Amboseli National Park, formerly called Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is located in Loitoktok District, Kajiado County, Kenya. The park covers an area of 39,206 hectares (392.06 square kilometers) and is at the center of an ecosystem spanning 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) that covers parts of Kenya and Tanzania. The park is home to 400 bird species, including water birds such as pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, and hamerkops, as well as 47 species of birds of prey. The people living near the park are mostly Maasai.
The park protects two of the five major swamps in the region and includes a dried-up lake from the Pleistocene era, along with vegetation that grows in dry conditions.
History
In 1883, Jeremy Thompson became the first European to enter the Maasai region called Empusel, which means "salty, dusty place" in the Maa language. He was surprised by the wide variety of animals and the difference between the dry, empty lake areas and the wet, swampy areas, a difference that still exists today.
Amboseli was set aside as the Southern Reserve for the Maasai in 1906 but became a game reserve under local control in 1948. It was officially named a national park in 1974 to protect the important ecosystem there. In 1991, the area was recognized as a UNESCO site. In 2005, the park earned $3.5 million (€2.9 million). On September 29, 2005, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki announced that the Kenya Wildlife Service would transfer control of the park to the Olkejuado County Council and the Maasai tribe. Some people believed this decision was made to gain support before a vote on a new Kenyan constitution. Legal challenges are now being considered in court. If the park’s status is changed, admission fees would go directly to the county council, with shared benefits for the Maasai communities near the park.
Wildlife
Amboseli National Park was home to Echo, the most studied elephant in the world. Many books and documentaries focused on Echo, which was observed for nearly 40 years by American conservationist Cynthia Moss. Echo passed away in 2009 at about 60 years old.
Amboseli National Park is home to African bush elephants, yellow baboons, Cape buffalo, impalas, lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, Masai giraffes, Grant's zebras, and blue wildebeests. Many large and small birds also live there.