KENYA: DRAFT WILDLIFE BILL

Kenya Government, You, I & Khalil Gibran

In a past post, a promise was made.
We refresh it here. 
One day you will ask me which is more important?

My life our yours?

I will say mine and you will walk away not knowing that you are my life."

Khalil Gibran

Just a day before 6 lions were killed in Kitengela, an area skirting Nairobi National Park, government witnesses serious, serious premeditated, inclusive attention now.

The question had been raised weeks before.

Reading through the Plenary Hansard of 19th June 2012 it became clear though that from conservationists, to the tourisim sector, the travel gloss, the whole band wagon, have we all become immune. We are human beings only for being in sectoral passion?

The fundamental thought and spirit of the Draft Wildlife Bill is bringing sanity. This trully people, is the real opportunity probably the only one to place held prejudices, intellectual snobbery, not least little wives club jealousy's aside. There is real opportunity for racial, socio economic, financial, basically sectoral interests to be put aside.

The Draft Bill has began a journey where together should we all work together, participate, educate, in an all inclusive manner, create and produce a Human/Wildlife Management policy that will have no equal in the world. Be the envy of the world. Where they shall not be a world where beauty is only in the eye of the beholder.

Nor safety the answer for that.

No show off exclusive.

Now is the opportunity for all Kenyans, and all who love Kenya to do just that. If you are not going to do it for yourself, do it to shun, shame, not just Poachers and all who support, benefit, relish and or enjoy the end result of the unnecessury slay of any creature.

And if for no other reason, do it for the benefit that outside the "Big 5", things such as Phobias exist.

Left to Cool Bags, not a single Snake would have occassion to see tomorrow.

Its about Benetton's Colors.

So importantly, that in every country, every race, every religion, when politics blends with sectoral interests, going absolutely nowhere.

Use this Kenya's Draft Wildlife Bill to show maturity, occassion a path. Use it to make, hear, learn.

Myopia? Maybe. Reality? Can be.

Up to you.

Plenary Hansard 2012

Hansard 20.06.12A (223.8 kB)

[Pages 27-29; 30-32]

"...MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

A

TTACK ON RESIDENTS OF LAIKIPIA BY LIONSThe Assistant Minister for Forestry and Wildlife (Mr. Nanok):

"...As the law currently stands, there is no compensation for livestock, crops or

property damaged or destroyed by wildlife and payments of medical bills incurred by

persons injured or killed by wildlife. My Ministry has in this respect taken action to

initiate a review of Cap.376 of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 1989

with a view to explore sustainable and realistic options for compensation for wildlife

damages. The draft Wildlife Bill and legislation has, in this respect, been forwarded to

the Cabinet and is awaiting discussion and subsequent approval by this House."  Further: "...

More so, compensation shall be enhanced and a

more comprehensive framework on conflict management is to be provided to take care of

the expenses incurred."  And: " the new Bill which fortunately is being processed through the Attorney-General’s Office, will be tabled before the Cabinet and will be brought to this House for discussion..." Importantly: "...

As an Assistant Minister for Forestry and Wildlife, I can

say that it is an offence to kill any wildlife. It is also an offence for the wildlife to kill

human beings. The reason why my Ministry has held the services is because we had to

put a balance and make sure that we minimize as much as possible the human/wildlife

conflict. Of course, you need to understand the challenges we experience. You will

realise that a number of dispersal areas and wildlife corridors that were for wildlife have

been inhabited by human beings."  Most crucial is this part: "...

I hope that before the life of this Parliament comes to an end, that Bill would have been finalized. It is already out of our hands, it is in the Attorney-General’s Chambers and we hope that it will go through the other processes and be tabled in this House...We hope that in a couple of weeks, it will go to the.."

Cabinet and then, it will end up in this House."

KENYA

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CANNING VIETNAM
 

Image akphilanthropy.com



"One day you will ask me which is more important? My life or yours? I will say mine and you will walk away not knowing that you are my life."

Khalil Gibran.

A pledge to this little one.
Such are the realities.
Vietnam is a country with eventful history, a capital replete with many ancient architectural works complete with 600 pagodas and temples including Hanoi's famous One Pillar Pagoda built in 1049, so one thing automatically comes to mind.

This is a country of a people, who have taken such pride in preserving rich, rich history, but find it of complete inconsequence to snatch the very essence of another's.

Continent Africa's wildlife is under serious siege from an Asia determined to make Tiger Brew Wine using lion bones. 

Seriously this is no joke.

Asia's traditional medicine market was supplied by Asian species, but Oriental concoctions are now reliant on skeletons, literally the skeletons of our lions in substitute of tiger bones having dispatched off all their tigers. Official records show that South Africa exported 418 lion carcasses to Vietnam and Laos from 2009 to 2010.  Although the official trade from South Africa is legal, it is not illogical that such trade shall stimulate an illegal market for lion bones from other African range states to satisfy the market.

And the very sad fact is this. The Asian market prefers the wild animal variety for apparently being more potent compared to captive-raised animals. So despite a thought process espoused by SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association that Africa as a whole should support the farming of lions, an action that would then eradicate canned lion hunting for the export of the same lion body parts to Asia, that same, same Asian market wants the wild variety. So, nothing really changes. But all this is a complete no brainer. From canned hunting, another very obscene practise where mostly hand-reared or semi-tame lions are placed for purposes of hunting in a confined space with no escape, to the actual edible consumption of body parts, Africa's species must be protected.



Image safarisonline.co.uk

Basically if one has gobbled up their 'supply' its just too very bad. In Africa the only ones that should be doing the gobbling-up are the lions, whilst we watch them in luxurious style, complete with fine dining, as they cook up a storm during the Wildebeest migration.

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Usually gentle, this is frank.

KENYA: Wednesday 10^th April 2012 Lewa Conservancy, Isiolo County, Kenya. It is beginning to begin here. Week-old carcass of a pregnant White Rhino discovered. Horn missing. The alarms have been totally jingling. They have to be daft. Posse not known for stealth.

CAMEROON: Earlier in the year mass slaughter of elephants. 1 scene alone. 35 elephant carcasses found mutilated in a single attack by poachers at a popular safari destination in Cameroon. Explicitly of that attack one photo captures this. Single elephant lying alone, trunk severed. Trunk strewn next to the no longer there face.

When horseback-riding gangs openly carrying machine guns, travel 1,000 miles from Sudan, across Central Africa and Chad to reach Cameroon to do that, you sit up. You take notice. Serious notice.

Last August 2011, WWF during the 61st meeting in Geneva of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), called on representatives of world governments and other groups attending, to stem the growing global trade in illegal ivory and rhino horn.  WWF was equally concerned by reports of illegal trade to Thailand and allegations of rhinos being farmed in China for their horns. Like every aspect surrounding this issue and most importantly not least, the end market is known. Vietnam in example is the major destination for illegal horn, an alleged cancer treatment must have, yet Vietnamese authorities appear to be doing little to address the problem. 

Interestingly and of profound curiosity, during that same August 2011, a group billed as the “best tourist destinations in Africa” gathered to launch the “China To Africa Project", goal being to promote Africa to the new generation of 50 million Chinese outbound tourists.  The initiative apparently was welcomed by both African and Chinese travel and tourism industries according to eTurboNews who credit source information to chinatoafrica.org

Pray tell all in Africa, for indeed this is excellent news for hospitality service providers. Providers though with a backbone. Providers with a spine. Time to kick in literally. The game is over.

All travelers to countries that are home to elephant and rhino, certainly will eat at some point. Some will even sleep.  Substantial enough will have no showers. Yet providers now as will do then, even with a glimpse of the accommodate of that suggested 50 million share, have, shall have groaning buffet tables or exquisite fine dining however remote the location. Coarse sheets or +1000 thread linen variety. Water in none, flowing in others. The shyness ends now. Forget “housekeeping issues”. Take a stand. Whatever the time, whatever the activity, where you catch them, 5 minutes is all it takes to show a vivid, candid, graphic picture of what it now takes to get that illegal horn. That illegal tusk. It is no longer about the money. It’s about showing guests, customers, a thought to take home. What one does with it.  Up to them. Take the flack. Take any ‘ism’s that will follow.

One thing that should resonate. Tell them. Even elephants bury their dead.