Aberdare National Park
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Aberdare National Park
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 Entrance to Aberdare National Park |
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| location | Central Kenya | |
| surface | 766 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 756 | |
| Geographical location | 0 ° 23 ' S , 36 ° 42' E | |
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| Setup date | 1950 | |
| administration | Kenya Wildlife Service | |
The Aberdare National Park (also Nyandarua National Park ) is located in the highlands of central Kenya at 2000 to 3999 m above sea level, about 100 km north of Nairobi . The national park got its official name after the discoverer of the region, Lord Aberdare , a former president of the Royal Geographical Society .
location
The national park has an area of 766 km². It is located in the immediate vicinity of the Nyandarua Mountains and consists of the Aberdare Range , a mountain range of volcanic origin that extends from north to south, and its eastern, densely forested foothills.
landscape
Between the two largest peaks, Ol Donyo Lesatima (also Ol Doinyo La Satima ; 3999 m) and Kinangop (3906 m), a saddle of alpine heathland runs at an altitude of over 3000 m . In addition to the high moor areas, there are bushland and mountain forest including bamboo . Gorges with streams and waterfalls cut through wooded slopes in the east and west. It is an important water catchment area for the Tana and Athi rivers .
You can go on safari in the national park, but you have to be guided. There are also camps and lodges in the national park. Special attractions of the park are the waterfalls Karuru, Gura, Chania and Magura.
climate
The weather is dominated by fog and rain for most of the year. Heavy rains often occur, with rainfall between 1000 mm per year on the north-western slopes and 3000 mm per year in the southeast.
Wildlife
The animal world is not particularly rich in species. There are bongos , buffalo , bush and waterbuck as well as bush and giant forest pigs . The black rhinoceros is not yet completely eradicated here. With a little luck you can also see black panthers (black colored leopards ).
Elephants
The elephants at the height of the Nyandarua Mountains are quite shy. They use the bamboo, tree heather and other dense bushes as cover. In the eastern part of the park called Salient, around the Treetops and The Ark lodges , the elephants are used to people. In 1973 and 1976 3,000 elephants are said to have lived in Aberdare National Park, compared to 2,000 in 1987. Poaching is under control. Deep trenches prevent the elephants from leaving the park as they would be pursued in the outlying populated and agricultural areas.
history
The dark, damp forests of the area served as a shelter for the Mau Mau guerrilla movement from 1947 to 1956 .
literature
- Wally and Horst Hagen: The African national parks as habitats for elephants . In: Vitus B. Dröscher (1990): Save the Elephants of Africa (p. 229)
Web links
- World Database on Protected Areas - Aberdare National Park (English)
- Kenya Wildlife Service - Aberdare National Park ( September 23, 2012 memento in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kenya Wildlife Service - Aberdare National Park ( Memento from September 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English)