Borana Conservancy uses cattle as a rangeland management tool, the livestock plays a vital role in our conservation success story. Our creative livestock to market initiative enables our pastoralist neighbours to assemble and fatten steers on the conservancy, increasing value and supporting us to develop grazing management plans within Il’Ngwesi and Mukugodo forest.
Holistically managed cattle reduce moribund grass biomass, promote seed dispersal, increase the nutritional value of the grass and decrease the risk of bush fires. Improvement of rangeland benefits the plains game (such as zebra, gazelle, white rhino, impala etc.) who are naturally drawn to areas which are regularly grazed by livestock. With the plains game comes the predators and a balanced eco-system.
Each week the cattle are run through a spray race to rid them of ticks. This benefits the wildlife on Borana conservancy as the tick populations, along with the diseases they spread, are kept under control.
These cattle spend their first three years grazing the conservancy the cattle are grass fed holistically raised to maturity. They then move their way down to Waitabit Farm for a three month fattening and finishing programme. Once at their optimum weight of around 420kg or more the steers are sent to The Well Hung Butcher where the beef is expertly butchered and hung for 21 days to generate the most delicious flavour.
Waitabit Farm
The Well Hung Butcher
Waitabit Farm is the largest permaculture project in East Africa, run by Llewellyn Dyer. Nestled on the banks of the Ngare Ndare River to the East of Borana, it is an organic farm which provides fruit, vegetables and eggs to the all of the tourism properties within the conservancy, as well as to the rangers and all members of staff.
The main venture for Waitabit is free range, grass fed cattle which is expertly reared for flavour, taking the animal’s welfare into consideration, and supplied to The Well Hung Butcher.
Run by Jack Dyer, the Well Hung Butcher (WHB) is a state-of-the-art abattoir and meat processing facility located on Kisima Farm. The Butchery buys only the cleanest, antibiotic and hormone-free grass-fed beef which is then aged in a temperature-controlled environment for a minimum of 21 days before being custom cut to order for clients.
This conservation beef is served at all the properties across the Lewa-Borana Landscape as well as in fine dining establishments in Kenya’s towns and cities.