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Kenya has solid measures to prevent wildlife attack on humans, official says

Xinhua, July 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kenya has recorded minimal wildlife attacks on humans inside parks and game reserves thanks to solid measures that include enhanced vigilance and public outreach, an official said on Tuesday

Paul Udoto, the spokesman for Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said visitors to the country's wildlife sanctuaries are rarely attacked by the giant mammals, carnivores and reptiles because of strong preemptive measures.

"Wild animals rarely attack visitors inside the parks. They have only injured and killed people outside the parks," Udoto told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Udoto said visitors to the national parks are required to adhere to stringent regulations to avoid a tragic encounter with wildlife.

The Kenyan wildlife agency has a clear code of conduct that all visitors to the parks must obey to avoid being mauled by wild animals.

"There are regulations on how visitors should behave while inside the parks to prevent injuries. Visitors are not allowed to get out of their vehicles unless in designated areas like camping sites and nature trails," Udoto said.

He revealed that there are exceptions in some parks where visitors can take a stroll or ride a bicycle.

"Visitors can ride bicycles in Hells Gate National Park. They can also climb Mount Kenya and Longonot," said Udoto, adding that local and foreign visitors are allowed to conduct nature trails in selected biodiversity hotspots

Udoto said visitors are not allowed to disembark from their vehicles or trigger a commotion while inside the parks to avoid provoking wild animals.

"We discourage visitors from encroaching into animals'territories and should be accompanied by rangers when venturing into risky areas," said Udoto,adding that visitors who flout the rules risk a total ban.

The bulk of human injuries and deaths outside Kenya's wildlife sanctuaries are caused by buffaloes, elephants, crocodiles, snakes and hippos.

Early this year, lions that strayed from Nairobi national park caused a stir in residential premises where they roamed.

Udoto told Xinhua that the wildlife agency has enhanced public outreach and deployment of community wardens to prevent lions from straying into human settlements. Endit