By Mary Mwendwa
Nairobi, Kenya. The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) today attended the first-ever “Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival” at Amboseli National Park. The initiative is an innovative sustainability mechanism to champion elephant conservation in Kenya.
It offers individuals and organizations an opportunity to fund conservation efforts by donating money to Kenya Wildlife Service through naming an elephant.
The elephant species plays a key role in shaping our livelihoods, including the well-being of communities living around the parks, reserves, and conservancies.
Speaking at the naming ceremony, AWF Country Director, Kenya, Nancy Githaiga thanked the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Wildlife and Tourism, Kenya Tourism Board, and the Kenya Wildlife Service for their momentous effort in safeguarding this important species.”
“We are very confident that through such sustainable and innovative initiatives, the sector has a better chance of recovering from the significant economic brunt occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is certainly high time that the industry diversified its income streams away from tourism while sustaining community livelihoods in the long run” Githaiga noted.
Dr. Betty Radier, CEO Kenya Tourism Board noted “There is no doubt that this is an important day for Kenya and her future generations. The Elephant is an important species in Kenya, it is our heritage and therefore all efforts should not be spared in preserving it. It is, therefore, encouraging that the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming festival has been embraced by many individuals and organizations, a clear indication that we are all ready and willing to conserve the elephant.”
In recent years, elephant poaching has reduced significantly but human-elephant conflicts have increased in many regions within the country as a result of the increasing loss of habitat and competition of land use.
Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife confirmed that over the last few months, they have received immense support from various organizations as well as private individuals which goes on to prove that citizens understand and appreciate the importance of conservation.
“Currently, Kenya boasts of over 36,228 elephants, and the number has been gradually increasing at an annual rate of 2.6% over the last three decades. Remarkably, there has been a 96% decline in poaching with 11 elephants poached in 2020 compared to 386 elephants in 2013 when poaching was at its peak. The Ministry of tourism and wildlife has remained steadfast in trying to ensure that the protection of wildlife resources remains paramount in the country and through such initiatives as the naming festival we are confident that conservation awareness will increase.” said Balala.
AWF selected to name a newborn female calf in homage to the organization’s new 10-year strategy. The name “Namayiana” which means “blessings ahead” in the Maasai language is symbolic of the dawn of a new age of conservation as they celebrate their 60th Anniversary.
There are two species of elephant: African and Asian. The ears of African elephants are much larger than their cousins and are described as being shaped like the African continent, whereas the ears of Asian elephants are shaped like the map of India.
There’s also a trunk difference – African elephants have two ‘fingers at the tip of their trunks, whereas Asian elephants have one.
