Help Kenya sustain advocacy on total ban on international ivory and rhino horn trade - new envoys urged

Mother and calf elephants in Tsavo West National Park.

Ag. Director General William Kiprono asked the diplomats to help in demand reduction campaign on wildlife and wildlife products. Kenya Wildlife Service has urged 32 newly-appointed ambassadors, high commissioners and heads of missions to help Kenya sustain advocacy on total ban on international ivory and rhino horn trade.

Ivory, rhino horns, reptiles, pangolins, and sandal wood are some of the wildlife and wildlife products being poached and trafficked for international black markets.

While addressing their induction programme at KWS headquarters, Mr Kiprono asked them to use their diplomatic missions to lobby other countries to help reduce the demand for endangered species. 

Africa range states have faced unprecedented poaching in recent past with 302 elephants and 59 rhino poached in year 2013 in Kenya alone.  Since the beginning of the year, 116 elephants and 26 rhinos to poachers has been lost to poachers.

“In the last six months, however, we have turned the corner and the worst is behind us. We hope to keep the poaching cartels on the run and make them face the fullest extent of the law,” he said. He said that the government is fully aware of the magnitude of wildlife crime and has mobilised resources locally and internationally to curb the vice.

Besides poaching, he pointed habitat loss, human wildlife conflict due to growth in human population and climate change as other challenges facing wildlife conservation in the 21st century.

He urged the diplomats to use their missions to encourage international community to invest in conservation areas and assure tourists that Kenya’s national parks and the country are safe destinations. 

Among the newly appointed diplomats is former Finance Cabinet Minister Robinson Githae, who becomes the new Kenyan ambassador to the United States while Prof. Sam Ongeri heads to UN Habitat. The envoys were appointed in August 2014.

INTERPOL establishes an environmental crime team for Africa

Illegal Ivory chopped into small pieces for export.

Located within the INTERPOL Regional Bureau for East Africa in Nairobi, the environmental crime team will act as an extension of INTERPOL’s Environmental Security unit located at its General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France. To further support its member countries in the fight against illegal ivory trafficking and other environmental issues, INTERPOL has established a dedicated team to tackle these crimes in Africa. 

As part of the Regional Bureau, the team will collaborate with national law enforcement agencies and INTERPOL National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in the region to increase information exchange, support intelligence analysis and assist national and regional investigations, with a particular focus on wildlife crime. 

With the illicit trade in ivory and rhinoceros horn a major concern in East Africa, the team will work with countries and partner organizations to further the activities of INTERPOL’s Project Wisdom, which combats elephant and rhinoceros poaching and the illegal trade in ivory through the financial support of the Wildcat Foundation. This includes capacity building initiatives and creating a regional network for environmental protection.

David Higgins, Head of INTERPOL’s Environmental Security unit, said the establishment of the environmental crime team at the Regional Bureau demonstrates INTERPOL’s dedication to offering the highest level of support to law enforcement in its member countries in disrupting the transnational criminal groups involved not only in wildlife crime, but also other serious forms of crime.

“This initiative will enable INTERPOL, through its Project Wisdom, to provide continuous investigative and analytical support to East African member countries concerning significant transnational wildlife trafficking cases, and to assist with planning operations targeting the organized criminal networks behind these crimes,” said Mr Higgins.

INTERPOL announced the establishment of the environmental crime team during an event hosted by the Australian High Commission in Kenya. Australia is a key partner with INTERPOL in activities to prevent and combat wildlife crime throughout Africa.

“The global fight against illegal trafficking has just been given a significant boost. The new INTERPOL team in Nairobi will mean better intelligence gathering and sharing among the law enforcement community, which is key to shutting down the poachers and smugglers,” said Australian High Commissioner Geoff Tooth.

Following the announcement on 7 October, INTERPOL, with the support of the UK National Crime Agency and UK High Commission, will host an information exchange and analysis workshop in Nairobi to enhance partnerships and information sharing between law enforcement and the private sector.

Donation: KWS receives DNA extraction equipment

Ms. Oriana Zoghbi (L), QIAGEN Business Manager and Commercial Partner – EMEA, hands over a DNA extraction equipment to Ag. Director General Mr. William Kiprono (R) for use at Forensics and Genetic Laboratory at KWS headquarters on Wednesday (September 24, 2014). The machine will be used to help counter poaching and enhancing disease investigation and surveillance among wildlife.

Bio-Zeq Kenya and its partner QIAGEN has donated a DNA extraction equipment - automated nucleic acid extraction machine - to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to help counter poaching and enhancing disease investigation and surveillance among wildlife. 

Poaching is one of the most serious crimes investigated by wildlife forensics. The modern DNA-based molecular methods will aid in the fight against the poaching of endangered and protected species, and in the prevention of cruelty to animals through the new Wildlife Forensic laboratory based at Kenya Wildlife Service.

The DNA extraction equipment will be used in the Forensics and Genetic Laboratory when commissioned later this year. KWS commissioned the construction of the lab at its headquarters in July 2012.

During the handing over ceremony at KWS headquarters on Wednesday (September 24, 2014), Ms. Oriana Zoghbi, QIAGEN Business Manager and Commercial Partner – EMEA, congratulated KWS for the establishment of the forensic laboratory and its efforts to tackle poaching menace.

Ag. Director General Mr. William Kiprono welcomed the donation and said it will go a long way in enhancing prosecution through forensic investigations.

“Wildlife forensics based on DNA analysis will enhance our investigations on wildlife crimes and lead to convictions of offenders,” he said.

Besides, the laboratory shall be undertaking DNA sampling and profiling of poached wildlife and products seizures under the rhinoceros DNA Index system (RhODIS) and other mapping in partnership with University of Pretoria – Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (UP-VGL) with funding from WWF.

Once the forensic laboratory becomes operational, all live rhinos and other species, poached cases and existing stock piles will be profiled within the collaboration framework with UP-VGL.

QIAGEN is a leader in life science technologies and provides automated platforms for high through put for sample processing and analysis. Its technology provides key techniques, for example, automated nucleic acid extraction, pathogen detections, gene expression analysis, genotyping, mutation detection among others.

World Rhino Day dedicated for actions to raise awareness

File picture of poached rhino

Ag. Director General KWS Mr. William Kiprono has advocated for sustained awareness campaigns on the plight of the rhino during a ceremony to mark this year’s World Rhino Day.

In a speech read on his behalf by Deputy Director Species Conservation and Management Mr. Patrick Omondi and Chair of Barcode of Wildlife Project Kenya, Kiprono said that all of the world’s rhino species are under threat, mostly from poaching for their horn.

He also sought application of deterrent severe penalties for poachers and dealers in rhino products to robustly tackle the current high poaching threat to rhinos. 26 rhinos has been poached this year compared to 59 in year 2013.

The horn is mainly used for traditional Eastern medicine. However, rhino horn does not have any proven medicinal properties.

“This day is therefore dedicated for actions and activities to raise awareness and let the world know that we care about the plight of rhinos,” he said.

There is currently an alarming rise in the number of rhino being killed in Africa affecting both the Black Rhinoceros and White Rhinoceros population. The three Asian species, the Greater One-horned rhinoceros, the Sumatran rhinoceros and the Javan rhinoceros are also threatened by habitat destruction. Kiprono said that KWS is committed to combat this vice by modernizing its security operations, systems and troops deployment.

“Will ensure that troops and field operators use modern equipment and embrace the latest and appropriate technology in their day to day operations to stop any further poaching incidences,” he said.

KWS, County governments, private and community sanctuaries have been working together to minimize threats posed to rhinos. Cumulatively, Aberdare’s National Park, Solio, Olpajeta, Oljogi, Lewa, Borana and Illngwesi host more than half of Kenya’s rhino population currently estimated at 1041.

Other stakeholders who participated in the event included local communities, County Government of Laikipia, World Wide Fund for nature (WWF), Laikipia Wildlife Forum (LWF), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) and Association of Private & Community Land Rhino Sanctuaries . 

World Rhino Day, now in its fifth year, is a global phenomenon, uniting NGOs, zoos, cause-related organizations, businesses, and concerned individuals from across the globe in demystify the myths on use of rhino horns and to diminish the demand for the horn.