Common description
Lake Nakuru National Park is located in Central Kenya, 140 km northwest of Nairobi, in Rift Valley near Nakuru. The park is located around Lake Nakuru and covers an area of 188 km². Nakuru Lake National Park was originally established as a bird sanctuary in 1960 and in 1968 was granted National Park status. The park's ecosystem is centered around a lake surrounded by meadows and shrubs. The park is home to about 56 different mammal species, including the white rhino, and about 450 bird species.
The basis of the park's food chain is the blue-green algae of Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis, which feeds on a huge amount of flamingos. During the peak season, more than 1.5 million flamingos and half a million pelicans gather on the lake and the surface of the shallow lake is sometimes difficult to see because of the masses of pink. Due to this, the park has gained worldwide popularity. The number of flamingos on the lake varies throughout the year depending on the water in the lake and the food. Also quite interesting is the area around the lake, which is home to many animals including rare white rhinos.
The park has recently been expanded to preserve the black rhino population, which in turn has required fencing of the area to protect animals from poachers (not to restrict their movement). In the southeast, the park is bordered by the Soysambu Conservation Area, which is a possible future expansion of the rhino habitat and the only remaining wildlife corridor to Lake Naivasha.
In 2009, the park had more than 25 black rhinoceros (one of the largest populations in the country) as well as about 70 white rhinos. The park also houses a Ugandan giraffe displaced for security purposes from western Kenya in 1977. Water goat is very common in the park. Of the predators are present lion and leopard, the latter of which has been observed much more recently. The park also contains large sized pythons that live in dense forests and can be seen crossing the road or hanging from trees.
In addition to flamingos in the park, there are many other species of birds that live near the lake and in the thickets of trees: a screaming eagle, a giant heron, a hammerhead, a small poached frost and a Kafr eagle.
The basis of the park's food chain is the blue-green algae of Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis, which feeds on a huge amount of flamingos. During the peak season, more than 1.5 million flamingos and half a million pelicans gather on the lake and the surface of the shallow lake is sometimes difficult to see because of the masses of pink. Due to this, the park has gained worldwide popularity. The number of flamingos on the lake varies throughout the year depending on the water in the lake and the food. Also quite interesting is the area around the lake, which is home to many animals including rare white rhinos.
The park has recently been expanded to preserve the black rhino population, which in turn has required fencing of the area to protect animals from poachers (not to restrict their movement). In the southeast, the park is bordered by the Soysambu Conservation Area, which is a possible future expansion of the rhino habitat and the only remaining wildlife corridor to Lake Naivasha.
In 2009, the park had more than 25 black rhinoceros (one of the largest populations in the country) as well as about 70 white rhinos. The park also houses a Ugandan giraffe displaced for security purposes from western Kenya in 1977. Water goat is very common in the park. Of the predators are present lion and leopard, the latter of which has been observed much more recently. The park also contains large sized pythons that live in dense forests and can be seen crossing the road or hanging from trees.
In addition to flamingos in the park, there are many other species of birds that live near the lake and in the thickets of trees: a screaming eagle, a giant heron, a hammerhead, a small poached frost and a Kafr eagle.
Nakuru on map
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