Endangered Species

The Northern Rangelands Trust is committed to the maintenance of traditional wildlife migration routes (avoiding isolation of wildlife populations and the inherent problems associated with management of insular populations), and the philosophy that conservation must fully incorporate and rely on the efforts of local communities. Zoological institutions in both the US and Europe have been instrumental in catalysing endangered species conservation in northern Kenya through their committed and on-going support.

Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi)
In recent history, Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi), a species nearly endemic to Kenya, has undergone one of the most drastic reductions of range of any African mammal. The global population is currently estimated between 1,600 and 2,250 animals. Northern Kenya holds approximately 93% of these with the remaining 7% in Ethiopia. The decline in numbers continues over the majority of this species’ range, primarily as a result of poaching and competition for critical resources. In addition, there have been significant, very recent declines in the numbers of Grevy's zebra due to disease and drought.

The long-term survival of this species is, thus, inextricably linked to the support of local communities that share the land. Involving local communities in the ongoing efforts to protect and monitor Grevy’s zebra and raising awareness of the benefits of wildlife conservation are critical prerequisites for success.

Mass Vaccination of Grevy’s Zebra against Anthrax
An outbreak of anthrax, a disease that is endemic to northern Kenya, was confirmed in the Wamba area in December 2005; it appeared to be disproportionately affecting equines and in particular Grevy’s zebra. Although the situation was being closely monitored consensus among wildlife and anthrax epidemiology experts was that a broader vaccination programme for Grevy’s zebra should be implemented targeting those populations that were most at risk from the disease.

In order to ascertain the safety of the anthrax vaccine in Grevy’s zebras, a controlled experimental vaccination trial was done on a small group of animals, with no observed adverse effects. The broader vaccination exercise was then undertaken from 15th-28th February 2006 led by the Kenya Wildlife Service in collaboration with the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Northern Rangelands Trust with outstanding assistance from County Councils and communities. Approximately 620 Grevy’s zebra were successfully vaccinated against the disease.

Mass vaccination of over 50,000 head of livestock was also undertaken and is likely to have reduced the level of environmental contamination. With the arrival of the April rains and the protection afforded to Grevy’s zebra by the vaccine, the number of reported cases of anthrax in Grevy’s zebra reduced despite the same intensity of surveillance. Analysis of the blood work is being conducted in South Africa and will help confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine.

There was an incredible response to support the vaccination exercise reflecting the commitment to endangered species conservation across a broad spectrum of over 30 zoological and humane institutions. The exercise was an extraordinary example of teamwork between communities, veterinarians, and private and government wildlife managers to address a disease crisis facing wild Grevy’s zebra. For more detailed information please download the Anthrax Report_April 2006.

Grevy’s Zebra Scout Programme
The Grevy’s Zebra Scout Programme has been operating in the community rangelands of northern Kenya since May 2003. It is currently coordinated by the Northern Rangelands Trust, with funding support from Saint Louis Zoo and technical support from Dr Daniel Rubenstein of Princeton University. This programme employs women and men of the communities that share land with the Grevy’s zebras. The scouts collect data on the distribution and abundance of Grevy’s zebras to provide a better understanding of the ecological pressure on this species in areas of high livestock density. The information gathered by the Grevy’s Zebra Scouts also guides the community conservation programs so that community members themselves have the opportunity to make recommendations on ways to reduce competition between Grevy’s zebra and livestock.

In April 2006, a Grevy’s Zebra Scout Programme Workshop was held in Isiolo, Kenya - a first-ever gathering of all 18 scouts and their coordinator. The Grevy’s zebra scouts from each community worked together to map out their community area and identify key Grevy’s zebra areas. During the workshop, the scouts discussed conservation challenges for Grevy’s zebra and made realistic conservation management suggestions that could be implemented through their related Community Conservancies.

Grevy’s Zebra Research Project, Melako Conservancy
The Melako Conservancy hosts an estimated population of two hundred Grevy’s zebra. This population is relatively unknown and under pressure from poaching and competition with livestock. A new research project funded by the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund, aims to inform the future conservation strategy for the Melako Conservancy by providing a better understanding of the ecology of the population within the context of the Rendille pastoral environment. Methods will include census, radio-tracking, photo identification of individual animals and collection of data on livestock numbers and movements. Workshops addressing Grevy’s zebra conservation and its role in livelihood improvement will be held within the Rendille community in order to foster a positive conservation ethic.

The outcome of this project will be a comprehensive set of data on the ecology, abundance and distribution of Grevy’s zebra in this area which will provide a foundation for the Conservancy’s long-term monitoring and conservation. The integration of livestock research in the region will also assist the community in making decisions regarding management of resources. In this way, the community can continue to benefit from both wildlife and livestock, achieving the dual function of conservation and improved community livelihoods.

Grevy’s Zebra Tracking
GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. With this sophisticated technology wildlife and telemetry experts have been able to develop advanced tracking systems. Save The Elephants and the Safaricom Foundation have broken new ground in applying the technology in Kenya, which has included the development of collars for Grevy’s zebra. Five collars were manufactured by Televilt in Sweden and deployed by the Northern Rangelands Trust, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Save The Elephants in June 2006 with Kenya Wildlife Service veterinarians.
The collars were set to take a GPS position every hour and already the initial data are showing resource hotspots used by the species. The information from these collars will be critical in helping the communities of West Gate and Kalama to manage their conservation areas to benefit Grevy’s zebra. The Conservancy Managers receive weekly updates of where the collared Grevy’s zebras have been and disseminate this information to their security patrols. Plans to deploy another ten collars are underway targeting zebras in the Meibae and Melako Conservancies.

African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)
In conjunction with Dr. Rosie Woodroffe of the Samburu-Laikipia Wild Dog Project, the Research & Monitoring Department of the Northern Rangelands Trust is collecting data on African wild dog. The information is extracted from the Ecosystem Monitoring Programme that is currently being implemented across all the Community Conservancies.

Black rhino (Diceros bicornis)
Il Ngwesi was historically home to numerous black rhinos, but the rhino population was severely depleted during the 1970s poaching epidemic. Il Ngwesi’s current land use system makes the re-introduction of black rhinos a real possibility. The first milestone in the establishment of a rhino sanctuary took place in 2002, when the orphaned black rhino Omni was relocated from Lewa to Il Ngwesi. Such an increase in the potential carrying capacity for black rhino in the area makes a direct contribution to the Kenya Wildlife Service’s national goal of improving the conservation of this species in Kenya.