Kenya’s tourism stakeholders have voiced their concerns, saying the sector is one of the areas that have been negatively impacted following the death of 11 black rhinos that were recently translocated to the Tsavo National Park from Nairobi and Nakuru national parks.
The Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF), the umbrella body representing all tourism associations in Kenya, has expressed its deep concerns regarding the unprecedented death of 11 rhinos in the recent translocation exercise.
KTF Chairman, Mohammed Hersi said: “If there are stakeholders that are hurting emanating from this tragic incident, it is the tourism fraternity.”
An inquiry team concluded that the deaths were due to multiple stress syndrome, intensified by salt poisoning in the water, which was further aggravated by dehydration, starvation, proliferation of opportunistic bacteria in the upper respiratory tract, gastric ulcers and gastritis.
“The independent inquiry further showed there were areas of clear negligence that occurred after translocation at the release site in Tsavo, especially in the holding boma at the sanctuary that included poor co-ordination and communication,” said Kenya’s Tourism Cabinet Secretary, Najib Balala, who has come under fire as a result of the unsuccessful translocation.
Balala has since appointed Jochen Zeitz, alongside Ian Craig to the Board of Trustees for KWS.
Former PUMA CEO, Zeitz was the Co-Founder of The B Team, as well as Founder of the Zeitz Foundation for Intercultural Ecosphere Safety which supports sustainable solutions that balance conservation, community, culture and commerce. Craig was a former Owner of Lewa Conservancy and Northern Rangeland Trust Director of conservancies.
On behalf of KTF, Hersi said the organisation had faith in Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS), as its members worked hard in extreme conditions, with limited resources protecting Kenya’s wildlife heritage. As tourism stakeholders, we stand with our rangers and KWS team at this difficult moment. The same team has overseen many other successful translocations and this was an unfortunate incident.
According to Hersi, it is in the best interest of tourism players that the country continues to conserve its wildlife. “The anchor to our burgeoning tourism industry has been wildlife.”
Hersi emphasised KTF’s confidence in Balala. “He has on many occasions picked tourism from the doldrums; and is now focusing on cleaning up KWS, which has gone through lots of challenges in the last ten years and repositioning this vital organisation that has a huge task of protecting and growing our wildlife.”
The KTF is urging Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta and the government at large to allocate adequate funds to enable KWS to deliver on its mandate.
Additionally, KTF has further urged the Cabinet Secretary to now rein in suspicious wildlife conservation organisations that have operated in a seemingly opaque manner, to protect the country’s wildlife. “We demand transparency and accountability from all such organisations since, in essence, they are competing for the same donor funding that would have gone to help Kenyan Wildlife Services who are the official custodians of all wildlife in Kenya.”
