KWCA CEO Dickson Kaelo commemorated World Elephant Day at Kenya’s Gatundia Secondary School in Marmanet Ward, Laikipia West Sub County, Laikipia County.
Speaking during the commemoration he reflected on the significance of elephants to Kenya’s people, landscapes and economy, while calling for greater investment in addressing the challenges faced by communities living alongside wildlife.
“An elephant is a symbol of good leadership. It is intelligent, has an amazing memory, and is gentle, yet powerful when threatened. In some cultures, including the Maasai, the elephant is a symbol of leadership. As humans, there is much we can learn from understanding the lives of elephants.”
Kenya has much to celebrate. Elephant populations have continued to recover with its population increasing by 6,000 from 36,000 a few years back to 42,000 as counted in the recent census. Poaching for ivory has declined significantly, and communities and landowners across the country continue to provide critical habitat, dispersal areas and wildlife corridors through conservancies.
However, the growing elephant population also brings increasing challenges for communities living alongside wildlife.
“Despite these successes, we have three major challenges to address: human-wildlife conflict, securing wildlife corridors, and water stress for both communities and wildlife. World Elephant Day reminds us of the urgency of working together to address these challenges.”
Dickson acknowledged the efforts by Government particularly the State Department for Wildlife and the Kenya Wildlife Service for increasing investments in offsetting human-wildlife conflict compensation claims to reduce the costs of living with wildlife. He celebrated the launch of the Global Environment Facility (GEF 8) project that will support conservation efforts in Laikipia, Tsavo and Meru Counties.
He concluded by calling for continued policy and financial reforms to sustain Kenya’s conservation gains:
“We urge the Government to strengthen the wildlife legal framework by fastracking the enactment of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Bill 2024 and to adequately resource the Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund so that human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures can effectively support the communities who bear the cost of living with wildlife.”
Ultimately, conserving elephants depends on supporting the people who share their land and resources with them.
Happy World Elephant Day!
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