Wildlife deal causes outrage
2006-01-18 21:09
Nairobi - Outraged wildlife activists on Wednesday claimed "threatened" species were on a list of 175 exotic wild animals that Kenya plans to send to a zoo in Thailand, urging President Mwai Kibaki to reconsider the deal that would certainly dent Kenya's tourism sector.
In December, a Kenyan judge issued an injunction to postpone the transfer to the Asian nation by at least two months pending the settling of a lawsuit filed against the government by animal welfare and community groups which maintain a memorandum of understanding signed between Nairobi and Bangkok is illegal.
About 46 conservation groups said the animals that include serval cats, crowned cranes, lesser flamingo and hippopotamus are listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which prohibits trade in such animals without authorisation.
"The export of such species sends wrong signals internationally and undermines Kenya's future ability to lobby and safeguard endangered species within the Cites framework," they said in a letter to Kibaki that was published in the local press.
In addition, they said the country's wildlife has declined by 40 to 60% between 1977 and 2004 owing to rampant illegal bush meat trade, felling of forests and widespread encroachment into parks and reserves for human settlement.
"There is evidence of drastic decline and even localised extinction of some wildlife species across the country," they said.
"We therefore humbly call upon you to reconsider this deal," they said in the open letter to Kibaki.
On November 9, Kenyan Tourism and Wildlife Minister Morris Dzoro and Thai Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyut Tiyapairat signed a deal in Nairobi pledging "co-operation in the field of park and wildlife management".
As part of the agreement, Kenya was to send 175 animals, including zebras, flamingos, buffaloes, wildebeest, hippos, spotted hyena, silver-back jackals and impalas to a soon-to-be-opened safari park in northern Thailand.
The move drew anger and indignation from wildlife groups arguing it violates Kenyan law, is not in line with established conservation principles and will hurt Kenya's reputation as a leader in the protection of animals.