Poachers shoot rhino dead in Nairobi park

Gunmen shot dead a white rhino in Nairobi's national park, a brazen raid in one of Kenya's best guarded sites, wildlife officials have said.

Amid a surge of rhino and elephant killings across the country, the shooting of the rhino in the heavily guarded Nairobi National Park illustrates how poachers are decimating the country's large animals.

10 things you probably didn’t know you can do in Kenya

Beasts of the Serengeti, exchanging pleasantries with the Maasai, camping out in the bush amid the acacias and elephant dung.
When it comes to activities in Kenya you might think you’ve heard it all before.
Unlikely.
Read on for some lesser known experiences in Kenya.

1. Breakfast with giraffes

Eggs, OJ and a very long straw coming up.

Tea, toast and a dash of giraffe slobber. The large windows of the sunroom at Giraffe Manor are wide open, allowing some guests to pop their heads in, rather than take a seat.

Red flag raised over declining game numbers

Poachers have killed at least 137 elephants and 24 rhinos in the last seven months amid global concerns over trade in game trophies.

Conservationists have expressed fears that Kenya’s elephants could be wiped out by poaching in 10 years, unless urgent measures are taken to end the crisis.

Kenya Wildlife Service director William Kiprono said half of the endangered species were killed in the Tsavo conservancy area where poachers masquerade as herders from adjacent ranches.

Latest killing

The latest killing was on Saturday after a male elephant was speared to death in the Lemek hills in Narok West.

The Mau Forest Complex

Turaco Hartlaubi

Soon after the formation of the grand coalition government in 2008, Kenyans were treated to a series of environmental battles with the former Prime Minister Hon. Raila Odinga set at stake to evict the Mau inhabitants. His move to have the inhabitants kicked out of the forest was not seen as an environmental approach to conserving one of the largest water towers in the Lake Victoria basin but as a political move against the Rift Valley residents.

Hotels Report Impressive Tourist Arrivals

After a lull in international tourist arrivals following the March 4 General Election, there has been a surge of visitors who have hit an all-time high this year.

Bookings have shot up at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve and at the Coast, Mt Kenya and Rift Valley regions. This welcome turn of events is attributed to the peaceful election campaign and the ushering in of the Jubilee government.

Introduction

The demise of Prof. Wangari Maathai saw Kenya and the world at large lose an environmental hero. The gap left by the late professor has not yet been refilled as most of the environmentalists today are out either to make money or earn fame in crooked ways. It is amazing to see that environmentalists get into politics not to use their positions to promote environmental stewardship, but to use their positions to go against the environment.