Elephants. [Photo/File]
The Kenya Wildlife Service has kicked off the annual aerial survey of elephants, buffaloes, Grevy's zebras, and giraffes in the northern landscape of Kenya.
The exercise which will be carried out until the end of the month will cover the Laikipia, Samburu, Isiolo, Marsabit and Meru ecosystems.
“Approximately 15 aircraft will systematically survey the five ecosystems. The collated information will then be compared to past aerial survey counts of wildlife to help us evaluate the success of our landscape and species conservation efforts as well as provide information on where we need to concentrate our future conservation resources. Trends in land use, livestock, and human settlements are also noted,” reads part of the KWS statement.
The Great Northern Kenya Wildlife Count includes an area of more than 65,516.96 sq. kilometers and will take seven full days (at a minimum) to cover by aircraft.