herds his cattle on the south side of Nairobi national park. He says there used to be enough prey for predators – before settlements were built in the area. Conservationists say each lost corridor around the park further restricts fresh genes, leading to inbreeding. Photograph: Edwin Ndeke/Guardian
Nairobi national park in Kenya is the only large wildlife conservation area to fall within a capital city. It is hemmed in on three sides by human development, and unfenced only on its southern boundary – this gap providing a crucial wildlife passageway, linking the park’s animals to other populations of wildlife and wider gene pools.
The gap, however, is also home to a small Maasai community, where farmers face an agonising choice between protecting livestock and making space for the predators that prey on their cattle.
