The Kenya Wildlife Service has successfully
translocated 12 elephants from the Kindaruma
ecosystem to Aberdare National Park.
The process of translocating
approximately 50 elephants began on October 3, 2024 from Mwea National Reserve
to Aberdare National Park.
KWS said the translocation is a vital
step in ensuring the well-being of the elephants and promoting coexistence with
the communities.
Between 1979 and 1989, Kenya faced an
alarming decline in its elephant population, driven by rampant poaching for
ivory.
Numbers fell drastically from an
estimated 170,000 to just 16,000. The establishment of KWS through an Act
of Parliament was a pivotal response to this crisis.
Since then, comprehensive conservation efforts have helped
reverse the decline, and the 2021 national wildlife census recorded an elephant
population of 36,280.
KWS and its partners developed the
National Elephant Action Plan (2023-2032), which seeks to secure sustainable
elephant populations, mitigate human-elephant conflicts, restore degraded
habitats, and enhance the economic benefits of elephants to local communities.
Mwea National Reserve’s elephant
population has surged from 49 individuals in 1979 to 156 today.