Hi Tom,
I believe that the Oribi came from the Krugers Farm at Eldoret some
years ago when the habitat was under threat. Oribi have not been a
native to the area, but of course are found both in the west and the
east where they are common at Kipini on the coast.
At least they are a native Kenyan mammal which cannot be said for White Rhino,
Best for now
Brian

On 2/6/14, Bishop, Richard (ILRI) <R.BISHOP@cgiar.org> wrote:
> Tom
>
> I don't believe that Oribi are native in the Nairobi. They are present in
> Mara (although possibly not common) and certainly common in Ruma NP. It is
> far from clear to me why they were introduced at all since unlike the
> exotic south African White Rhino they are not globally threatened
>
> Richard
> PS: We seem to see far less Black Rhino in in NNP these days. A few years
> ago ten in a morning was not unusual. Does anyone else have the same
> experience?
>
> Dr. Richard Bishop
> Principal Molecular Biologist
> International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
> P.O. Box 30709
> GPO 00100
> Nairobi
> Kenya
> Tel: +254(0)20 4223000 (switchboard) 4223359 (office)
> e mail: r.bishop@cgiar.org
> mobile: 0710 831 851
>
> From: kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com [mailto:kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com]
> On Behalf Of TButynski@aol.com
> Sent: Thursday, February 06, 2014 5:54 AM
> To: wiegert@yahoo.com; pkahumbu@gmail.com; birdfinch@gmail.com
> Cc: kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com; gmwahungu@gmail.com
> Subject: Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] URGENT: Nairobi Park forest and wildlife
> threatened by ex...
>
>
>
> Are Oribi Ourebia ourebi also an 'introduced species' to Nairobi National
> Park? I thought that this species was brought into NNP from SW Kenya (i.e.,
> O. o. cottoni).
>
> I am not aware of any earlier records of Oribi for the Nairobi area. Are
> there any such records?
>
> Tom
>
> In a message dated 2/4/2014 6:02:41 P.M. E. Africa Standard Time,
> wiegert@yahoo.com writes:
>
> Hi,
>
> I think it is interesting to find out who finances these projects.
>
> Wiegert
>
> From: Brian Finch<mailto:birdfinch@gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2014 10:43 AM
> To: pkahumbu@gmail.com<mailto:pkahumbu@gmail.com>
> Cc: kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com<mailto:kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com> ;
> Geoffrey Wahungu<mailto:gmwahungu@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] URGENT: Nairobi Park forest and wildlife
> threatened by expansion of Orphanage
>
>
>
> Dear Paula and all,
> This is horrifying, and shows why we have to keep an eye on actions
> taken by KWS in all sorts of their underhand manners, as you said in
> your previous correspondence they are so secretive in what they do. Of
> course what they do is completely illegal, and it's time that the
> conservationist minded public were fully aware of the mishandling of
> Nairobi National Park. It's so difficult nowadays to write anything
> complementary about KWS in Nairobi, but I suppose there must be
> something somewhere.
> From my own standpoint the integrity of Nairobi National Park as a
> reserve for native wildlife was breached when (and I am sure only for
> a tourist attraction) White Rhinos were introduced to the Park. As
> Kenya has never been the home for these beasts, (which I am very fond
> of by the way), they have as little right to call NNP home as House
> Crows in Mombasa, they are an exotic, never native to Kenya and should
> not have been introduced into what up to then was a natural ecosystem
> as far as mammalian species were concerned.
> Had the White Rhinos not had been introduced, we would probably not
> have had the associated problems that we have now, with them being a
> magnet to poachers. They can only bring us trouble and the time is now
> to relocate them in a safe area elsewhere.
>
> Do you know that on Sunday, with Fleur and some visitors, we were
> birding along the Cheetah Gate Road. We have always been exceedingly
> suspicious of the great area of land along the Mbagathi in that little
> visited SE corner, being fenced off. Whilst I don't think that
> anything honest from KWS has satisfactorily explained the fencing of
> this portion of the Park, now the road to Cheetah Gate has been
> blocked with the electric fence continuing across the road from the
> Cement Factory. This definitely looks like an Illegal Excision of a
> large part of the Park to me, what do others feel?
>
> Then of course there is the mystery fence at the back of Hyena Dam,
> another Excision?, and what about the Pylons????
> Best to all
> Brian
>
> On 2/3/14, Paula Kahumbu <pkahumbu@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear friends,
>>
>> I was horrified today to see that KWS have started fencing off a huge
>> piece
>> of the Nairobi National Park for the major expansion of the Nairobi
>> Orphanage. See attached photo. The fence follows the main road from the
>> entrance all the way to the club house - which is almost to the ivory
>> burn
>> site.
>>
>> I am writing to request that you help me to demand an immediate halt
>> these
>> plans. I have identified the following arguments; you may have others
>>
>> 1. Expanding the orphanage violates the very original purpose of the
>> orphanage - to home orphans and act as a half way house before they are
>> released. The orphanage was never intended as a zoo which is what it
>> seems
>> KWS wants to create. The Safari Walk on the other hand was created as a
>> zoo
>> - there is no need for two zoos in the same place in Nairobi. Moreover,
>> wilderness in the National Park should not be sacrificed for the creation
>> of or expansion of a zoo, instead a wholesome education experience
>> through
>> visitation to the park should be promoted as it is far more valuable.
>>
>>
>> 2. The area for expansion will require the destruction of a sizeable
>> piece
>> of Nairobi Park. We are not aware of any EIA having been conducted, nor
>> are we aware of any stakeholder consultation having taken place. As you
>> know, FoNNaP which is 19 years old, has always defended the park and
>> although our board meets regularly with the warden, there has been no
>> consultation of these plans, and we have not been informed of these or
>> any
>> other plans for developments in the park.
>>
>> 3. We believe that these developments are in violation of the management
>> plan of the park which is already out of date having expired a few years
>> ago. It is also therefore a violation of the new Act which requires parks
>> to have management plans that are developed through a stakeholder
>> consultative process.
>>
>> 4. The area of land that is being fenced off will result in the
>> destruction
>> of highly endangered tropical highland forest including habitats for
>> endangered add endangered species, as well as species of concern
>> including
>> lions, jackals, leopard, Crowned eagle (one of the only 2 nesting pairs
>> in
>> Nairobi nests in these trees), Suni, duiker, black rhino and forest hog
>> all
>> live in this part of the forest. I am sure there are also plants, birds
>> and other animals that will also be threatened. By degrading this habitat
>> and alienating it from the park the KWS will be violating the EMCA, and
>> failure to consult the stakeholders is in violation of the constitution.
>>
>> I have written to the Director KWS, NEMA Director and the CS to
>> respectfully request the immediate halt to the ongoing fencing of the
>> park,
>> as it is not too late to restore any damage already caused.
>>
>> I have also asked for an investigation to be initiated into how this
>> proposal was developed and passed without any stakeholder consultation or
>> EIA.
>>
>>
>> Please help by sending your own letter to the Cabinet Secretary, KWS
>> Director (Director@kws.org) and NEMA DG <gmwahungu@gmail.com>on this
>> issue
>> so that they can see how serious this is.
>>
>>
>> Kind Regards
>>
>
>