ELEPHANT NUMBERS RISE IN THE MASAI MARA AND THE TSAVO – MKOMANZI AREAS
(Posted 22nd June 2017)
The Kenya Wildlife Service yesterday released data of a recent elephant census carried out in parts of Kenya, such as the Masai Mara Game Reserve, the Tsavo – Mkomanzi transboundary area between Kenya and Tanzania but also Chyulu, Kitui, the Taita Taveta area and the Galana ranches.It was the Director General of KWS Kitili Mbathi who presented the figures which showed an increase in particular in the Tsavo – Mkomanzi area surveilled of 14.7 percent vis a vis the last such count three years ago.
In the Masai Mara was the increase even more impressive as the latest count numbers stood at 2.493 elephant versus the 2014 figure of just 1.448, an increase of over 1.000 elephant counted.
The Kenya Wildlife Service Director General also made reference to the ongoing controversy along sections of the new SGR railway where elephant have been observed breaking weak fences or else try to climb the banks of the elevated railway in an attempt to follow age old migration patterns.
Mbathi gave assurances to the public that this situation was being monitored with the aim to identifying hotspots and finding long term solutions for migrating elephant populations.
