The Ministry of Tourism is launching the Tembo Naming Festival at Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County on the 3rd of March. This will allow Kenyans to adopt an elephant for a fee ranging from KES 100,000 to KES 500,000.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza told a local media station that the festival aims to create an environment where human-wildlife conflict can be reduced and promote human-elephant co-existence. She said that because of their extensive knowledge of how animals interact with humans, the Maasai elders would be in charge of the naming process.
“They have lived in the community for a long time and are familiar with animal behavior. They will be able to describe their background and behavior, including whether they are destructive or polite,” said Malonza.
Kenyans can access information about the elephants after their adoption, as these animals make long journeys from Somalia to Tanzania, and the government will keep trying to track them.
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The Tembo Naming Festival aims to make people aware of the value of safeguarding elephants and their natural environments while allowing Kenyans to participate in wildlife conservation.
“We want people to understand that these animals are not just animals; they are part of us. We want to create awareness of the importance of conservation and show that we can co-exist with wildlife,” said Malonza.
Kenya is among the few countries on the African continent with a stable population of elephants. There are currently around 34000 elephants in the wild. However, the number of elephants has been declining in the past years for various reasons.
The most common reason is human-wildlife conflict. This happens when humans encroach on their habitats or when elephants leave their sanctuary searching for food and end up on farmlands. The current drought experienced in the horn of Africa and east African countries is also a major factor in their decline.
