Wildlife conservation must put people first, experts say

Azzedine Downes, President and CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, interacts with a sniffer K9 at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. [Amos Kiarie, Standard]

Human-wildlife conflict incidents in Kenya reached 9,929 in the 2024/25 financial year, resulting in 131 human deaths and 341 injuries, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The figures included 5,596 crop-destruction incidents, 2,772 cases of livestock predation and 573 property-damage incidents, highlighting the toll of human-wildlife conflict on communities living alongside wildlife.