Why Kenya is trying to count every single animal

(CNN) — The wildlife researcher diligently marks his notepad as the elephants come into view, eager to not miss a single one in his count.

Meanwhile the pilot, flying high in a helicopter above Kenya's Amboseli park, circles around the herd to reveal a clearer view of the pack -- and an extremely rare set of twin baby elephants among them.

"The last time Kenya recorded elephant twins was 40 years ago," Najib Balala, Kenya's tourism minister, says over the crackly headphone set.

In the span of the pandemic, Kenya has seen a baby boom of over 200 elephants, or "Covid gifts" as Balala calls them.

Kenya has experienced an elephant baby boom during Covid.

Saskya Vandoorne

But although some animals have thrived in the less crowded parks during the pandemic, Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on conservation on the African continent and the millions of livelihoods which depend on ecotourism.

In March 2020, Kenya abruptly closed its border in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. The country's billion-dollar tourism industry came to a screeching halt, losing over 80% of revenue. It is not expected to recover until 2024, says Balala.

"Can tourism survive until 2024? We need to rethink and remodel our way of doing things so that we can survive until tourism rebounces," he tells CNN.

Conservationists are trying to count every single animal in Kenya.

Saskya Vandoorne

That question has triggered Kenya's most ambitious conservation effort yet: counting every single animal and marine life in all 58 national parks across the country for the first time ever.

The great wildlife census will be critical to understanding and protecting the more than 1,000 species which are native to Kenya, some of which have seen alarming population declines over the last few decades, according to scientists.

Conservationists are using GPS trackers, aircraft, camera traps and manpower to track animals.

Bethlehem Feleke

Using GPS trackers, aircraft, camera traps and significant manpower, Kenya's Wildlife Service (KWS) will count everything from the regal giraffe to the endearing cat-sized dik-dik over three months.

They will focus on rare species, including the pangolin -- often illegally traded-- the sitatunga antelope, aardvarks and hedgehogs, none of which have ever been counted before.

Shrinking habitats

The Masaai people have been badly hit by the drop in tourism.

Saskya Vandoorne

This level of unprecedented data will help Kenya better understand its wildlife and the various threats facing it today -- such as climate change, human-wildlife conflict and shrinking habitats amid the growing competition for land use.

For decades, the Maasai people have given up land for some of Kenya's most famous parks. Noah Lemaiyan -- a herdsman clad in a red and blue shawl -- lives on the outskirts of Amboseli. Since the tourists stopped coming, he says, the income for his village has dried up.

"Women used to make bracelets and necklaces," he says. "But now we have to sell one cow to buy food."

The natural habitat for many animals is dwindling in Kenya.

Saskya Vandoorne

Lemaiyan is also struggling with a shortage of water -- crucial to keep his herd alive.

Dr. Patrick Omondi, the acting director of biodiversity, research and planning at KWS, hopes the census will give them a better understanding of how erratic weather patterns are affecting the animals and have forced habitats to change.

"We will establish where these wildlife are in time and space," he says -- which will enable them to create a more robust management plan.

"We have seen wildlife going into spaces they have not been in 50 years," he adds.

By the end of July, Omondi and his hundreds-strong team will have scoured every bit of Kenya's rolling landscapes by air and on land, and have surveyed every lake and marine park by boat and underwater.

And with the census complete, the work can begin.

What Does the Term 'Endangered Species' Mean?

Baby Mountain Gorilla, North West Rwanda. David Yarrow Photography / Getty Images

An endangered species is a species of wild animal or plant that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A species is considered threatened if it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

What Is the Difference Between Threatened and Endangered Species?

According to the U.S. Endangered Species Act:1

• "Endangered" refers to a species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
• "Threatened" refers to a species that is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

On the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List, "threatened" is a grouping of 3 categories:

• Critically Endangered
• Endangered
• Vulnerable

What Factors Cause a Species to Become Endangered?

• Destruction, modification, or restriction of habitat resulting from human activity such as agriculture, urban development, mining, deforestation, and pollution
• Human exploitation of a species for commercial, recreational, scientific, educational, or other purposes that results in critically diminished population numbers

1

• Competition and/or displacement by invasive species

2

• Disease or predation by other animals to the extent that populations decline significantly

Who Decides That a Species Is Endangered?

• The IUCN is the global authority on endangered species determination. The IUCN compiles information from a network of conservation organizations to rate which species are most endangered, and this information is published in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• IUCN Regional Red Lists assess the risk of extinction to species in over 100 countries and regions around the world.
• In the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service work together to identify species that are in the greatest need of the protection provided by the Endangered Species Act.

How Does a Species Become Listed as Endangered?

The IUCN Red List conducts a detailed Assessment Process to evaluate extinction risk based on criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation.3

Information included in the IUCN assessment is obtained and evaluated in coordination with IUCN Species Survival Commission specialist groups (authorities responsible for a specific species, group of species, or geographic area). Species are categorized and listed as followed:4

• Extinct (EX) - No individuals remaining.
• Extinct in the Wild (EW) - Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.
• Critically Endangered (CR) - Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
• Endangered (EN) - Very high risk of extinction in the wild.
• Vulnerable (VU) - High risk of extinction in the wild.
• Near Threatened (NT) - Likely to become endangered in the near future.
• Least Concern (LC) - Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
• Data Deficient (DD) - Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.
• Not Evaluated (NE) - Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

Federal Listing Process

Before an animal or plant species in the United States can receive the protection from the Endangered Species Act, it must first be added to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife or the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants.

A species is added to one of these lists via a petition process or a candidate assessment process. By law, any person may petition either the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce (depending on which agency has jurisdiction) to add a species to or remove a species from the lists of endangered and threatened species. The candidate assessment process is then conducted by biologists from either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service.

Cougar that was kept as illegal pet removed from New York City apartment

This photo provided by New York’s Bronx Zoo shows an 11-month-old, 80-pound cougar that was removed from an apartment in the Bronx where she was being kept illegally as a pet, animal welfare officials said Monday. The cougar, nicknamed Sasha, spent the weekend at the Bronx Zoo receiving veterinary care and is now headed to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, officials said. (Courtesy of The Bronx Zoo via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — An 80-pound cougar was removed from a New York City apartment where she was being kept illegally as a pet, animal welfare officials said Monday.

The owner of the 11-month-old female cougar surrendered the animal on Thursday, Kelly Donithan, director of animal disaster response for the Humane Society of the United States, said in a news release.

The cougar, nicknamed Sasha, spent the weekend at the Bronx Zoo receiving veterinary care and is now headed to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas, officials said.

The Humane Society coordinated with zoo officials, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York Police Department on the big cat’s removal.

“I’ve never seen a cougar in the wild, but I’ve seen them on leashes, smashed into cages, and crying for their mothers when breeders rip them away,” the Humane Society’s Donithan said. “I’ve also seen the heartbreak of owners, like in this case, after being sold not just a wild animal, but a false dream that they could make a good ‘pet.’”

Donithan said this cougar was relatively lucky because her owners, who live in the Bronx, recognized that a wild cat is not fit to live in an apartment and surrendered her.

“The owner’s tears and nervous chirps from the cougar as we drove her away painfully drives home the many victims of this horrendous trade and myth that wild animals belong anywhere but the wild,” Donithan said.

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said that while cougars “may look cute and cuddly when young, these animals can grow up to be unpredictable and dangerous.”

Bronx Zoo director Jim Breheny said the exotic pet trade makes no contribution to the conservation of endangered species.

“These animals often end up in very bad situations, kept by private individuals who don’t have the resources, facilities, knowledge, or expertise to provide for the animals’ most basic needs,” Breheny said. “In addition to these welfare concerns for the animals, the keeping of big cats by private people poses a real safety hazard to the owner, the owner’s family and the community at large.”

New York has seen other notable cases involving dangerous animals in private residences, including Ming, a 400-pound tiger that was removed from a Harlem apartment in 2003.

Ming’s owner, Antoine Yates, was arrested and sentenced to five months in prison for reckless endangerment. Ming died in 2019 at the Noah’s Lost Ark Exotic Animal Rescue Center in Ohio.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said the cougar’s case “is currently under investigation and no further information is available at this time.”