First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta is calling on Kenyans to conserve our natural heritage for posterity.
She urged Kenyans of all walks of life to take a keen interest in the surroundings which have a lot of bearing to their well being.
She asked parents and guardians to take some time off this festive season and take their children to various animal sanctuaries to enable them appreciate God’s given heritage.
The First Lady was speaking when she conducted the Sri Lankan First Lady, Shiranthi Rajapaska on a tour of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi National Park Friday.
The First Lady has spearheaded a successful “hands-off our elephant campaign” which is aimed at saving wild elephants for posterity in Kenya.
The Sri Lankan First lady is accompanying her husband President Mahinda Rajapaska who is in the country on a five day State visit to mark Kenya’s 50 years of independence.
The Sri Lankan First Lady commended conservation efforts in Kenya to save the endangered wildlife, saying Kenya and Sri Lanka are blessed to have such a unique flora and fauna within their borders. The Sri Lankan First Lady said every effort should be made to conserve and protect this natural heritage.
“The Elephant has been so closely associated with Sri Lanka’s history, culture, religions, mythology and even politics that it would be difficult to imagine the island without it,” said First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaska.
She further said, “If wildlife is permitted to contribute meaningfully to their life, people will not be able to afford to lose it in their battle for survival, however, if wildlife does not contribute significantly to their well-being, people will not be able to afford to preserve it, except as a tourist curiosity in a few protected areas.”
Currently the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has 30 orphaned elephants aged between 3 months and 5 years.
Since its inception in 1977, the Trust has successfully hand-raised over 160 infant elephants which have been effectively reintegrated back into the wild.