NAIROBI, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said Friday it has put in place measures to mitigate a surge in human-wildlife conflict cases in Kajiado County and other parts of the country.
In the latest such incident, two people were killed by marauding elephants in Merueshi area of Kajiado County, southeast of the capital, Nairobi, the KWS said
The KWS "mobilized resources and personnel to respond to the unfortunate incident, with both ground and air teams being dispatched to drive the jumbos back to protected areas," the wildlife agency said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
The KWS reiterated its resolve to work closely with communities in areas affected by human-wildlife conflict, adding that a KWS rapid response unit known as Problem Animal Management Unit (PAMU) continually monitors and rapidly responds to emerging conflict incidences.
In the case of Meruishi incident, the KWS mobilized a security team backed by PAMU to drive the elephants back to Chyulu Hills National Park, the statement said.
With aerial assistance from a helicopter, the team combed the area and confirmed that there are no stray elephants in the area.
"A standby team is there to keep vigil and ensure no wild animals stray into community settlements," the statement said. "We appeal to communities to remain calm and to immediately alert KWS officers in their respective localities whenever they sight stray wildlife."
The KWS is disbursing funds provided by the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife to pay families of people killed by wild animals after due process and verification is done, the statement said.
