Sadly my beloved country Kenya has been in the news a great deal in the past few weeks, and the news has not been good. We have problems and these were triggered by the outcome of the Presidential election where the result was close, and where there is plenty of evidence for rigging. The dispute led to violence which has deteriorated into inter-ethnic fighting in certain parts of the country. Tragic scenes and news fill the media and a sense of doom, gloom and fear is palpable. The violence is not directed against foreigners or tourists in any way and much of Kenya is untouched by it. The main airports are functioning normally and the National Parks, the Game Reserves and the wildlife sanctuaries are perfectly safe from this fighting.

The sense of normality in the wildlife areas is unfortunately deluding. Foreign tourists and the tourism industry has all but collapsed. Many, many people are losing their jobs and critical funding for the protection of the wildlife areas has essentially dried up. Revenue from tourism has been providing the bulk of the funding for conservation, and without these funds, patrols and essential activities will cease. In these circumstances we can expect a real upsurge in poaching; for bush meat and commercially valuable species such as rhino and elephant.

I am obviously deeply concerned and feel that we must find a short-term solution to maintain these wildlife areas until normality returns to Kenya and tourism picks up again.

One of the most critical wildlife areas is the Trans Mara, a part of the Greater Maasai Mara and northern Serengeti ecosystem. This area has been run by private management (the Mara Conservancy) for the local authority, the Trans Mara County Council. The management arrangement has been a remarkable success but it is entirely dependent upon tourism which has now stopped. The small buffer of US $50,000 that the Mara Conservancy saved from last year’s visitors has been used up through January. We now need to act quickly to ensue that we can raise another US $50,000 for February and so on until this crisis is over. The wildlife in the Trans Mara is spectacular; the area is one of the jewels in the list of Kenya’s great natural attractions: it has to be saved.

Hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of visitors have enjoyed their visits to the Mara and everyone wants it to remain for the benefit of future generations. Apparently, for as little as US $150,000, the management of the Trans Mara can be sustained; poaching checked and essential services (fire breaks etc.) can be operated. As this area is the gateway to the Greater Maasai Mara/Serengeti ecosystem, this will have real and significant impact for conservation. WildlifeDirect believes this help must be found. This can be achieved by 1,500 people donating one hundred dollars, or 15,000 giving ten dollars. For those hundreds of thousands who have been privileged to see the Mara, surely a modest gift now can secure the spectacle for your next visit or for your children, grandchildren or friends. If you have been to the Mara or know people who have, pass this on and through your network of friends and colleagues, we can quickly reach this target. Each of us can make the difference in a very real and timely way.

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