The article will briefly describe the Kenyan National Park "Lake Nakuru": its location, history, main attractions. This is a unique area that is home to many rare and endangered species that need protection.
General information, creation history
Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya received its status in 1968. But already a few years before that, in 1960, a nature protection area was created here. This was due to the fact that many pelicans and flamingos live in these places. Other species also came under protection in the national park: white rhinos, giraffes, leopards and lions, etc. Subsequently, the territory was further expanded to cover the distribution range of black rhinos, which also need protection and protection from poachers. To date, their population is not as numerous as white rhinos, and this measure was necessary.
There are more than 450 bird species in Lake Nakuru National Park alone.
Description of the area
Ecosystem of Lake Nakuru National Park, photos of which are presented inarticle, is concentrated, as you can understand, around the lake of the same name. It is one of the natural reservoirs located along the East African fault zone of the earth's crust. The area of the park is 188 square kilometers, and directly on the water surface itself - about 40. The lake is located northwest of the Kenyan capital Nairobi (the distance is 157 kilometers), in the southwestern part of the country, not far from the city, which is also called - Nakuru. It is the fourth largest city in Kenya.
The lake itself is located at an altitude of 1759 meters above sea level. This is one of the highest mountain reservoirs. The Nakuru basin is about 1,800 square kilometers. It receives most of the water of two large rivers - Nderit and Nyiro. The maximum depth of the lake is no more than three meters. Its water is s alty.
The landscape surrounding the lake is not too bright. The park is located on a flat area surrounded by low hills. The shores of the lake are overgrown with herbaceous vegetation, and forests begin a little further away. The very name of the reservoir in translation from the Maasai language means "dusty".
In addition to the animals and birds, which will be discussed later, the park also has unique landscape areas.
Menengai Volcano
An extinct volcano called Menengai is a famous landmark of the national park. Once this area, according to scientific data, was volcanic. At present, only individual geysers remind of underground activity. Some volcanic craters filled with water. This contributed to the fact that the water of the lakeNakuru has strongly alkaline characteristics, and not all living organisms can exist in such an environment.
The giant caldera of the extinct Menengai volcano is located at an altitude of 2 kilometers 278 meters above sea level. Its diameter is 8-12 kilometers. You can walk up the trail to its edge. At the bottom of the caldera, at a depth of about 500 meters, there is a valley surrounded by sheer walls. The last volcanic eruption, according to scientific data, took place in 6050 BC. In addition to it, a beautiful view of the lakes Nakuru and Bokoria opens from the edge of the caldera.
This is the second largest volcano crater on our planet.
Species of birds
As mentioned above, initially the territory received the status of a protected area in order to preserve the number of unique species of birds living here. The lake is best known for its nesting flamingos. These are the largest concentrations of these birds, and during the nesting period, about one and a half million individuals can live on Lake Nakuru! In addition to flamingos, pelicans live here, which can gather here up to half a million during the season.
A large number of birds survive on the reservoir due to its unique ecosystem, which includes the blue-green algae Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis. Together with small crustaceans, they form the basis of the flamingo diet. In addition to these birds and pelicans, several species of herons, spoonbill, yellow-billed stork, cormorants, hammerheads,marabou, vultures, screamer eagles, etc.
Animals
A large number of animal species are represented in Lake Nakuru National Park (56 mammals alone). These are the white and black rhinoceros, impala antelope, Ugandan giraffe, waterbuck, African buffaloes, predatory mammals, various reptiles and others already mentioned above.
The white rhinoceros is the largest in the Rhinoceros family. It occupies the fourth place in size among land animals, only three types of elephants are larger than it. The mass of male champions at a mature age can reach five tons, although it is usually more modest (2-2.5 tons). In height, the animal grows up to 1.6-2 meters. The total number of white rhinoceros today is about 20 thousand.
Black rhinoceros - somewhat smaller, grows up to 1.5-1.6 meters with a weight of 2-2.2 tons. This species is even smaller than the white rhinoceros, and today the total number of individuals is about 3.5 thousand, while in the late 60s of the twentieth century there were more than 13 thousand. Unfortunately, its Cameroonian subspecies, Diceros bicornis longipes, has been officially declared extinct since 2011.
At the end of the last decade, about 70 white rhinoceros and more than 40 black rhinoceros lived in "Lake Nakuru", a national park.
The Ugandan giraffe, or Rothschild, is the rarest species of giraffe. All known individuals live in the national parks of Kenya and Uganda, including Lake Nakuru. All of them inno more than 700 remained in nature. The population was moved to the Lake Nakuru National Park for its conservation from western Kenya.
Waterbuck is a fairly prosperous species in terms of numbers, which, according to the Red Book, is “under little threat”. During their stay in the national park, their numbers have grown significantly, and today this is one of the most common animals here.
Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas can be named among predators living in the park. These include baboons, which live in trees near the lake and often hunt flamingos.
From the reptiles there are many lizards of various, including very bright colors. The park is home to many pythons, which can be seen in the wooded area hanging from or resting on tree branches.
Tolerance for tourists
The nearest airport to the park is in Nairobi. The park is easily accessible via the highway that connects the Kenyan capital and Kampala, the capital of Uganda, as this road passes through its territory.
The territory of the park is fenced. It is strictly forbidden to move along it on your own, except for specially equipped viewing platforms. Tourists move around the park in jeeps. To enter its territory, foreign citizens need to pay 80 dollars (students and children - 40). You can also stay overnight here. The choice of options is quite large: from expensive hotels tocheap campsites.
Interesting facts
Traditionally, Lake Nakuru is considered s alty, but in the 1990s, its salinity dropped sharply. Subsequently, it was restored, but in its different parts it still has different meanings.
The horns of black rhinos that live in the national park can reach gigantic proportions. So, in one of the females named Gertie, the horn grew to 138 centimeters. For 6-7 years, he grew by about 45 centimeters.
In closing
The Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya, briefly described in the article, performs an important conservation function, helping to preserve rare species of animals and birds. The reservoir itself is protected by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. This allows us to hope that the park will continue to be home to endangered fauna, and this will increase their populations.
