By Vincent Mabatuk

Nakuru, Kenya: A suspected poacher was gunned down in Lake Nakuru National Park while his two accomplices escaped after a gun battle with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers.

Rangers also confiscated several poisoned arrows, a spear and food items including bread and milk recovered from the slain poacher.

Two suspected poachers managed to escape on foot deep inside the park during the 1.40am incident that involved several rangers from KWS who tracked the culprits to where they were preying on a rhino.

According to rangers, the suspects had stopped on spotting a rhino under a tree when the rangers opened fire killing one of them.

Armed rangers were deployed to track down the missing two at the expansive park with the help of tracking dogs.

KWS assistant director Jonathan Kirui said the poachers were ambushed and one of them killed after the poaching gang crossed into the park near the Lanet gate.

At least four rhinos have been shot and killed by poachers inside the park this year, with no let-up in the bloody rhino war that led to the record slaughter of close to ten rhinos less than a year.

Senior warden Lake Nakuru National park Adan Kala said use of poisoned arrows by the poachers was new deployed skill to avoid rangers from detecting their movements and admitted this could complicate the fight against poaching.

“This is a clear indication that those behind the illegal business are ready to fight to bitter end, use of arrows away from the guns shows how poachers are determined to carry on ”, said Kala.

He said the trio operated during the full moon period and were able to stalk rhinos at night in the hope of evading detection from the ground by anti-poaching patrols during the day.

“They operate in groups. They are aggressive capable of shooting at the rangers on sight, creating a daily, life-threatening situation,” he said.

On February 28, poachers killed a white rhino and dehorned it.

The following week on Tuesday, they struck again and killed another rhino.

Seven days later, they slaughtered the third rhino in an attack that has baffled conservationist in the park.

The poaching incidents at the highly protected park that was established as a rhino sanctuary in 1984 and ringed with electric fence is now a concern for conservationist and tourism stakeholders.

The 188 square kilometre park is also surrounded by communities and boasts of 20 units of rhino surveillance personnel-equipped with sophisticated weapons.