Endangered Wildlife Species In Tana River
Kenya’s first national wildlife census, conducted between April and July, revealed that the country’s population of the critically endangered and endemic Tana River mangabey and red colobus is 1,650 and 1,219, respectively.
The report, which President Uhuru Kenyatta received on Monday, will be used as a baseline in the formulation of policy to sustainably conserve and manage Kenya’s wildlife resources for current and future generations.
It will also serve as a forum for the Kenya Wildlife Services to strategize on new and innovative ways to combat poaching and preserve the country’s heritage (KWS).
Several species of primates live in the lower Tana River. There are 2,465 Sykes monkeys, 1,560 Yellow Baboons, and 241 Vervet Monkeys.
Scientists used both ground census and aerial methods to count the primates in the Tana River forests.
According to scientific research, the two endangered species have lost more than 70% of their primary riverine forest habitat due to human encroachment for agricultural purposes.
Tana River Primate Reserve was established in 1976. It has a total area of 169km2. The county is a biodiversity hotspot (biologically rich but critically endangered) with over 57 mammal species.
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