What are the special five animals in Samburu?

What are the special five animals in Samburu?

Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve located in Northern Kenya on the banks of Ewaso Ng’iro River in Samburu County and 350kms from Nairobi. It covers an approximate area of 165km². Samburu National Reserve boasts a diverse collection of animal species notably the Grevy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk and Beisa Oryx collectively known as the special five. The uniqueness of the special five is that they are only be spotted in Samburu National Reserve. The reserve is also home to a population of close to 900 elephants. Other animals’ species in the reserve include lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs and over 400 birds’ species. Samburu as a wildlife ecosystem also comprises a number of conservancies and group ranches, which border the main reserve such as Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy, Kalama Conservancy and West Gate Community Conservancy.

Grevy’s Zebra

The long legged endangered Grevy’s Zebra is the largest of the wild equids. Its distinguishable feature is its unique stripes, which are as distinctive as human fingerprints. Foals are brown with reddish brown stripes and gradually their coats darken to black. Grevy’s are made of hardier stuff than the common plains zebras. This is because they are uniquely adapted for the harsh arid environment of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia, which is where they live. Interestingly they can survive without water for five days. Their digestive system allows them to eat a wider range of leaves, grasses, fruit and bark than other zebras. The Grevy’s are more closely related to the wild ass than the horse while the plain zebra is more closely related to the horse. Grevy’s are also taller, have larger ears and narrower stripes than plain zebras. They are the largest of the zebra species.

Reticulated Giraffe

Giraffe are integral to their ecosystems, opening up habitat for other wildlife, spurring growth of new forage and dispersing seeds. Giraffes form the basis of most zoo collections and are much loved, adored as toys and book characters. Reticulated giraffes historically ranged from north-central Kenya to southern Somalia and Ethiopia. Reticulated giraffes have brown-orange patches separated by thick, bright white lines unlike other giraffes unlike other giraffes like the Maasai giraffes, which are noticeably darker with patches separated, by irregular, light brown lines all way down to their legs. Reticulated giraffes are the tallest land animals. Over the past 30 years, there have been a historical decline by approximately 50% of the total population. As a result, the reticulated giraffes were added to the IUCN Red List and listed as Endangered in 2018. However, numbers across northern Kenya appear to be increasing due to the concerted efforts by the community and private land conservation

Somali Ostrich

The Somali Ostrich also known as the blue-necked ostrich is a large flightless bird native to the Horn of Africa. It is one of the two living species of ostriches the other being the common ostrich.

Considered a subspecies of the common ostrich until 2014 when it was identified as a distinct species. In general, the Somali ostrich is similar to other ostriches. The skin of the neck and thighs of the Somali ostrich is blue rather than pinkish becoming the bright blue on the male during the mating season. The neck lacks a typical broad white ring and the tail feathers are white. The males are larger than the females

Beisa Oryx

There are four species of Oryx living in Africa and the Middle East. They are large antelopes with long spear like horns with the Gemsbok (Oryx gazelle) being the largest of the Oryx species. The East African Oryx also known as Beisa Oryx is a species of medium sized antelope from East Africa. With long straight horns and stunning face markings, the Beisa Oryx is unmistakable. Black lines streak across its nose, forehead and down its cheeks creating a mask like appearance over its otherwise white head. Black badges mark its forelegs and chest. Local communities hunt these large antelopes for their meat and hides and in some cultures, the horns are sought after as charms.

Gerenuk

gerenuk is an exceptionally long-necked antelope, which derives its name from gerenuk a Somali name meaning “giraffe-necked”. Their head is small for their size but their eyes and ears are large. Only the males have horn, which are stout and heavily ringed, and they have a more heavily muscled neck than the females do. They also have a coat that is brown on the upper back and lighter on the sides. The short tail looks longer as it ends in a tuft of black hair. Like many other gazelles these large antelopes have preorbital glands in front of their eyes that emit a tar like scent bearing substance they deposit on twigs and bushes to mark their territories. They also have scent glands on their knees that are covered by tufts of hair and between their split hooves. The gerenuks use various vocalizations, which include buzzing sound when alarmed, whistling when annoyed, bleating loudly when in extreme danger and soft bleating when females are communicating with their young ones. The gerenuks feed at higher reaches than most other gazelles and antelopes. They stand erect on their hind legs with their long necks extended to browse the tall bushes. By using their front legs to pull down higher branches they can reach leaves six to eight feet off the ground. They are exclusive browsers, largely feed on succulent plants, and do not feed on grass neither do they require water.