Shaba National Reserve

IUCN Category II - National Park

BWf1

The Shaba National Reserve (English: Shaba National Reserve ) is a nature reserve in the Eastern Province of Kenya. It is 239 km ² and is located east of the road between Isiolo and Marsabit, 314 kilometers from the state capital Nairobi. Its altitude is - apart from some mountains that reach 1500 meters - less than 1000 meters. The Shaba National Reserve is part of the same ecological zone as the location a few miles west Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserve. It was established in 1974.

It is characterized by dryness, with an annual rainfall of less than 400 millimeters. The hilly landscape is mostly covered with open grasslands and dry bushland. Just across the river Ewaso Nyiro, flowing on its way from Lorian Swamp to the Chanler 's Falls by the Shaba National Reserve and forms its northern boundary is bordered by a narrow gallery forest with doum palms and acacia. There are also some overgrown bushes dry mountains. The Shaba National Reserve takes its name from the 1525 meter high Mount Shaba, a volcanic mountain that became extinct about 5,000 years ago. It is located on the border of the reserve.

Shaba National Reserve is known for its reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebras and gazelles giraffes. In addition, come zebras, two dikdik and some antelope species - including oryx, Grant 's gazelles, Klipspringer and waterbuck, hyrax, Geierperlhühner and ostriches before. At large predators live here lions, leopards and cheetahs, but not spotted hyenas. The elephant populations are no longer constant. 1973 lived in Shaba, Samburu and Buffalo Springs National Reserve together in 2500 animals, 1976/1977 there were only 531 Sometimes migrate from the northern elephant herds in. These are noticeably averse than their local counterparts, which are accustomed to here particularly pronounced mass tourism. The area is due to the water all year round leading Uaso Nyero for elephants. But since the late seventies, this dries out occasionally, as upstream too much water is taken for agricultural purposes. The elephants then dig in a few weeks the dry river bed of the Ewaso Nyero for water, but if the annual amount of water of the river is further reduced, the area will no longer be suitable for elephants.

Joy Adamson, through which the Shaba National Reserve became famous, died here.