DSWT Community Outreach Report March 2017

COMMUNITY OUTREACH MONTHLY REPORT

March 2017 SUMMARY: During March the DSWT Community Outreach Unit focused on conservation education programs targeting the Soto area, an important wildlife corridor bordering both the Kibwezi Forest and the Chyulu Hills National Park. This area has in the past decade come under intense degradation by charcoal burning, wood carving, bushmeat poaching and slash-burn agriculture.

We also hosted 10 fully sponsored school trips and 6 wildlife film shows. Additionally, on 3rd March, we took part in the World Wildlife Day in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).

SCHOOL TRIPS Most children in the Soto area have never had an opportunity to visit a National Park, because of the high cost associated with visiting parks. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust sponsored 10 groups of children and their teachers for a full day’s educational field trip to Tsavo West National Park.

Even though in their villages the night invasion of elephants into their farms is common, most children have never seen an elephant properly in the daylight. This trip offered them, a safe and exciting chance to see an elephant up close and learn about its behaviour.

Name of school Isingiluni Primary-2 Kyandulu Primary-2 Kamweru Primary-1 Kamweru Primary-2 Kaunguni Primary-1 Soto Primary-1 Soto Primary-1 Mkameni Secondry-1 Wikiamba Primary-1 Wikiamba Primary-2 TOTAL

Park visited Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West Tsavo West

Date of trip No.of children rd 3 March 25 2017 4th March 25 2017 6th March 25 2017 25 18th March 2017 20th March 25 2017 22nd March 25 2017 24th March 25 2017 25th March 25 2017 28th March 25 2017 30th March 25 2017 250

No. of teachers 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 30

WILDLIFE FILM SHOWS The team continued to show “Gardeners of Eden” a DSWT film which highlights the DSWT’s field operations in Tsavo. It shows the DSWT’S projects from pilots to elephant keepers, anti-poaching teams to veterinarians.

This film informs and educates the school children, to positively change their attitude concerning wildlife and the environment whilst appreciating the efforts being taken to save elephants and other wildlife species. In March, we reached a total of 1,209 audiences (school children, teachers and parents).

Name of school Kyandulu Primary Kaunguni Primary Soto Primary Wikiamba Primary Kaweru Primary Mukameni Secondary

Video shown

Date of video show

No. of audience

Gardeners of Eden

14th March 2017

210

Gardeners of Eden

15th March 2017

324

Gardeners of Eden

16th March 2017

157

Gardeners of Eden

19th March 2017

98

Gardeners of Eden

21st March 2017

200

Gardeners of Eden

23rd March 2017

220

TOTAL

1,209

WORLD WILDLIFE DAY On the 3rd March 2017, the DSWT joined the Kenya Wildlife Service in Tsavo to mark World Wildlife Day under the theme “listen to the young voice”, bringing together over 300 primary school children from the Mtito-Andei area. World Wildlife Day was earmarked on the 3rd March 2013, during the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as a day of signature of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants.

The main aim of this year’s UN World Wildlife Day was to encourage young people, given that they are almost one quarter of the world’s population, to act locally and globally to protect endangered wildlife.

The day was marked by planting 100 neem seedlings donated by the DSWT at Mtito-Andei Primary after which children performed wildlife themed traditional songs and poems

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is reliant on your kind support in order to keep our community outreach projects running.

For more information about these projects please visit www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.com/community or email info@dswt.org