It will not be long before it’s gone; numbers of Kenya’s wild animal fall

Wildebeest arrive to cross a river in Maasai MaraKenya’s game-dominated tourism faces a bleak future as population of wild animals that attract visitors to the country continue to decline rapidly.

Wildebeest, which make the famous migration at the Maasai Maara every year, had their population reduce by 12,000 to 228,000 in 2016.

About 40,400 animals that were on records by end of 2016 were not available in 2017, latest data indicates, highlighting a trend that should also worry conservationists.

In 2017, some 2.3 million visitors entered the various national parks and game reserves with the Nairobi mini orphanage hosting the highest number at 367,671 down from 390,385 in 2016.

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The latest statistical abstract released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows populations of elephants, buffaloes, giraffes and ostriches have declined rapidly in recent months.

The 2,000 reduction in number of elephants recorded in the year reverses a growth trend observed after 2015 when their population climbed 6,200 to hit the 22,000 in 2016.

Also recording a steep drop were the Grant’s gazelle whose population fell to 106,500 from 112,100 in 2016. They have been experiencing a gradual increase since 2013 when they numbered 111,700, according to official data.

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The zebras, too, had their decline worrying, with 5,500 Burchell’s zebra dying and another 300 deaths of the Gravy’s species recorded in the year captured.

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