TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

WILDLIJ'E LAND USE AT THE ATHI RIVER, KENYA 833
monitor the comparative effects on grUllanda, and to measure the
offtake of meat and hides. NSF agreed to fund the project. A uniform
3OQ-acre plot of land at the Athi River ranch was fenced off
and divided down the middle. One side was stocked with gazelle,
the other with cattle, and the research began. Over a three-year
period, the results of the research answered a number of significant
questions.
From an ecological perspective, the effects on the range ofthe two
species were quite dissimilar. During the study period, grass cover
in the cattle enclosure was significantly reduced, climax vegetation
among grus species was reduced, and the IOU toward and around the
watering site was highly degraded. In contrast, there was 32 percent
more cover in the gazelle enclosure, 100 percent more climax species,
and no deterioration of the land.
Cattle clearly were affecting this semiarid rangeland. They are
water-dependent animals and must walk daily to water, trampling
vegetation underfoot and compacting the soils. Cattle also have
a specific food preference and cannot use vegetation evenly as do
game animals. Certain grass species are therefore eaten while other
nonpreferred species become entrenched, subsequently diminishing
the production quality of the whole.
Data indicated an advantage to gazelle production in terms of
leanmeat production per acre. Game animals have a higher ratio of
usable carcass to live weight than do cattle, thus providing 10 percent
higher usable care... Game animals usually have only 1 percent fat,
as opposed to more than 20 percent fat in cattle. Lean meat was thus
47 percent of the gazelle and only 32 percent of the cattle carcass; it
had no saturated fats and had not been injected with hormones. It
also was noted that indigenous animals spend far less energy than do
cattle in overcoming harsh environmental conditions such as disease,
drought, and sparse vegetation, and thus more energy is available for
growth.
SOME EARLY FINDINGS
In 1976, the author received a grant from the Lilly Endowment
for the large-scale application of his findings. The funding allowed
construction of an 8.5-foot fence around the 31-mile perimeter of the
ranch, a major undertaking that required 15 months to complete.
The fence enclosed more than 2,000 native animals representing 15
species.