Soon a text message may save an elephant’s or rhino’s life. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is implementing a new alarm system in some protected areas that will alert rangers of intruders via a text message, reports the Guardian. Elephants and rhinos have been killed in record numbers across Africa as demand for illegal rhino horns and ivory in Asia has skyrocketed.
The new alarm system will send a text to rangers whenever someone—or some animal—is attempting to break through a fence. The text will include coordinates of the break-in. KWS believes that new system could cut poaching by 90 percent.
Unfortunately the alarms will not be set up in every protected area in the country. Some parks are not fenced in and others are simply too large for such an expensive system.
Recently, Kenya lost an entire family of elephants to poachers in Tsavo East National Park. Eleven elephants, including a calf, were shot-down and their tusks cut out. This was considered the worst elephant poaching incident in Kenya ever.
Kenya is home to populations of the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), and the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis). The African elephant is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List; the white rhinoceros, Near Threatened; and the black rhinoceros, Critically Endangered.
Related articles
Rhino poaching hits new record in 2012
(01/11/2013) 668 rhinos were killed in South Africa during 2012 according to new figures released by the South African government. The total, which represents a 49 percent rise over the 448 killed in 2011, reveals the heavy toll the black market trade in rhino horn is taking on one of Africa’s best known and most endangered animals.
Kenya suffers it worst elephant poaching incident yet
(01/08/2013) Over the weekend Kenya suffered its single worst elephant poaching incident when poachers killed an entire family of elephants. In all, eleven elephants were gunned down and had their tusks removed. Among the dead was a two-month-old calf. The elephants were killed in Tsavo East National Park.
Ivory smuggling surged in 2011
(12/23/2012) Ivory smuggling surged in 2011, reaching its highest levels in nearly 20 years, says a new report released by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Google puts $5M toward anti-poaching drone technology
(12/18/2012) Google.org, Google Corp’s philanthropic arm, earlier this month pledged $5 million toward efforts combat wildlife poaching.
African governments and China must respond as ivory trade reaches preposterous proportions
(12/13/2012) Royal Malaysian Customs have just announced the seizure of 24 tons of ivory in Port Klang. This is the largest-ever seizure of ivory in transit through the country. The 1,500 pieces of ivory came from over 750 elephants and were exported from Togo, a tiny west African country that has fewer than 200 elephants. The ivory was hidden in containers containing wooden crates that were built to look like stacks of sawn timber. The two crates were shipped from the port of Lomé in Togo, and were going to China via Algeria, Spain and Malaysia. Richard Leakey, the former Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), who set Kenya’s ivory stockpile alight in 1989, responded to the announcement.
Malaysia intercepts 24 tons of elephant ivory being smuggled to China
(12/12/2012) Malaysian authorities made their largest-ever ivory bust after uncovering 24 tons of ‘white gold’ hidden in crates designed to look like stacks of sawn wood.
(12/12/2012) Illegal wildlife trafficking is a $19 billion-a-year business, making it the fourth largest illicit market after drugs, counterfeiting, and human trafficking, yet efforts to control it are “failing”, asserts a new report commissioned by WWF.
Why it’s time to ban the ivory trade for good [Graphic images: viewer discretion advised]
(12/12/2012) This week the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) announced a 14% decline in elephants in the Samburu/Laikipia ecosystem over the last 4 years. The decline has occurred in a population whose natural growth rate was measured at 5.3% between 2002 and 2008 according to the previous survey, suggesting that over 300 elephants are dying annually in the Samburu and Laikipia’s landscape, denting the poster child image of one of Kenya’s most important wildlife landscapes. Poaching and drought are the main causes of mortality in this population. The impact of poaching on tourism cannot be ignored, heavily armed bandits threaten more than elephants, if we can’t protect elephants how can we protect international tourists? But it’s the long term consequence that are of greater concern.
