Kenya plans elephant move

2004-03-29 13:42

Nairobi - The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) announced on Sunday it planned to move about 400 elephants from a reserve in the coastal region where they have been straying into human settlements and destroying crops.

"KWS intends to translocate 400 jumbos from the Shimba Hills National Reserve to Tsavo East National Park's northern sector from around July, when they will be darted with tranquillisers for transportation," a KWS official, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

"An intense human-wildlife conflict and severe habitat degradation in the Shimba ecosystem have necessitated the intended relocation of the elephants to resolve human-wildlife conflict and to restore environmental degradation," the official said.

"This is in line with KWS Elephant Population Management Strategy to resolve conflicts, restore biodiversity, re-stock depleted ranges and promote tourism," he added.

The official said KWS scientists were already carrying out studies of elephant family units in the Shimba Hills to select the ideal family groups for translocation.

He added that the authorities would ensure that both at donor and recipient sites precautions were taken to ensure the elephants do not stray into human settlements after their release.

"These include rehabilitation and construction of electric fences in both Tsavo and Shimba Hills, provision of watering points, construction of holding bomas and enhancing security patrols in northern Tsavo East National Park," he said.

The relocation is also expected to restore the elephant population in Tsavo East, where intense poaching has reduced their numbers from 40 000 four decades ago to about current 7 000.

- AFP