Support for Sr. Warden, specific initiatives and personnel
Tsavo National Park, established in 1948, is the largest park in Kenya. It was known for its 40.000 elephants and 6.000 rhinos in the 60's. However by 2002 , these numbers had been reduced to around 9,000 elephants and few rhinos as a result of drought and rampant poaching. At the same time tourism was no longer possible in the bulk of the park area due collapsed infrastructure, overgrown airstrips and poor security. Without WildIze support, Danny would not be able to continue his critical work.
WildiZe provides funding to support park staff responsible for maintaining animal security, antipoaching and overall park welfare and general maintenance. Over the years, these funds have been instrumental in maintaining elephant water catchment tanks, ranger training, providing K9 patrol units and aircraft surveillance used in anti-poaching initiatives and maintaining the integrity of the rhinoceros sanctuary, road repair and ranger housing.
WildiZe Foundation's goals are to help park personnel reduce or eliminate large scale poaching and improve infrastructure. WildiZe also participates in educating the communities surrounding the parks to appreciate the necessity of wildlife and its conservation and erect game proof barriers to keep wild life within the park's boundaries toward reduction of impact and conflict on humans.
With close cooperation and guidance from Daniel Woodley, Sr. Warden of Kenya Wild Services, our funding provided for the following projects:
2009
Animal monitoring/look out facility
Installing solar lighting at waterholes
Ranger housing repair and re-roofing Equipment 
General support for rangers and Tsavo Projects
2008
Construction of waterhole observation points
Construction of Ranger's houses
Holding pens for young and injured/orphaned animals
2007
Making and distribution of educational wild life movies
Development of water projects
Setting up anti-poaching units and tracking stations
Equipment for game rangers
Maintenance of aircraft used for aerial surveys and monitoring of animals
Support for leopard/elephant orphans rehabilitation & wild release
2006
Construction of game proof fence
Building tracker dog kennels
Construction of accommodation for dog handlers
2003- 2005
General support to enable Danny Woodley to continue his work toward creating the Tsavo-Ecosystem Area Plan and implement a variety of security programs aimed at protecting wildlife and people
As a result of WildiZe support over the past 6 years, together with other organizations and the Kenyan government, 16,000 km of road has been rehabilitated, 30 airstrips are now operational and for the year ended 2008 Tsavo National Park earned half a million dollars from tourism. Through re-orientation, some of the former poachers are now employed as rangers, helping to protect the very animals they used to hunt! And for now the elephant population is increasing instead of declining, estimated to be around 12,000 in Tsavo from around 9,000 in 2002 - a third of the elephant population in Kenya!
For more information on the Kenya Wildlife Service: http://www.kws.go.ke/
Expert Action
Daniel Woodley, Sr. Warden of Keyna Wildlife Services, Tsavo National Park
Updated By:
2011 GOALS ACCOMPLISHED:
1.Security of Wildlife and Natural Resources
• Across the continent elephant poaching has increased and Tsavo was not spared. Cross border poaching from Tanzania increased and the presence of Somali livestock herders in the vicinity also led to a rise in elephant poaching. With the support of private desnaring teams the bush meat poaching was largely contained within the park.
• Although livestock has come back with a vengeance with the onset of the dry season we are predicting a drought and livestock die-off, livestock operations continue.
• Feasibility studies are being carried out on the Chyulu Hills for pre-qualification for carbon credit financing. This support will greatly assist the service in securing the catchment forest and hopefully provide the communities with alternative means of income.
• The rhino sanctuary and IPZ areas are doing well with no alarming incidents to date.
2. Infrastructure maintenance and product development:
• After the rains road works began in earnest and 600 km were improved and 10 airstrips graded
• In order to reduce human/wildlife conflict in the region, fencing plans and water studies are ongoing and development of three dams has already begun
• Opening up of the Southern Area of the park has begun and we can expect good tourism visitation as a result
3. Community Wildlife Service and Conservation Awareness.
• Many of the ranches around the park have expressed interest in sanctuary development with carbon credit financing. This is the most preferable land use in this extremely marginal area
• Awareness and outreach programmes continue around the park with emphasis on schools
• Being year of the communities for KWS significant funds are being released for community projects and fencing with more focus on enterprise development
4. Tourist development
• We have seen a healthy increase in tourism and revenue figures this year, throughout the country and expect the coastal tourism to increase by over 20% which would give a huge boost to the park
• Tourism sites development plan is being rolled out in anticipation of this increase with emphasis on product improvement and spreading the impact by offering better incentives in lesser visited areas
5. Fund raising and general assistance:
• We appreciate the assistance that Wildize have given to Tsavo West and particularly the emergency intervention with the predator crates and stockade
Project Field Photos:
No Project Field Photos Found.
