The Kenya Wildlife Services and the International Fund for Animal Welfare are set to kick off an animal tagging exercise in which three cows and one bull will be fitted with tracking collars within the Amboseli ecosystem in Kajiado county.
A team of scientists, researchers and veterinarians from the partnering organisations will conduct the exercise which is the second since February this year.
The partners organisations said that the collars which will transmit the position of the four elephants will help in mapping out the elephants’ migratory and dispersal routes, critical areas the animals use and how expansively the elephants travel in search of food and water.
The exercise also aims at effectively equipping KWS with data which will assist them to design intervention measures for human-elephant conflict mitigation as well as mount security operations.
“Monitoring elephant movements in the Amboseli ecosystem is a fundamental prescription of Kenya’s national elephant conservation and management strategy and this scientific study will go a long way in generating accurate, almost real time and up to date information that is critical for managing and conserving elephants on one hand and enhancing local people’s livelihoods on the other,” said Dr Charles Musyoki, Head of Species Research Programs at KWS.
The joint study is part of IFAW’s Amboseli Project, which includes enhancing KWS’ law enforcement capabilities, leasing critical corridors and dispersal areas in community land, creating conservation awareness and local capacity for eco-tourism ventures, and mitigating human-elephant conflict.
