Dear Poacher...

Former President Moi torches ivory haul. October '89

It is said men don’t cry which is rather unfounded. It is believed that men should never show their tears, which I agree with apart from those intense moments one is interacting with The Lord. More so, it is a widespread belief that African men in particular should never cry and if they really really reaaaaaally have to, then this can only happen  in the confines of privacy that would make Guantanamo Bay look as welcoming as the Teletubbies. Therefore, seeing an African adult, male, crying, in front of TV cameras, in broad daylight over a dead elephant was a news item a few weeks back that generated a lot of discussions among the Kenyan public.

The said scenario happened in the expansive Ol Pejeta Conservancy located in Laikipia County where a lot of effort and resources have been channeled over the years to protect, nurture and foster wildlife of diverse kinds. Many African wild animals over the years have been subjected to intense brutality as the population of the continent has grown. Killing them for fun and as sport was done since the turn of the last century until this was outlawed. But what has been most sad is the poaching of these beasts by man. Therefore, Ol Pejeta and its similar conservancies would be considered a safe haven especially for the biggest land mammal on the planet; the elephant and the unique horned member of the Big 5, the rhino.

There's blood diamond, these must be living diamond

These animals take many years to mature into adulthood; their gestation period is equally long. 670 and 500 days approximately for the elephant and rhino respectively. Not only this, but their significance in our nation and continent...even the world at large cannot be underestimated in any way. Wildlife, a core component of Kenya’s tourism which has long been a top income and foreign exchange earner yet we seem to not care about the madness and mayhem that our very heritage has been subjected to for far too long. And events at home are being noticed by the International Community; making among others for tourists especially to shun Kenya.

Now, the game ranger who was crying over the carcass of the tusk-less elephant might have done so as he well put it that ‘his pay-slip was at risk of disappearing’ but raw emotions aside, the situation we find ourselves in with relation to poaching should warrant a long and  nonchalant look from all of us. Yes, there are bodies mandated to ensure the safety of our animals, legislature is in place too for the same purpose but progress on this front seems nonexistent. This something needs to happen. Not soon, but now.

Unmanned drones that help survey wildlife

I stand to be corrected but I feel our tactics to curb this menace will continue failing as we seem not to nip the problem at the bud. A poor man somewhere is willing to do anything including carrying a firearm and shooting down the next rhino or elephant he comes across to improve his economic status. Nipping it at the bud will involve the said core number of 20-30 individuals who are ring leaders of the trade being apprehended and facing the full force of the law. This also involves the Far East nations notably China making it difficult to own ivory and rhino horn in their country. Ultimately, the market for such precious items need, mostly wealthy individuals too bored to care what the repercussions of this illegal trade bring to countries such as Kenya should rethink of other ways to showcase aestheticism. It’s silly that people as advanced as some of them still believe that rhino horns improve libido yet it’s no space science that it’s all keratin in that grey matter.

Let's protect them

I’d have declared the senseless slaying of our animals a national disaster if I had the power because this is exactly what it is. National parks like the Tsavo have lost as high as 1,500 elephants in since the turn of the decade with a recent census leading to the discovery of 800 elephant carcasses. It’s no longer something that we can ignore. We need to stand up for the beasts of our land. NOW. Or as my buddy Bihembo once wrote on Facebook, we will soon only have the sculptured elephants in Nakumatt stores as the remnants of what we allowed to disappear under our gaze.