NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Illegal tourist hotels operating in Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve are a threat to the region's fragile ecosystem, a report in a British journal says.
The article in the British Journal of Zoology says the reserve is losing many animals, including giraffes, warthogs and impala, The Daily Nation in Nairobi reported Thursday.
An investigation by the Kenyan government found that only 29 percent of the 108 tourist facilities in the reserve boundaries -- including lodges, eco-lodges, tented camps and hotels -- were legally licensed, the newspaper said.
Only 48 of the facilities had the Personal Identification Number legally required to run a business, and 92 did not have the required Environment Audit Assessment certification, the Nation said.
The report found blatant environmental offenses and said "poor waste management is a source of pollution of the Mara ecosystem."
The report prompted the influential International Federation of Tour Operators to contact Kenya's minister for tourism.
"You will appreciate this matter has caused our members concern," the group said in its letter, "and they need information to be able to anticipate any potential business implications."
