KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE LAUNCHES COLLARING EXERCISE FOR ELEPHANT ALONG NEW RAILWAY LINE
(Posted 13th March 2016)
Following increasing reports on elephant straying into farms along the new Standard Gauge Railway line from Mombasa to Nairobi in the area around Voi and Mtito Andei, has the Kenya Wildlife Service taken the decision to increase monitoring and surveillance.
Starting tomorrow 14th March until the 17th March will at least ten selected elephants be sedated by the KWS vet team and then fitted with radio collars.
The data captured over the coming months are expected to provide KWS with some real time updates on the locations of these elephants and their family units. It is also hoped that the location monitoring will give some conclusive information how the new railway line impacts on the migration patterns of elephant in the greater Tsavo area to help prevent the destruction of crops and subsequent reactions by the affected farmers.
The elephant conservation NGO ‘Save the Elephants‘ is supporting the collaring exercise through technical and logistical support to KWS.
Added information is expected when the field teams have reached the Tsavo conservation area.
For more information about the Kenyan national parks and KWS click on www.kws.go.ke
