AFRICAN MIGRATIONS–Nairobi

AFRICAN MIGRATIONS – Nairobi and WildlifeHeres a program from our archives.Surrounded by one of the wildest natural regions on Earth, Nairobi, Kenya is a thriving metropolis of over one million people. How does a city of that size interact with its neighbors – namely the animals of East Africa? I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.ambience: ElephantsNairobi shares its southern border wit a national park filled with wildebeests, zebras, and other wildlife. The city’s close enough to the park that an office worker might look out his window and see an elephant off in the distance. But as Nairobi continues to develop, animals and humans are coming into conflict more and more.According to Dr. Helen Gichohi with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the land just south of Nairobi National Park is historically a prime migration site for hundreds of thousands of animals. At this time of year, wildlife pours into this area, as the animals follow the rainy season and search for grazing lands.But land here is constantly being sold to developers, to build housing. And with those houses come fences, and those fences parcel off the land and unintentionally confine the wildlife. Traditional migration routes are blocked, and animals are forced to find new, more difficult paths that wind their way around the barriers.In an attempt to remedy this situation, Dr. Gichohi is coordinating an effort to buy up land in this area, with the hope of creating a permanent migration corridor for the animals. Such a route would not only benefit the wildlife, but also farmers who’ve had their crops raided by foraging herds.As modernization pushes into the wild lands of Africa, the hope is that humans will reach a compromise with nature, one that will allow us to live with wildlife, rather than face the prospect of having to exist without it. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.

AFRICAN MIGRATIONS--Nairobi

Wildlife and urban life are colliding near Kenya’s largest city.
Air Date:05/08/1997
Scientist:
Transcript:

AFRICAN MIGRATIONS - Nairobi and WildlifeHeres a program from our archives.Surrounded by one of the wildest natural regions on Earth, Nairobi, Kenya is a thriving metropolis of over one million people. How does a city of that size interact with its neighbors - namely the animals of East Africa? I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.ambience: ElephantsNairobi shares its southern border wit a national park filled with wildebeests, zebras, and other wildlife. The city's close enough to the park that an office worker might look out his window and see an elephant off in the distance. But as Nairobi continues to develop, animals and humans are coming into conflict more and more.According to Dr. Helen Gichohi with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the land just south of Nairobi National Park is historically a prime migration site for hundreds of thousands of animals. At this time of year, wildlife pours into this area, as the animals follow the rainy season and search for grazing lands.But land here is constantly being sold to developers, to build housing. And with those houses come fences, and those fences parcel off the land and unintentionally confine the wildlife. Traditional migration routes are blocked, and animals are forced to find new, more difficult paths that wind their way around the barriers.In an attempt to remedy this situation, Dr. Gichohi is coordinating an effort to buy up land in this area, with the hope of creating a permanent migration corridor for the animals. Such a route would not only benefit the wildlife, but also farmers who've had their crops raided by foraging herds.As modernization pushes into the wild lands of Africa, the hope is that humans will reach a compromise with nature, one that will allow us to live with wildlife, rather than face the prospect of having to exist without it. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet.