Are too many tourists killing Africa’s wildlife?

A few lions, many humans in the Mara

ILRI’s Research of 2009 is again reported on the ‘Dynamics of Mara-Serengeti ungulates to land use changes’.

A former project member, Dickson Ole Kaelo, speaking on the importance of conservancies in sustaining the Mara’s wildlife, is quoted saying, “This land is critical to the survival of most resident and migratory wildlife species such as elephant and wildebeest.”

According to the report, the Mara reserve’s ungulate population declined sharply from 1989 to 2003 as a result of poaching and human encroachment. Giraffe numbers are down 95 per cent, warthogs 80 per cent, hartebeest 76 per cent and impala 67 per cent.

The carnivores that depend on these wild animals are, according to the institute’s Joesph Ogutu, the next casualties. “The number of lions is going down, the cheetah numbers are declining, “and the wild dogs in the Mara system have become extinct,” he says.