KENYA AND TANZANIA IN JOINT WILDLIFE CENSUS ON LARGE HERBIVOROUS ANIMALS TO DETERMINED THE NUMBER OF BIG GAMES IN THEIR RESPECTIVENATIONAL PARKS.

Writes Leo Odera Omolo.

DESPITE their divergent opinion about the future of ivory trade, Kenya and Tanzania have come together for a joint aerial wildlife census.

The cross border count will assess the impact of last year’s prolonged drought in the greater Amboseli ecosystem, besides generating information that will be used to plan and streamline management of parks in the two countries.

The census exercise brought together 50 officials, from the pilot and Geographic Information System {GIS} experts, to data entry clerks and technical observers. Kenya funded it to the tune of USD 42,763.

Kenya Wildlife Service monitoring and biodiversity information manager, Erustus Kanga told newsmen that the operation targeted large herbivorous mammals, from the size of gazelles and above, including elephants, elands, giraffes and buffaloes.

The team crisscrossed the Amboseli ecosystem that spans 6,000 square kilometers, including the Amboseli National Park and the surrounding community ranches, Nguruman-Magadi as well as the West Kilimanjaro region up to Lake Natron in Tanzania.

Amboseli is among the areas that have been hard hit by prolonged drought over the past two years, leading to massive deaths of zebra, wildebeest, elephant, buffaloes as well as livestock from the local communities.

The census come barely a fortnight to the decisive Doha meeting, where the two countries are expected to face off as a decision is made by parties in the Convention Trade on Endangered Species {Sites} on whether to allow Ivory trade or not.

Tanzania and Zambia have applied to be allowed to sell off their ivory stocks, a development that Kenya is vehemently opposed to.

Among the sticking points in the row are complaints by Kenya authorities that they were not consulted by their neighbors before they made the bid.

Mr Kanga insisted that the difference between the different opinions did not affect relations between wildlife managers from the two countries during the operation.

During the operation, the two countries established co-operational bases on either sides of the common border.

While KWS, which partnered with African Wildlife Foundation and Amboseli National park, the Tanzania National Parks operated from Kilimanjaro National Park.

This is the first time that the two countries are collaborating on the census.

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leooderaomolo@yahoo.com