Wildlife conservation, visitors’ preferences and habitat conditions for wildlife tourism at Oljogi Conservancy in Laikipia County, Kenya
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Date
2020
Authors
Nzomo, Cosmas Munyao
Maingi, Shem Wambugu
Kariuki, Albert Chege
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education
Abstract
The enormous potentials of wildlife tourism
in recreation, community and economic
development can be maximized through
focusing on visitors’ preference in ensuring
sustainability of this increasingly important
sector. Wildlife tourism has an important
economic value through revenue that can be
used to support conservation. This study
examined wildlife conservation, visitor
preference and habit conditions for wildlife
tourism at Oljogi Conservancy in Laikipia
County, Kenya. The study adopted a
descriptive survey design. A structured
questionnaire was used to elicit information
from visitors touring the Wildlife rescue
centre in Oljogi conservancy in addition to
an interview guide which was used to collect
data from the tour guides. Data were
analyzed through content analysis. Results
revealed that seeing wildlife in its natural
environment, behaving naturally and
viewing rare, unique or unusual wildlife
were the three most important features
sought in a wildlife tourism experience. For
most of the visitors we recruited in this
study, it was their first time to see the wild
animal. It also revealed that most of the
tourists touched, handled or fed the wild
animal which were friendly in nature, in
addition to being rare and unique. The study
also found out that the most preferred animal
was the black rhino, followed by the leopard
and the lion as the top three. It was also
found that the conservation status at the
Oljogi was good. This study concludes that
visitor’s profile for wildlife preference as
well as habitat condition had significant
influence on wildlife tourism at Oljogi
conservancy. In addition, most of the
visitors paying a stopover at Wildlife rescue
centre in Oljogi conservancy were highly
satisfied with the wildlife experience. The
study recommends relevant programs that
would ensure protection of the endangered
species, increased number of preferred
animals and high level of satisfaction among
visitors. A similar study is recommended in
national reserves and parks to compare and
contrast the results.
Description
A research article published in International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education
Keywords
habitat condition, satisfaction, visitor experience, wildlife conservation, wildlife preference, wildlife tourism
Citation
Nzomo, C. M., Maingi, S. W. & Kariuki, A. C. (2020). Wildlife conservation, visitors’ preferences and habitat conditions for wildlife tourism at Oljogi Conservancy in Laikipia County, Kenya. International Academic Journal of Social Sciences and Education, 2(2), 125-136