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SNAP SHOT
Monkey Business in Parliament
Are monkeys in Kiambu District affectionate to women? Kabete Member of Parliament (MP), Paul Muite, last week tickled the Kenyan Parliament when he pleaded with the Minister in charge of wildlife to deploy more rangers to his area to stem monkey menace. He regretted that monkeys ravaging crops are never afraid of women farmers but, instead, resort to gesturing towards them. "They have clearly shown they have no respect (for women). Once they see women, they point fingers to their heads and gleefully proceed to eat their crops" he told the house, noting that even old women are now forced to wear trousers to ward off the monkeys. On a point of order, Butula MP, Christine Mango, wondered whether it was in order for Paul Muite to suggest that monkeys have developed affection for women. Talk of monkey business in the house!!
On a serious note, all monkeys clearly distinguish between men and women and accord more deference to men whom they find more threatening. Women campers know this all too well as they often have to rely on men to chase monkeys away from their tents and picnics. In the same vein, males of some higher primates including baboons and chimpanzees noticeably exhibit some "emotional recognition" of human females. Whether that is affection for women is perhaps debatable.
NEWS WATCH
Salty Uproar over Flamingo's Nest
Fierce battle looms in East Africa pitting birds and environmentalists on one hand and Tanzania Government and an industrial firm on the other. Tata Chemicals, an industrial giant with vast commercial enterprises in East Africa, plans to set up a soda-ash plant on the shores of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania.
The project, as expected, has elicited sharp criticism from conservation fraternity who fear it could spell a death knell for the unique and most populous bird species, the lesser flamingo. The flamingos are highly gregarious and inhabit East Africa saline lakes where 90% of the world population lives. They have very stringent ecological requirements; hence they have no other known breeding ground except Lake Natron where more than 500,000 birds fly to nest, incubate and hatch every summer making Lake Natron a critical bottleneck to the bird's survival and for which it is a Ramsar Site.
Money or the Birds
The Tanzania Government has vowed to proceed with the project and dismissed its critics as "detractors" of the country's development, citing presence of such project on the Kenyan side at Lake Magadi. The impact assessment study of the project had identified potential positive impacts as increased business and employment for the local people and general economic benefit to the national economy.
But Britain's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds warns that the plan highly threatens flamingo with extinction. Locally, the Lake Natron Consultative Group associated with African Conservation Centre has launched a campaign to petition Tanzania Government and Tata Chemicals against the project. "This campaign aims at sending a message to those concerned that the environment is more precious than corporate profits; that community livelihoods are more critical than token jobs" says group in their lobby packed with similar clichés.
Should this project go on or not; do we go for the money or the birds? Share with us your views: bulletin@menengaiholidays.com
Travel Quote
"...I had ambition not only to go farther than any one had been before, but as far as it was possible for man to go..."
James Cook; pioneer explorer and navigator
DESTINATION - Meru National Park
Meru National Park - A Wilderness Reborn
The 870 square kilometres,Meru National Park straddles the equator in Central Kenya, 370 kilometres northeast of Nairobi. Along its western fringes rise the Nyambene Mountains, which serve as the source of the 13 permanent rivers that flow within the park. It is the presence of so much water in a predominantly arid ecosystem, together with dense swamps and riverine forests of fig trees, tamarinds and doum palms that make Meru such a unique and scenic park.
Sometimes called a "secret Aden", more than 300 species of birds, among them rarities such as Peter's fin foot and Pell's fishing owl, have been recorded. Common mammals in the Park include large herds of elephant, endangered Grevy zebra, leopard, cheetah, buffalo, lion, hippo, Beisa Oryx, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, lesser kudu, eland and others making it a haven for discerning visitor yearning for a true safari experience.
Sad History
In the late 1980s, insecurity flourished, turning Meru into a bandit territory which virtually annihilated wildlife populations. Rhinos were completely wiped out - only one survived in a 1989 massacre, in which the park's chief warden was also killed by poachers - while elephant numbers declined to about 250 in 1990. An aerial survey conducted in June 1999, estimated elephant numbers at a paltry 306 elephants, about 10% of the population that existed in the 1960s.
Infrastructure too collapsed. Once an ideal tourist destination, Meru was a favourite for the fastidious traveller and local residents with over 40,000 tourists going through its gates per annum in the early 1970s. However, with the illegal trade and civil disruption, Meru National Park was destroyed. Eventually, hospitality facilities closed and the park was totally bereft of visitors.
A New Beginning
In 2000, Kenya Wildlife Service embarked on a rehabilitation programme which has born fruit as Meru is alive again. Different wildlife species have been translocated to the park, to restock the park's biodiversity and restore the glory of the park as a leading safari destination. Endangered species that have been re-introduced include elephant, white rhino, Grevy zebra and bohor reedbuck.
Warm Welcome
Visitation has grown steadily since 1999 with tourist numbers exceeding ten thousand annually, up from barely 300 in 1993 when the park was all but dead. Meru Park now warmly welcomes to savour its natural grandeur.
Lodges in the park are:
Elsa Kopje - It is named after the lioness that was made famous by George and Joy Adamson in "Born Free". It comprises nine en-suite open-plan cottages. Every cottage is uniquely designed and crafted from the natural features of the hill. The main lodge also has its own pool with a view of the Meru Plains. Elsa is a real gem for the slightly upmarket travellers.
Leopard Rock Lodge - It is a fabulous safari lodge built on 3.5km2 of river frontage. Accommodation comprises of 15 romantic cottages overlooking a river and the Bisanadi Reserve. There is also a honeymoon cottage and five family cottages.
For the budget travellers, there are six new campsites which have been opened up, bringing to 13 the total number of existing campsites. In addition, two sets of self-catering bandas managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) are operational. Sky, it seems, is now the limit for Meru, which is steadily marching to full recovery.
Around and About
Associated destinations to Meru Park include Mt. Kenya National Park, Samburu Game Reserve, Lewa Downs and Sweet Waters, etc.
