Cheetah cubs playing, Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya
IMAGE: GETTY
Paul Goldstein, guide, photographer and co-owner of Kicheche, a series of four camps rated Gold by Ecotourism Kenya, says: “Within the Maasai Mara National Reserve, overtourism is a genuine concern. This year, a report revealed that the breeding success of cheetahs in the Greater Mara is lowest in areas where tourist densities are highest. The author, Femke Broekhuis from Oxford University, is someone I know and respect. Nonetheless, the Mara is still the best place in Africa to see lots of wildlife in a relatively short space of time.
“There are significant differences between the government-run reserve and the privately-run and community-owned conservancies. In the conservancies, off-road driving and night drives are permitted, but there are limits on sightings. It’s in the reserve that congestion arises and species such as cheetahs suffer.