The early winter morning was crisp as I drove into the park. A few minutes later, I was stopped by an 'official zebra roadblock'. What a sight! Everywhere I looked there were stripes, stripes, and more strips as hundreds of zebra surrounded me and intermingled amongst various other herbivores including eland and Coke's hartebeest ( kongoni ). However, even though it was great to see the herds, I was saddened that there was not a single wildebeest among them.

Then I wondered...every time the herds return is like a miracle, considering what they go through to leave the park and return through their ancient migration routes that continue to be reduced into a narrowing corridor. This is also a time of great risk and stress for the predators like lions as they follow the herds.

Unfortunately, the lions also kill livestock like cattle and goats resulting in human - Wildlife conflict. Sadly some lions have been killed at the south of the park in the last few months. KWS continues to work closely with the communities to avoid further incidents .

So as the herds return, while it is good to see so many herbivores, it is hoped that the roaming lions will all return to the relative safety of the park and hunt their natural prey instead of being tempted to kill easier livestock prey, which could result in their own demise.

The park is looking really magnificent after the good rains earlier this year. The grass is now very long and providing enough feed for the herds. As the grazers feed, the grass will become shorter, allowing greater visibility for visitors who always try to see as much as they can.

The park is open daily from 6am to 7pm. For more information on the park, you can link to the following websites www.kws.org or www.nairobigreenline.com or on facebook - Nairobi national park