Kenyans begin trek to South Africa to save elephants

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Animal rights activist and researcher Jim Justus Nyamu on Saturday led a team of 10 on a walk from the Kenyan capital Nairobi to South Africa to raise awareness of elephant and rhino conservation.

The 4,200-kilometer (2609.76-mile) walk will be covered in 160 days.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Nyamu said: “Today we start the walk from Nairobi to Johannesburg. We want to cover a total of 4,200 kilometers. The objective of this walk is to create awareness about the plight of the African elephant.

“We need to find a common way of addressing the underlying challenges that include poaching....among other things.”

Nyamu said that the elephant and rhino populations in Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe are worrying due to the illegal sale of ivory and rhino horns.

In 2017 Nyamu, commonly known as the “elephant man”, was invited to the House of Lords after walking 100 kilometers (62 miles) from London to Bristol, calling out Europe to ban ivory trophies.