The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has raised alarm over the widespread sale and consumption of game meat in the Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA), warning that the trend is undermining wildlife conservation efforts in Taita Taveta County.
KWS says poachers are indiscriminately killing wildlife, particularly small game, for both subsistence and commercial trade. According to Zainabu Salim, KWS Assistant Director in charge of Community Services in the TCA, species, such as dik-diks, antelopes, impalas, gazelles, giraffes and buffaloes are increasingly under threat due to rising poaching activities.
She noted that the ongoing drought has worsened the situation, fuelling the bushmeat trade as communities struggle to survive. “Bushmeat trade is on the rise, leading to the decimation of some wildlife species. What will our children benefit if we continue killing and destroying the environment?” she posed.
Intelligence reports indicate that game meat is being sold in towns across the county at relatively low prices.
A dik-dik weighing about three kilogrammes reportedly goes for as little as Sh400, while goat and beef sell at around Sh700 and Sh600 per kilogramme respectively. Some consumers say bushmeat is cheaper, and, in some cases, considered more palatable than livestock meat.
