- In a viral video online, officials in a fuel guzzler are seen disembarking from the car before cashing a pride of lions near a water hole at Nairobi National Park.
- The incident which has received a round of condemnation is reported to have happened over the weekend.
The Kenya Wildlife Service has condemned officials from one of the embassies in the country for flouting rules guiding conduct while at the park.
In a viral video online, officials in a fuel guzzler are seen disembarking from the car before cashing a pride of lions near a water hole at Nairobi National Park.
The incident which has received a round of condemnation, is reported to have happened over the weekend.
In the video, the pride of lions is seen resting near a water hole with cubs.
The behaviour of the visitors left the pride and the cubs scampering for safety.
Reports indicate that the said officials are Egypt Embassy staff.
When reprimanded, reports indicate that they acted rudely.
KWS has not taken the incident lightly.
"Yes and it is unacceptable, especially for diplomatic staff," KWS Director General Erustus Kanga said.
Park rules do not allow visitors to get off from their vehicles unless in designated places.
The park has dangerous wildlife such as lions and buffalo.
Friends of Nairobi National Park also condemned the incident.
“Let’s be fair. Let us be mindful. We have never seen this kind of ignorance in Nairobi National Park,” FoNNaP said.
It confirmed that the affected staff who were in Toyata Prado with registration number 7CD 3K were from the Embassy of Egypt.
FoNNaP was founded in 1995 and is dedicated to assisting the KWS in nurturing and preserving biodiversity within Nairobi National Park and the broader ecosystem to which the park belongs.
Among the rules at the park include the ones calling for the respect of the privacy of wildlife as that is there habitat.
Most wildlife animals are also unpredictable.
While at the park, tourists are also warned against making noise or disturbing wildlife.
“Stay in your vehicle at all times, except at designated picnic or walking areas,” part of the rules says.
Driving off road is also not allowed as it severely damages the habitat.
The rules say while watching wildlife, a minimum distance of 20 meters must be kept.
Blocking the road is not allowed.
However, there are designated areas where visitors are allowed to disembark from their vehicles.
Such areas include picnic sites.
This is not an isolated incident showing those going to the park misbehaving.
This writer recently saw a small vehicle dropping waste indiscriminately near a water dam.
The Nairobi National Park was protected as the country’s natural habitat through proclamation No 48 of December 16, 1946, covering 117 square kilometres or 29,000 acres.
The park has more than 100 mammal species, more than a dozen different reptiles, over 400 permanent and migratory bird species.
African buffalo, baboons, the Eastern black rhinoceros, the Southern white rhino, common zebra, Grant's gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle, Maasai giraffe, elands, impala, ostriches, jackals, warthogs and waterbucks all roamed in the park.
The park has more than 45 lions, among other large carnivores such as leopards, cheetah and hyenas.
Hippopotamus inhabit areas along the Mbagathi River and crocodiles are found in the dams.
The park is currently facing a myriad of problems.
Loss of habitat remains a major threat facing birds.
Other threats include electrocution/collision with energy infrastructures, widespread incidental and accidental poisoning, and large-scale conversion of land for agriculture especially riparian lands, hunting of the animals they depend on for food, poaching; and other factors accelerated by climate change.