Consumer lobby group says 5K Chinese workers in Kenya will pose a threat to wildlife
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Kenyan consumer lobby group says that 5,000 Chinese nationals who are coming to Kenya for the construction of a railway line pose a threat to the country's elephants.
Consumer Federation of Kenya official Steven Muturo said Thursday that conservationists have seen a rise in elephant poaching deaths in Kenya as the number of Chinese nationals in the country have risen.
Kenya recently signed an agreement with China to construct a standard-gauge railway from the Nairobi to Mombasa. The line will cost $3.6 billion and China will provide 90 percent of the funding. Construction is to begin Oct. 1.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Muturo said Kenyans should fill the construction jobs.
Demand for ivory in China is fueling Africa's rising poaching trade. Conservationists fear the ivory demand will drive elephants to extinction.