The widely held belief that sitatunga meat cures ulcers and gout has now returned to sound the death knell for the rare swamp-dwelling antelopes.
The rare antelope’s fabled medicinal value has fuelled demand for the animals’ meat, so much that poachers in the Rift Valley are on the verge of wiping out the entire animal population.
The antelopes, which are also known as marshbucks, are hunted in the swamps at night, slaughtered immediately and the meat sold across western Kenya to people who believe the meat has curative effects against the two diseases.
The animals, whose botanical name is Tragelaphus spekii, are mostly found in Kosirai, a swampy range in Nandi County.
Farmers have been clearing the vegetation where the animals roam in the county, prompting experts to caution that unless the government intervenes to protect the animals, their extinction might happen very soon.
From a population of 500 five years ago, wildlife officials now estimate that there are just 350 of the sitatungas, with the numbers falling each day.
As part of efforts to curb poaching of the antelopes, a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) operation saw the arrest of 14 suspected poachers on Sunday.
KWS Senior Warden Nancy Cherotich Kelelyo said the team had been on the trail of the poachers who were found with a carcass of the animal as well as bones.
Ms Kelelyo explained that farmers have already taken over swampy lands where sitatungas used to browse for survival before they were killed by poachers, destroying their natural habitats.
“We have recruited 100 wardens to assist the government in stamping out illegal poaching of the aquatic animals. We conducted a three-day crackdown and found dozens of the endangered species had been killed,” said Ms Kelelyo.
Protecting rare antelopes
Nandi County Government officials led by Land and Environment executive Philemon Bureti and Environment Chief officer Solomon Mangira said the county was working with the KWS to stop mass killing of the rare antelopes.
Dr Bureti and Dr Mangira added that the county government was planning to intensify patrols on the wetlands and warned the local community against killing the animals.
“The rare antelopes are like gold to Nandi County. They are a great attraction and a source of revenue for the western Kenya circuit. We want to construct a tower along the wetland for security officials to monitor poachers 24 hours a day,” said Dr Mangira.
Dr John Chumo, the Secretary to the National Environment Management Committee, demanded protection of the antelopes and a decree against encroachment on the wetlands, which are the animals’ home.
“Kenya is facing serious challenges as far as the war on poaching of sitatungas in Nandi and Trans-Nzoia within East Africa is concerned and unless quick action is taken, tourists are likely to start going to other countries,” said Dr Chumo.
Dr Chumo said the government stands to generate billions of shillings in the local economy by protecting rare antelopes.
