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

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

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

Microsatellite genotypes for the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis)

Microsatellite dataset used in this study. This file includes the genotypes for 11 microsatellite loci for both historic and modern black rhinoceros samples. Individuals represent 12 populations and are numbered from 1-560