The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife & Heritage will provide the human population living near the Amboseli National Park with water and relief food until the drought situation returns to normal.
Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, wildlife, and Heritage Peninah Malonza says that the current drought situation in the country occasioned by climate change has affected both human beings and wildlife.
CS Malonza was speaking during the 2nd edition of the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival which was held during the commemoration of the Annual World Wildlife Day held yearly on the 3rd of march. The event was held at the Amboseli National Park which is one of the hardest hit parks by the drought situation.
“If one wishes to see the results of the current drought which is caused by climate change today, you just need to tour Amboseli National Park, one of the hardest hit areas in our parks system. However, we will continue to do all that we can by providing the wildlife with water, fodder, and mineral salts to lessen the effects of the drought” said Malonza
She hailed the Tembo Naming festival as a remarkable milestone in the conservation endeavor saying: “In line with the partnership component of this year’s World Wildlife Day, we decided to incorporate the Tembo Naming Festival, an initiative by the Kenya Tourism Board. This is an innovative sustainable program aimed at championing elephant conservation in Kenya. Again, this initiative captures the partnership aspect since it offers individuals and organizations the opportunity to participate in Kenya’s wildlife conservation efforts by naming and adopting baby elephants at an agreed fee”.
The CS lauded organizations and partners whose efforts, she noted, are critical in not just protecting elephants but also supporting communities living alongside wildlife to coexist peacefully with wildlife through education and awareness creation programs.
First launched in 2021, the Tembo Naming festival was established as an innovative sustainable mechanism to champion elephant conservation in Kenya. The festival offers individuals and organizations an opportunity to fund conservation efforts by donating money to the Kenya Wildlife Service through naming an elephant.
In its inaugural year, 25 organizations and individuals contributed towards the conservation of elephants through the program where a total of KSH16.5 million was collected. This year, 17 new adopters have come on board with the Tourism Ministry projecting that the funds raised would help mitigate the challenges faced by wildlife during the current drought.
Kenya Wildlife Service Ag. Director General Dr. Erusuts Kanga says “We have incorporated the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival in the celebration of World Wildlife Day so as to immortalize the conservation of our majestic elephants in Kenya. There are several challenges affecting the conservation of elephants and the Tembo Naming festival helps us to bridge the gaps. “I thank Kenyans and stakeholders who have been active in supplementing initiatives to curb the drought situation which is also affecting wildlife in Kenya,” said Kanga
Close to 500 communities in the environs of Amboseli national park have directly benefited from projects funded through the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival. Key among these are water projects initiated to reduce the scramble for water resources between human beings and Wildlife.
On his part, Kenya Tourism Board Ag. CEO John Chirchir said: “As we celebrate World Wildlife Day through this festival, it is important to remember that elephants are not just an important part of our wildlife ecosystem but they are also key to Kenya’s tourism product, they are part of the famous big Five and also form part of our national heritage. “We stand to benefit greatly from working together in conserving our wildlife resources.”
This year’s World Wildlife Day celebrates all conservation efforts, from intergovernmental to local scale under the auspices of “Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation”. This complements the objective of the Tembo Naming Festival in fostering and deepening Kenya’s continuous focus on sustainable solutions for elephant conservation.
During the event, CS Malonza also flagged off stacks of hay that will be distributed to wildlife in the park. She also launched the National Elephant Action Plan 2023/2023 which will guide elephant conservation efforts in Kenya while safeguarding their welfare under scientific management.
The Voice of Tourism & Wildlife
