Bamburi Haller Park

Mombasa, Kenya

Majengo:

It is a ward in Mombasa, Kenya. It is divided between Kisauni & Mvita electoral constituencies.

Bamburi:

Combination of 2 local Bantu words (Ba means people & mburi means goat). It is a commercial, industrial, local electoral, administrative, tourist & residential area on the coast-line of Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It is famous for Haller Park.

Haller Park:

Also called Bamburi Haller Park.
Felix Mandl was a Croatian businessman and entrepreneur, who founded Bamburi Cement in Kenya, in 1951.

Born: 16th December, 1898
Died: 1993

He was born to a wealthy Jewish family.

The cement factory was situated around 12km north of Mombasa. Over the years, cement production grew from around 1.2 million tons to around 25 million tons. This resulted in the formation of inhospitable arid wasteland with brackish water. It was even impossible to grow any plants there. So, Bamburi Cement company, deciding to rehabitate the quarries, appointed Rene Haller as the manager of the garden department, in 1959.
At first, after planting around 26 plants, only 3 survived:

  1. Damas (Arabic name for Qalab in Somali) [Conocarpus lancifolius]
  2. Coconut Palm
  3. Casuarina (She-Oak or Australian Pine) [Casuarina equisetifolia]

Haller also introduced hundreds of red legged millipede, whose droppings (while feeding on the casuarina needles) made it easy to break down bacteria, resulting in the formation of rich layer of humus, allowing other plant species to grow. Slowly-slowly plants, shrubs & trees started to grow. Some for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years or more. Along with this, many animals also started to come. Some were brought here for safe living and protection from getting extinct.
Thus, Haller Park got developed, near the cement factory, becoming one of the famous tourist spot in Mombasa, Kenya. And it was named as Haller Park to remember the hard work doe by Rene Haller behind the development of this park.

Giraffe:

Tallest living terrestrial animal

  • Vertibrate
  • Mammal
  • class: Mammalia
  • order: Artiodactyla
  • family: Giraffidae
  • sub-family: Giraffinae
  • genus: Giraffa
  • food habit: Herbivores (generally feeds on Acacia [Babla in Bengali])

Monkey:

Identified by long tail, agility & tree-dwelling nature

  • Vertibrate
  • Mammal
  • class: Mammalia
  • order: Primates
  • food habit: Omnivores 

Monkeys are divided into:

  1. Old World Monkeys
  2. New World Monkeys

Old World Monkeys:

  • family: Cercopithecidae
  • sub-family: Cercopithecinae & Colobinae

New World Monkeys:

  • family: Atelidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae & Callitrichidae

    Monitor Lizards:

    Lizards native to Africa, Asia & Oceania

    • Vertibrate
    • Reptiles
    • class: Reptilia
    • order: Squamata
    • sub-order: Anguimorpha
    • family: Varanidae
    • genus: Varanus
    • food habit: Carnivores

    Tortoise:

    Terrestrial animal with a dome-like shell on the back for protection against threats

    • Vertibrate
    • Reptile
    • class: Reptilia
    • order: Testudines
    • family: Testudinidae
    • sub-family: Testudinoidea
    • food habit: Herbivores

      Difference Between Tortoise & Turtles

      Tortoise Turtles
      Lives in dry lands Generally lives in water (swimming or wading)
      Heavy, high, rounded and dome-shaped shells Flatter, thinner and more streamlined shells
      Heavy, sturdy, elephant-like legs with clawed, club-like feet Webbed feet or flippers
      Mostly herbivores Mostly omnivores
      Lifespan of around 80 years to 150 years Lifespan of around 20 years to 40 years