World Wildlife Day: Garissa farmers urged to unblock roads for animals to access water

Garissa farmers were Monday encouraged to open their roads to allow wildlife to access water corridors along River Tana.

During an event to mark World Wildlife Day, Garissa Director of Environment and Natural Resources Mulki Mohamed Dekow said wildlife, especially giraffes, were unable to access the river due to human activities that blocked their access to water corridors.

"Farmers fenced off [the river] using perimeter walls and wooden fences. All routes that were used by the wildlife to access the river are no more," she said at the Boul Argi Giraffe Sanctuary.

Noting that human-wildlife conflict surged in the area due to human activities that had no consideration for the wildlife, she urged local farmers to take responsibility and ensure the wildlife routes were accessible.

Other Topics To Read

• Northern Kenya
• River Tana
• world wildlife day
• Boul Argi Giraffe Sanctuary
• Mulki Mohamed Dekow
• garissa wildlife
• Kenya Wildlife Service
• Boul Argi Giraffe Sanctuary Manager Mohamud Garat
• World Wildlife Day: Garissa farmers urged to unblock roads for animals to access water
• News

The director also promised to initiate public awareness on mitigating human-wildlife conflict.

Mulki noted that the county has diverse wildlife species including giraffes, ostriches, a myriad of bird species, gazelles, zebras and the endangered hirola antelopes.

In line with this year's theme, "Connecting people and planet through digital innovation in wildlife conservation" she said Garissa is leveraging digital innovation to protect and preserve the wildlife that was managed through community conservancy groups.

"By harnessing the power of GIS technology, we can monitor wildlife populations, track their movements, identify conservation hotspots and mitigate human-wildlife conflict more efficiently than before," she said.

The director further announced the formation of a multi-disciplinary committee that will oversee environmental and natural resources, rangeland management and restoration of degraded land.

Boul Argi Giraffe Sanctuary Manager Mohamud Garat identified poaching as a threat to the endangered Somali giraffe species. He said the riverine community uses snares to trap the giraffes for game meat.

He noted, however, that some animals have been rescued and several arrests made as part of protection efforts by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).