Occurrence and Level of Elephant Damage to Farms Adjacent to Mount Kenya Forests: Implications for Conservation

Incidences of elephant’s crop raids in Mount Kenya area have escalated in the recent past causing considerable damage to the fragile local economy that is mainly peasant farming.  Studies on crop-raiding predisposing factors, nature and extent of the damage in this region are scanty. Thus, this was the aim of this study.  Data was obtained from questionnaires and occurrence books at Kenya Wildlife Service between 1997 – 2000.  Elephant movements were mapped in relationship to watering points and salt licks.  It was found that crop-raiding incidences by elephants were widely spread over the study area (80%, n = 487).  Crop damage severity was about 16.8 % of the expected yields.  Levels of crop damage were positively correlated to crop occurrence (r = 0.982, P = 0.01).  Thus, damage levels were substantive. Elephant’s crop-raids should stop.  Fencing off elephant from farmland will solve crop-raiding problems and enhance their conservation. Keywords: Elephants crop-raiding, human-wildlife conflict, forest fragmentation, conservation area barrier

Growth Performance, Fecundity and Sexual Growth Dimorphism of Oreochromis Esculentus and Oreochromis Niloticus Under Cage Culture in Kisii County, Kenya

Oreochromis esculentus, a fish species relished by people around the Lake Victoria region is no longer abundant due to competitive exclusion by introduced fishes and fishing pressure. There is a need for its culture for production and determination of its growth performance in captivity. Little information is available on the growth of O. esculentus in captivity. This study aimed to evaluate growth performance, sexual growth dimorphism and fecundity of two species, the threatened O. esculentus and the traditionally cultured Oreochromis niloticus for recruitment of the former in aquaculture. Growth trials were undertaken at the Fish Multiplication Centre in Kisii County. Three treatments of O. esculentus (from Gesebei dam), O. niloticus (from County Fish Multiplication and Training Centre – CFMTC) and O. niloticus (from Kitaru dam) were replicated four times in cage culture. Each cage was stocked with 30 fingerlings, cultured for eight months and fed twice daily. Fish samples were collected biweekly for weight and length measurements. Eggs/ fry were retrieved from brooding females and relative fecundity was evaluated. Data was analyzed using the analysis of covariance. For asymptotic weight, O. niloticus (CFMTC) weighing 329.7±5.48 g outperformed O. esculentus (Gesebei) 317.7±5.48 g and O. niloticus (Kitaru) 258.8±5.48 g (p <0.05). The O. esculentus had the highest asymptotic length of 30.5±0.29 cm, followed by O. niloticus (CFMTC) 28.5±0.29 cm and 26.5±0.29 cm for O. niloticus (Kitaru) (p <0.05). There was no significant difference in growth performance between the males and the females of O. esculentus in terms of asymptotic length and weight. For relative fecundity, there was no significant difference with slopes for fecundity means at 95% confidence intervals, with O. esculentus (Gesebei) at -0.07543, O. niloticus (CFMTC) and O. niloticus (Kitaru dam) at -0.06036 and -0.12034, respectively. The study showed O. esculentus is suitable for aquaculture due to its performance in length and can be a conservation strategy

The Efficacy of a Herbal Drug, Schitozim over Praziquantel in the Management of Schistosoma mansoni Infection in BALB/c mice

Schistosomiasis is a major public health problem worldwide. Schistosome eggs are responsible for most pathology.  The organs affected are liver and spleen. There has been very little progress on schistosomiasis chemotherapy in Kenya due to the high costs and unavailability of known drugs to the local masses. There has been a resurgence of interest in the study of antischistosomal medicinal plants of local origin. Plants seem to be a cheaper source for drug development. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of a herbal drug, Schitozim over Praziquantel in the management of S. mansoni infection in BALB/c mice and to provide defined information of the parasitological and immunological responses towards this herbal drug. BALB/c mouse strains, was used. The experimental groups included; normal/naïve control; infected and not treated control group; infected groups administered with three different doses (50 mg/kg, 150 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg) of Schitozim and infected group administered with one standard dose (900 mg/kg) of Praziquantel. Serum were collected at week 6 post infections and week 2 post treatment and assayed to determine total leukocyte counts, differential counts, blood chemistry parameters and the levels of immunoglobulin G using ELISA kit.  At week 6, perfusion was done to determine worm load.  Data was analysed using SPSS, the data was expressed as mean ± standard error of means. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out to compare differences between treatment groups while multiple comparisons between the various treatment groups was done using Dunnet Test and Least Significance Difference Test (LSD). Results show that worm count in the groups treated with Schitozim was not significantly different from the number of worms recovered in the group treated with praziquantel. Secondly, Schitozim was able to maintain a normal level of the three tested transaminases. The levels of bilirubin, albumin were also maintained at a normal range in the infected mice treated with Schitozim and Praziquantel. Eosinophil counts were low in number in both Schitozim and Praziquantel treated groups. Lymphocyes, monocytes and neutrophils counts were high in the both groups. SWAP specific IgG response, 0-3hr release protein specific IgG response and SEA specific IgG responses were not significantly different among the Schitozim and Praziquantel treated groups. Phytochemical screening showed that flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, steroids and tannins were present in schitozim aqueous extract. From the information above on worm recovery, populations of leucocytes in serum, levels of ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, total protein, and albumin, Schitozim behaves similar to Praziquentel in the management of S. mansoni infection in BALB/c mice. However, further research is needed to determine toxic level of schitozim since all drugs will turn out to be toxic when certain concentration is reached. Other studies which will investigate the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, High density cholesterol and low density cholesterol on Schitozim treated- S. mansoni infected mice. Keywords: Schitozim, Praziquantel, Transaminases, Lymphocytes, IgG, Phytochemical screening, BALB/c Mic

The selection of a standard STR panel for DNA profiling of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) in Kenya

The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) population in Kenya is declining at an alarming rate due to habitat destruction, human-elephant conflicts and the current escalation of poaching for ivory. This study established a standard protocol for forensic analysis of L. africana and their products such as ivory. Three multiplex PCR panels consisting of 17 Short Tandem Repeat markers were selected from 40 markers using bioinformatics tools, amplification and polymorphism. Genotyping was successful and reproducible. This method is efficient, accurate and cost effective and has potential for application in conservation of L. africana.JKUAT and the Commission for Science Technology and Innovation.http://link.springer.com/journal/12686hb201

Extinctions, genetic erosion and conservation options for the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)

The black rhinoceros is again on the verge of extinction due to unsustainable poaching in its native range. Despite a wide historic distribution, the black rhinoceros was traditionally thought of as depauperate in genetic variation, and with very little known about its evolutionary history. This knowledge gap has hampered conservation efforts because hunting has dramatically reduced the species’ once continuous distribution, leaving five surviving gene pools of unknown genetic affinity. Here we examined the range-wide genetic structure of historic and modern populations using the largest and most geographically representative sample of black rhinoceroses ever assembled. Using both mitochondrial and nuclear datasets, we described a staggering loss of 69% of the species’ mitochondrial genetic variation, including the most ancestral lineages that are now absent from modern populations. Genetically unique populations in countries such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique, Malawi and Angola no longer exist. We found that the historic range of the West African subspecies (D. b. longipes), declared extinct in 2011, extends into southern Kenya, where a handful of individuals survive in the Masai Mara. We also identify conservation units that will help maintain evolutionary potential. Our results suggest a complete re-evaluation of current conservation management paradigms for the black rhinoceros

Students’ Perceptions on the Quality of Teaching between Part-Time and Full-Time Faculty in Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya

A Project Report Submitted to the Chandaria School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Executive Masters of Science in Organizational Development (EMOD)The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ perceptions of the quality of teaching between part-time and full-time faculty in Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Three questions were pursued in this study. The first question examined students’ understanding of quality teaching. The second question investigated whether students can differentiate faculty on the basis of their employment status. The last question evaluated whether staff employment status affected the quality of their teaching and was measured using faculty’s ability to delivery subject content, their accessibility by students, mentorship and extra-class communication to students. The research design was descriptive. A mixed method approach was used to collect data. The qualitative questionnaire had 10 question. The first three questions addressed the first research question. The second three questions addressed the second research question, while the last four questions addressed the third research question. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic summaries. The quantitative questionnaire had 37 questions grouped into three parts: A, B and C. Part A had 12 question that addressed the first research question. Part B had 10 questions that addressed the second research question while part C had 15questions that addressed the third research question. The quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics; mainly central tendencies using frequencies, mean statistic and factor analysis. Findings from first research question shows that 74% of the students had memory of good learning experiences in their life. Of these, 48% remembered learning experiences that had cognitive dimensions while 40% remembered learning experiences that had excellent output dimensions. Students’ notion of ideal teacher is a person who is well prepared, having the skills to help the student to learn, being equipped with knowledge of the discipline, able to follow up and handle every student, very punctual, precise and audible. In overall, students clearly demonstrated capacity to differentiate between good and poor quality teaching experiences. Findings from the second research question shows that students are able to differentiate full-time faculty from part-time faculty. Students indicated that majority of the full-time were lecturers (28.75%) while professors were only 5%. They also indicated that about 50% of the part-timer faculty were either tutorial fellows or graduate assistants. Finding from the third research question show that there is a difference in performance between full-time and part-time faculty. Of the students, 57.14% indicated that full time lecturers cover syllabus and are better in content delivery compared to part time lecturers, however, 30.95% of the students indicated that they did not find any difference. While 61.90% of students indicated that full-time faculty are available for student’s mentorship, only 7.14% of students indicated that part time lecturers participate in student mentorship. Only 2.38% of the students indicated that part-time faculty are available for extra class communication. In conclusion, it is clear that students in JKUAT main campus understand quality teaching. Students are also able to differentiate part-time staff from full-time staff. Finally, students do find teaching by part-time staff to be of low quality. The fact that many Universities are practising student massification in order to mitigate their financial position has increased demand for teaching staff, but the supply of experienced highly qualified permanent staff is substantially limited. Thus, the presence of inexperienced and freshly graduated part-time faculty; sometimes procured under dubious procedures is likely to be a permanent feature of faculty composition in the staffing structure of many Universities. It hereby recommended that stakeholders must find ways to improve the low quality teaching offered by part-time faculty

Protective roles of free avian respiratory macrophages in captive birds

In the mammalian lung, respiratory macrophages provide front line defense against invading pathogens and particulate matter. In birds, respiratory macrophages are known as free avian respiratory macrophages (FARM) and a dearth of the cells in the avian lung has been purported to foreordain a weak first line of pulmonary defense, a condition associated with high mortality of domestic birds occasioned by respiratory inflictions. Avian pulmonary mechanisms including a three tiered aerodynamic filtration system, tight epithelial junctions and an efficient mucociliary escalator system have been known to supplement FARM protective roles. Current studies, however, report FARM to exhibit an exceptionally efficient phagocytic capacity and are effective in elimination of invading pathogens. In this review, we also report on effects of selective synthetic peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPAR γ) agonists on non phlogistic phagocytic properties in the FARM. To develop effective therapeutic interventions targeting FARM in treatment and management of respiratory disease conditions in the poultry, further studies are required to fully understand the role of FARM in innate and adaptive immune responses

Using Range Condition Assessment to Optimize Wildlife Stocking in Tindress Wildlife Sanctuary, Nakuru District, Kenya

Over 70% of Kenya’s wildlife resources occur outside protected areas, in areas where land use practices do not necessarily conform to wildlife conservation standards. Ensuring that land use practices in these areas accommodate wildlife conservation is vital in effectively conserving wildlife in this country. Tindress Farm in Rift Valley offers a good example of a place where economic activities and wildlife conservation can work harmoniously. The farm has set up a 320-ha wildlife sanctuary in the hilly parts of the property to provide a haven for wildlife displaced by human settlements in the surrounding environs. The Tindress Farm management needed to know the diversity and optimum number of wildlife species that the sanctuary could accommodate. This study set out to 1) outline a set of models for objectively calculating wildlife stocking levels and 2) demonstrate the practical use of these models in estimating optimum stocking levels for a specific wildlife sanctuary. After comparing models using forage inventory methods models and utilization-based methods (UM), we opted to use UM models because of their focus on ecological energetics. This study established that the range condition in Tindress Wildlife Sanctuary varied from poor to good (29-69%) and recommended a total stocking density of 158.9 grazer units and 201.4 browser units shared out by the various herbivore species. These estimates remain a best-case scenario. The effects of rainfall, range condition, and condition of the animals should be monitored continuously to allow for adjustments through active adaptive management.The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202

Phenotypic divergence in reproductive traits of the marbled parrotfish, Leptoscarus vaigiensis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824), among reefs of varying protection levels in Kenya

Phenotypic divergence in the reproductive traits of the marbled parrotfish (Leptoscarus vaigiensis) was studied among six reef sites exposed to varying levels of fishing pressure in coastal Kenya from May 2011 to April 2012. Baited fish traps were used to capture fish within two no-take marine parks (Malindi and Watamu) and their adjacent reserves that allow regulated fishing. Fish samples from two non-protected reefs (Kanamai and Vipingo) were obtained from fishers. Reproductive attributes (fecundity, oocyte size and length at first maturity) of the species were determined and compared between sites. Results showed significant differences in fecundity between sites (F = 3.742, P = 0.004) with higher mean (± SD) fecundity for fish in the parks (110,128 ± 75,492) and reserves (145,570 ± 88,873) compared to those in non-protected sites (76,250 ± 55,337). Further, Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis using fecundity estimates clustered sites based on their protection levels. Fish in non-protected sites have equivalent to higher fecundities at smaller sizes relative to larger fishes from protected sites. A comparison of length at first maturity (L50) between sites indicated that females from non-protected sites matured at lower lengths (11.2 cm, 11.1-11.4 cm, 95% CI) compared to those from park (16.7 cm, 15.7-17.3 cm, 95% CI) and reserve (16.8 cm, 16.6-17.1 cm, 95% CI) sites. Overall, the results indicated some level of phenotypic divergence between sites, which is likely to be an adaptive strategy for enhancing resilience to fishing pressure and helping to sustain local populations. The real causes of this divergence cannot be partitioned between fishing mortality, genetic variability or habitat- induced variations. Nonetheless, the data provides a basis for future studies on the causal factors for the observed divergence in life-history traits of the species between reefs