Some 50 elephants have been moved from Mwea National Reserve to Aberdare National Park following a surge in population of the animal in the reserve.
The development comes at a time when the elephant population in the country has hit 36,280 after dramatically increasing from 16,000 in 1989, putting pressure on some game reserves in the country.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the translocation, being conducted under a multi-disciplinary technical team, is aimed at improving human-wildlife coexistence and addressing environmental degradation within Mwea National Reserve.
KWS Director-General Erustus Kanga said the Reserve’s elephant population has surged from 49 in 1979 to the current 156. He reiterated the translocation’s goal is to improve local communities’ socio-economic welfare and reduce resource competition.
“While this population growth marks conservation success, it has strained the ecosystem, with around 50 elephants venturing outside the reserve, leading to property damage and intensifying human-elephant conflict,” said Dr Kanga.
“The translocation is therefore essential to protect the welfare of both the elephants and the surrounding communities,” he added.
He explained that the translocation will reduce pressure on the Mwea ecosystem while bolstering the elephant population in Aberdare National Park, promoting ecological balance.
The move, the DG added, will minimise competition for resources, fostering healthier ecosystems in both reserves.
“The reduction in human-wildlife conflict will enhance the socio-economic well-being of communities living near Mwea, creating a foundation for peaceful coexistence,” said the KWS boss.
“In Aberdare, the expected increase in elephant numbers will boost ecotourism, driving economic benefits and supporting sustainable development,” he added.
Speaking during the launch, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said the translocation will yield long-term benefits by bolstering vulnerable elephant populations, enhancing genetic diversity, and safeguarding ecosystems critical to elephants and other species.
She further stressed that Kenya cannot conserve elephants in isolation, saying regional and international cooperation is vital.
“Kenya’s growing human population is encroaching on remaining elephant rangelands, exacerbating conflicts,” she said.
Between 1979 and 1989, Kenya faced an alarming decline in its elephant population, driven by rampant poaching for ivory. Numbers fell drastically from an estimated 170,000 to just 16,000.
However, the establishment of KWS through an Act of Parliament reversed the decline, managing to stem the crisis.
Since then, comprehensive conservation efforts have helped reverse the decline, and the 2021 national wildlife census recorded an elephant population of 36,280 with the resurgence reflecting the success of collaborative conservation measures.
Aligned with these ongoing conservation strategies, KWS and its partners developed the National Elephant Action Plan (2023-2032), which seeks to secure sustainable elephant populations, mitigate human-elephant conflicts, restore degraded habitats, and enhance the economic benefits of elephants to local communities.
Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire said the initiative is timely, noting that it would not only reduce elephant numbers but also improve livelihoods for local communities.
She also highlighted the county’s plans to rebrand Mwea National Reserve, an underexploited wildlife habitat.