desert burner
September 21st, 2009, 06:43 PM
Lake Nakuru Park receives bird sanctuary status
http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/661290/highRes/102682/-/maxw/600/-/40ljnr/-/PIX+2.jpg A flock of flamingoes at Lake Nakuru. The Lake has been branded an international bird sanctuary. Photo/FILE
By NATION CorrespondentPosted Monday, September 21 2009 at 13:55
Lake Nakuru National Park, one of the country’s tourist attraction sites, has been branded an international bird sanctuary.
The park becomes the first to receive such a status in the whole of Africa following its fame as a home to more than 400 bird species four years after it was branded a birds watcher’s paradise.
Speaking in Nakuru, Kenya Wildlife Services director Julius Kipngetich said there was dire need for the country to conserve forests as their destruction was negatively impacting on tourism.
He said the new status of Lake Nakuru would be a good way of marketing and asked local tour leaders to take advantage of the expected increase in the number of tourists to create more jobs.
The occasion held on Sunday coincided with the Cycle with the Rhino event which aims at raising money for the park’s conservation.
The annual competition has been held every September since 2002 and has raised millions of shillings which have been spent on conserving Lake Nakuru Park.
The event which attracted 100 participants and several sponsors raised Sh7.2 million, most of which will be spent on building a modern fence round the park.
The participants covered 67 kilometres inside the park.
Mr John Njenga, who won the race received Sh10,000 cash award while the second and third runners up got Sh7,000 and Sh5,000 respectively.
http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/661290/highRes/102682/-/maxw/600/-/40ljnr/-/PIX+2.jpg A flock of flamingoes at Lake Nakuru. The Lake has been branded an international bird sanctuary. Photo/FILE
By NATION CorrespondentPosted Monday, September 21 2009 at 13:55
Lake Nakuru National Park, one of the country’s tourist attraction sites, has been branded an international bird sanctuary.
The park becomes the first to receive such a status in the whole of Africa following its fame as a home to more than 400 bird species four years after it was branded a birds watcher’s paradise.
Speaking in Nakuru, Kenya Wildlife Services director Julius Kipngetich said there was dire need for the country to conserve forests as their destruction was negatively impacting on tourism.
He said the new status of Lake Nakuru would be a good way of marketing and asked local tour leaders to take advantage of the expected increase in the number of tourists to create more jobs.
The occasion held on Sunday coincided with the Cycle with the Rhino event which aims at raising money for the park’s conservation.
The annual competition has been held every September since 2002 and has raised millions of shillings which have been spent on conserving Lake Nakuru Park.
The event which attracted 100 participants and several sponsors raised Sh7.2 million, most of which will be spent on building a modern fence round the park.
The participants covered 67 kilometres inside the park.
Mr John Njenga, who won the race received Sh10,000 cash award while the second and third runners up got Sh7,000 and Sh5,000 respectively.