The Arawale National Reserve is a designated conservation area managed by the Garissa County in assistance with the

Kenya Wildlife Service Kenya Wildlife Service is a state corporation under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife established by an act of Parliament; Wildlife Conservation and Management Act CAP 376, of 1989, now repealed and replaced by the Wildlife Conservation and Ma ...

. It lies in North Eastern Province of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, 77 km south of the town of Garissa. The reserve covers an area of . To the west, it is bordered by the Tana River and, to the east, by the Garissa-Lamu road. In 1974, the reserve was gazetted as the only ''in-situ'' conservation site for the critically endangered

Hirola The hirola (''Beatragus hunteri''), also called the Hunter's hartebeest or Hunter's antelope, is a critically endangered antelope species found on the border between Kenya and Somalia. It was first described by the big game hunter and zoologist ...

population endemic to north-eastern Kenya and south-west

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

Wildlife

The reserve is a critical refuge for a range of wildlife species including four globally threatened species:

hirola The hirola (''Beatragus hunteri''), also called the Hunter's hartebeest or Hunter's antelope, is a critically endangered antelope species found on the border between Kenya and Somalia. It was first described by the big game hunter and zoologist ...

, Grevy's zebra,

East African wild dog The African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus''), also called the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine which is a native species to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus '' L ...

and

East African cheetah The East African cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus jubatus''), is a cheetah population in East Africa. It lives in grasslands and savannas of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia. The cheetah inhabits mainly the Serengeti ecosystem, including Maasai M ...

. A study commissioned by

Terra Nuova {{unreferenced Terra Nuova is an international non-governmental organization. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Italy, It focuses on promoting equitable and sustainable socio-economic development in various African and Latin America countries, i ...

in 2006 also showed signs of presence of the

African bush elephant The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana'') is one of two extant African elephant species and one of three extant elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to and a body ...

. Since 2005, the protected area is considered a

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

Conservation Unit together with

Lag Badana National Park Lag Badana National Park (Bushbush National Park) is a national park of Somalia. It is located on the far southern coast. Overview Lag Badana was the first national park to be established in the country. During the second half of the 1980s, the M ...

References

* Andaje, S. A. (2002) Factors limiting the Abundance and Distribution of Hirola in Tsavo and Tana River Districts. ''Kenya Wildlife Service: Biodiversity Conservation Unit''. * Antipa, R. S, Ali, M. H. and Hussein, A. A. (2007
Assessment of the Potential of Eco/Cultural Tourism as Viable Enterprises in Southern Garissa, Ijara and Lamu Districts: A Community Conservation and Enterprise Support Initiative
''National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya''. * Muchai, M. et al. (2007
The Distribution, Abundance and Habitat Use of the Hunter's Hartebeest (Hirola); Beatragus hunteri; Sclater, 1889 in Ishaqibini Community Wildlife Conservancy and Arawale National Reserve, Kenya
''National Museums of Kenya''.

External links

National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya

Kenya Wildlife Service

National Museums of Kenya

EDGE of Existence – Top 100 Mammals

IUCN Red List

African Conservation Foundation

Terra Nuova webpage
(Italian) Protected areas of Kenya Protected areas established in 1974 Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic {{NorthEasternKE-geo-stub