Kenya Using Lion Contraceptive to Protect Black Rhinos From Predator

肯亞為保育黑犀牛，幫獅子避孕

Kenya's Wildlife Service (KWS) is coming under fire after it began implanting contraceptives in lionesses to protect endangered species. KWS says fewer lion births means fewer predators hunting wildlife at risk of extinction. But conservationists point out that lions themselves are dwindling in number and say there are better ways to protect endangered animals.

肯亞野生動物保護局（Kenya's Wildlife Service）為保護瀕危(endangered，註 1)物種，為母獅植入(implant，註 2)避孕藥(contraceptive) 。此舉遭外界抨擊(come under fire)，但當局表示，降低獅子出生數量就能減少肉食者(predator，註 3)獵殺瀕危物種。然而，動物保護工作者指出獅子的數量也持續減少(dwindle)，要保護野生動物應有更好的方法。

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Kenya Using Lion Contraceptive to Protect Black Rhinos From Predatort
VOA News｜Africa
June 28, 2020 01:02 AM (source)

Kenya Using Lion Contraceptive to Protect Black Rhinos From Predator

肯亞為保育黑犀牛，幫獅子避孕

July 17, 2020 03:01 PM

Mohammed Yusuf

Nairobi, Kenya 

Kenya's Wildlife Service (KWS) is coming under fire after it began implanting contraceptives in lionesses to protect endangered species. KWS says fewer lion births means fewer predators hunting wildlife at risk of extinction. But conservationists point out that lions themselves are dwindling in number and say there are better ways to protect endangered animals.

Kenya's wildlife managing authority KWS is defending the use of contraceptives on six lionesses in Lewa Conservancy in northwest Laikipia County.

The service's director of biodiversity research and planning, Patrick Omondi, says they had to use an implant to curb the breeding of lions to save the rhinos.

"We have less than 1,000 black rhinos in Kenya, and if you lose in a year four of them because of lions, again is a delicate balance and all this we do we take the interest of the species at heart as wildlife management authority," said Omondi.

The hormone contraceptive will work for one year for the six lionesses aged five. Kenya has at least 2,000 lions in the country.

Philip Muruthi is the vice president of species conservation and science at the Africa Wildlife Foundation. He says any measures taken to limit the population of animals should be used with caution.

"I think what we are coming to is that it can be done, it can be a tool, but it has to be done very carefully, it's not your first choice tool.... You don't just give a contraceptive to the animal without tracking whether it's working," said Muruthi. "There are some dangers in it, remember the animal has to be tranquilized and so every capture has got its misgiving."

Kenya's wildlife is also threatened by attacks from poachers and the communities living around the animal parks.

Muruthi says one option is to move the animals to new habitats further away from endangered species.

But Omondi of KWS says that isn't always a good idea.

"Movement of predators is not really recommended because they take time to settle in new areas, they end straying outside the protected area and they end being killed in new areas where they range," said Omondi.

In 2018, eight black rhinos out of 14 transferred to the Tsvo East national park died after drinking salty water.

Omondi says if the contraceptives work, it will be an option that KWS considers when trying to manage lion populations.

The Africa Wildlife Foundation estimates that in the last two decades, the continent's lion population has decreased 43 percent, down to just 23,000.


肯亞野生動物保護局（Kenya's Wildlife Service）為保護瀕危(endangered，註 1)物種，為母獅植入(implant，註 2)避孕藥(contraceptive)。此舉遭外界抨擊(come under fire)，但當局表示，降低獅子出生數量就能減少肉食者(predator，註 3)獵殺瀕危物種。然而，動物保護工作者指出獅子的數量也持續減少(dwindle)，要保護野生動物應有更好的方法。

位於萊基皮亞（Laikipia County）西北部的裡瓦野生動物保護區（Lewa Conservancy），總共有 6 隻母獅被植入避孕藥。肯亞（Kenya）野生動物保護局表示捍衛該措施。

野生動物保護局生物多樣性研究室主任派屈克．奧蒙迪（Patrick Omondi）提到，為保護犀牛，該局必須替母獅植入避孕藥，以此控制(curb)獅子的繁殖(breeding，註 4)。

奧蒙迪說：「肯亞的黑犀牛已經不足 1000 頭，若因獅子捕食一年減少 4 頭，將會存在著脆弱的平衡(delicate balance)，因此身為野生動物管理機關，我們非常關心這些物種而採取這項選擇。」

肯亞總共有至少 2000 頭獅子，被植入賀爾蒙避孕藥的 6 頭母獅，年齡均在 5歲，其藥效將維持一年的時間。

非洲野生動物基金會（Africa Wildlife Foundation）的物種保育(conservation，註 5)及科學部副部長菲利普．穆魯蒂（Philip Muruthi）認為，任何限制動物數量的措施都必須謹慎執行。

穆魯蒂表示：「我認為這項措施是可行的，也是個方法，但必須非常小心執行，並不能成為保護黑犀牛的首選措施…不能使用避孕藥後就不去追蹤(track，註 6)成效。」他接著說：「別忘了，捕捉獅子時必須先將其麻醉(tranquilize)，而這個過程每次都有令人擔憂(misgiving)的地方。」

肯亞的野生動物飽受盜獵者(poacher)以及動物園區附近的社區居民威脅。

穆魯蒂表示，可以考慮把獅子轉移到其他棲地，遠離瀕臨物種。

然而，肯亞野生動物保護局的奧蒙迪認為這並不是一個好辦法。

他認為：「轉移掠食者的這個方法並不被看好，因為動物通常需要很長的時間去適應新環境，最終他們可能遊走(stray)在保護區之外，甚至被其他動物殺死。」

2018 年，14 頭被轉移到東察沃國家公園（Tsvo East national park）的黑犀牛中，有 8 頭因為飲用了鹽度過高的水而死亡。

奧蒙迪認為，替母獅避孕的措施若有成效，肯亞野生動物保護局將會列其為控管獅子數量的選項。

非洲野生動物基金會估計過去 20 年來，非洲的獅子數量減少了 43%，現在只剩下 2 萬 3000 頭。