Kenya relocates 50 elephants to a larger park as population thrives

Kenya is suffering from a problem, albeit a bully one: the elephant colonisation successful the 42-square-kilometre (16-square-mile) Mwea National Reserve, eastbound of the superior Nairobi, has flourished from its maximum capableness of 50 to a whopping 156, overwhelming the ecosystem and requiring the relocation of astir 100 of the largest onshore animals. It hosted 49 elephants successful 1979, and their colonisation has grown.

On Monday, Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano oversaw the translocation of 5 elephants to the expansive Aberdare National Park, located successful cardinal Kenya. Fifty different elephants are acceptable to beryllium relocated, but a day hasn’t been announced.

According to Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga, the overpopulation successful Mwea highlighted the occurrence of conservation efforts implicit the past 3 decades.

“This shows that poaching has been debased and the elephants person been capable to thrive,” Kanga said.

Experts started relocating 50 elephants past week to the expansive 780-square-kilometre (301-square-mile) Aberdare National Park successful cardinal Kenya. As of Monday, 44 elephants had been moved from Mwea to Aberdare, with six others scheduled for Tuesday.

The process started astatine dawn and progressive a squad of much than 100 wildlife specialists, with instrumentality ranging from specially fitted trucks to craft and cruisers. A fixed-wing craft conducted aerial surveillance to way down herds of elephants, which people determination successful tiny families of astir five. The trade was successful changeless connection with 2 helicopters utilized to herd and abstracted the elephants to guarantee they were relocated with their household units.

Aboard 1 of the helicopters is simply a spotter, connected the lookout for elephants, and a veterinarian with a tranquiliser gun.

Once an elephant is sedated, a crushed squad of veterinary specialists and rangers rushes to find it and wide thickets to marque mode for transport crews. The animal’s vitals are monitored arsenic different radical of rangers works connected lifting the monolithic creature, weighing hundreds of kilogrammes, onto specialised trucks, to beryllium driven 120km (74 miles) to a caller home.

Kanga, the wildlife work director, said the relocation besides aimed astatine curbing human-wildlife conflict.

Boniface Mbau, a nonmigratory of the area, said: “We are precise blessed that the authorities has decided to trim the fig of elephants from the area. Due to their precocious numbers, they did not person capable nutrient successful the reserve, and they ended up invading our farms.”

The task has outgo astatine slightest 12 cardinal Kenyan shillings ($93,000), the wildlife bureau said.

Kenya’s nationalist parks and reserves are location to a assortment of wildlife taxon and pull millions of visitors annually, making the state a tourism blistery spot.