KENYA Wildlife Service officials in Narok have blamed land subdivision through fencing for the increased human-wildlife conflicts in the area.
This comes after a herd of elephants invaded a 10-acre farm and destroyed crops last week.
Narok county KWS senior warden Collins Omondi said the fencing of farms around the Maasai Mara National Game Reserve is a threat to the wildlife ecosystem as it interferes with the wildlife migratory corridors.
The reaction came after farmers in Lemek area near the park complained of frequent invasion of their farms.
They said the jumbos destroy their fences and heavily damage their crops.
Speaking in Narok county, Omondi said they are working with wildlife conservationists to negotiate with local communities around the Mara to surrender their land for conservancies.
This will end the human-wildlife conflicts, he said.
“Fencing of individual lands around the park, which began five years ago, is emerging as a major threat to the ecosystem within the Maasai Mara. Since the land was subdivided to individuals, they have a right to fence but we are looking for ways to negotiate with the community,” the KWS official said.
Winnie Yiapan, one of the farmers who lost her crops, demanded compensation.
She said the elephants have become a nuisance.
“The herd of about 50 elephants from Olkinyei Conservancy trooped to my farm at midnight, broke the posts in my electric fence and feasted on the maize, which was ready for harvest, and other crops. I have incurred losses worth over Sh300,000,” she said.
The farmer said the wildlife agency officials did not respond to their distress calls on time but came a day later to conduct a damage assessment.