Two more elephants killed in Masai Mara

By KIPCHUMBA KEMEI and Leonard Korir

Narok County

Two elephants have again been killed in Masai Mara by suspected Tanzanian poachers. The Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) said the elephants were killed with poisoned spears along the Kenya-Tanzania border.

Narok KWS senior warden Dominic Naishu said their tusks were not removed. The service rangers removed the tusks at Siana East Conservancy and took them to its Ewaso Nyiro headquarters.

In the last three months, five elephants and a white Rhino have been killed in renewed poaching in the world-famed reserve. Last month a white rhino was killed at Olchoro-Oroiwua conservancy on the western side of the reserve. One suspect was arrested and charged.

Allow culling

"We are co-operating and sharing intelligence reports with Tanzanian authorities to track down those who shot the elephants. The rate at which wild animals are being killed is worrying indeed," he said.

He attributed the increase in poaching to risinf demand for elephant and rhino tusks for stockpiling ahead of the next Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species meeting.

"Countries campaigning for down listing of elephants from appendix one to two to allow culling, are behind the poaching. They hope their plea to have the stockpiles offloaded would be heard," said Naishu.

Sammy Nkoitoi, the chairman of Siana Wildlife Trust, says communities should be given financial incentives to protect wild game through remittance of some of the tourism proceeds to them.

Meanwhile, frequent movement of elephants from the Masai Mara into farms has been attributed to destruction of their habitat.

Human activities

It is reported that the elephant range area is under threat from expanding agriculture, illegal logging, charcoal burning and unplanned human settlement.

Addressing a workshop on human-elephant conflict in Kilgoris, the World Wildlife Fund Elephant & Rhino Species Manager Noah Sitati said the elephant range has declined.

The Mara Triangle, with an area of 610sqkm, hosts about 1,500 elephants.

Residents say the conflict will persist until there is a compensation scheme for farmers whose crops and animals have been destroyed or killed. by elephants.

"When an elephant kills someone the Government delays its assistance to the bereaved family, but when locals kill the elephants, the Government is swift to make arrests ," said Tompoi.