Ngong Forest

An unusual meeting of guides

ngongforest — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:07:51 +0000

Every first and third Saturdays of the month are forest walk days in the Sanctuary. I arrived at our normal meeting point at the racecourse restaurant parking before the usual walk time.This was to give company to those who might have arrived early. As I waited, I was kept busy by a troop of Sykes monkeys that jumped from tree to tree searching fruits to feed on. On the other side of the parking was a troop of olive baboons emoting dust bins to get the left overs from the restaurant as there was a big party the previous night.

Sykes Monkey

Minutes passed, it was past nine no one had turned up for the walk, i decided to take a short walk towards racecourse main gate. On my way, i met three gentlemen who had Binoculars hanged on their necks and walking in a hurry towards the parking. I immediately knew they were here for the walk. I said hi to them and they quickly apologized for being late and blamed it the notorious traffic jam on the road leading to the site. They introduced themselves as volunteer guides from Nature Kenya and that they had come to assist in guiding.

Nature Kenya Guides in the forest

This particular Saturday, there were no visitors to guide so we decided to have our own ‘guides walk’. It was interesting as every body was specialized in a certain field, Onesmus was very good in shrubs and herbs which has been a problem to me as I seem to specialize more on trees. Kassim was good in birds and mammals of the forest. Through working closely with entomologists from ICIPE with projects in the Sanctuary, I have improved on identification of butterflies, beetles and various forest birds.

Butterflies: Sub family- Charaxinae

Beetle: Phonacinus spp

By the time we were winding up the walk, we had spotted over ninety species of birds and three species were new to me, the black cap, Red tailed or Familiar chat and the Madagascar squacco or Malagassy pond heron which we saw at the dam. To me it was an educative walk and i felt visitors missed a great day.

By Nicholas Akach

akach.nicholas388@gmail.com

This Saturday is a Forest Walk day at Ngong Forest

ngongforest — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:22:35 +0000

Located at approximately 6Km from the city center, The Ngong Forest Sanctuary is an interesting site for non invasive outdoor activities which includes forest walks, bird watching, jogging, picnicking , cycling, dog walks and, horse riding. We have organized annual events like forest fun run, kids run and art in the forest while some activities like bike rides are ocassionally organized on Sundays, forest walks are there every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the Month.

Forest walk

Horse riding

Cycling

If you want to have a feel of the forest, join us this Saturday for a forest walk

What will you need for the Walk?

Well, we have our rangers who will take you through the forest, help you in the identification of birds and tree species

Come with your binoculars ,a note book, a pen, a bird guide book and of course the right outfit for a walk!

What will you be required to do before the walk.

Kindly inform us, you can call us on 0729840715 or 020 2113358 , or Email to office@ngongforest.com

Venue

Ngong Racecourse at 9.00 Am, you will find our rangers at the site

Charges

For information on entry rates, visit our website on www.ngongforest.org

Income generated from the walks contributes towards recurrent costs.

If you would like to donate towards protection of this adorable forest reserve,donate in the open donation option on the right.

Thanks to our supporters,friends,donors ,readers of our blogs and not to mention our visitors.

Finally,our Visitors have a Car Park

ngongforest — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:50:16 +0000

For a long time,visitors in the Sanctuary have been having a hard timed parking their cars on uneven ground next to our main gate. With kind donations from donors, the Trust has finally managed to embark on upgrading this area into a basic car park, designed to hold approximately 43 cars and 6 buses . Whenever such projects requiring manual or casual labour arise, Ngong forest community members are given top priority. For this Car park, more than twenty casuals were hired for days to dig out grass and uproot a few tree stump in the parking area.

Ngong forest community members at work

A huge, old , hollow elephant tooth brush tree that has been leaning dangerously had to be removed to give way for the development of the car park. A colony of bees that had been using the hollow part of the tree as their habitat were transfered to one of the empty hives in the apiary. This was quite a task that only trained members of our bee keeping group could handle. The operation was carried out late in the evening as bees are naturally not active at night.

One of the women harvesting the honey

After clearing the tree stumps, a grader was employed to level the ground followed by rolling and compacting.

Several tonnes of quarry chips and hard core will be spread evenly on the surface in order to make the surface all weather .

Forest community members spreading quarry chips

When complete, the car park, which is surrounded by indigenous trees will provide ample parking space especially during the sanctuary’s events and we will not have to hire parking space from the adjacent Telkom ground as it has been the case before.

Through support from our donors,an Education center comprising of an auditorium,offices,orientation banda will now be fully usable after the completion of the car park .

Visit us for different Eco friendly activities, the sanctuary is a spectacular site for bird watching, picnics, forest walks, forest art ,horse riding, dog walks,come experience this in one of the few indigenous forest existing within Nairobi city in Kenya.

If you would like to donate towards protection of this adorable forest reserve,donate in the open donation option on the right.

Thank to our supporters,donors ,readers of our blogs and not to mention our visitors.

By ranger Joseph Karanja

Email: jranjus@yahoo.com

Community policing wins war against electric fence vandals

ngongforest — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:36:01 +0000

The electric fence that surrounds the Sanctuary has in the recent past suffered attacks by vandals and thieves especially in sections powered from Hillcrest camp that was vandalized two years ago. Since then, it has been a hide and seek game between the rangers and thieves. The area most affected is along the Southern Bypass that cuts across the forest thus opening access to the forest . The Trust is currently seeking for funds from donors and well wishers to replace and re-energize the vandalized sections.

Part of the fence where wires have been cut and others missing

For several days now we have been patrolling ,laying ambushes along the targeted areas of the fence in the hope of arresting the vandals.We have intensified our day and night patrols,reinforced patrols with Kenya forest service guards, with little gain. We decided to change tactics and approach the local community who are partners in conservation,to assist. we were not sure how they would take our idea of helping us to collect information on any scrap wire business in their areas of residence. This approach has worked wonders!

While on our usual routine day patrol, one local community member informed us that he has witnessed wires being sold to a scrap metal dealer next to his stall but he was not sure where the wires were from.

It was then that we decided to tour Bangua Village, which is a few kilometers from the forest. At around 5.30 PM, we encountered a man with rolled wires put in a sack walking to the scrap metal dealer’s stall, we arrested him and took him to the police station for further questioning , he had also confessed that he is not the only one who has been stealing the fence wires. We hope the police will make use of the information provided by the culprit to break this cartel and arrest all those involved.

One of the fence wire theif who was arrested

Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary is protected through kind donations from friends and well wishers. Kindly join us by donating towards protection of this unique forest reserve.

By Nicholas Akach

A dumpimg site? let us appreciate forests.

ngongforest — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:18:51 +0000

Every year in the month of September or October, there is always a one week of exhibition at the Nairobi Show Ground which is organized by Agricultural Society of Kenya and attracts many people including students countrywide and abroad.

Cemetery Road which is used as an exit from show ground and passes by the sanctuary’s main gate, becomes very busy during this season causing a heavy traffic jam especially in the evening hours.This creates chances for littering along the road.

Dumping is one of the serious challenges we are facing,several occasions, people have been caught dumping in the forest especially along the Southern bypass which cuts across the forest therefore increasing accessibility,however even along the cementry road which connects to the show ground from the main road,people find their way to dumping along the road.

Dumping along the road

Dumping inside the forest

Thanks to some of our local community members who are actively involved in conservation, they sacrifice their time to get rid of these litters.

Some members collecting litter along the road

We hope those who view the forest as a dumping site will one day take time to appreciate it.

Ngong Forest Sanctuary Trust is a non profit making organization and protected through donations from friends and well wishers, join us by donating towards protection of this unique forest reserve.

By Ranger George Thuo

Email: georgethuo94@yahoo.com

Thugs target part of the electric fence

ngongforest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:44:08 +0000

As a conflict mitigation measures,a perimeter electric fence was enacted around the sanctuary in 2003. It has since been effective apart from theft of energizers,batteries and solar panels that served part of the fence which we have not been able to replace, recently persistent theft cases of the fence wires is on the rise . More than 25km electric fence consisting 15 strands of wires which once secured the forest from intruders, is now been rendered ineffective as parts of the fence along the Southern Bypass and other secluded areas is been targeted by thugs. Efforts from the rangers to nab the thugs so far have proved to be an uphill task. We patrolled along the fence,laid ambush at the targeted areas from dawn to dusk, done investigation to find out where the wires are being taken and even visited scrap metal sites neighboring the sanctuary to ascertain if they are being sold there. We have not yet been successful.

We have now intensified our day and night patrol especially during the night since we highly feel the wires are being stolen at this time

Rangers awaiting near one of the targeted part of the fence

The senior ranger has asked the respective authority to seek armed guards to accompany us during the night ambush. Yesterday was the second day ambush ,we were interrupted by a heavy down pour at 10:30 pm forcing us to rush to the main gate briefly to seek refuge. We returned as soon as the rain subsidized but unfortunately the thugs did not show up. However we have not given up yet, it might take some few days or weeks but eventually we are sure we will get hold of the culprit.

Join us by donating towards reviving part of the inactive electric fence.

By ranger Joseph Karanja

Email: jranjus@yahoo.com

Tree Planting in The Forest

ngongforest — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:20:59 +0000

With onset of long rains countrywide , a joint group from APA insurance and Capital Fm ( a leading radio station in Kenya) planted over 1,000 indigenous trees in the Ngong forest. The event was very successful with various schools and Ngong Forest Community members joining hands to plant trees. The group going by the motto” Green Generation Campaign” is aiming at planting 20 million trees by the next one year.

APA Insurance banner and a Capital Fm banner at the Planting site

APA insurance employees with community members planting trees

We take this opportunity to thank APA insurance and Capital Fm for their efforts in joining hands to replenish the forest.

Ngong forest Sanctuary is protected through kind donations from friends and well wishers, join us by donating towards protection of this unique forest reserve.

With this wet season, lets go green.

By Nicholas Akach.

Baboons invade Community Womens Beehives

ngongforest — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:16:59 +0000

In Ngong Forest Sanctuary,bee keeping project was started in 2003 funded by UNDP-GEF Small Grant Programme, as a user group and an alternative source of income for the local community . Every Wednesday the members carry out hives inspection and they assembled at a common point,the main gate.Last Wednesday was honey harvesting day,the women reported very early in the morning to their surprise ,they found a troop of baboons at the apiary site ,they had invaded and destroyed the beehives ,some were found feeding on the honey. The vigilant male baboons attacked the women and some of their belongings.

Baboons searching bags belonging to the beekeeping members

baboons in action

Screaming from the women attracted our attention and we rushed to the rescue. On reaching the apiary, we found Baboons busy eating honey as others continued breaking hives searching for honey. What shocked us was the way they harvested like human beings by removing frames one by one ,rubbing off the bees and then pose to eat

some members during hives inspection

That day they managed to harvest only two super boxes .This was the first baboon invasion of hives the beekeeping group witnessed prior the group members had complained of maasai cattle’s destroying hives and sometimes intruders stealing honey

woman carrying super-boxes

women ferrying the crude honey for processing

Ngong forest Sanctuary Trust is protected through kind donation from friends and well wishers, join us by donating towards protection of this adorable forest reserve.

Theft Attempt at the Education Center

ngongforest — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:04:42 +0000

Though we have been experiencing cases of fence vandalism in the forest, cases of theft attempts at the office/Education Center are the first to witness. It started with an attempt to steal a tank from the orientation banda’s toilets at main gate but it was discovered hidden in the bush some few meters away.

The tank that had been stolen

On Tuesday night at around 2320 hours ,we were at the reception in the Education Center from where we heard some movements from outside. It seemed some people or animals were loitering around. Normally, our visitor at these hours is a lone leopard which tries to fight its image reflected on the glass on the main door. we thought all was secure as we walked to the rear door reception where we could view the leopard properly. I did not believe my eyes seeing someone in the hall!. I turned back to Nicholas who was also shocked as i was. Nicholas gathered courage and shouted ” hands up! who are you and what are you doing here?” fortunately, he was an unarmed thug who had no option but to cooperate.

We alerted our colleagues at main gate,Ultimate Security Guards and The Project Coordinator who all responded with amazing swiftness.

The thug in the hall where we found him

We later noted that he was part of a gang that had used one of the top windows which is over five meters from the floor to lower him into the hall using a rope. We took and booked him at Karen Police Station now ready to appear in court.

One of the security firm that responded

The Ngong Forest Sanctuary commonly referred to as the Nairobi’s carbon sink, is protected through kind donation from friends and well wishers,kindly join us by donating towards protection of this adorable forest reserve.

By Ranger George Thuo

Email: georgethuo94@yahoo.com

Partnering to Boost Security

ngongforest — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:38:33 +0000

Ngong Forest Sanctuary is gaining popularity as a regular destination for nature lovers and especially those who love going for forest walks and bird watching. During such visits, it is our duty as rangers to provide security for them. In our normal forest patrols, a team of two and sometimes three rangers cover a forest block for illegal tree poachers and other forest destroyers. Whenever we have visitors or a need to intensify strength of patrols, we request for reiforcement form our conservation partners at the Kenya forest Service, the police and even private security companies.

K.F.S and Sanctuary’s rangers escorting visitors

One good and reliable partner is Ultimate Security Ltd who are excellent in instaling and responding to alarms.

This partnership has greatly boosted security not only in the forest but alo in the whole neighbourhood making the Sanctuary a safe place to visit.

Ultimate Security Guards testing our alarm systems at the Main Gate

This creates a sense of unity among these security bodies.

Alarm switch at our Main Gate

we welcome such partnerships in all areas with the aim of ensuring that our precious natural resources remain available for generations to come.

By Ranger George Thuo

Email: georgethuo94@yahoo.com