Poachers turn to poison arrows

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Elephants killed by poachers. Photo/FILE  AFP

By MATHIAS RINGA mringa@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, July 16  2013 at  21:35

In Summary

• Mr O’Brein said the poachers hatched the new plan after the government last month mopped up illegal firearms in Taita-Taveta following the killing of 12 elephants in January.

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The wildlife protection agency has raised the alarm after poachers killed four elephants in the Tsavo Conservancy in the last two months using poisoned arrows.

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) assistant director at Tsavo Conservancy Robert O’Brein said the situation was so serious that veterinary officers were treating between four and five elephants daily.

Mr O’Brein said the poachers hatched the new plan after the government last month mopped up illegal firearms in Taita-Taveta following the killing of 12 elephants in January.

He said that after their rifles were seized, the poachers turned to local residents for help.

“So far we have lost four elephants and our veterinary officers treat between four and five daily,” Mr O’Brein said.

According to the KWS official, the villagers shoot the elephants with poisoned arrows and wait for the animals to die before removing the tusks.

The poachers then transport the tusks on motorbikes to waiting buyers in nearby towns.

“It has become very difficult for us to trace the killers as the poachers who used to pose as herders are now hiring villagers to kill the animals with poison arrows,” he said.

He, however, said four people had been arrested. “With the help of the public, we arrested four people who will soon appear in court,” he said.

To address the new challenge, the KWS will educate local communities on the need to conserve wildlife.

Mr O’Brein appealed to Taita-Taveta leaders to also help create awareness.

Last month, KWS director William Kiprono announced in Mombasa that 137 elephants and 24 rhinos had been killed by poachers this year alone.

Mr Kiprono said half of those animals were killed in Tsavo Conservancy.

He noted that in January, a family of 12 elephants was killed by poachers in Tsavo.

The KWS official attributed the higher number of elephants killed in Tsavo to poachers who masqueraded as herdsmen in the Taita-Taveta county ranches.

Currently, the country has an estimated population of 40,000 elephants and a total of 1,025 rhinos.

On the other hand, he said the major challenge which had led to the alarming rise in poaching was the low fines given to poachers.

In effort to contain the menace, he said, KWS rangers had arrested 123 suspected poachers and recovered 22 firearms and 1,141 rounds of ammunition.