[Walk in the park] Kenya's first national park has a backdrop like no other

Diplomacy

Published: 04 Jan. 2023, 18:44

[Walk in the park] Kenya's first national park has a backdrop like no other

Elephants and ostriches spotted at the Nairobi National Park. The photo was provided by the Global Alliance of National Parks to the Embassy of Kenya in Seoul. [GLOBAL ALLIANCE OF NATIONAL PARKS]

Kenya’s first national park, located in its capital Nairobi, was born out of a need to ensure wildlife a haven from encroaching human development.

Open to the public from 1946, the park is symbolic of the Kenyan commitment to protect its wilderness amid rapid urban developments, and its unique skyline featuring gazelles and zebras grazing against the backdrop of skyscrapers speaks for itself.

“We are a developing country, where a high-rise that didn’t exist today, exists tomorrow,” said Mwende Mwinzi, ambassador of Kenya to Korea, speaking with the Korea JoongAng Daily recently at the embassy in Seoul.

“The park is the only sanctuary in the world where wild animals roam freely next to a bustling metropolis,” she added. “Its ecological health is indicative of the country’s efforts to preserve Africa’s vanishing wildlife.”

Ostrich spotted at the Nairobi National Park. The photo was provided by the Kenya Wildlife Service to the Embassy of Kenya in Seoul. [KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE]

Over the decades, Kenya has designated more natural reserves for protection, but its elephants, lions and rhinos today face yet another crisis.

The Kenyan government announced in November that over 200 elephants died in Kenya between February and October due to the ongoing drought, the worst to hit East Africa in 40 years. The drought is one of several climate-related disasters observed with growing frequency around the world in recent years.

“Africa has always had drought, but not as frequently and not as long,” said Mwinzi. “It’s a problem that I'm really hoping countries like Korea who have effectively become leaders when it comes to matters on climate change can address together with Kenya.”

The wilderness of Kenya has inspired and captivated writers, musicians and even princes. It was in one of the country's wildlife sanctuaries that Prince William of Wales proposed to Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales.

It was his time spent in the reserve in Nairobi that inspired Isak Dinesen to write his timeless novel adapted into the movie, “Out of Africa.”

Kenyan Ambassador to Korea Mwende Mwinzi speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the Embassy of Kenya in Seoul recently. [PARK SANG-MOON]

To hear about Kenya’s more than 40 national parks and wildlife reserves, and what is being done to help the wild stay sustainably wild, the Korea Joongang Daily sat down with Mwinzi at the Kenyan Embassy in Seoul.

The following are edited excerpts of the interview.

The Nairobi National Park was Kenya’s first national park when it opened in 1946. Can you tell us more about how it all began?

British colonists arrived in the area where the park is in the late 19th century. At this time, the Athi plains east and south of what is today Nairobi had plentiful wildlife. Nomadic Maasai lived and herded their cattle among the wildlife.

The conservationist Mervyn Cowie was born in Nairobi. Returning to Kenya after a nine-year absence in 1932, he was alarmed to see that the amount of game animals on the Athi plains had dwindled. Expanding farms and livestock had taken the place of the game. He later recalled this place as a paradise that was quickly disappearing. At this time, the area that would later become Nairobi National Park was part of the Southern Game Reserve. Hunting was not permitted in the reserve, but nearly every other activity, including cattle grazing, dumping, and even bombing by the Royal Air Force was allowed.

Cowie started to campaign for the establishment of a national park system in Kenya. The government formed a committee to examine the matter. Officially opened in 1946, Nairobi National Park was the first national park established in Kenya.

What can one see in Nairobi National Park?

The park boasts of a large and varied wildlife population and is one of Kenya's most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries. Wide open grass plains and a backdrop of the city scrapers, scattered with acacia bush play host to a wide variety of wildlife including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and diverse birdlife with over 400 species recorded. Visitors can enjoy the park’s picnic sites, three campsites and the walking trails.

A photo taken at the Nairobi National Park, provided by the Kenyan Embassy in Seoul. [EMBASSY OF KENYA IN KOREA]

When is the best season to visit?

The best time to visit Nairobi National Park is during the dry months, from July to October, and also January and mid-March. July has the lowest rainfall among all months of the year.

The Kenya Wildlife Service offers shuttle vans for touring the park at a fee. You can also reach out to travel and tour companies available at the Kenya Association of Tour Operators website to plan for your trip.

Since the Nairobi park’s opening, the country has seen dozens more parks and reserves designated for protection. Is there a way in which Kenyans are maintaining these reserves that speaks to the national identity of its people?

Upon attainment of independence in 1963, there was a strong move to establish national parks and reserves, and to promote wildlife safaris and recreation. Over the years, Kenyan communities have become increasingly engaged in ecotourism and wildlife conservation through the establishment of wildlife sanctuaries. Therefore, the existence and preservation of these parks speaks to the Kenyan community's love and respect for wildlife and its conservation.

A keeper feeds an orphaned baby elephant with milk from a bottle during feeding time, at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage near Nairobi on March 20, 2022. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

How is Kenya addressing the climate change’s drastic effects on its wildlife?

Kenya, with Korea, is one of the 12 countries that are signatories to the P4G [Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030], and I’m really hoping that other developed countries, those who have really caused climate change and made it what it is today, will put their money where their mouths are. Because no matter what countries like [Kenya] do, it will take a concerted effort to adapt to the changing climate. It is my understanding that the estimated annual adaptation needs are $160 billion to $340 billion by 2030. We need more partners on board.

For locals in Kenya, would a visit to the park be considered a casual weekend get-away, or would it be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of visit?

About 65 percent of our wildlife is owned personally or by local communities. So for these communities, the national parks and the wildlife within are like their own family members. They would safeguard them and fight poaching. But for others, there will be financial demands in terms of transportation to and from the parks. For residents close to Nairobi, it’s easier because the park is located in the city.

Photo taken on May 13, 2022, shows giraffes at Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

What is your first memory of a national park in Kenya?

I was about 12, and I remember it being extremely exciting. I remember going to the giraffes and feeding them the wax cakes. I was in awe, and I remember looking at their eyes and their really big, long eyelashes. It was a beautiful experience and one that I’ve tried to share with my children as well.

Do you have other parks you’d like to recommend?

For the avid birdwatchers, I recommend Lake Nakuru National Park, which has about 1,200 species of birds, it’s literally a birders’ paradise. There is also the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, which is where Prince William proposed to Kate. The place is so beautiful, and the staff, many of whom have been there for years, really care about the wildlife. They also have an organic garden, and visitors will get a glimpse of what it means to have a holistic approach to nature.

Photo taken on May 13, 2022, shows flamingos at the Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Kenya made a strong statement against poaching when its former president burned 12 tons of ivory in 1989. What’s the latest effort on anti-poaching?

In 1989, Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi burned 12 tons of ivory on a site within the [Nairobi] park. It sent the message across the world, that poaching and plundering our wildlife was not accepted.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is legally mandated to enforce Kenya’s wildlife laws and regulations. This mandate includes eliminating poaching in protected areas and reducing it to its bare minimum elsewhere. The agency’s law enforcement unit works closely with other law enforcement. Structured engagement of various law enforcement agencies, government institutions, local communities, customs, border control and immigration authorities, ranchers and other conservation stakeholders has intensified and is helping to implement specific security strategies to counter poaching threats and other wildlife crimes.

In this Sept. 4, 2017, file photo, pyres of ivory are set on fire in Nairobi National Park, Kenya. Kenya's president at the time, Uhuru Kenyatta, set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and more than 1 ton of rhino horn, believed to be the largest stockpile ever destroyed, in a dramatic statement against the trade in ivory and products from endangered species. [AP/YONHAP]

How is Kenya engaged regionally against poaching in Africa?

Regionally, Kenya’s cross-border collaboration with Tanzania and Uganda is targeting crimes of a transboundary nature and yielding results in combating illegal activities along shared borders. Kenya has been further supported by international and regional law enforcement bodies, such as the International Criminal Police Organization and the Lusaka Agreement Task Force, which have been instrumental in facilitating, coordinating and offering support with transnational crime.

The pandemic must have struck the Kenyan tourism business centered on national parks hard. How is this being addressed?

Let me give you an example in terms of the number of visitors to the Nairobi National Park: In 2019, the total number of visitors to Nairobi National park stood at 734,602. Since the pandemic, this dropped to around 200,000 people in 2020 and in 2021, the park reported 200,900 visitors. We are trying to recover the tourists, and especially from Korea, too, and we have been working on reigniting a direct flight between Seoul and Nairobi.

A family of African bush elephants move in single file in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy's savanna in northern Kenya near Isiolo on July 17, 2021 as Kenya Wildlife Services conducts a wildlife count.[AFP/YONHAP]