KWS seeks to take over Maasai Mara as game numbers fall
Wildebeest at Maasai Mara National Reserve in July 2013. Experts said that number of animals in the game reserve had declined by 70 per ceNT. Photo/Suleiman Mbatia
What you need to know:
KWS director William Kiprono said that Narok should be blamed for the decline of wildlife population in the Mara since it manages the reserve.
Experts recently told a workshop that number of animals had declined by 70 per cent as they had to compete for pasture with cattle that graze in the reserve.
Narok governor Samuel Tunai earlier admitted there was a crisis at the Mara, saying buffaloes and wild dogs have almost disappeared.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has asked Narok County chiefs to hand over the management of the world-renown Maasai Mara because they have failed to conserve wild animals in the game reserve.
KWS director William Kiprono on Tuesday said that Narok should be blamed for the decline of wildlife population in the Mara since it manages the reserve.
Experts recently told a workshop that number of animals had declined by 70 per cent as they had to compete for pasture with cattle that graze in the reserve.
Narok governor Samuel Tunai earlier admitted there was a crisis at the Mara, saying buffaloes and wild dogs have almost disappeared. The governor added that huge herds of wildebeests no longer pass through the region on their epic migration as they did five years ago.
On the new tactics of poachers killing elephants with poisoned arrows and snares in the Tsavo conservancy, the KWS boss said Taita-Taveta leaders and residents should help the government arrest the culprits.
Mr Kiprono said Narok County collects revenue in the Mara and therefore, has a major responsibility of conserving the wildlife paradise.
He said in the event that the county was incapable of running the reserve then it should hand it over to the agency.
“In case the county lacks the capacity to conserve the wildlife the leaders should allow KWS to take over to help restore sanity in the reserve,” he said.
On cattle grazing in the reserve, the KWS boss said it was unacceptable for the managers to allow livestock into the Mara.
“International tourists flock to the Mara to watch wildlife and not grazing cattle,” he said.
Mr Kiprono said that there was a need for counties, which have wildlife to take conservation matters seriously to overcome more loss of endangered species.
He said that the wildlife was a national heritage and Kenyans should complement the government’s efforts in protecting the wildlife from poachers.
“Tourism earned the country Sh96 billion last year with wildlife being a major attraction. Every county gets a share of the revenue,” added Mr Kiprono.
In response to claims by Narok leaders that KWS was involved in poaching in the Mara, he said that he had not received any reports implicating his officers in the menace. However, some KWS officers have been arraigned in court for abetting poaching elsewhere.
But Mr Kiprono wondered why the Narok County security team had not arrested the accused rangers or even filed complaints with his office.
Speaking to the Business Daily on the phone, he called on the public to report people involved in poaching for them to face the law.
The KWS boss said locals could help contain the menace since the poachers hire villagers to kill elephants with poisoned arrows and snares.
