Numbers of wildlife are dwindling fast throughout the world, with many species threatened to the point of extinction. The Matthews-Ndotos region can provide a stable and safe environment for many of these rare and endangered species.
The Trust provides protection to wildlife through employment of local security scouts who monitor the wildlife and report any illegal activities or wounded animals. Any security issues are followed up in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service and every effort is given to rescuing wounded animals so that they can be cared for until they make a full recovery.
With these security and communications systems in place, the Trust believes that wildlife will respond quickly to the increased safety of the area and that wildlife numbers will re-build as its conservation efforts continue to expand.
Grevy’s Zebra
Since early records of their distribution, Grevy's zebra have undergone one of the most substantial reductions of range of any African mammal. There have also been significant declines in the numbers of Grevy's zebra from an estimate of 15,000 in the late 1970s to present-day estimates of 1,964 and 2,445 animals representing an 84-87% decline in global numbers over the past three decades.
With the majority of the global population of Grevy’s zebra found in community-owned land, the long-term viability of these populations will ultimately be determined by these pastoral communities.
The Milgis Trust is partnering with the Grevy’s Zebra Trust to employ “Grevy’s Zebra Ambassadors” from the local communities in areas where Grevy’s zebra are found. Their role is to stop the ongoing poaching of Grevy’s zebra and to raise awareness among their community members and monitor the species.
Through their work, and in close collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service, it is hoped that poaching and persecution of this endangered species will stop and that communities will become actively engaged in their conservation.
Study of the new population of de Brazza monkey
In February 2007, the newly reported satellite population survey of the de Brazza monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus) in Mathews Range Forest Reserve was concluded with some exciting news. 160 individuals of the species were counted, the largest population of de Brazza ever recorded in any single protected ecosystem in Kenya. A team of researchers, headed by Iregi Mwenja, in collaboration with Milgis Trust, have embarked on a pioneering study on de Brazza population=B9s ecology and genetics. For more information on the study, contact Iregi Mwenja on iregim@yahoo.com