Kora National Park, now a 1700 square kilometer national park, has a history that reflects its remoteness. The park owes its existence in large part to George Adamson who lived there for over 20 years and who was joined there for 18 years by Tony Fitzjohn. Together they famously rehabilitated lions and leopards back to the wild. After Adamson’s death at the hands of Somali poachers in Kora in 1989, the park deteriorated. Recently, the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) has been active in revitalizing Kora. WildlifeNOW and all associated trusts have a strong commitment to helping Kora prosper and persevere. At the request of the Kenyan government and Kenya Wildlife Services, Tony Fitzjohn has conducted surveys of Kora to ascertain the best next steps for development and protection of the area. Read here>
Mkomazi National Park is now a magnificent, 3,270 square kilometer park in Tanzania. Tony Fitzjohn and his team began their work in Mkomazi in 1989 and while it was recognized as a game park, it was in steep decline because of neglect and degradation of the land. Heavy poaching had wiped out its black rhino and elephant populations. Overgrazing, deliberate burning and illegal hunting had taken their toll. The Government of Tanzania re-examined the status of the Mkomazi Game Reserve to ensure the complete rehabilitation and reintroduction of its endangered species. The reserve was awarded National Priority Project status. Read here>
The main threat to the black rhino is poaching for the international illegal trade in rhino horn. Most, if not all, horn from Kenya and Tanzania is believed to be shipped to Vietnam and China, via routes as varied as Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.
The African wild dog is a critically endangered species. There are fewer than 6,500 throughout Africa. These social animals, like all other wildlife, have their niche in the complex web of predator/prey relationships that is Africa’s ecosystem.
Two thousand years ago an estimated one million lions roamed the Earth. By the 1940s, the number was less than half that and it has declined precipitously since then. Today, there may be fewer than 20,000 lions left.
One vulnerable species is the African elephant, whose populations have been decimated with over 100,000 elephants killed in the past three years alone. Given the economic value of their tusks, they become a high priority for poachers.
