Inaugural world wildlife day marked with good momentum in our wildlife cooperation with China

On March 3, 2014, the world marked the inaugural World wildlife day.  This is the day that the UN general assembly recently established in order to celebrate and raise awareness on the fight against wildlife crime in this precarious era. In retrospect, our country has achieved major milestones in wildlife protection thanks to the support and cooperation from our dedicated ally China.

 

The support and cooperation that we have received from China is remarkable. You might not be aware that every single Chinese citizen who comes to Kenya gets a text message at the point of entry warning them against buying, handling and involvement in illegal wildlife trade. The Chinese Embassy website, the most probable site that a Chinese visitor will log into, contains the same messages urging Chinese nationals to obey local laws and customs with an emphasis on wildlife protection. Kenyans may not be aware of this as well: This is because this information is conveyed in Chinese language. Nevertheless, these are some of the measures that the Chinese government have put in place to support Kenya’s efforts in Wildlife protection.

This kind of cooperation has not been limited to media platforms alone. In January, 2014, the Chinese Embassy and the National forestry Bureau of China conducted a lecture on anti-poaching here in Nairobi. Wildlife stakeholders including Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), and TRAFFIC were all represented. This was a very significant event in the country as it was meant to support anti-Poaching measures in Kenya and to educate and inform the Kenyans and the Chinese community in Kenya against poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

Law enforcement efforts have also been scaled up and implemented in recent years. For example, In 2012, China called for an international crackdown on wildlife crime, and led the first international operation involving 22 countries in an operation dubbed Cobra in early 2013.Last month, out of two coordination centers in Nairobi and Bangkok, China played a leading role in operation Cobra II; the most successful joint sting operation that resulted in the arrest of an Ivory trafficking kingpin and others responsible for funneling large amounts of poached elephant tusks between Africa and China.  This was a major milestone in the fight against illegal wildlife trade and other forms of wildlife destruction as the stronghold in Kenya was effectively broken.

As a result of a vigorous campaign by the government with the support of the Chinese government, people from all walks of life are responding positively and actively to contribute to the well being of our wildlife. Notably, several Chinese nationals have joined the efforts by the Chinese government and the Kenyan government in this cause. They include Mr. Huo Long who established the Luo Hong Environmental Protection fund at the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) here in Nairobi and donated ksh 150 million to the conservation of Lake Nakuru National park. Luo Hong has been of great service to the Kenyan nation, and in recognition for this; he became the first foreign national to be awarded a state commendation award (Moran of the Order of Burning spear by the former president, Mwai Kibaki.

Others include Zhuo Qiang, commonly referred to as “Simba” who left a good government job in China, his wife and a 7 year old daughter to come to Kenya to support conservation and Yao Ming, the famous Chinese basketball player who was in Kenya recently. Yao Ming teamed up with “save the elephants” and Ol Pejeta conservancy to shoot a documentary highlighting the dwindling populations of Rhino’s and elephants in Kenya. The documentary titled “wild aid” highlights the beauty and economic importance of wildlife tourism.

The dual offensive and the cooperation against poaching and smuggling of wildlife products between Kenya and China is a show of commitment and a show of friendship and responsibility. Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Xi Jinping met in Beijing, China where the Chinese president emphasized the need to work together on issues of common concern. The two countries signed a deal worth $5 billion for various projects that included wildlife protection in Kenya. Looking at the decline in the rate of poaching and wildlife crime today, it would be fair to say that this was a noble move that has made a significant impact in our capacity to protect our wildlife. The number of Chinese and Kenyan nationals involved in poaching and wildlife trade has declined significantly. The few cases that we continue to experience are often individuals who are on transit from neighboring countries where wildlife laws and enforcement is still weak.

Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister, Wang Yi said that China and Africa are good brothers who share weal and wore. He added that we are good partners for common development. Isn’t this evident in the cooperation and support that we have received from China? Every Kenyan who has witnessed the worth ethic and determination of the Chinese people in projects like the Thika superhighway and others which have been successful, will be highly optimistic that the 100% commitment that we see in wildlife protection, can be relied upon.