Kenya To Host First Annual Magical Kenya Elephant Naming Festival In 2021

Kenya will officially host the first annual Magical Kenya Elephant Naming Festival starting August of 2021.

This was announced by Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO Dr Betty Radier during the commemoration of the World Elephant day on the 12th of August 2020 at the Amboseli National park. The Event was officiated by Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Najib Balala. The world elephant day is an international annual event dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants.

While making this announcement, Dr Radier said that that the event will be held annually as the Magical Kenya Elephant Naming Festival, adding that it would go a long way in supporting tourism and wildlife conservation efforts in the country.

“As we commemorate the World Elephant Day this year we feel that there is an opportunity for us to be begin a festival and the beginning of this festival has already been provided as a precursor because the work that has been done with elephants by KWS and other partners is amazing. So, this gives us a good platform to launch the Magical Kenya Elephant naming festival”

She added that the festival has the potential to encourage more people to engage in conservation efforts and also offer an opportunity to learn more about elephants, other wildlife and our heritage. Protection of wildlife should be supported in all possible ways. We therefore intend to make this event bigger and better going in honour of elephants in our country”.

During the Elephant naming ceremony, individuals will have a chance to adopt an elephant after contributing towards conservation. The foster parent (adopter) will then be given priority in choosing the first name of the elephant. The second name will be a Maasai name based on the animal’s profile, history, role in the family, physical attributes like state of tusks.

Elephants are among endangered animal species in Kenya and the World. Despite local and international efforts to control the ivory trade and stop the decline of elephant populations, demand for ivory has remained high, resulting in continued poaching of elephants for their tusks.

With 34,000, Kenya has the fourth largest population of elephants in the world and it is through conservation that this number will not diminish for future generations to enjoy.