Kenya, a country that in recent years has modified policies in favor of the environment and renewable energies , carried out its first National Wildlife Census and revealed encouraging results.
According to the data collected, the number of elephants and giraffes living in the African country has increased in recent years, adding 36,169 elephants (12% more than in 2014) and 34,240 giraffes (49% more than in 2018) .
But these two animals were not the only ones that increased their population. According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, the number of rhinos, lions, royal zebras and hirola antelopes also increased.
On the other hand, the census of marine animals found that 63 humpback whales, two blue whales, 29 white sharks and eleven manta rays live in the country.
The census, started in May, was carried out by more than 100 people who registered up to 30 endangered species to verify the effectiveness of the wildlife protection measures.
The elephants' struggle to survive
For elephants, having large, strong tusks used to be an advantage, allowing them to dig for water, rip bark from trees, and fight other elephants. However, this characteristic makes them more vulnerable to poachers looking for their ivory, causing a decrease in the number of specimens.
Because of this, the researchers identified an increase in the proportion of elephants that will never develop tusks, in part due to years of civil war in Kenya and poaching in Mozambique.
For example, during the conflict from 1977 to 1992, fighters on both sides killed elephants to obtain ivory to finance the war. In the region that is now Gorongosa National Park, about 90% of the elephants were euthanized.
Researchers in Mozambique watched the national park's nearly 800 elephants for years and looked at the female genes to see if it could help the elephants care for their tusks.
Research found that a female only needs one altered gene to lose fangs and that when it is transmitted to male embryos, it can cause changes in their development.