Kenya unveils funds for wildlife compensation

The Kenyan government has released about 220,000 U.S. dollars for payment to families of people killed or injured by wildlife across the East African country.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said on Sunday that the funds will be paid to victims and next of kin by district commissioners in eight conservation areas.

"A total of 230 cases, out of which 46 were deaths cases and 184 injury cases, were reported and approved for payment by the national committee. Snake bites constituted majority of these cases," KWS said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

The agency said the payments were approved for payment by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife at a ministerial wildlife compensation committee meeting in February.

KWS officials have cited human-wildlife conflict as one of the major causes of declining number of lions in Kenya. They say carnivores still like lions attack livestock and this in turn leads to retaliation by the humans.

KWS listed elephants, lions, wild dogs, leopards, cheetah, hyenas, Sitatunga, Tana crested mangabey, and Tana red Columbus monkeys as some of the most endangered wildlife species in Kenya.

The number of wild animals in Kenya has reduced drastically, threatening the existence of one of the country's major attraction to tourists –who bring most of foreign exchange, new data released by the KWS indicates.

One of the most affected wildlife species is the lion whose number has reduced by about 1,000 between 2002 and 2008 threatening to wipe off one of the country's largest wild cats.

The country had 30,000 lions in the 1960s when it gained independence from Britain but poaching, drought and human-wildlife conflict have seen the population drop drastically.

Meanwhile, KWS said a stray lioness was speared to death in a retaliatory attack by communities at Lemong'o area near Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County in the outskirts of Nairobi.

The lioness had attacked and killed three goats in a boma at a household in the village. Apparently it was unable to exit the boma only for the villagers to attack it with spears and arrows and killed. The incident was reported to KWS officials who responded immediately.

Late last month, a Maasai moran was left nursing injuries after he was attacked by lions in Kajiado County. A lioness was also killed when an estimated 300 morans went on a revenge mission.

"A pride of five lions is believed to have invaded a boma. An estimated 41 goats and one cow were killed in the incident," KWS said.

Kenya wildlife enthusiasts have been banking on the passage of the new Wildlife Bill 2011 to reduce the rising cases of poaching in the East African nation. The law proposes severe punishment for poachers and people-led wildlife conservancy efforts.

The proposed Wildlife Bill has also recommended severe crime for poachers since poaching will be like an organized crime under the law.

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