The fight against poaching in Kenya would bear fruit, according to the first animal census conducted in the country.

According to these data, Kenya has 36,280 elephants in particular, a population that has increased by 21% compared to 2014, when poaching peaked.

"The efforts to increase the penalties against crimes related to endangered species seem to be bearing fruit," said the authors of the census, published Monday, in their report.

This is good news as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned in March against the decimation of the elephant population in Africa due to poaching and destruction of their habitats.

The African savannah elephant population has plunged by at least 60% over the past 50 years, resulting in their being listed as "endangered" in the latest update to the "Red List" of the IUCN.

Lion, zebra and giraffe populations on the rise

This census, funded by the Kenyan state, made it possible to count 30 different animal species on nearly 59% of the territory studied. The number of lions, zebras, hirolas (hunting antelopes) and the three species of giraffes is increasing, says the report, without however providing comparative data with previous years. A total of 1,739 rhinos have also been recorded, including two northern white rhinos, 840 southern white rhinos and 897 critically endangered black rhinos. The Maasai Mara reserve, in the south of the country, is home to nearly 40,000 wildebeest.

"Obtaining such a level of information (...) allows for better policy, better planning and better assessment of areas that require special attention," said Minister of Wildlife Najib Balala in the report. .


President Uhuru Kenyatta praised the success of environmental protection agencies in their fight against poaching, while urging them to find innovative approaches to protect wildlife.

"[Fauna] is our heritage, it is the heritage of our children and it is important for us to know what we have, in order to be better informed in our policy and on the actions to be taken", declared the head of state in a press release.

Progress threatened by man

The report stresses, however, that special attention must be paid to certain antelope species, such as sand antelopes and mountain bongos, of which there are less than 100 specimens for each of them.

These species could become extinct if no urgent action is taken.

The progress recorded could also be threatened by the exponential growth of the human population and the concomitant increase in land needs, for housing but also for economic activities (livestock, logging, consumption of charcoal), warns The report.

World

England: herd of elephants to fly to Kenya

World

United States: Kenyan extradited for trafficking in horns and ivory

  • Animals

  • Kenya

  • Planet

  • elephant

  • Poaching