Paul Kiprono Kirui

Paul was born in Kilgoris, in Trans-Mara district, an area which was part of the game dispersal areas of the Mara. His main occupation in his early years just like all the young boys in his village was to look after his family's goats. This was meant for boys within a certain age bracket and one would graduate to look after cows when a little older as this was considered more demanding as this involved taking cattle far away from home in the wilderness where you could encounter dangerous animals i.e. lions and wild dogs, which were found in these areas.

His experiences and encounters with wild animals when he was young provided him with an opportunity to grow up with wildlife knowledge. Elephants those days used to come around the village where he lived at night and ate any plants including vegetables in the garden, he would encounter Zebras, Impala, Eland, Rhino, and Giraffes etc. while herding cattle in the fields far from home.

It was at this period that he learnt   tracking, signs and alarm call interpretation in the bush as a necessity for survival in the bush. This skill has provided Paul an addition to his guiding techniques by interpreting the tracks, which really helps him find game easily. He has been able to work with the BBC Natural History unit as a special leopard tracker for the Big Cat Week and Big Cat Live programs since 2006.

He learnt his birds from that age, a skill which later boosted his birding knowledge. He is currently carrying out research on the vultures in Masai Mara game reserve in conjunction with the department of ornithology of the National Museums and the Peregrine Fund. This project was aired on BBC 1 during the Big Cat Live program in October 2008.

Paul never stopped perfecting his guiding knowledge, and among the colleges he attended for further studies are; The Kenya Wildlife Training Institute, Kenya Utalii College, Inkwazi Rangers' School in South Africa and numerous short courses in the relevant field.

He has worked as a guide for the last 15 years guiding many guests to different wilderness areas in Kenya and northern Tanzania. Most of this time was spent in the Masai Mara game reserve and he thinks no one else understands the Mara better. He did his bronze level in 1997 and silver in 2001. He is also a serious amateur photographer and his pictures appear in postcards, brochures and wildlife magazines in Kenya.

Contact:

Cell:     0721-905664
E-mail: paul.safariguide@gmail.com