Kenya is conducting its first national wildlife census to better understand population sizes, their distribution, as well as establish threats to animals while improving conservation.
Poaching and growing human settlements coupled with climate changes had decimated wildlife populations.
Kenya had been periodically counting vulnerable animals such as rhinos and elephants.
However, this was the first that Kenya had systematically counted the wildlife in all areas of the country.
The $2.3 million project was launched by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the tourism ministry early this month at the Shimba Hills National Reserve.
The project will be concluded in July this year.
Reuters reports that the counting that is being conducted by rangers, researchers and community members on land and from helicopters, was focusing on rare species such as the pangolin and the Sable antelope, of which fewer than 100 remain in the East African country.
"We know there are major gaps. We probably don't know much about what is going on in northern Kenya," Kenya Wildlife Research Training Institute acting chairperson Winnie Kiiru was quoted as saying.
sizes and their distribution, to identify threats to animals and suggest conservation strategies.
Tourism accounted for 8.2% of Kenya's GDP in 2019, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the bulk of it from visits to nature parks.
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