Kenya, Tanzania conduct joint wildlife census
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust pilot Nick Trent and KWS scientist Cedric Khayale conduct the aerial survey
Kenya and Tanzania governments have started a joint aerial count of elephants and other large mammals.
The aerial census in the shared ecosystem of the Amboseli-West Kilimanjaro and Natron- Magadi landscape seeks to establish the landscape’s wildlife population abundance, trends and distribution.
“It will enhance knowledge on the relation between wildlife, habitat and human impacts while at the same fostering cross-border collaboration on wildlife monitoring and management between the two East African countries,” KWS says in a statement.
The one-week exercise costing Sh12 million, is a collaboration between the two countries and their agencies; the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), Wildlife Division of Tanzania (WD) and Tanzania National Parks.
The count comes after a similar wet count done earlier in April this year.
Kenyan and Tanzania wildlife authorities conduct wet and a dry aerial census every three years in the Amboseli West Kilimanjaro and Magadi Natron cross border landscape.
