Former NBA star and WildAid Ambassador, Yao Ming, is in Africa to document the poaching crisis facing rhinos and elephants, as a result of Asian demand for rhino horn and ivory.
Yesterday he was at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, and blogged about his experiences.
“[Ol Pejeta Conservancy] a private, non-profit wildlife sanctuary and home to Kenya’s highest concentration of wildlife. It’s also the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, making Ol Pejeta a key player in protecting one of the world’s most endangered species.
“Together with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), they have created an elaborate security system at the Conservancy, which combines rhino patrols, armed teams, tracker dogs, aircrafts, cattle herders and local communities, and even an electrified fence that surrounds the entire perimeter of this 90,000 acre sanctuary!
“Poaching has become such a serious problem in East Africa, that last year alone, Ol Pejeta lost five of their 88 rhinos to poachers, which has been their greatest loss in twenty years. Ol Pejeta and the KWS have had to step up their game to defeat poaching, and some members of the security team undergo intensive training programs to sharpen their surveillance skills.”
You can follow Yao Ming’s journey on his blog.
