EDITORIAL: Ease human-animal crisis

In Summary

• KWS should intervene to protect both the humans and the wildlife.
• This calls for increased creation of awareness on the benefits accruing from mutual co-existence.

For a country that treasures is wildlife heritage and has done quite well to protect the animals over the years, the increasing human-animal conflict poses a serious challenge.

The crisis has intensified, especially on the shores of Lake Victoria and also around the smaller Lake Naivasha and others in the Rift Valley.

The country has invested heavily in wildlife conservation in recent years, with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) playing a pivotal role in this.

The value attached to wildlife is evident in the increasing funding of the KWS to enhance its capacity to manage this national asset.

There have also been elaborate programmes to get the people living in areas also inhabited by the wild animals to appreciate their value.

The emergence of conservancies is testimony to this. They have contributed immensely to reducing the human-animal conflict in the high-tourism potential areas.

However, some work needs to be done so that the local residents can go about their business without feeling endangered by the animals.

Attacks by hippos and crocodiles on the people living around Lake Victoria and Lake Naivasha have sharply increased in recent times.

It's a conflict over access to the water points that people and animals need for their survival. Nearly 10 people have been killed in Naivasha since January and more injured. In the Lake Victoria region, hippo and crocodile attacks have increased.

The lake is the only source of water for some families for their domestic use and also for their livestock.

The increased attacks could see the people resort to killing the animals, which is illegal. KWS should intervene to protect both the humans and the wildlife.

This calls for increased creation of awareness on the benefits accruing from mutual co-existence.