Kenyans Asked to Submit Views on Relocation of 13 Elephants from the UK to Kenya

The National Environment Management Authority (Nema) has invited the public to submit views on the planned translocation of 13 elephants from the UK to Kenya.

Through a gazette notice dated March 25th, Nema invited public views on an environmental and social impact assessment report for the proposed transfer and rewilding of the elephants.

The agency says the relocation has potential impacts including risks of contracting diseases and disease epidemics, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, competition for water, and predation of the jumbos, among others.

Kenyans have until April 23rd to submit their views that will help the State environment agency in its decision-making about the project.

The herd of 13 African elephants will be moved from a zoo in Kent, England to Kenya where the animals will be released into the wild.

UK conservation charity Aspinall Foundation is working with The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Kenya Wildlife Service to ferry the jumbos more than 7,000 kilometers from the UK to the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary in Kwale County.

The 13 elephants weighing a combined 25 tonnes will be transported on one big aircraft accompanied by a team of vets in what has been described as the biggest rewilding project in the world. 

Various UK media outlets reported that this will be the first time that a herd of elephants has ever been rewilded anywhere in the world and no elephant rewilding project of this scale has ever been attempted before.

Damian Aspinall, Chairman of The Aspinall Foundation, said: “This is an incredibly exciting project and a genuine world-first. As with any conservation project of this magnitude, there are obviously big risks, but we consider them well worth it to get these magnificent elephants back into the wild where they belong."

The charity believes that all elephants should live in the wild instead of in captivity. 

“By supporting the project, members of the public will be part of conservation history, helping to restore an iconic species to its ancestral homeland. If this is successful, I would love to see elephants held in captivity all over the world be rewilded too,” Aspinall added.

The herd, which includes three calves, will be made up of two family groups. They were all but one born at Howletts Wild Animal Park, a private zoo near Canterbury.