When I lived in Kenya, there was this black rhino that my family considered “our rhino.” Every time we went to this national park, I can’t remember which, it was there hanging about this lone acacia tree. We lived in Kenya for two and half years, and it was always there. Then, before we returned to the U.S., we returned to the acacia tree to say good-bye, but the rhino was not there.

The black rhino, along with whales and elephants, is a leading symbol for environmentalism. Once abundant throughout sub-Saharan Africa, their habitat is limited to an area stretching from Cameroon in the west, Kenya in the East and South Africa in the south. Only a few years ago, it looked like the black rhino would disappear altogether.

But thanks to conservationists’ efforts, the black rhino is making a comeback. At the end of 2003, there were only 428 animals in Kenya. At the end of 2005, the number had grown to 539. “This shows a healthy increase that surpassed our targets,” said Dr. Taye Teferi of the World Wildlife Federation’s Eastern Africa office in Nairobi.

Of course, this does not mean rhinos are out of the woods. Poachers still seek their horns because there is still a market for them in Asia, where rhino horn powder is used in traditional medicine, and the Middle East, where rhino horn is still carved for handles of ceremonial daggers.

Also, rhinos in Kenya once numbered 20,000 in 1970. They were abundant and a common site when lived there from 1969 to 1971. Now, the goal set by the Kenya Wildlife Service, in cooperation with WWF’s black rhino project, is to increase the population to a mere 1,000 by 2020. “With increased improvement in wildlife management and monitoring,” said Dr. Teferi, “the black rhino population can continue to show a healthy growth rate for many years to come.”

For more information about the WWF Black Rhino Project, visit worldwildlife.org/rhinos/subspecies/subspecies_br.cfm.

“Uganda and Kenya have allowed visitors to Mt Elgon National Park to cross the common border atop the mountain,” reports Lillian Nsubuga, Special Correspondent for The East African, “taking the campaign to create a single East African tourism market to a higher level.”

Until now, tourists had to go up and come down the mountain on the same side of the border, but now they have a choice of ascending and descending on either side of the border.

Ugandan and Kenyan officials will soon meet to discuss the initiative, Moses Mapesa Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director told Nsubuga. “We need a memorandum of understanding to guide us on key issues such as the procedures for handing over tourists by one country to another, especially since the point of handover is not an officially gazetted immigration point.”

Currently, Kenya and Uganda use transfer forms filled by tourists wishing to cross the border. Immigration officials on either side countersign the forms, confirming entry or exit of the visitors.

The cross-border initiative is one of several joint activities being implemented under the Mt Elgon Regional Ecosystem Conservation Programme. The joint venture aims make the mountain available to tourists at affordable costs.

Kenyan and Ugandan tourism authorities have improved security to stop illegal immigrants from abusing the cross-border tourism facility, Joshua Masereka, chief warden of the park, said. Mt Elgon is one of the 10 national parks managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

For more information, see the full story at allafrica.com/stories/200608140837.html.

“What strikes you most about the Masai Mara, a massive game reserve in Kenya, is the amount of wildlife roaming its grassy plains,” wrote Leigh Murray in a recent travel article for the Chicago Sun-Times. There you can see lions, cheetahs, giraffes and the wildebeest, which make their annual migration through the park.

I spent many a fun weekend with my family there, so it warms the cockles of my heart to discover that the Kenyan Government and the National Environmental Management Authority in Kenya has put a moratorium on construction in Masai Mara until a review and new management plan for the game reserve has been agreed upon.

Both conservationists and stakeholders in the hospitality industry favor the action. According to The East African Standard, “there has been haphazard development of lodges, camps and mushrooming of settlements outside the park gates” over the last 15 years. “More than sixty lodges and camps have been developed without impact assessment being done, exerting pressure on the fragile ecosystem.”

The Mara river has suffered serious pollution due to effluent being discharged into the water from establishments along its shores. This river is an important the source of clean water for both human and wild game.

For more information:
allafrica.com/stories/200607240651.html

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) offers a unique travel service with its Expeditions Travel Program. Each trip selected emphasizes the unique wildlife of the area, and all tours include a strong educational component.

Two of their upcoming trips will be to East African countries.

September 11, 2006 - September 23, 2006
Tanzania Adventure Safari
Rate: $4,990 per person including airfare from New York
This safari is designed for travelers seeking something more intimate, more organic, more unique from a trip. It includes several nights of real camping

March 9, 2007 - March 20, 2007
Journey of Discovery to Kenya
Rate: $3,295 per person
Ten days of exploration with naturalists and native guides.

Most tours for 2006 sold out, and the 2007 Expeditions are expected to do the same, so check on these soon, if you’re interested in participating.

NWF promises an intimate and secure expedition, as the groups are kept small — most tours are limited to 15-20 participants in order to maximize wildlife-viewing opportunities. “Travelers share their adventures with like-minded travelers who are sensitive to the fragile environments visited,” NWF said in a press release.

For more information on NWF Expeditions, including the itinerary for each trip, visit the NWF web site at www.nwf.org/expeditions or call 1-800-606-9563.

The East African Community (EAC) has a new strategic plan to promote tourism in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Part of the initiative is a common visa for tourists that would be honored in all three countries.

The plan hasn’t been approved yet, but many hope it will be by November, in time for the World Travel Fair in London, as well as the Berlin Fair later in the year. The benefits of such a program include:

• It supports the spirit of the common East Africa customs union, launched last year, as well as the proposed common market between the three countries by 2010.
• It would allow tour operators to develop packages that visit all three countries more easily.

A single entity, the East African Tourism and Wildlife Conservation Agency (EATWCA) will be in charge of the tourism and conservation sector of the EAC.

The EAC, which depends on wildlife-based tourism, has a lot to offer eco-minded tourists, and packaged as a single destination could offer tourists a broader experience. Tourists looking to see wildlife make up more than 75 percent of the tourists to the region. In addition, Kenya has been ranked among the world’s top eco-tourism destinations, with Tanzania and Egypt coming in second for popularity in eco-tourism. On top of that, National Geographic Magazine named Serengeti, the largest national park in Tanzania, one of the 50 must-go-to-in-lifetime places in the world.