Kenyans resist giving wildlife to Thailand

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Kenya's plan to send 175 wild animals to Thailand, signed during a visit to Nairobi by the Thai prime minister, has been met with outrage by conservationists.

Representatives of 25 organizations staged a protest as Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was opening a Thai trade fair, the Kenya Times reported Friday. The groups are opposed to the export of wild game, saying it will damage their tourist industry.

President Mwai Kibaki and Thaskin witnessed an agreement signed Wednesday, providing the animals to Thailand's Chiang Mai Night Safari Zoo, set to open next week.

The Kenyan government said the 24 species involved were all herbivores and did not include any endangered animals such as lions, leopards, rhinos or elephants. Among those on the list were warthogs, giraffes, zebras, impalas, gazelles, hyenas and hippopotamuses, the Bangkok Post reported.

Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the animals were from a game reserve with more than 1.5 million animals and would be taken to an open sanctuary in Thailand.

He said that in return, Thailand had promised to hire English teachers from Kenya and to use Nairobi as its economic hub for Africa.