Herders, livestock invade game parks

By Patrick Mathangani

Thousands of livestock have been driven into ten game sanctuaries, endangering tourism and conservation efforts.

A Kenya Wildlife Service report says that invasion by herders has led to an increase in poaching, destruction of vegetation.

The situation has also disturbed wildlife migration patterns.

The report seen by The Standard yesterday names Tsavo West and East, Chyulu, Amboseli, Kora and Sibiloi as most affected.

Thousands of herders have also moved domestic animals into Bisanadi and Marsabit national reserves, while armed herders have invaded Shaba and Buffalo Springs reserves in Isiolo.

Huge resources

The herders are a big drain to KWS as efforts to drive the livestock out have gobbled up more than Sh46 million since January, says the report. This is about 70 per cent of the resources allocated to the affected parks.

More than 400,000 cattle have moved through the parks in the same period, according to the report.

"Most pastoral communities living around the parks are known to possess illegal firearms," the report adds. "These firearms are used to poach wildlife within the parks for subsistence and in some cases for trophies."

The livestock has caused irreversible damage to the ecosystem as they deplete pasture, leaving little for wild game. In Sibiloi, livestock have trampled on a prehistoric site and destroyed priceless fossils.

In some parks, wildlife have been displaced by the livestock and armed herders.

"To avoid this intrusion, wild animals move out of the protected areas into the communal lands where they cause human-wildlife conflict and become prone to poaching," says the report.

However, KWS spokeman Paul Udoto said they have embarked on an exercise to drive the herders out.

"We understand the difficulties many people are going through across the country but livestock incursion into parks and reserves as well as bush meat trade are illegal and our teams are on the alert to enforce the law," said Mr Udoto.

Attacks on tourists

The report decries attacks on tourists, saying one such assault could destroy the country’s tourism.

The famine situation has worsened human-animal conflicts. Livestock have also been affected.

Last month, 2,500 goats and 1,200 cattle succumbed to drought in northern Kenya.

Deaths due to tick borne diseases have also been reported. It is anticipated 45 per cent of the livestock in North Eastern Province alone could die due to drought and disease.