msafiri_2017_4

WILDLIFE / 67
“Wildlife protection
is ingrained in the
fabric of Kenya’s
nationhood”
ANP
can take as long as five years before the
elephants are ready to integrate fully
with the wild Tsavo herds and to live
independently of their keepers.
Keeper Peter Mbulu shares his own
immense joy that goes along with seeing
the orphans flourish. “Going out to
rescue the babies, walking them to the
park and watching them play − it’s such
an amazing feeling,” he says. “It really
feels like my mission is accomplished
when they graduate.”
To date, the orphan elephant
rehabilitation project has reintegrated
200 orphaned elephants, as well as
14 orphaned rhinos into the wild. For
milk-dependent elephants to function
by themselves in the wild is no mean
feat. The keepers, through their love for
the animals, are very careful to select
which elephants are ready to succeed on
their own. “It has come with patience,
knowledge and following the elephants’
lead,” says Brandford. “Without Dame
Daphne’s perseverance and strength,
the Trust would not be where it is
today.”
HERDING INSTINCT
However, not all of the efforts
to reintegrate animals into the wild
succeed. Different species pose
different challenges in the process.
Elephants are highly sentient and
have a herding instinct that makes
them more likely to take in young
orphans, but this is not the case for
large carnivores.At the Kenya Wildlife
Service’s Nairobi Animal Orphanage,
reintegrating lions, for example, is
a completely different ballgame.
Dr. David Ndeereh, who oversees the
orphanage’s programmes, says lions are
highly territorial, and are more likely to
develop human dependency, which makes
their rehabilitation more difficult. In
these cases, the animals are retained in
the orphanage or its sister facility, the
Nairobi Safari Walk.
Despite limited space and capacity,
the people who operate the orphanage
are dedicated to helping these animals,
and are determined not to turn away
any that need care. Right now, the
orphanage is home to 21 rescued lions. >
Community wildlife
sanctuaries
•The ISHAQBINI HIROLA
community concervancy, aims to
protect the hirola, Africa’s most
endangered antelope, and was
created through enormous effort on
the part of the local Hara, Korissa
and Kotile communities. In 2012
48 hirolas were placed into a
fenced, predator-free sanctuary of
30 square kilometres, set aside by
the community.
•The NAIVASHA OWL TRUST is
a rescue and rehabilitation
centre for birds of prey and owls,
based in Naivasha, Kenya.
•LOCAL OCEAN TRUST in
Watamu is a private,
not-for-profit organisation
committed to the protection
of Kenyas marine environment,
in particular sea turtles.