Our beautiful country is full of rare treasures. It is our privilege to celebrate them and our responsibility to come together to conserve them. In this article, we take a look at 5 iconic endangered species found in Kenya.
1. Grevy's Zebra
Taller, narrow stripes, a white belly, large rounded ears, a brown muzzle and distinct black dorsal stripe is what makes the Grevy's Zebra easily distinguished from the common zebra. A few decades ago, in the 1970s, more than 15000 Grevy's Zebras inhabited Africa. Today, fewer than 2500 remain. The Lewa wildlife conservancy hosts about 11% of their population in the world.
2. Lion
From their fierce grandeur to their mighty roar, visiting these magnificent big cats is probably the most thrilling and unforgettable experience for anyone. But sadly, their population is declining at an alarming rate across Eastern and Central Africa. With an estimated current population of just about 20000 living in the wild. Chances are our future generations may not be able to ever see them in the wild.
You can see and support conservation efforts for these majestic predators by visiting kenya's major national parks and conservancies such as Amboseli, Tsavo and Masai Mara.
3. Mountain Bongo Antelope
The last of the Mountain Bongo Antelopes are found in Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range. Even though they are the biggest forest Antelopes, due to their elusive nature and nocturnal lifestyle, they are hard to spot.
It is one of the world's critically endangered species due to large scale continues hunting and loss of habitat.
4. Long-Tailed Pangolin
Suited in an armour of coloured overlapping scales, the shy Long-Tailed Pangolin is not a reptile. This mammal's scales are actually made up of keratin just like our hair! When it is threatened, it rolls up into a ball to protect itself and emits a distinct foul, strong smelling fluid.
Sadly, these nocturnal and burrowing mammals are slowly declining in numbers as they are hunted for meat and their scales used for medicinal purposes in Asia, making them the most trafficked species in the world.
5. Lappet- Faced Vulture
The largest vulture in Africa, this impressive, broad- winged bird is easily recognized by its bare, pink- skinned head and distinctive fleshy folds of skin on the sides of it's neck, know as lappets. Armed with a large and powerful beak, it's capable of tearing off the hides, tendons and other course tissues of it's scavenged prey.
With about 8000 Lappet-Faced Vultures found across Africa, the bird is suffering a decline due to scattered breeding populations, habitat loss, poisoned carcasses and traditional medicine.
That's where we reach for today. You can join conservation programmes such as Birdlife International and Nature Kenya to help in the conservation of these endangered species.
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