Following the successful de-snaring event held on June 1, 2015 with local Chinese volunteers from China House, the Africa Network for Animal Welfare and China House held a second successful de-snaring on June 23, 2015, this time with a group of 30 Chinese volunteers working and residing in Kenya. Held at the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization, KALRO, two snares were lifted in this operation, one of which was a sturdy live snare set to target buffalo. One zebra was also successfully rescued. In the June 1, 2015 de-snaring activity held at the same venue, 10 snares were lifted and four animals rescued. Unfortunately, we lost one. 
Speaking at the June 23 event, Kenya Wildlife Service veterinarian Ephantus Ndambiri said, “In the year 2012, we had 360 cases (of snared animals in the region), 240 cases in 2013 and 180 the following year.” He added that this year alone, the recorded cases are 180. Dickson Ritan, the acting Kenya Wildlife Service assistant director in charge of the Central Rift Wildlife Conservancy area, further explained the high snaring numbers by saying that wildlife was within reach because most of the wildlife lives outside of the protected areas. The aim of ANAW-China House engagement is to involve the local Chinese community in animal welfare and conservation activities in Kenya. This way, we nurture and inspire them to become animal welfare and conservation ambassadors back in their home country. China House is a social enterprise established by a group of young Chinese professionals in Kenya. Its mission is to help Chinese integrate into Africa by reducing the social and environmental conflicts resulting from Chinese foreign investment.
We wish to thank China House and Kenya Wildlife Service for their collaboration in this event. Media coverage on the event can be viewed by clicking these links: 1.NTV News Bulletin: Locals in Naivasha set up traps for game meat endangering wildlife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKJkCsjtsLU 2.Chinese Communities in Kenya Participated in de-snaring Volunteering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHwJ9fBNohc 3.ANAW YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/A7l8Jv5oW7g **(In case you missed the earlier desnaring update, see link below as shared: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Africa-Network-for-Animal-Welfare-ANAW/104162487424) 
––Josphat Ngonyo, executive director |
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