Elephant relocation under way
2005-08-25 12:03
Shimba Hills National Reserve - Kenya wildlife service rangers began tranquillising elephants in preparation for trucking them hundreds of kilometres to a new, less crowded home in the East African country's largest relocation operation.
The first bull elephant was darted by a ranger in a helicopter shortly after dawn on Thursday, with dignitaries looking on. The $3.2m exercise will transport the elephants from Shimba Hills National Reserve more than 350km to the northern part of Tsavo East National Park, wildlife service officials said. The government is funding the relocation.
The 22-year-old male elephant will be the first to make the eight-hour drive, followed on Saturday by entire family groups. Rangers have enough trucks to transport 14 elephants at a time, said Patrick Omondi, head of the wildlife service's elephant programmes.
Important for family to stay together
Young elephants live in families led by senior females, while adult males spend most of their time alone. Moving families together is important for the animal's well-being, Omondi said.
Shimba Hills has 600 elephants, three times what it can comfortably handle, resulting in the animals moving into populated area and destroying crops and injuring people. Tsavo East National Park has 10 397 elephants, down from a peak of 25 268 in 1972.
Tsavo East suffered its heaviest loss of elephants during the 1980s and early 1990s when poachers devastated Kenya's pachyderms. Poaching has since subsided, helped by a 1989 global ban on the ivory trade that has seen prices drop.
Trying to eradicate poaching
Kenya wildlife service director Julius Kipng'etich said on Monday his organisation has increased security in the area the elephants will be relocated.
"We deployed 83 young ranger recruits to Tsavo East last month. If the poachers come, they will find us ready," Kipng'etich said. He said they would also have regular aerial patrols.
Kipng'etich also said Kenya Wildlife service had taken steps to reduce the possibility of elephants damaging farms near Tsavo East, a constant threat facing wildlife authorities as Kenya's population grows and more people move to once-empty land to farm, at times close to national parks.
"We have also radio-collared six matriarchs and will be monitoring their movements using Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS) so our rangers can drive them away before they reach private farms," Kipng'etich said. "We want to be pro-active in our management of problem elephants."
- AP