Kenya: Sport Hunting Ban to Continue


The Nation (Nairobi)

November 9, 2006
Posted to the web November 9, 2006

Patrick Nzioka
Nairobi

The Government has ruled out lifting the ban on sport hunting.

Vice-President Moody Awori said the country should conserve wildlife because it was among few places in the world where animals species had not been depleted.


Industrialist Manu Chandaria welcomes Vice-president Moody Awori at Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters yesterday when the VP received Sh10 million donation from the International Fund for Animal Welfare to boost construction of a 150-kilometre electric fence in Laikipia. Mr Chandaria is a member of the fund's board of directors.

Therefore, the number of animals cannot be reduced through hunting or artificial culling.

Instead, the animals should be left to regulate their numbers naturally as in the past, said Mr Awori.

"We have a responsibility to look after wildlife for the benefit of Kenyans and the whole world. There should be no sport hunting or artificial culling of the animals. Instead, we should allow nature to regulate the numbers to ensure the numbers are well-balanced with the environment and guard against climate change", the VP said.

Mr Awori spoke at the Kenya Wildlife Services offices yesterday when he received vehicles and equipment for capturing animals donated by the International Fund for Animal Welfare(IFAW).

The fund has been supporting KWS in conservation programmes in Tsavo national park under the Tsavo Conservation Area Project since 2002.

The organisation further donated Sh10 million towards the Laikipia West Fence project aimed at preventing human- wildlife conflict.

Yesterday, Mr Awori said tourists should not be allowed to drive too close to animals during safaris in order to protect wildlife.

And use of balloons in protected areas should be controlled because they had a negative effect on the reproduction of large mammals.

He called on local authorities dealing with wildlife to let KWS to scientifically manage the animals because it had enough experts.

Such councils would also benefit through increased revenue as a result of the good management, he said.

The VP called on the team reviewing the wildlife policy to ensure it addresses challenges facing the country in the management of animals.

He also noted that illegal trade in bush meat trade at the Tsavo had reduced as a result of the conservation programme between KWS and and the fund.

The fund's president, Mr Fredrick O'regan supported the VP on the ban saying it would be difficult for the Government to regulate the sport which, he added, was elitist and of no benefit to local communities.

Wildlife in the country, he added, was threatened by climate change as well as illegal trading in bush meat and lifting the ban would worsen the situation.


Mr O'regan also called for alternative methods to reduce the human- wildlife conflict.

KWS director Julius Kipngetich said any issue to be included in the policy should be guided by evidence that it would promote conservation.

On his part, Laikipia West G.G Kariuki expressed doubt whether the team would finish the review on schedule.

Alternative methods of reducing human-wildlife conflict? How about reducing the number of humans in Kenya? Per this article, can't you see it coming to this everywhere in Africa in the next few years?

Surely, nobody thought sanity would prevail?

quote:

Vice-President Moody Awori said the country should conserve wildlife because it was among few places in the world where animals species had not been depleted.

That go for Ele and Black Rhino too? Imbecile.

Maybe we can talk our British cousins into another "Imperial epoch." jorge

At last year's S.C.I. Convention, a group of us went out to dinner, including Sam Pancotto. Sam has done an unbelievable amount of hunting, tigers in India, multiple North American Grand Slams of sheep, Asian argalis, numerous 100 plus pound elephants.

A Zimbabwe PH asked Sam "of all the places you have hunted, what was the best place you have ever been to". Without hesitation, Sam replied "Kenya, it was an incredible place".

I just hope the rest of Africa does not follow Kenya's philosophy.

I'm afraid Kenya's government officials have always shared the same "Philo$ophy" and always will.

Just wondering, how much money could they have raised with the opening of the country for hunting? Surely not the measly SH10M or two. Bet they could name any price and it would've been met.

Kenya's wildlife not depleted?

Nickudu is right. That is the remark of an imbecile. The depletion of elephant and black rhino in Kenya since the hunting ban was imposed has been staggering!

Black rhino have dwindled in numbers to the point of near extinction. If anything, the hunting ban has made them more vulnerable to poachers in Kenya than elsewhere.

And free of interference from PHs and hunters legitimately in the field, poachers have wantonly killed tens of thousands of elephant since the imposition of the hunting ban.

Poaching during the time since hunting was banned has reduced Kenya's elephant population by half or more, depending on which source one consults.

The Kenyan government is directly responsible for causing the decimation of Kenya's premier big game species. I doubt that they will ever be honest enough to admit that their wildlife policies were and are misguided and wrong.

Re-opening hunting would be just such an admission. So I wouldn't hold my breath until that happens.

quote:

Vice-President Moody Awori said the country should conserve wildlife because it was among few places in the world where animals species had not been depleted.

WHAT A CROCK!

quote:

Industrialist Manu Chandaria welcomes Vice-president Moody Awori at Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters yesterday when the VP received Sh10 million donation from the International Fund for Animal Welfare to boost construction of a 150-kilometre electric fence in Laikipia. Mr Chandaria is a member of the fund's board of directors.

Oh, now I get it... the traditional African method of "seeing it our way"... the bribe!

There is an ongoing project to revitalize the Meru National Park, where poaching had pretty much depleted many of the species. Fortunately private game reserves had animals that could be transplanted. These same private reserves would like to be able to sell their excess animals to sport hunters but of course cannot. Even in Kenya only private management of game has saved them from extinction, not the ban on hunting.

like my father used to say "what to you expect from a hog but a grunt"

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
Kenya's wildlife not depleted?

Nickudu is right. That is the remark of an imbecile. The depletion of elephant and black rhino in Kenya since the hunting ban was imposed has been staggering!

Black rhino have dwindled in numbers to the point of near extinction. If anything, the hunting ban has made them more vulnerable to poachers in Kenya than elsewhere.

And free of interference from PHs and hunters legitimately in the field, poachers have wantonly killed tens of thousands of elephant since the imposition of the hunting ban.

Poaching during the time since hunting was banned has reduced Kenya's elephant population by half or more, depending on which source one consults.

The Kenyan government is directly responsible for causing the decimation of Kenya's premier big game species. I doubt that they will ever be honest enough to admit that their wildlife policies were and are misguided and wrong.

Re-opening hunting would be just such an admission. So I wouldn't hold my breath until that happens.

Blame the WWF; that's where they got their start and wherever they went the same carnage ensued.
S.

I travelled in Kenya in 1988 and while visiting some of the game reserves we had a friendly and chatty assistant cook. One remark from him had us confused. He stated that he thought the wildlife reserves were a waste of "good" agricultural land and should be used for farming and grazing ie humans, and not for animals.

We found this an amazing attitude from a guy whose livelihood was entirely supported by the wildlife he would be more than willing to see removed entirely.

If that attitude is common among the general populace what long term hope has the wildlife there got?

It's obvious. Someones making money off no hunting in Kenya. And hunters are an easy scapegoat for the wildlife population.

Hmm, predation by man is a natural part of regulating wildlife populations in Africa...

mrlexma is spot on. Not only has the Kenyan government's policies been directly responsible for game depletion, several Kenyan government officials, including a couple of presidents, have been directly involved in profiteering from poaching. For a while there, Kenya Airways was known as The Ivory Express. And still may be, for all I know. I think this is already widely known, but I'll mention it again. I spent several years operating in that beautiful, miserable, incredibly corrupt country. Nothing will ever get better. Never.

The current government was elected on an anti-corruption ticket, and then promptly rewrote the book on Kenyan corruption. In spades. It'll make you sick, if you let it.

The suckers keep pumping conservation money into the country, and the WaBenzi tribe loads up on the latest models. I wonder which one Awori will be driving?

And Aglifter, predation by man is a natural way of regulating the human population in Africa, also. Just ask the Somalis. Keep the tribes stirred up and maybe everybody will overlook theft and poaching on a grand scale.