Messages from Africa; Francis (FOX)

It is my pleasure to introduce Francis, known to many of us as FOX.  Each of my guides is hand picked for their attributes and value they add to the team. I use different teams of guides in different locations, even in the same country, to try to build the best team for each custom safari. I have always believed that my guide(s) and team is the most important tool I have in the field. I have worked with many of my guides across Africa for years and even a decade.

Francis brings out the best in me – he makes me want to be calm and on my best behavior, which is an important balance because with another guide we may be more like “bandits on the loose.”  It is all of us together, as a solid team, that makes for a big success in the field for my safari guest.

I hope you enjoy learning more about Francis; his scariest experience, favorite animal (same as mine),  favorite park, where he would like to travel, and more. He will receive the personal comments you leave for him on the post and I know he would love to hear from you.

Frances was on the first GPA team that brought food supplies, soap, mask, and COVID training to the Massai villages, and guardians of wildlife, along the southern boarders of  Amboseli National park. You can see  more photographs and video of him in the report of the distribution.

Thank you to Abigeal for authoring this interview with Francis.

Q. Share with us a little about your culture and what it was like growing up in Kenya

My name is Francis Wathika (a.k.a. Fox), and I am a safari guide by profession. I have been a member of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides’ Association since 2002. As you can see, I have some years in the profession. I come from the largest tribe in Kenya, known as the Kikuyu. I grew up in several different places. Actually, my childhood involved moving a lot due to the nature of my father’s job. I was born in Kitale, where we spent a few years, and after that we moved to Eldoret, to a place called Burnt Forest. By the time we got there, I was a little bit aware of what was going on, and this was my first introduction to the forest life because where my father worked was surrounded by the forest. This gave us and other boys from the area the opportunity on the weekends, after school, or on Sundays after church to visit the forest to experience the indigenous trees, plentiful bird life, and some animals. We saw lots of monkeys, which was really fascinating for all of us! 

Thereafter, my dad was moved to Nakuru, which also gave me an opportunity to visit my first park: Lake Nakuru National Park. This was in the early 1980s, and I was amazed by the number of flamingos that were there and very curious to know where they came from and what they do. I remember asking my parents a lot of questions, and I think that is where my interest in wildlife and nature started. At one time, my mother actually commented that it seemed like they must have known that I would love animals and nature when they named me Francis, just like St. Francis. After that, we moved to other towns, went to Nairobi and spent some time there, and then moved to Ruiru.

Aside from the fact that we spent a bit of time in the forest, we were mostly confined in towns. But the passion of being out in the wild, in the forest with free space, was fascinating for me and impacted my love for nature. I believe I love conservation and nature more than anything else. I am glad that I am still following my passion, and it will be with me for the rest of my life.

Q. What made you decide to go into tourism and be a guide? 

When I finished my secondary education, I had a passion for engineering and how machines work. I took a course in motor vehicle engineering, and that was my first course which I did to Diploma level. Little did I know that it would take me back to my original passion, because after finishing college I found a job and was posted to Samburu. I did not know much about Samburu, but I took the offer and was not disappointed. I would say I was amazed, for when I went there, my passion for nature came back, and I remembered my early childhood walking in the forest and seeing all the birds, trees, and animals there.

That experience helped me realize that I could still move on with my passion for nature and conservation. While I worked there, I discovered that they conduct nature walks, and I learned how the lodges operate. I figured that I could do more than just the job that took me there. I started doing walks with the veteran guides who were there, and they would show me all the native birds and animals. Gradually, the passion came back, and I decided to go deeper into it.

I enrolled in a course, which I passed well, and the management saw my interest and passion and started moving me to the guide department. Within a short time, I was back to doing what I love most, which is being with nature and promoting conservation. I knew I would do much better being a guide, which is how I became a guide until now.

Q. What is your favourite animal and why?  

My favourite animal…that is a question that is always very hard for me to answer because I love all animals and believe all animals are supposed to be in nature. Diversity makes nature what it is; it makes nature complete. Apart from that, I really love observing the elephants, because over time I have been able to observe that elephants can teach us a lot. They communicate very well and have a very strong bond with their group and their families, which I believe humans can learn a lot from. Maybe we should behave more like them, which is why I would say elephants are my favourite.

Q.What is your favorite park and why?

Maasai Mara is great for the migration. Everyone knows about the river crossings and the big herds of animals which make it almost at the top. I would also say Samburu is one of my favourite parks. I love it partly because it’s where I started my guiding career, but apart from that, the scenery is amazing. Coming really close behind those two would be Tsavo East, which is still very wild, and Meru, which is also very wild. When you are there, you have the feeling of being in the wild and close to nature, which is really fascinating for all of us, especially me.

Q. What has been your favorite sighting and why?

My favourite sighting…after all these years being out in the wild, it is very difficult to choose just one. But I will say one particular thing that stands out even now, which is still really hard to comprehend, is a time in the Mara. We know leopards are mostly solitary. You may see the females with the cubs or a mating pair, but at one time, I saw five leopards together as a family. It’s still very hard to believe, but yes, I saw them. Eventually, I learned what happened. We had a favourite leopard we knew about, Olive, who had two young cubs. Sometimes, one of her older, female cubs would come and stay with the little ones and ‘babysit.’ The mother allowed her to come and play with the little ones. At this time, Olive had actually made a kill, and her older son had come to share. He wanted to share the meal with her, so she stood her ground. We saw her sitting next to the kill with the older son and the older daughter, who was babysitting the little ones. That is how they were all in one place. I have never seen anything like it before, but of course with nature you never know—maybe it was my one chance to see that.

Q. What has been your scariest moment in the field? 

The scariest moment was one time when I picked clients from the airstrip at the park. I met them and discovered that they did not speak any English. We communicated with signs, and I welcomed them to the jeep and started driving towards the camp. On the way, we found a herd of elephants grazing very close, so we were excited. This was their first time in the country seeing that. I switched off the engine, and the next thing I knew the door was open and they were all out. I was trying to tell them not to go out, and since we could not communicate in English, they did not understand what I was saying, and they opened the door and stepped out. I was very scared, and the elephants were also aware that they were out. They went into charging mode. I had to alight and pull the visitors back into the car. It was a really intense moment with the elephants, as you could tell they were not happy. I showed the people back to their seats and tried to let them know they needed to remain seated and not leave the vehicle, and we proceeded on to the camp. Luckily nothing bad happened, but it was very scary.

Q. What is your favourite part about being a guide? 

I would say a favourite part of being a guide for me is when I am able to pass on impactful information about nature to visiting clients. I love that I am able to teach them and show them what is going on, and they are able to appreciate what we have in our parks and reserves: the tribes, the history and the heritage.

Q  Outside of Kenya, what three places are at the top of your list to visit and why?

Outside of Kenya, I would love to visit Yellowstone National Park, since it was the first National Park established in the world. I have always wanted to understand what it is that made humans establish a national park at that time.

I would love to see the Gorillas, our closest relatives as they say, in Bwindi National Park, as well.

The third would be Victoria Falls. Watching the documentary, ‘The Sound that Thunder’ made me want to experience the magnitude of those falls.

Q. What has life been like over the past month in quarantine? 

The last few months have been difficult for everyone, me included, because of COVID-19. It has changed our lives in a very big way. Apart from our livelihoods being interrupted and everything else that is going on, the fact that we are not able to move freely is really worrying. We are used to travelling in different parts of the country and parks. Now, being confined in one area is not fun. However, we are hopeful that things will improve soon, and we will overcome and move on to the next level. Until then, I will stay safe. I hope the country will let us go back to travelling soon. I hope that everyone remains safe, and I wish you all the best. Thank you!