BY WILL KNOCKER:
Of 250 gazelles counted in the park in February, 74 were Grant’s Gazelles -locally known as ‘oloibor siadi’ or ‘white bums’ as this slightly out of focus pic shows ….
Now fairly widespread over the park (the figure above is a minimum), this sp. is an indicator of short-grass plain habitat.
Grantis are favoured prey of cheetahs- which are the only creature capable of catching these fast & agile semi-arid adapted creatures
A buck, with no chetah to fear (only one male remains in NNP.)
Mostly does: notice large mob of zebra below. all pics taken in the Athi Basin….
Photos courtesy of SQUEAKS VAUGHAN:
It is hot & dry in the park: hot enough for the last wildebeest in the park & dispersal area to begin to wander into the Athi Basin.
The gnu (it is estimated there were once 100,000 of them in the Athi Kapiti Ecosystem) are down to 1,000 (1% of what once was -counted in NNP in 2009) & they usually stay well out of the Park in the Sheep & Goat Land adjacent to Kitengela town.
We saw about 150 in the Park. Will they breed inside the park this year??
Notice the “Dispersal Area” in the background: increasingly unsuitable for wildlife, though nearly all the zebra (4000 or so) go out in the wet season….this area is also a stronghold for gazelles……..
Last year’s calves: now yearlings……
Photos by DAVE McKELVIE:
Thanks to our resident lion tracker Dave McKelvie, here are some charming (& encouraging) images of newborn lion cubs in the park.
Sadly the general public are never told when lions are ‘lost’ ; that is are killed or wander out of the Park never to be seen again (presumed killed) but we do get reports now & then about wayward lions such as Gammyleg (a well known local lioness) killed by a vehicle on the Magadi Road on the western side of the Park…….
As far as I know only 1 (lioness) remains of her family of 4 (she & 3 adult cubs)…….
We do know there are no less than FIVE adult males in the park at the moment: there are some interesting social dynamics going on (all these lions are related!)
In these circumstances, new cubs are a real bonus & hope for the future & I would say that these little ones bring the park lion estimated total up to 30-35 individuals & they have plenty to eat in the current dry conditions, with much wildlife (especially plains zebra) in the park……
Photographs courtesy of Patrick Bourgeix:
Despite the bad news coming out of South Africa in particular & stories of an upsurge in rhino & elephant poaching in Kenya, here in the Nairobi Park, a long-time sanctuary for the East African sub-species of Black (Browse) rhino -micheallii- things are going well & here are photographs to prove it!
Above a cow & calf in the lower Kisembe valley….
There are at least 60 Black rhinos in NNP & 11 Northern White (Grass) rhinos translocated in from Lake Nakuru Park.
Below cow & calf on plain below Impala Observation Point….
Just 2 of the many calves in the park, spelling out a bright future for this wondrous species.
If you live in Nairobi, come out to visit NNP: USE IT OR LOSE IT!!
A count of the wildlife in Nairobi National Park was conducted by KWS on 1st August.
Here are the results & pictures of the species counted, which provide a MINIMUM estimate of what exists in total…..
Buffalo 309
Kongoni 287
Lions 6
Thomson’s gazelles 115
Plains zebra 587
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White rhino 3
Impala 409
Black rhino 12
Ostrich 88
Masai giraffe 102
Warthog 12
Grant’s gazelle 56
Eland 181
Waterbuck 13
Gnu 85
Bushbuck 4
Hippo 2
