If you you have been longing to adopt a wild animal your time is now after Tourism Cabinet Minister Najob Balala gave an official nod and call for action.
While launching the Kenya Wild Service Rangers Welfare at Meru National Park on Monday, the CS announced the move in support of park rangers on World Rangers Day. Balala said that wild animals to be named after Kenyans are rhinos and elephants two spices most prone to poaching and easily face extinction.
Balala led the way by adopting two newborn Rhinos at Ksh 200,000 and named them after his grandchildren. He said. “On June 28, I visited Meru National Park which is a Rhino sanctuary and was impressed with the high number of rhino births as a result of aggressive conservation. I adopted and named two calves after my grandchildren– Waliya (female) and Layan (male). In September 2020, we will launch newborn elephants naming and Kenyans are free to take part.”
The CS noted that KWS managed to raise Ksh 3,300,000 from the project after individuals named 33 rhino calves born in 2019. The funds will step in the support for rangers in appreciation of their continued efforts to protect wildlife.
KWS had a survey noting that elephant and rhino poaching has reduced by 90% in the last seven years. The report documented elephant poaching incidents declining from 384 to 38 in the period of the study. According to the survey, 302 elephants were poached in 2013. That declined to 164 in 2014, 96 in 2015, 86 in 2016 and 80 in 2017.
