Kenya moves 50 elephants to a larger park, says it’s a sign poaching is low

Associated Press

MWEA, Kenya (AP) — Kenya is moving 50 elephants from a national reserve to a larger park after overpopulation overwhelmed the ecosystem, in what has been hailed as a conservation success. The elephant population in the 16-square-mile Mwea National Reserve has thrived from the reserve’s capacity of 50 to a whopping 156. On Monday, Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano oversaw the transfer of five elephants to the expansive Aberdare National Park in central Kenya. The effort to move the 50 elephants is set to conclude this week. Another transfer of 50 more elephants is planned later. A Kenyan wildlife official says the overpopulation of the Mwea reserve east of Nairobi is a sign poaching is low and conservation efforts have been succeeding.