COVID-19 was tough luck for those planning once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list trips.
But the pandemic was perfect for pachyderms — as well as other safari animals. In Kenya, the lockdown, lack of tourism and reduced poaching led to — a lot — of sex on the savannah.
Back in May, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and the Kenya Wildlife Service launched Kenya’s first-ever National Wildlife Census.
The two-month exercise, which set a baseline for future counts, was carried out by the newly created Wildlife Research & Training Institute.
“The information generated during the census will support the implementation of Government of Kenya conservation and tourism policies and support tools for adaptive management,” said Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, the Hon. Najib Balala.
The most exciting thing to come from the census was the elephant “baby boom”; more than 200 elephants were born during 2020 Wildlife Research & Training Institute or, as Balala calls them, “COVID gifts.”
After a grueling journey to Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, from New York — it took about a day to get there via Doha with Qatar Airways — all shreds of exhaustion disappeared as I found myself feeding Betty, a pregnant giraffe, snacks of cereal just hours after landing.
Giraffes are pregnant for anywhere between 15 to 20 months and James, our knowledgeable guide at Giraffe Manor, told me that there have been around five babies born during lockdown. Thanks to “no one bothering” the giraffes, they’re been free to procreate.
There is just one male at the center among the tower of Giraffes, Mr. Eddie, who is indeed “very popular, busy and famous.”
Tourists flock to Kenya to see the Big Five — lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and cape buffalo.
And key…