A 15-year study of the grazing wildlife in Kenya’s famed Masai Mara reserve has revealed a startling drop in the reserve’s giraffe, warthog, impala, hartebeest, topi and waterbuck populations. The study, published in the May issue of the British Journal of Zoology, is based on researchers’ analysis of data gathered from monthly monitoring of seven … Continue reading
Category Archives: Kenya
Mara wildlife in serious decline
Wild grazing animals in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve are steadily disappearing, a study has found. Numbers of giraffe, warthog, impala, topi and hartebeest fell by 50% or more between 1979 and 2002. The falls are linked to rapid growth of Maasai settlements around the reserve, say scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). … Continue reading
ILRI joins NGOs to spearhead livestock insurance cover
Livestock farmers in Kenya are gearing up for insurance opportunities against losses from drought and disease-related deaths. The insurance products will come in handy at a time when global warming has affected rainfall patterns and food prices have shot up because of chronic shortages. The first set of livestock insurance products are set to hit … Continue reading
Slaughter project saves farmers in drought-hit area
The Kenya Meat Commission has started slaughtering animals from drought-hit regions to save farmers from incurring losses on livestock deaths. The exercise, which started on Monday, is a multi-million-shilling campaign launched by the government through the emergency drought mitigation project. Read more. . . ( Reuters) Livestock farmers reject Sh700m bailout project 30 April 2009 … Continue reading
Livestock vital to rural livelihoods
The Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute estimates 250 million people in Africa – a quarter of the population – rely on livestock for their livelihoods, yet African governments invest almost nothing to support the sector. “Livestock on the continent is extremely important, especially for the poor and also for large scale farming. Unfortunately there has … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 