The Milgis Trust

Category: Samburu, Turkana | Date: Oct 15 2008 | By: milgistrust

Comment from Maina.. wildlife direct..

‘I am very alarmed about the Grevy Zebra poaching. What can be done? How can the rest of the world help? It is quite scary given how rare this equine is. We really have to act fast. Tell readers how they can help’.

Maina, How can the rest of the world help…Stop selling guns and ammunition to Africa!…and send some condoms!! Yes it is scary… I feel the only way forward is dialogue… We have to get the Turkana on board, get the message deep into the tribe, get them to understand the urgency of this problem… The Turkana eat every thing, there is hardly a wild animal living in Turkanaland.. With human populations in the Dry Northern Frontier District still growing, guns all over the place, its hard for any animal to survive… and unfortunately these extremely rare and quite the most beautiful equines, happen to live in quite a turbulent place.. The Samburu are revolted at the thought of eating Zebra, the Turkana eat them for breakfast!… With the Samburu/Turkana fighting ‘talking’ is difficult.. Today on the radio I got a message that Lesuuda, one of our Home Guard scouts, who is one of our bravest, who was on his way to the north of the Ol Donyo Mara hills, again no mans land, to investigate a dramatic report, that over the last few months many Zebras, actually the amount was 28??, had been shot, I hope this is not true.. Lesuuda reported this morning that he was going to abort the trip, because there is alot of panic in the area and people are moving their stock…He doesn’t want to get mixed up in the tribal fighting.. We will find out later…The Grevy’s are abit in the same position as the Gorillas in the Congo..

I will get our manager who has alot of experience with ‘talking’/ getting people together, and is quite respected in the area, to really come up with a plan… KWS have been very quiet… We are reporting incidences every day almost and they do nothing… They are short of money, no fuel, and he rangers are not motivated

.. Typical Grevy zebra country..This picture was taken may 07, North of the Ndoto Mountains… Wish it was as cloudy as that now..!!