2012-03-25T16:59:00.001-07:00

Elephants have probably been roaming in Africa for quite some time, even before our ancestors came in the picture. Jumbos are large land mammals in two extant Genera of the family Elephantidae. Elephas and Loxodonta are the only two surviving genera after the extinction of the third genera Mammuthus. Three species of elephants are recognized: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Indian or Asian Elephant; althoughsome group the two African species into one. All other species and Genera of Elephantidae are extinct. Most have been extinct since the last ice age, although dwarf forms of mammoths might have survived as late as 2,000BCE. The African Elephants had enjoyed peace until hell broke loose as Ivory hunters went crazy with the elephant tusk as demand in Asian countries where the tusks are used in traditional medicines and ornaments went up . By 1976, Tsavo was home to some 35,000 elephants. In early 1970s, around 6,000 animals died during a harsh drought, and by 1988 only 5,400 remained in the park in the wake of a serious poaching onslaught. Conservation Efforts by many stakeholders has seen the numbers of of Elephants rise tremendously. In the past few years cases of poaching have been on the rise and the trend has most conservationist worried. Being just worried doesn't help the cause. Those who can should raise awareness and fight poaching with all the efforts possible. It therefore came as a surprise to most conservationist when Police on Monday evening arrested the head of a conservation lobby group over an article he wrote claiming there was rampant ivory poaching in Kenya. Kahindi Lekalhaile, the CEO of Eco-tourism Kenya, was arrested in his office by three CID officers after the Director of Kenya Wildlife Service Julius Kipng’etich filed a complaint about Kahindi’s remarks in the article.

Kahindi was interrogated for three hours before being detained at Langata police station in Nairobi. He was released at 7.30pm after recording a statement and paying cash bail of Sh30,000 to appear at Milimani Court in Nairobi at 8am yesterday. But at 11.30pm on Monday night, a Chief Inspector Karanja called Kahindi had informed him to report back to Lang’ata police station yesterday morning and not Milimani court as earlier instructed. At Langata, he was released on a Sh50,000 bond.

Kahindi has been charged for “undermining the authority of a public officer, section 132 of the Penal Code” for disputing the report by the KWS director that 275 elephants were poached in Kenya last year. Kahindi had expressed his opinion that given the high number of reports of rampant ivory poaching in Kenya within the year 2011, 275 elephants seemed like an under-estimate of the situation.

In the published article, Kahindi claimed that the number of elephants killed should have been about 10 times more than what KWS was reporting. His organisation yesterday said Kahindi was still convinced that the ivory poaching in Kenya is at its peak and must be address in public without any further hesitation. "Ecotourism Kenya supports Kahindi in his noble efforts to safeguarding the integrity of Kenya’s conservation success and promote responsible tourism in Kenya. Elephants remain a flagship for Kenya’s conservation success and a bedrock for tourism," the organisation said in a statement.

Conservation in Kenya can never be achieved by emotions and ego. It is that time of the fight that all stake holders need to join hands and fight poaching. Organisations must agree to be questioned as we move on with the cause because by the end of the day it is Loxidonta africana that wins. Long live Elephants and the foot soldiers known as conservationists.

Ivory poaching math can never be Illegal