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Kenya Affirms Plans to Ship Wildlife to Thailand Amid Protests

Posted on: Thursday, 7 July 2005, 09:00 CDT

Kenya affirms plans to ship wildlife to Thailand amid protests

NAIROBI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has affirmed its earlier plans to export rare wildlife species to a park in Thailand despite an outcry by dozens of conservationists opposed to the deal.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Wednesday condemned the decision by the Kenyan government, saying it "sends the wrong message to the world."

But Kenyan Tourism Minister Maurice Dzoro said the government has previously sent animals to other countries in the world and has also been a beneficiary of such gestures.

"I have read in history that Kenya sent giraffes to China about 600 years ago, we also received wild chimpanzees from the Democratic Republic of Congo," Dzoro told a local television station here Tuesday.

Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra requested the wildlife for the zoo during a meeting late last year with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.

The Chiang Mai Night Safari Park is a project launched by Shinawatra and animals from other countries have been requested from private zoos and donors.

Conservationists in Kenya and the world have expressed concerns over the request.

The conservationists accused the government of lacking in transparency in their dealings with the animal exports and have vowed to move to court to stop the deal.

"Kenya has in history been seen as a strong advocate for pro- conservation policies. To export wildlife to live in confined areas away from their natural habitats is subjecting them to unnecessary stress and suffering that will ultimately reduce their quality of life, if they even survive the long haul flight from Kenya to Bangkok," said James Isiche, East Africa Regional Director for IFAW.

"For the government to quote precedence dating back centuries ago is missing the point. The bigger picture today is that Kenya's wildlife populations are generally on the decline due to poaching, habitat loss and land use changes," he said.

He said by shipping wildlife to Thailand, Kenya will be setting a dangerous precedence that may result in other requests for similar gifts from other states.

"Are we really doing right by the future generations when we ship their heritage to other countries?" Isiche wondered.

IFAW argues that there are many more direct and proactive ways for the two governments to cooperate in the tourism and wildlife sector, and that these ways should have been exploited without having to export live animals from Kenya.

Meanwhile, the conservationists said a comprehensive policy solution to address challenges in the sector such as human- wildlife conflicts, land use changes need to be developed by the government as this is a major problem affecting local communities and wildlife.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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