Kenya: Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park is home to more than 12,000 elephants – but they are under threat from habitat loss, drought and poaching. Hence, they are planning to track a selection of animals by GPS to map exactly how they use the huge area.
The Kenyan Wildlife Service has teamed up with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to fit GPS collars on eight male and female animals for a 20 month period, according to Elphus Bitok, a KWS research scientist.
Knowing exactly where the animals are, say rangers, will help improve security and fight poaching and produce better ways to intervene when there are instances of conflict with humans. Fred O’Regan, President and CEO, IFAW, said that the cost of losing elephants and other wildlife and their habitats is greater than securing them. “Another thing we are trying to do out here is to identify where the legitimate migratory corridors that we can protect to make sure this animal thrives for the future.”
The elephant population in Kenya is increasing, rising 8 percent over the past two years and with the latest satellite technology now helping, environmentalists will be hoping that trend continues.
Source: NDTV
