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The tourism sector in Baringo county is enjoying a boom after flamingos migrated to Lake Bogoria after a successful breeding season in Lake Natron in Tanzania.

The beautiful birds, which normally return between June and July, arrived last week with hundreds of young flamingoes.

According to Lake Bogoria Senior Warden James Kimaru, the breeding season for flamingoes is between February to April every year where they usually migrate to Lake Natron, a salt lake located in Northern Tanzania and come back in July.

“The birds have kept their migration constant for the past seven years which often kick off between June and July. They spend between four and five months in Kenya, then fly back to Lake Natron for breeding,” Kimaru said.

“They have come in large numbers and they all look healthy, signifying a successful breeding season. The birds often fly back to Kenya to spend more time and feed after a successful breeding season,” added the warden.

Kimaru said the flamingoes flocking back at Lake Bogoria often coincides with tourism peak season which he says has seen tourism numbers grow.

Major tourist hotels in the area which usually offer accommodation facilities are enjoying high tourist turnout with high bookings being experienced.

Lake Bogoria is a World Heritage Site under the Kenya Lake System which also comprises lakes Nakuru and Elementaita.

Flamingo population at Lake Nakuru has however, decreased over years which has been attributed to the increasing water levels in the lake and pollution which has seen Lake Bogoria host larger populations of flamingoes in the region.

According to a recent report on the status of World Heritage sites in Africa proposed that other lakes, which play a critical role in survival of flamingos, be included on the World Heritage List. The lakes include Lake Natron in Tanzania, a key breeding haven for flamingoes.

The flamingoes, the report said, mainly nest in Tanzania’s Lake Natron, while the flocks also exist in Lakes Manyara and Eyasi and in Ethiopian lakes .