The iconic Nairobi National Park – East Africa’s oldest National Park - and its animals are under threat from human encroachment.
The Park is a wilderness area some 117 square kilometres or 45 square miles where elephants, rhino and lions roam just seven kilometres or four miles from the high-rise city centre of Nairobi.
Pressure on the animals in the Park comes from houses, factories, railways and roads that surround its boundaries.
Conservationists say that new homes and fences block ancient wildebeest migration routes and that there are no cheetahs left in the Park as they have been killed by cars and trucks on the busy roads surrounding the Park.
Lions have been killed in conflicts with livestock communities and poachers have killed rhinos in the heart of the park, even though it is located close to the headquarters of the Kenyan Wildlife Service.
Now, fresh infrastructure projects threaten the park: a major road bypass and expansion of a railway line have been proposed. The southern edges of the Park have already faced the development of a large urban area that places pressure on a key wildlife corridor for animals moving to find land for grazing.
The Kenyan government must act to stop human encroachment now to save the animals of Nairobi National Park. Please sign and share the petition.
