Two seized in Tsavo park for poaching dik-diks, wild birds
The two suspected poachers who were arrested inside Tsavo East National Park near Ithumba Elephant Sanctuary having hunted and killed 13 dik-diks and several wild birds. They were also found with dried game meat.
Two suspected poachers were arrested on Monday inside Tsavo East National Park with a heap of game meat and freshly killed wild animals.
The two were seized near the Ithumba Elephant Sanctuary in a manhunt by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers. They had 13 dik-diks and several wild birds of different species.
The poachers, who were using ultra-bright torches, were spotted at night, prompting a ground operation to apprehend them, said Mr Zephaniah Abuya, a KWS officer-in-charge.
"We swung into action towards the direction we had seen the lights and the following day we managed to spot their footprints, which led us to their hideout within the park," Mr Abuya said.
To avoid being noticed, KWS officers walked several kilometres instead of using a vehicle until they encountered the poachers’ base – a huge tree under which they had set up a makeshift home in the jungle.
At the hideout, the officers found heaps of dried game meat packed in sacks, but the suspected poachers were still out hunting more animals.
The officers lay in wait for more than 24 hours before the poachers returned at dawn the following day.
The suspects emerged from the bush on Monday morning carrying 13 dik-diks and several wild birds.
"We managed to arrest two suspects but a third one fled the dragnet and a chase by officers didn't yield a capture," said the KWS officer.
Hunting at night
Upon interrogation, the suspects told KWS officers that they hunt at night with torches, which confuse wild animals and make them easier to catch. They told officers they use wire snares to trap them during the day.
After killing the animals, they skin them and roast some meat while drying the rest in the sun so as to preserve it for the illicit market.
A full dik-dik is said to fetch between Sh500 and Sh800. The game meat is sold to communities surrounding the park in Kitui and Makueni counties. Some of it ends up in hotels.
Mr Abuya said the two suspects in police custody will be presented in a Mutomo court on charges of poaching.
He appealed to the local community to desist from poaching wild animals, saying it destroys Kenya’s natural heritage.
Under the Wildlife Act, a person charged with killing a dik-dik or gazelle faces a jail term not exceeding two years or a fine of Sh200,000.
