.

We have built a new mess area. It is now more spacious and built using doum palm thatch which we acquired locally after teaching the local community how to make it. After a month of renovations we have completely re-built one of our cottages.