Report exposes how wildlife farms in Kenya fuel illegal trade

The majority of the legal wildlife farms in Kenya are engaged in the laundering of illegally-caught wild animals, a report has revealed.

The report, titled “Behind Bars: Lifting the Lid off Kenya's Cruel Wildlife Farming,” exposes how profit-driven operations exploit animals under the guise of ‘legal’ and ‘sustainable use.’

The investigation was conducted by World Animal Protection, and the findings were released on Tuesday.

They found that wild animals are being captured from the wild and subjected to inhumane conditions in commercial wildlife farming facilities.

“In Kenya, wild animals —large and small are being extracted from the wild or bred in captivity for trade,” the report revealed.

Commercial wildlife farms often operate to maximise production and profit. Depending on their jurisdiction, they may operate under minimal or unenforced regulations, leading to inadequate standards of animal care.

And while captive breeding has been hyped as a solution to protect wild populations, the investigations show it has instead stimulated the demand for more species, which are often caught from the wild to replenish the captive stock.

“Our findings confirm that wildlife commercial breeding and farming in Kenya is not about conservation, but about profit at the expense of animal welfare and biodiversity. The illegal aspects of this exploitation are very worrying, putting to question Kenya’s pro-wildlife trade policy," Edith Kabesiime, Wildlife Campaign Manager at World Animal Protection said.

The investigations involved fieldwork, which included visits to six facilities, all of which had animal welfare concerns. While inadequate shelter was documented in some facilities, in others, the captive animals suffered untreated injuries, while others displayed stress-related behaviors.

Majority of the animals being bred in captivity include ostriches, tortoises and crocodiles. Others include hippos, giraffes, birds of prey, snakes, chameleons, fish, and primates, including bush babies and baboons.

“These commercial practices raise serious ethical concerns, particularly with the extraction of animals from the wild to supplement breeding stock. One facility was found to be sourcing wild tortoises, raising concerns about the sustainability of these practices and their impact on local wildlife populations,” the report noted.

Breeding facilities, which accounted for 67 per cent of the venues visited, focused primarily on commercial purposes. These include the sale of live tortoises, ostriches, and crocodiles as breeding stock, ostrich and crocodile meat, and animal products, including ostrich and crocodile skins, eggs, and oil.

While the report exposes the harsh realities of profit-driven wildlife farms in Kenya where traders exploit animals under the guise of legal and sustainable use, the report also exposes how these activities are putting people at risk of contracting zoonotic diseases.

The lack of proper veterinary care and the unsanitary conditions within the facilities also pose potential public health risks.

 “The absence of adequate health monitoring and treatment protocols for animals not only affects their welfare but also poses a broader public health threat,” the report warns.

“The exploitation of captive wildlife in Kenya’s breeding and tourism facilities has far-reaching negative impacts, from compromising animal welfare and public health to undermining conservation efforts and threatening biodiversity.”

World Animal Protection urged the government to end commercial captive wildlife breeding, arguing that it is cruel and unsustainable.

“We urge the Kenyan government to take action to end commercial captive wildlife breeding based on the findings and recommendations in this report,” the organisation noted.

Ostriches were found to suffer significantly in farming, with the stressful handling of chicks. Captive reptiles, including commercially farmed tortoises and snakes, face a range of welfare issues, including inadequate housing conditions, poor nutrition, and stress due to overcrowding, improper handling, and transportation. Tortoises were found to have shell deformities and respiratory issues due to diets lacking in variety and essential nutrients

The role of commercial wildlife farms in conservation is complex and controversial. While supporters of wildlife farming argue that by supplying the market with wildlife products, these farms can reduce the pressure on wild populations, those opposing it suggest that commercial farming of wildlife can stimulate demand for wildlife products and enable the laundering of illegally caught wild animals through legal farms.