Make wildlife secure
An incident in which three giraffes were electrocuted on Sunday afternoon in a wildlife conservancy in Nakuru County raises the alarm over the safety of animals as humans encroach on their habitats.
But this is not an isolated case. In about two years, 11 giraffes and dozens of birds have been electrocuted by sagging Kenya Power electricity wires in Soysambu Conservancy alone. This is an indictment of the experts, who build the infrastructure for the benefit of the people living in these remote areas without considering the plight of the animals.
The question that comes to mind is whether the engineers who designed the power supply infrastructure had in mind these tall graceful animals that live in the neighbourhood. It’s all very well for the locals to be connected to the electricity grid to ease their lives and spur economic activity as rural centres become more productive. However, the building of the power lines should be done in close consultation with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The need to raise the power lines higher in the areas frequented by the giraffes would have been easily factored in. Also, the known wildlife corridors would have been avoided to allow the animals free movement.
To get the best out of these projects, it is essential to consider the impact on the environment and also factor in wildlife. A lot of KWS resources go into protecting wildlife, which is a tourist attraction, against poaching. It is, therefore, disappointing that oversights by the professionals have had such devastating effects.
The KWS should require Kenya Power to raise the power lines beyond the height of the giraffes to prevent any more deaths. Future power lines must be designed taking into account not just the human population, but also the wild animals.
