Why Kenya, Tanzania must step up protection of their elephants

Dorothy Lowakutuk, an elephant keeper at Reteti Elephant community sanctuary in Samburu County. She never envisioned a career as a baby-sitter. But finding herself unemployed and in need of a job, she came across an unusual work opportunity: Taking care of orphaned baby elephants at the sanctuary. [Michael Saitoti, Standard]

Monday 12 August is World Elephant Day. Until last November, Kenya and Tanzania have taken a joint policy approach to protect these massive mammals who freely cross our borders without so much as an ETR visa.

With thousands currently petitioning the government of Tanzania to reverse the lifting of the “no kill ban” and a new Kenyan Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary, how can the two governments better protect the world’s gentlest of giants? 

East Africa has roughly 90,000 elephants. Those who know elephants well like Katito Saiyalel and Norah Njiraini of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants will tell you, elephants have individual personalities. They and many other conservationists know every one of the Amboseli based 2,000 elephants by name.

Everyone of them intelligently think, communicate, solve problems, mourn, play and even laugh. Elephants live in groups that resemble human polygamous families and share some of our gender characteristics. Groups are either typically organised around mother elephants and their offspring.

Male elephants leave their mother’s group at the age of 7 to 12 (human equivalent of 14 years). Led by bulls, these smaller groups are the true East Africans. They are fond of crossing international borders. 

Despite their monumental size and contrary to what most people think, elephant bulls are gentle and generous. East Africa’s bulls like Craig, One Ton, Vronsky and the late Tolstoy and Tim are some of the most famous elephants in the world.

Primarily located in Kilmanjaro region of North Tanzania and Amboseli, Kajiado County, they attract most of the 7.9 million foreign tourists and earn USD 4.2 billion for the Kenyan and Tanzanian economies annually. These and other considerations informed the 30-year agreement between Tanzania and Kenya to prohibit elephant hunting. 

However last November, the government of Tanzania unilaterally lifted that nation’s hunting ban on elephants. In swift response, 52 Kenyan organisations and 500,000 citizens including these authors have now petitioned Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu to reinstate the ban.

We make several arguments. Targeted hunting of elephants will deplete an already vulnerable population. Secondly, without passports, Kenyan elephants who migrate are equally at risk as their Tanzanian cousins.

Thirdly, there is no evidence that the public interest is being served in killing the super tuskers. Resident communities, conservationists, tour companies, and even hunting companies across Amboseli, Kilimanjaro and Enduimebt have objected, arguing that the killing of elephants is neither in the interests of mammals nor humans.

We have a moral responsibility handed down by our ancestors. The one assignment, the one inter-generational obligation we have for enjoying the beauty of nature and wildlife, is to protect it for ourselves and for generations. We can do this by teaching the invaluable lesson of coexistence and respect for the awe and wonder of all living beings. Our shared elephant population is worth more alive than all the money hunters will pay, and may receive, for killing it. 

Kenya has always respected Tanzania’s long-standing tradition of regulated hunting of other species even where we have shunned trophy hunting and promoted photographic tourism and conservation.

Let us not allow these super tuskers who straddle our borders become sport for the privileged few and innocent victims of this new policy difference. Their protection must transcend national boundaries and reflect our shared commitment to preserving a regional heritage. 

President Suluhu, in spirit of East Africanist unity, reinstate the elephant hunting ban and protect both Kenyan and Tanzanian herds. Incoming Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, place this urgent issue on your list of 100-day deliverables.

The future of both Kenya’s and Tanzania’s elephants is again, at stake. Let both nations stand together to protect the rights of these super tuskers and ensure they continue to grace our landscapes with their presence, for generations to come.