Shaba National Reserve
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Shaba National Reserve
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| location |
Isiolo County , Kenya
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| surface | 239 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 2427 | |
| Geographical location | 0 ° 39 ′ N , 37 ° 50 ′ E | |
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| Setup date | 1974 | |
The Shaba National Reserve (English: Shaba National Reserve) is a nature reserve in Isiolo County in Kenya . It is 239 km² and lies east of the road from Isiolo to Marsabit , 314 kilometers from the state capital Nairobi . It is less than 1000 meters above sea level, apart from some mountains that reach 1500 meters. The Shaba National Reserve belongs to the same ecological area as the Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves a few kilometers to the west . It was established in 1974.
It is characterized by drought with annual precipitation of less than 400 millimeters. The hilly landscape is mainly covered by open grassy areas and dry bushland. Only the Uaso Nyiro , which flows through the Shaba National Reserve on its way from the Lorian Swamp to the Chanler's Falls and forms its northern border, is lined by a narrow gallery forest with Doum palms and acacias . There are also some mountains covered with dry bushes. The Shaba National Reserve takes its name from the 1525 meter high Mount Shaba, a volcanic mountain that became extinct about 5000 years ago. It is located on the border of the reserve.
The Shaba National Reserve is known for its reticulated giraffes , Grevy's zebras and giraffe gazelles . Additional possible zebras , two Dikdik- and several antelope species - including oryx , Grant's gazelles , cliff divers and waterbuck , hyrax , Geierperlhühner and ostriches before. Lions , leopards and cheetahs live here on large predators , but no spotted hyenas . The elephant populations are no longer constant. In 1973 there were 2,500 animals in the Shaba, Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserves, compared to only 531 in 1976/77. Sometimes herds of elephants migrate from the north. These are noticeably more shy than their local counterparts, who are used to the particularly pronounced mass tourism here. The area is suitable for elephants due to the year-round water-bearing Uaso Nyero. But since the late 1970s it has occasionally dried up because too much water is withdrawn for agricultural purposes upstream. The elephants then dig for water in the river bed of the Uaso Nyero, which has dried up for a few weeks, but if the annual amount of water in the river continues to decrease, the area will no longer be suitable for elephants.
Joy Adamson , who made the Shaba National Reserve famous, was murdered here.
literature
- Wally and Horst Hagen: The African national parks as habitats for elephants . In: Vitus B. Dröscher (1990): Save the Elephants of Africa (pp. 229–230)