Cde' Jim Justus Nyamu walks and marks World Elephant Day in Amboseli

Ivory Belongs to Elephant Campaign Walk

The Ivory Belongs to Elephant Campaign Walk started 11 days ago

on 4th August, 2021. The walk ended today, 12th August on World Elephant Day. The walk was led by Mr. Jim

Nyamu, The Executive Director, Elephant Neighbors Center.

At the flag-off of the 320km walk, the First Lady of Kenya in a statement read on her behalf by Ms Eva Maina

Director of Administration, The Office of the First Lady applauded Jim Nyamu for his commitment. She noted

that the campaign dubbed ‘ivory belongs to elephants” has helped to sensitize communities on the need to

protect the endangered animals. She pointed out that Nyamu’s elephant protection efforts complement the

‘Hands Off Our Elephants” initiative, a Kenyan anti-poaching campaign where she is patron.

The walk started at the Kenya Wildlife Service Headquarters in Nairobi and headed towards Kitengela town,

onwards to Kajiado town, Bisil, Emotoroki, Isinet, Kimana market and finally Amboseli National Park.

Jim Nyamu, an elephant research scientist turned elephant advocate has walked 17,776km since the

campaign started in 2013. He has walked extensively in Kenya and across Africa to Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi

and Botswana. He has also walked in the United Kingdom and the United States.

“There are an estimated 350,000 elephants in Africa today. We have lost close to a million

elephants in the last 4 decades. Illegal killing of elephants contributed to the loss of a large

percentage of these elephants. It is estimated that Africa loses close to 20,000 elephants every year

to poaching. African elephants will be extinct in our lifetime if this rate of loss continues. We must

let the global community know that African elephants are in danger. Extinction is forever and we

cannot imagine Africa without elephants.” Jim Nyamu-Elephant Neighbors Center.

According to the Kenya Wildlife Service database, there were an estimated 34,354 elephants in Kenya in

2020. The country has just completed the first ever national wildlife census and the results are eagerly

awaited. The Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Honorable Najib Balala, during the launch

of the national wildlife census, informed the country that Kenya is now losing more elephants to human-elephant

conflict than to illegal killing for ivory.

“The Maasai have traditionally lived in harmony with elephants and other wildlife, but Maasai land is

changing drastically. The expansion of agriculture in the range lands, the continuing subdivision of group

ranches and climate change have resulted in loss of grazing lands for cattle and shrinking space for wildlife.

Finding ways to encourage harmonious coexistence between people and elephants is now emerging as the

most important strategy in elephant.

conservation. ” Dr. Winnie Kiiru-Elephant Protection Initiative.

The Elephant Neighbors Center is a non profit organization whose mission is to protect the African elephants

and secure landscapes for elephants outside protected areas . 

Kindly visit www.elephantcenter.org for