Tsavo beefs up security as poachers kill two more elephants

Elephants take a mud and dust bath at Tsavo East. Many elephants lose their lives as poachers kill them for their tusks. FILE 

By MATHIAS RINGA

Taita-Taveta has beefed up security in 29 ranches following the killing of two elephants last week.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) assistant director Robert Obrein said the death brings the number of elephants which have been killed in the Tsavo conservation area to 24 in the last two months.

He said the poachers shot the animals using AK-47-assault rifles since rangers recovered 25 spent cartridges in one of the ranches.

‘‘We suspect the animals might have been killed by herders, based on the number of spent cartridges,” he said.

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Mr Obrein said the General Service Unit officers and administration police will be deployed in the 29 ranches in Taita-Taveta to tame poaching.

Tsavo is grappling with poachers who have now turned to poisoned arrows and snares to kill elephants following a disarmament exercise a few months ago. In the last three months, four elephants have died from poisoned arrow wounds while one died from snare wounds.

(READ: Poachers use poisoned arrows to attack jumbos)

Mr Obrein said the killed elephants were aged between 40 and 50 years and the poachers made away with the tusks.

KWS launched a massive manhunt for the poachers who are still at large. Poachers in the ranches, he added, had been masquerading as herders to escape KWS dragnet.

KWS director William Kiprono noted that the agency plans to involve Taita-Taveta residents in the conservation campaigns.

“In order to address the poaching challenges, we shall fully involve locals in the conservation of wildlife in Tsavo area,” he said.

“The villagers will help identify the people involved in poaching in the ranches and other areas.”

Taita-Taveta governor John Mruttu warned that elephants in the conservation area were threatened with extinction. Mr Mruttu said at least 62 elephants have been killed by poachers in the conservation area this year alone.

The governor warned management committees of the ranches that they risk being prosecuted if found protecting poachers. He claimed that some armed aliens had infiltrated the ranches posing a threat to the elephants.

He appealed to residents to report suspected poachers to KWS so that action could be taken against the crooks. “We cannot sit back and watch elephants which are our national heritage being butchered by poachers,” he said.