The Kenyan government has approved the construction of an electric fence around Mount Kenya to stop animals from straying from local forests and destroying nearby crops. The project, led by the and supported by the charity Rhino Ark, should take close to five years to finish. The fence is expected to run 250 miles long, 6.5 feet high, and extend over three feet underground. It will contain five electric strands and emit a shock designed not to harm humans or animals. The hope is that it will contain the wildlife within the 772 square miles of indigenous forests on the mountain, protecting food production and discouraging locals from killing the native species that have increasingly encroached on their farmland. The project, which has already begun, is expected to cost around $11.8 million. Mt. Kenya is Africa鈥檚 second-highest peak and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Via