Thousands of Flamingoes Back to Lake Nakuru in Kenya

Thousands of flamingoes back to Lake Nakuru in Kenya

NAIROBI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) — The world famous Lake Nakuru is alive again after over one million rare flamingoes which are a major tourist attraction flocked back, the Kenya News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Last year, flamingoes at the waterbody which forms part of the world-famous 188 square kilometer lake Nakuru national park migrated to lake Natron in Tanzania. Others moved to Kenya’s lakesBogoria, Magadi and Elementaita, leaving Nakuru with less than 500,000.

The massive flights by the birds was attributed to severe shortage of natural algae food chain on which they mostly depend since the water mass had drastically reduced due to prolonged drought.

Thousands of the flamingoes died during the year 2005/2006. Experts attributed the death to pollution from overflow of sludge from a nearby sewerage and runoff filth from the town and estates.

The death of the birds and the massive migration which reduced flamingoes population gave scientists who carry out research at the park,environmentalists, hoteliers and other stakeholders sleepless nights as they feared the lake and tourism activities were on their death beds.

But a spot-check by KNA on Tuesday revealed the lake’s water mass has tremendously increased and its flamingoes population shotup to over on million birds.

According to the park’s deputy warden Paul Opiyo, all the four rivers and a spring which had almost dried up three years ago are now flowing and pouring into the lake since May this year when thelong rains set in thereby increasing the lake’ s volume of water and food for the birds.

Apart from flamingoes, the 188 square kilometer park has over 400 other species of birds and over 50 species of wild animals among them black and white rhinos whose population has risen to 64and 46 respectively since the initial handful animals were imported from South Africa in the 1990′s.

Opiyo said lake Nakuru national park situated on the outskirts of Nakuru town is the second most visited wildlife sanctuary in Kenya after Maasai Mara. Nakuru, he added. receives an average of 900 visitors in a day.

The officer said like foreign tourists, the number of domestic visitors was on the increase especially from local schools and other learning institutions.

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