Crescent Island

"The island is a stretch of land in Lake Naivasha that is actually the rim of a submerged volcanic crater at the deepest point of the lake. The huge lake (its size varies by season) is at the heart of the Rift Valley, where millions of years ago the earth’s crust tore apart, creating a crack that stretched down the continent. Active volcanoes on either side of the split erupted and forced the ground to sink into a deep, curved valley. Jagged volcanic escarpments with panoramic lookouts, cavernous mountain gorges and glittering lakes remain.
Much of Lake Naivasha is still off the beaten path, uncrowded and serene. Crescent Island, now privately owned by a British-Kenyan family, was created when the nearby Mount Longonot erupted, creating the crater on which the island now sits. It has grown in size because of the drastic reduction in Lake Naivasha’s water level, caused both by drought and the drainage of the lake by more than 100 flower farms. (Despite its name, Crescent Island turned into a peninsula in 2000 when the lake’s water level dropped to a historically low point.) Crescent Island rivals any zoo for diversity: zebras, impalas, giraffes, wildebeests, gazelles, waterbucks, antelopes, dik-diks, steenboks, buffaloes and several other types of animals populate the island. And because there are no predators, fences or cars, visitors can walk freely among the animals" -ALEXIS OKEOWO, NY Times

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This collection of skulls are from animals from the island. Some die of starvation during the dry season, as they are not fed by the people who own the land.

 

This one is from a hippo that was badly injured in a fight. It crawled up onto the land and died there. The owners reported the death to the government, who came and took the meat but left the skeleton. This skull is considered a trophy. 

 

Zebras roam freely, and they don't let you get too close, unfortunately. 

 

There were quite a few pelicans at the lake, and at a distance at first we thought they were swans (oops!)

 

Since I know you pathologists can handle it, it was interesting to see the carcasses of some of the animals. This was a wildebeest that our guide Mumo thought died of starvation. There are hyenas on the island that scavenge the carcasses.

 

This island was just absolutely gorgeous-- walking along the herds-- and feeling the vibrations beneath our feet as they ran was unforgettable. 

 

 

This was the only toilet on the island-- when you gotta go you gotta go! :)

 

It was fun to just walk in the shade of the acacia trees at the end of the day, tired and dusty, but content.