Hi Paula and Birdnetters. Though I have not been actively
participating in this debate, I have been keenly following because I
happen to have seen signs of encroachment as well along Ongata Rongai
road past that Lang'ata bypass. For sure, if we can push for KWS to
try and revise its startegies, I will be one of those giving
signatures to petition. What Paula has done is one step in the right
direction. NEMA director, Prof. Wahungu is a very interactive and
understanding gentleman. He is here for us and we are here for him.
Private conservationists have a better vision for the future if our
wildlife and are just the appropriate machinery to champion this.
Wonderful Paula!!
Silas

On 2/9/14, Brian Finch <birdfinch@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for your effort Paula,
> That is certainly very good news,
> Best for now
> Brian
>
> On 2/9/14, Pat and Maia Hemphill <pat_maia@bigame.com> wrote:
>> Well donePaula, that is great news.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Maia Hemphill
>>
>> On 7 Feb 2014 at 18:04, Paula Kahumbu wrote:
>>
>> To:	Tom Butynski <TButynski@aol.com>
>> Copies to:	Brian Finch <birdfinch@gmail.com>, R.BISHOP@cgiar.org,
>> wiegert@yahoo.com,
>> 	kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com, Geoffrey Wahungu <gmwahungu@gmail.com>,
>> jc@lubombo.net,
>> 	Graham.Kerley@nmmu.ac.za, jimfeely@xsinet.co.za
>> From:	Paula Kahumbu <pkahumbu@gmail.com>
>> Date sent:	Fri, 7 Feb 2014 18:04:21 +0300
>> Subject:	Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] URGENT: Nairobi Park forest and wildlife
>> 	threatened by ex...
>> Send reply to:	pkahumbu@gmail.com
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Good news, the NEMA boss just called me to tell me that after an
>>> inspection they issued a stop order as no
>>> EIA or stakeholder consultation has taken place. Hopefully this is a new
>>> opportunity to engage with and
>>> support KWS in improvements - afterall we are their customers and the
>>> rightful owners of the park.
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> Paula
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Feb 7, 2014 at 6:07 AM, <TButynski@aol.com> wrote:
>>>     Hi,
>>>
>>>     The following might be of interest. This from:
>>>
>>>     Re: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/4185/0 sent to me by James
>>>     Culverwell.
>>>
>>>     Tom
>>>
>>>     "While Kenya has not been a White Rhino range state in the last two
>>>     hundred years; evidence from fossils and cave paintings in Kenya and
>>>     northern Tanzania suggests that the White Rhinoceros, presumably
>>>     similar
>>>     to the northern race (C. s. cottoni), was widespread and a part of
>>> the
>>>
>>>     East African savanna fauna until 3,000 years ago or less (M. Leakey
>>>     pers. comm.), when it was probably displaced by pastoralists who
>>> could
>>>
>>>     easily kill such tame animals (Brett RA [ed] 1993). This is based on
>>> the
>>>     White Rhino subfossil documented by Maeve Leakey from 3,000 year
>>>     from
>>>     Rift Valley (Lake Nakuru area). Thus at one stage Kenya was once a
>>>     White
>>>     Rhino range state (subspecies unknown) and hence the White Rhino as
>>>     a
>>>     species but not C. s. simum as a subspecies has probably been
>>>     reintroduced to Kenya (with the latter being an introduction of a
>>>     probable out of range subspecies). A recent report of a white rhino
>>>     hunting trophy from Kenya in an Austrian Museum still has to be
>>>     confirmed but merits further investigation."
>>>
>>>
>>>     In a message dated 2/6/2014 9:33:45 P.M. E. Africa Standard Time,
>>>     birdfinch@gmail.com writes:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 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@yahoogrou
>>> ps.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
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>