The Nairobi Animal Orphanage (NAO)
is set to more than double its size in the coming months thanks to an elaborate
expansion project initiated by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) management two
years ago. http://www.kws.org/info/news/2014/20orphanage2014.html
The popular facility, located just
after the entrance to Nairobi National Park will increase its current acreage
of 2.36Ha (5.8 acres) by an additional 4.70Ha (11.6 acres). Already suitable
land have been identified, approved and an Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) conducted in consultation with stakeholders.
BACKGROUND
OF NAO
In fulfilling its mandate, KWS endeavors
to conserve wild animals in their natural habitats. This is a challenging task
and in some situations it becomes imperative that some animals be conserved
ex-situ in captivity.
Such animals include orphaned or
abandoned young ones which cannot survive on their own in the wild, severely
injured or sick animals whose survival in the wild is compromised after
recovery as well as animals held in breach of the law.
It is for this reason that the
Nairobi Animal Orphanage (NAO) was established in 1963 with the primary
objective of providing refuge and nurturing such animals.
A release strategy exists for
species that can be rehabilitated back to the wild. However, for species that
cannot be released back to the wild for diverse reasons such as homing
instincts, inability to fend for themselves and familiarity with humans which
would make them gravitate towards human settlements, the facility becomes a
permanent home for these individuals for purposes of nurturing them.
Besides serving as home to animals
in challenging situations, the presence of these animals at the NAO leads to
other critical uses. These include educating the public about wildlife and
their natural habitats, promotion of tourism, research geared towards enhancing
animal welfare as well as providing information that can be used to conserve sites, populations and raising funds to conserve wild living populations.
By virtue of its location and the
close interaction between animals and visitors, the facility has over the years
become a popular attraction for both local and international visitors.
This
is an excellent facility offering both local and foreign visitors a rare
opportunity to “interact” with wild animals in the city of Nairobi where the
facility is located within Nairobi National Park. Having been established more
than fifty years ago, NAO no doubts requires a modern face. In cognizant of
this, KWS management and the Board of Trustees in 2012 initiated a move to
expand the facility and address some of its shortcomings.
For example some animal enclosures
do not provide them with sufficient space, proper fortification and generally
an environment that mimics the wild habitat. Wild animals in captivity would
require these basic rights as much as possible for stimulation and expression
of their most natural behaviors.
Subsequently, some animals have been
known to develop abnormal behaviours such as pacing and rocking due to
inadequacies of these basic needs. We are working on the layout of the
enclosures to modify them to avoid a situation that brings stress to the
various species. A case in point is where some predator species such as the big
cats are housed next to or in the vision of hoofed stock and primates. This has
the potential to cause severe fear and distress to both groups.
NAO has in the recent past been
receiving increased number of animals to be nurtured in captivity, thus the
need to increase the acreage to accommodate the rising numbers. Currently we
are addressing the challenge of overcrowding which has resulted in several
animals being kept together in small sized enclosures. This has the potential
to cause stress in animals especially the less dominant ones through fear and
distress.
Additionally, overcrowding causes
conflicts and aggression among the animals. The issue of space is critical and
urgent measures have been put in place to construct properly planned enclosures
with appropriate and attractive layout to avoid congestion. The increased
visitation over the years without corresponding increment in space has resulted
to human congestion which can be stressful to the animals.
The
overall objective of the expansion and modernization project is to enhance
captive animal welfare and promote conservation education and awareness. The
specific objectives are to:
- Redesign the existing enclosures to internationally recommended standards to address spatial requirements
- Build additional and up to standard enclosures to address overcrowding
- Enrich animal enclosures to mimic the animal(s) natural habitat(s)
- Zone the facility based on species to address inappropriate layout
- Build a modern nursery and well equipped clinic to promote veterinary care
- Provide appropriate facilities to promote conservation education and awareness
- Expand the acreage of the existing facility to address congestion (enclosures and human)
The
expected benefits will include enhanced animal welfare, increased conservation
education and awareness as well as visitor satisfaction.
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