Elephant, Giraffe Populations Rebound as Kenya Fights Poachers

  • Over a 40-year period Kenya wildlife declined by 68%: study
  • Tourism accounts for about 10% of gross domestic product

Elephants at Kimana Sanctuary in Kimana, Kenya, on March 2. 

Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
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Kenya’s war against elephant and giraffe poaching is paying off with populations of both species increasing.

The elephant population has increased by 12% in the past seven years to 36,169 animals, while the number of giraffes have risen 49% since 2019 to 34,240, according to a report released by the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife after Kenya’s first national wildlife census.