• More than 500 animal-lovers calling an end to animal poaching marched through the streets of Nairobi Saturday morning
• Balala, who was leading the march, said the march was planned by multiple wildlife coalitions
Nairobi residents will today be able to gain entry into the Nairobi National Park, take a safari walk and visit the orphanage free of charge, Tourism CS Najib Balala has said.
The areas include the Park, Nairobi Animal Orphanage and Nairobi Safari Walk.
Balal made the announcement during the Global March for Wildlife at the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters in Lang’ata on Saturday.
"Good morning, a reminder that we today have free park entry to the Nairobi National Park, Safari Walk and Orphanage. Park opens 6:00 am to 6:00 pm," KWS tweeted on Sunday.
The free park entry covers both park visitors and their vehicles.
More than 500 animal-lovers calling an end to animal poaching marched through the streets of Nairobi Saturday morning.
The large group walked for ten kilometers, from National Museum Kenya to Wildlife Service Head quarters at Lang’ata shouting slogans and waving signs of no trade for animals.
Balala, who was leading the march, said the march was planned by multiple wildlife coalitions over the course of several months.
Some of the coalitions included were Kenya Wildlife Service Board of Trustee, Kenya Wildlife Service, Wildlife Direct Board of Directors and World Leaders of Today Board of Directors.
People from all over Kenya came to lend their voices in wildlife heritage conservation to what Balala claimed was an international challenge.
"This match is geared towards stopping the poaching of elephants and rhinos and subsequently an end to trade in ivory and rhino horn which is a global issue," he said.
Balala noted that between 2012 and 2013, 400 elephants were killed while in 2012 at least 60 rhinos were poached.
According to SUSO Chairman Peter Moll, wildlife products are worth billions of dollars, a factor which has lead to greed in illegal ivory and horns making rhinos and elephants lose their battle for survival.
Moll further said the majestic animals are more endangered today as a result of advance in technology which has lead to modern poaching methods.
"Today poaching is being executed using sophisticated means such as automatic weapons, helicopters and night vision equipments," he said.
Other wildlife threats include; transnational criminal networks, degradation and increasing human elephant conflicts, habitat loss, and human population growth rate causing an increase of land use for agriculture and pastoralist among others.
The global march is an international event, with more than one hundred countries participants.
Kenya was participating for the fifth time with a slogan ‘No market to trade’.
This simply implied until the buying of wildlife products stop the killing would not end.