CLOSE-UP WITH WILDLIFE IN NAIROBI, KENYA: Part 3, Giraffe Center, Guest Post by Humberto Gutierrez Rivas

Reticulated giraffe feeding on bushes at the Giraffe Center, Nairobi, Kenya.

With many thanks to Humberto Gutierrez Rivas for his report and terrific photos of his family's trip to Kenya last January. His post about their wildlife experiences near Nairobi is in three parts, the first appearing two weeks ago, Part 3 today, and Part 2 last week.

This past January our family had the trip of a lifetime to Kenya for 12 days to visit friends in Nairobi, go on safari, and visit the island of Lamu.  There were many highlights of this trip, and one that got it started happened right there in the city of Nairobi.  

Less than 8 hours after our arrival, we were met at the front door of our friends’ house by Amos, our guide, and his safari van.  Our friends had coordinated a day expedition for us to Nairobi’s National Park, the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage center, and Giraffe Center.

Amos drove us from the north to the south part of the city to get us to the park, so we also got to see the early morning activities of people walking to bus stops, walking to work, and opening shops along the road. 

Giraffe Center

Petting and feeding food pellets to a Rothschild giraffe.

Our last stop for the first day, after visiting the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and Nairobi National Park, was the Giraffe Center.  Although the Giraffe Center is not located right at the national park, as is the elephant orphanage center, it is near it. It’s a very popular place to visit. To enter the center you go through some stations where you are asked to wash your shoes and your hands because you will be in very close contact with the giraffes when you feed them. The center has a tall walkway that curves around the main building. 

Petting a giraffe.

All visitors get a handful of giraffe food in the form of pellets in a half coconut shell. Some giraffes come to the walkway to meet the visitor and get easy food--others feed on leaves in the nearby trees. There are signs that warn you to be careful so that the giraffe doesn’t bump you with its head. 

Masai giraffe.

We learned from other signs that in the area we are likely to see three species of giraffes. We can tell them apart by the skin pattern: the Reticulated (tile like marks), the Masai (maple leaf like marks), and the Rothschild (darker patches with white spaces between patches). My wife and daughter stopped to feed the giraffes. You put some small amount of pellets in your fingers and drop it into the giraffe’s tongue, but if you are not careful, a long tongue goes for the coconut shell instead of your hand. Giraffes have a grayish and slimy tongue. 

Warthogs and giraffe. A warthog family feeding from fallen pellets.

We also saw a family of adult and young warthogs resting and running between the legs of the giraffes to feed on pellets that fall to the ground.  We spent close to an hour at the center, and at 5:30 in the afternoon we were ready to go back to our friend's house. The next day would start very early with a six hour drive for a three day visit to the Masai Mara National Park

CLOSE-UP WITH WILDLIFE IN NAIROBI, KENYA: Part 2, Nairobi National Park, Guest Post by Humberto Gutierrez Rivas

Rhinos and Cattle Egrets, Nairobi National Park, Kenya

With many thanks to Humberto Gutierrez Rivas for his report and terrific photos of his family's trip to Kenya last January. His post about their wildlife experiences near Nairobi is in three parts, the first appearing last week, Part 2 today, and Part 3 next week.

This past January our family had the trip of a lifetime to Kenya for 12 days to visit friends in Nairobi, go on safari, and visit the island of Lamu.  There were many highlights of this trip, and one that got it started happened right there in the city of Nairobi.  

Less than 8 hours after our arrival, we were met at the front door of our friends’ house by Amos, our guide, and his safari van.  Our friends had coordinated a day expedition for us to Nairobi’s National Park, the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage center, and Giraffe Center.

Amos drove us from the north to the south part of the city to get us to the park, so we also got to see the early morning activities of people walking to bus stops, walking to work, and opening shops along the road.

Nairobi National Park

Grey-crowned crane in the park grassland.

After leaving the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, we headed for the entrance to Nairobi National Park. The park was created in 1946 and is almost the size of San Francisco. It’s fenced on the sides that border with the city and is open to the southwest to allow the movement of animals during migration.

Nile crocodiles sunbathe on the shores of the park lagoon.

Soon after we entered the park’s main gate, Amos raised the roof of the van so that we could stand and be on the lookout for animals in the open and not from behind the windows.  There are no bathrooms or housing structures inside the park--just dirt roads. At that point, I realized that the only thing between us and the animals is the chassis of the van. It’s a truly immersive experience, but at times you are reminded that the park is close to the city when you see in the background the city buildings. 

Black-headed heron and Nile crocodile rest on the lagoon sandbank.

Hartebeest.

Nobody is allowed to get out of the van. Amos drove around the park and called out and directed our attention to different animals roaming and resting in their natural environment.  

Impala.

Masai giraffe.

Although we didn’t get to see lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and elephants, we enjoyed many other animals. 

Ivory burning site and mound of burned ivory. 2016 was the last ceremonial burning, with more than 100 tons of ivory.

We spent most of the day at the park, and on our way out of the park to visit the giraffe center, we stopped at the Ivory Burning Site.  It’s a memorial site dedicated to Kenya's commitment to conservation and to end ivory trade by burning confiscated elephant and rhino ivory. Ivory has been burned several times since 1989, and now you can see the mounds of ivory ashes left behind from these burnings. It truly brings to focus the role of conservation.

CLOSE-UP WITH WILDLIFE IN NAIROBI, KENYA: Part 1,Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, Guest Post by Humberto Gutierrez Rivas

Young elephants at the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Center, Nairobi, Kenya

With many thanks to Humberto Gutierrez Rivas for his report and terrific photos of his family's trip to Kenya last January. His post about their wildlife experiences near Nairobi is in three parts, the first appearing today, and parts 2 and 3 in the following weeks.

This past January our family had the trip of a lifetime to Kenya for 12 days to visit friends in Nairobi, go on safari, and visit the island of Lamu.  There were many highlights of this trip, and one that got it started happened right there in the city of Nairobi.  

Less than 8 hours after our arrival, we were met at the front door of our friends’ house by Amos, our guide, and his safari van.  Our friends had coordinated a day expedition for us to Nairobi’s National Park, the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage center, and Giraffe Center.

Amos drove us from the north to the south part of the city to get us to the park, so we also got to see the early morning activities of people walking to bus stops, walking to work, and opening shops along the road.

Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

Our first stop was The Elephant Orphanage, operated by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and located within Nairobi National Park. Every day, for just one hour, they open the doors of the orphanage center for people to meet rescued elephants and rhinos.

Young elephants get fed two bottles of special formula milk every 3 hours day and night. 

You can’t miss the caretakers, they all wear green coats.  Each orphan has its own stall where they sleep with their caretakers. The elephants come running to the showing area when they are called, and people gather around this area. There are no metallic fences or bars between you and the animals, just a rope, so it’s close and personal.

Orphan stall.

This is the place they retire in the evening where they rest with their caretakers.  They rotate caretakers each night so the animals don’t get attached to any one person.

Caretakers carry big milk bottles with them and some kids and adults feed the elephants tree branches from behind the ropes. 

Elephants come to the showing area each day to become part of the story and mission of the orphanage. 

While one of the caretakers tells the story of why animals end up at the center, and the different parts of the country animals come from, the elephants push and play with each other. 

We heard about the mission of the organization, and we decided to contribute by adopting an elephant for Caroline Arnold.  Her name is Nyambeni. The hour went very fast. 

Sheldrick Wildlife truck at the entrance of the orphanage center.

The Baby Elephant Fostering Program

Adoption certificate for Nyambeni and painting by Angela Sheldrick.

Nyambeni

Gender:    Female

Date born: 1st February 2022

Area found: Meru Region, Imenti Forest

Age on arrival:  3 months old

Comments on place found: Found all alone, stuck in a muddy ditch.

Reasons for being orphaned:  Stuck in a ditch.

The baby elephant fostering program includes a description of the circumstances in which the adopted baby elephant was found, a monthly highlight via email of events at the sanctuary along with a direct link to the Keeper's Diary with notes on particular elephants, and a monthly watercolor painting by Angela Sheldrick.