A WESTERN animal welfare body urged the Kenyan government on Wednesday to block a Canadian mining company from building a ship-loading facility on the Kenyan coast, warning it could endanger local marine life. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) cautioned that Tiomin Resources Inc. of Canada would cause serious environmental damage in Shimoni, a small fishing port, if it was allowed to build the facility. Ifaw said that the shiploading site had the potential to bring with it invasive marine species that could have debilitating effects on the local environment. But the Canadian company insisted that the facility remained vital in its plans to ship out thousands of tonnes of raw titanium ore to specialised plants in Canada and Australia. – AFP