The wildlife sanctuary surrounding Chui Lodge was created in the mid 1990’s with the sole purpose of giving the resident wildlife a place of safety and refuge. Over 18, 000 acres is surrounded by an electrified fence, as much to keep illegal cattle grazers out as it is to keep the wildlife from straying into the nearby farmlands.
The wildlife are still able to move freely between the neighboring Hell’s Gate National Park, the sanctuary and the lakeshore by way of wildlife corridors which ensures constant movement throughout the localized eco-system.
Since the creation of the sanctuary and the wildlife corridors the number of wildlife, specifically species such as leopard and giraffe, persecuted by the villages in the past, has stabilized and increased to sustainable levels.
Whilst lions do occasionally visit, such as George the lion who was a full time resident for more than 5 years, there is a pressing need to “predator proof” the fence surround the Oserengoni Wildlife Sanctuary and to turn our sporadic predator presence into a full time programme. This will allow natural control of the ever-increasing numbers of certain herbivore species within the sanctuary.
Within the sanctuary and game corridors we have over 50 mammal species, some of these include, Leopard, Topi, Grevy’s zebra, Impala, Serval cat, Warthog, and Lesser Galago. Naivasha is a main stop for many migratory birds, and plays a huge role in hosting the breeding grounds for numerous species. All year round we have over 400 species of birds that thrive in the different ecosystems that are part of Oserengoni Wildlife Sanctuary. To say the least we are a birders paradise, some common sightings are Klaas’s Cuckoo, Long-crested Eagle, Spectacled Weaver and Black-backed Puffback.
