One of my childhood fascinations revolved around watching TV programs on wild animals and reading documented literature on these animals in their natural habitats. Lions, elephants, and giraffes were particularly fascinating to watch, though the perception then was that the animals were merely fiction since they seemed so large compared to the dogs and cats living amongst us in the neighborhood. But this perception suddenly changed when I visited the Nairobi National Park in Kenya, where I came alive to the fact that these animals are real and inherently beautiful.
My journey to the East African country was facilitated by a cultural exchange program shared between my former school and another institution in Kenya. Although I was exposed to very many new things during my three weeks stay in the country, the most memorable experience was a visit to the Nairobi National Park with my colleagues and mentors. The national park is an expansive and unique ecosystem spanning across 117 km2 of open grass plains with scattered acacia bush and other breath-taking vegetation types.
The uniqueness of the park is grounded on its capacity to host major wildlife attractions and ease of accessibility from the capital city. The park is located only 7 km from the capital city of Kenya, hence tourists can easily land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and have the opportunity to visit the park the same day.
In terms of major wildlife attractions, the Nairobi national park easily passes as one of the best in the world due to the many varieties of animals and their interactions in broad daylight. In the five hours that I was in the park, I had the chance to view black rhinos, lions, leopards, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes, and other animal varieties in their natural surroundings as opposed to viewing them in a zoo. The game viewing was spectacular, particularly when it came to the hunting episodes involving lions and other herbivorous animals such as the wildebeests. I noticed that the lions hunted in a group of four or five and were often led by a female member of the group known as the lioness.
I also observed that, although these lions seemed huge and heavy, they were extremely fast in their hunting episodes and killed their prey through strangulation. Although female lions did most of the hunting, the largest share of the prey went to the male lions and cubs in what could be compared to contemporary home contexts whereby women settle down to eat after serving their men and children.
The tour guide informed us that they are many elephants and giraffes in the national park due to the Savanna environment and availability of many shrubs that act as a major source of food for the wildlife. True to the tour guide’s depiction, I viewed almost thirty elephants moving in a herd which was led by a huge male elephant. I came to learn that the elephants are considered as an endangered species due to poachers who kill them to extract their highly priced tusks and sell them in major European and Asian markets.
The tour guide also told us that, although giraffes have no known enemy, it was clear that human beings were increasingly killing them for their meat and skin. I could not understand why people could take part in killing such beautiful creatures for their trophies and meat.
Away from the enticing range of wild animals, I came to learn from the tour guide that the Nairobi national park holds corporate events such as bush dinners and team building excursions, special events such as weddings, and is also home to a favorite three-star restaurant where visitors can relax for sumptuous meals while overlooking the park. I had the occasion to witness one corporate event and interacted with a lot of people that were not part of our team.
One group that caught my attention consisted of ten men wearing traditional African regalia and dancing to the tunes of beautiful cultural songs. I was informed that these men were part of a larger cultural troupe that welcomed visitors into the park through song and dance. Although the men looked traditional, they demonstrated a fair understanding of the English language as they sang some of the songs in English. The people in the park were increasingly friendly and demonstrated a genuine concern about our comfort and safety while at the park. The singers, who I later learnt were from the “Maasai” community, kept us alive with their comforting songs and even welcomed us to dance with them.
To date, the visit at the Nairobi national park still remains my most memorable experience due to the many wildlife attractions and hospitable people. Not only did I come across my childhood fascinations in real-life context, but I also watched the animals hunt their prey in the expansive plains located just outside the capital city. It was the most fulfilling experience of my life, though I was sad that some unscrupulous individuals were killing the animals to benefit commercially through the sale of game trophies and meat. It is my conviction that developed countries should assist in curtailing the trade in animal trophies by criminalizing the business and providing the much needed funds to protect animals in their natural habitats.