KENYA: Kenyan Lion Injures Man in Nairobi Agitated By Car Honks After Straying From Park

A lion attacked and injured a 63-year-old man Friday after straying out of the Nairobi National Park onto one of the country’s major highways during peak morning traffic, a Kenyan wildlife official said.

Paul Udoto, a Kenya Wildlife Service spokesman, said the lion attacked the man after becoming agitated by motorists honking their horns at the animal before it was captured.

A video circulating on social media appears to show the lion running on a sidewalk as the horns honked.

The park, which is 117 square kilometres, is home to endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes and diverse birdlife. The animals roam just 10 kilometres from downtown Nairobi to the north. It was the second time a lion has strayed from the park in the last two months.

An elderly Kenyan man was clawed by a lion that was wandering along a busy road during morning rush hour in the capital Nairobi today, wildlife officials said.

It is the third time in a month that lions have caused panic as they roamed outside of Nairobi National Park, a 117 square kilometre (29,000 acre) reserve almost surrounded by a fast-growing city of over three million people.

The 63-year-old man was injured when the lion became agitated and swiped at him, said Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) spokesman Paul Udoto.

"People were there, hooting their horns, taking selfies and all that and the lion got agitated," Udoto said, adding that the man was taken to hospital and was in stable condition.

Soon afterwards, the lion returned to the park, followed by rangers who encouraged it to move deeper into the reserve.

"The lion is safely back but our teams are still on the ground in case there are any others around that have not been spotted," Udoto said.

In a video shared on social media, commuters honked their horns continuously at the large, dark-maned male lion as it trotted along Mombasa Road, a traffic-clogged four-lane highway that is one of the capital's main arteries.

Bystanders peered out from behind fences and gates.

The park is not entirely fenced to enable traditional migration by animals in search of grazing.

The big cats are under growing pressure as one of Africa's fastest growing cities expands onto ancient migration routes and hunting grounds.

Conservationists say lions predate people in the area and are not "escaping" the park nor "straying" into human settlements, rather people have moved into the lions' home ranges.

In mid-February, two lions spent a day wandering through Kibera, a densely-packed city slum, before returning to the park, and days later more lions were spotted in town.

While lions on the loose are increasingly common in Nairobi, it is unusual for anyone to be injured during their outings.

ZANZIBAR: More Than Just A Spice Island

A visit to Zanzibar, or in fact Unguja, the largest island of the Zanzibari archipelago – the other larger island is called Pemba – is never one dimensional, nor should it be. On this Indian Ocean island, just 20 minutes flight from Dar es Salaam and of course a bit longer by ferry – the advantage of the ferry is the shorter transit from the port into the CBD of Dar es Salaam and of course the scenic view on arrival in Zanzibar – are several tourism attractions wrapped in to a nice package, worth exploring each and every segment.

Here comes history, heritage, birdlife, wildlife and marine life together like in few other locations across the United Republic of Tanzania and then add the recent arrival of championship golf for extra measure.

An aerial view of the Stone Town and a collection of three towers, the middle one of modern age lined by a minaret and the twin spires of one of the island’s cathedrals, all in peaceful coexistence

Zanzibar, often referred to as the ‘Spice Island’ has always had a magic ring to its name and tourists from around the world in recent years, in part fueled by the challenges the Kenya coast faced, kept flocking in ever larger numbers to this island off the Tanzanian mainland.

The history of Zanzibar takes one back to the early days of civilization when coastal seafarers used the prevailing trade winds to sail their dhows from the Arabian peninsula along the African coast, establishing trade routes where the trade winds took them and beyond.

Much of this history and heritage on the island is centered in and round the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Stone Town’. It is here that museums are found, where buildings have been turned in to monuments and where in the heart of it once a thriving slave market traded captured Africans from the mainland for either the currency of the day or by barters for merchandize brought in by the Arab dhows.

Names of buildings like ‘House of Wonders’ this one sadly in decay due to a partial collapse of the building and in urgent need to be restored, the Palace Museum, the Malindi Mosque and the Aga Khan Mosque, The Old Fort, the two Christian cathedrals, St. Joseph for the Catholics and Christ Church for the Anglicans, both built in the last decade of the 19th Century are part of every organized tour.

So of course is the house where Livingstone stayed before his last expedition into the interior of Africa. The Forodhani Gardens are providing the background for many snapshots taken, selfies too of course these days and the Jafferi House’s rooftop is once again open after a recent refurbishment.

Stone Town is an architectural treasure chest for those interested who will find the influence of Persian, Arabic, Indian and European styles most intriguing. Streets are narrow, walls are thick and ventilation is ingenious to keep the buildings cool at the inside during the often oppressive heat of the day.

If there is one downside it is the rise in traffic levels seen since my last visit a couple of years ago. Tourists need to be nimble on their feet to jump out of the way of scooters, tuk-tuks and cars and are at times more likely to get hit by a car, even if only feeling a gentle touch, than catching one good picture when, lost in thought and trying to get the right angle, they step back into the road just by a foot or two.

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the core area of Stone Town should be kept free of vehicles with restricted access for deliveries perhaps once or twice a day and no doubt would tourists be ready to pay a fee to enter the pedestrian area as long as that part of the old town is well maintained and shows itself as the ancient historical treasure it could and should be.

A range of hotels await visitors, some very small and others larger, and the Zanzibar Serena Hotel is on the waterfront offering spectacular sunsets from the wide terrace overlooking the ocean. This is arguably the best place to see classic artifacts and collectors’ items assembled while the rooms are furnished with the traditional Swahili beds and chests.

Opposite the Serena across the square has a Doubletree by Hilton sprung up, without however offering that priceless waterfront and sunset views while a Park Hyatt opened near the Serena in 2014 – as reported here at the time.

Views over the harbour and out across the Indian Ocean and rooftop vistas across the Stone Town are the hotel’s main plus points. Well-appointed rooms – TV’s in the bathroom above the free standing baths included – and still sparkling from bottom to top, will this modern hotel with an exterior blending into the water front, given some time, no doubt also add a venerable patina which provides the touristy flair and sought after ambience in the more established hotels.

Traveling to Zanzibar with Fastjet, the flight has a short stopover along the way in Kilimanjaro / Arusha and from there take Coastal Aviation which offers almost hourly services on their Cessna C208B Grand Caravans between Terminal 1 of Julius Nyerere International Airport and Zanzibar.

Fastjet will launch Zanzibar flights from the 11th of January from Terminal 2 but the very short processing time of the smaller airlines from Terminal 1 remain a strong incentive to fly with them. Of course, as mentioned, is there the ferry option and many visitors do take the trip out to the island across the ocean before then flying back to the mainland.

Transport on Zanzibar can and should be prebooked , for airport transfers as well as for excursions to the spice farms, the slave caves, the almost mandatory guided tour through the Stone Town and of course when visiting the Butterfly Centre and the forest national park in the middle of the island.

In fact, Zanzibaris came across as a happy and friendly people, inspite of a contentious election which was cancelled half way through at the end of October. It is to be re-staged at a time still to be announced by the Electoral Commission and while the tourism industry feels it should be after the Christmas and New Year holidays, no one is certain when it will take place.

SOUTH SUDAN: Imatong Forest Reserve

The Imatong Mountains also Immatong, or rarely Matonge, are located in in the state of Eastern Equatoria in southeastern South Sudan, and extend into the Northern Region of Uganda.

Mount Kinyeti is the highest mountain of the range at 3,187 metres (10,456 ft), and the highest point of South Sudan.

The range has an equatorial climate and had dense montane forests supporting diverse wildlife. Since the mid-20th century the rich ecology has increasingly been severely degraded by native forest clearance and subsistence farming, causing extensive erosion of the slopes.

The entrance to this reserve is reached by driving 192 kilometers from Juba east to Torit and then driving 60 kilometers south to Katire. Katire is an old British Forestry station built next to a running stream.

The forest has been heavily logged for timber and charcoal since British colonial times, with much of the reserve in secondary growth. Plantations of teak, Australian Eucalyptus and soft woods have been planted in some areas. In the 1950s it was ruled that there could be no logging above the 1500 meter level (4900 feet), but that is difficult to enforce. The Lotuko, Acholi and Lango tribes all make use of the reserve that covers 1032 square kilometers (103,200 hectares).

Rainfall in the reserve is the highest in all of South Sudan measuring 2261 mm annually.

The highest peak in all of South Sudan is located within the reserve called Mount Kinyeti at 3187 meters (10,456 feet).12 major streams/small rivers originate out of the reserve which feed into the Badingalo National Park.

The Imatong Mountains massif lies mainly within Torit County (western part) and Ikotos County (eastern part) of Eastern Equatoria state. It is located some 190 kilometres (120 mi) southeast of Juba and south of the main road from Torit to the Kenyan border town of Lokichoggio.

The mountain range rises steeply from the surrounding plains, which slope gradually down from about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) on the South Sudan-Uganda border in the south to 600 metres (2,000 ft) at Torit in the north.

These plains are crossed by many streams, separated by low, rounded ridges, and dotted with small gneiss hills, outliers of the main mountain range.

The mountains are formed of crystalline basement rock that rises through the Tertiary and Quaternary unconsolidated deposits of the plains in the South Sudan-Uganda frontier zone. The most widespread types of rock are leucocratic gneisses rich in quartz.The mountains are sharply faulted and are the source of many year-round rivers.

The mountains are highest in the southeast where a group of peaks reach about 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), and the tallest, Mount Kinyeti, reaches 3,187 metres (10,456 ft). This central block group of high mountains around Mount Kinyeti are sometimes called the Lomariti or Lolibai mountains, and the high central part on the Uganda side is sometimes called the Lomwaga Mountains.

Sub-ranges
The Modole or Langia mountains in the southeast of the central block are separated from the lower Teretenya ridge to the east by the Shilok River, a tributary of the Koss river.

Sub-ranges run to the northwest, west, and southwest of the central block, The northwest and west ranges are separated by the Kinyeti River valley, and the west and southwest ranges by the Ateppi valley. The ranges are generally about 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) high, with peaks rising to 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). The northwestern chain culminates in Mount Garia and Mount Konoro, both about 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) high, rising above the villages of Gilo and Katire. The western chain, with peaks rising up to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) high, is usually known as the Acholi Mountains. The southwestern chain extending into Uganda is often called the Agoro Mountains.

Watersheds
The Kinyeti River and other streams that drain the northern slopes of the mountains feed the Badigeru Swamps, which are 100 kilometres (62 mi) long and up to 25 kilometres (16 mi) wide at high water, but generally only 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) wide. Some of the water from the northern end of this swamp may filter eastward to the Veveno River, then via the Sobat River to the White Nile. Some of the water may filter westward to the Bahr el Jebel section of the White Nile. To the south and west the mountains are drained by the fast-flowing Aswa River / Ateppi system. To the northeast the mountains are drained by the Koss River, which flows between the Imatongs and the Dongotona Hills.

Blue Monkeys are found in the Imatong Forest

A 1984 report listed Bushbuck, Blue Duiker, Colobus Monkey,Blue Monkey, Elephant, Leopard, Nile Buffalo and Hyeana in the reserve. Today the Elephant and Buffalo are gone. It is estimated that over 500 species of bird use the forest, many migrating between Europe and Kenya. The endangered "Spotted Ground Thrush" is found in the reserve.

Flora
The plains and the lower parts of the mountains are covered by deciduous woodland, wooded grassland and bamboo thickets to the north and west. The areas to the east and southeast are in the rain shadow of the mountains, with dry subdesert grassland or deciduous or semi-evergreen bush. The mountains have rich diversity of flora, with hundreds of species that are found nowhere else in South Sudan. Their diversity is due to their position between the West African rain forest, the Ethiopian plateau and the East African mountains, coupled with their relative isolation for long periods during which new species could emerge.

Vegetation in the lower areas includes woodlands of Albizia and Terminalia, and mixed Khaya lowland semi-evergreen forest up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).Above 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) there is montane forest with Podocarpus, Croton, Macaranga and Albizia up to 2,900 metres (9,500 ft). The levels above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) do not seem to have ever been inhabited by humans, but have been visited by honey-gatherers and hunters, and the fires they have started have destroyed the forest on many hill tops. At the highest levels, the forest is replaced by Hagenia woodland, Erica (heather) thicket and areas of bamboo.

Fauna
According to a 1984 report, the mountains supported abundant wildlife, including healthy populations of colobus and blue monkey, bush-pig and a local sub-species of bushbuck. The south eastern Kipia and Lomwaga Uplands were least visited by hunters and had the largest populations of elephant, buffalo, duiker's, hyaena and leopard.

Mammals that normally inhabit a forest environment show greatest differentiation from similar mammals elsewhere, probably due to isolation of the Imatong forests from other forests by wide areas of semi-arid savanna. This isolation dates back to the last Pleistocene Pluvial period about 12,000 years ago. The forest contains many birds found in no other part of South Sudan, and is a resting place for European songbirds en route to their overwintering places in East Africa.

Birdlife includes the endangered Spotted Ground-thrush Zoothera guttata.

People
The villages and settlements of the region are inhabited by Nilotic people including Lotuko in the east, Acholi in the west and Lango in the southern part. They practice subsistence farming and raise some livestock.

The people of the area mostly live on the plains at the foot of the mountains, but recently they have been forced to move into the mountains as high as 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) to find land for farming. Their agricultural practices have led to serious erosion of the steep slopes.

Relatively small numbers of the people practice Christianity. Foreign Christian missionaries have been entering the remote mountainous areas since 2005.

Gneiss rock hills within the reserve


SAFARIS INTO THE IMATONG MOUNTAINS -

This is a walking safari, that requires you to be able to walk over steep terraine and cross streams a few feet deep.We can drive as far as Katire, then you must walk.Only in the dry season of the months of late December to mid April should this be attempted. Other months the rain and mud would be too extreme to walk.

We can arrange for porters and set up base camps with fly tents and cook, given enough advanced notice. You should be able to carry your own back pack with your clothes and bedroll. The water in the streams you will pass is clean enough to drink.

Shorter safaris to just explore the forest and meet the Lotuko people at Torit are also available.