World Wildlife Day is held annually on 3rd March. It is a United Nations International day to celebrate all the world’s wild animals and plants and the contribution that they make to our lives and the health of the planet.
This year’s theme is ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’.
The Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service and other stakeholders will lead the country in celebrations, at both the national levels and in all conservation areas.
This is a day for the world to reflect on our responsibility to protect the magnificent diversity of life on our planet.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his message for World Wildlife day said, “ human activities are laying waste to once-thriving forests, jungles, farmland, oceans, rivers, seas, and lakes. One million species are on the brink of extinction due to habitat destruction, fossil-fuel pollution, and the worsening climate crisis. However, we have the tools, knowledge, and solutions to end this war on nature.”
In Africa in the last five decades, some keystone wildlife species have dwindled immensely, with remaining populations becoming fragmented or extinct in the wild.
The fate of species like the northern white rhino is uncertain with the death of Sudan, the last male of the rhino subspecies in 2018.
While the two surviving females remain under high-security, 24-hour surveillance in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a team of scientists is trying to develop embryos from harvested eggs and sperms from the last individuals of the species historically found across East and Central Africa.
This year’s WWD will be celebrated in Amboseli National Park, and it will incorporate a Tembo Naming Festival.
Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival is an innovative sustainability program geared towards championing elephant conservation in Kenya. A tree planting activity in line with the government directive will also be held.
NKATHA WAINAINA