Tanzania, Kenya carry out joint wildlife census

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in partnership with African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE), Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) are conducting a joint census of wildlife in the greater Amboseli ecosystem.

The census is particularly crucial given that the park’s ecosystem was hard hit by the recent prolonged drought which led to massive deaths of zebras, elephants, buffaloes and wildebeest, according to a KWS statement on Friday

The census will includes observations on habitat degradation, water distribution, livestock numbers, human settlement patterns and illegal activities, including logging.

The census, to cover Kenya’s Amboseli National park and Tanzania’s West Kilimanjaro region, began on Sunday, February 8 this year and is scheduled to end on Thursday, March 4.

KWS has been carrying out regular aerial census every three years in the Amboseli Ecosystem, the last being carried out in 2007.

In the meantime, the Tanzania Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Shamsa Mwangunga has re-affirmed Tanzania’s resolve to seek permission to sell its 90 tonnes of ivory stockpiled in warehouses.

“We have very many good reasons why we want to sell the ivory,” she said over the phone yesterday. These reasons will be known on March 20 when we present our paper to the CITES at the forthcoming meeting,” she said.

Tanzania has asked for a permit to dispose of the ivory from CITES as required by international agreements but the Kenya government is campaigning against Tanzania on this issue.

Mwangunga said international agreements permits the sell of ivory from any member nation as long as the ivory is categorized as “legal ivory.” Legal ivory refers to tusks acquired from elephants which died from natural death, or from death caused by the action of cropping destructive herd.

Ivory acquired through poaching is illegal and permits are not allowed for their sale.

Tanzania’s 90 tonnes of ivory is all legal, she said.