Renewable Revolution

May 1, 2018

Yessenia Funes

SNIPPET:

The Samburu people of Kenya’s northern plains have been in conflict with elephants for years. Elephants and people both need water, and drought means there’s less to go around. The majestic animals also tear down acacia trees the Samburus’ livestock eat.

These are just a few of the reasons people in the region have a history of killing elephants.

But recently, the conflict has transformed into community. My Africa, a virtual reality film released Monday, puts viewers into the plains to see what a local, indigenous-led effort to protect elephants looks like.

The Samburu, who are nomadic livestock herders, have partnered with their local government since 2016 to raise and release injured and orphaned baby elephants in the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary. They now take care of more than 12 of these little kings and queens, forging a new relationship between humans and animals. It’s the first elephant orphanage in Africa that a local community owns and runs.

Released by Conservation International and narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, My Africa tells the tale of Kenya’s wildlife conservation as elephants fight for their very existence in the face of poaching and human-wildlife conflict.




Full article

https://earther.com/in-kenya-a-local-tribe-is-saving-the-elephants-it-once-1825693138