Poachers kill, butcher elephant in Marsabit

An elephant grazes at the Maasai Mara National Reserve on December 3, 2015. Suspected poachers killed an elephant at the Marsabit National Park on December 13, 2016. FILE PHOTO | SULEIMAN MBATIAH | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The suspects also made away with the jumbo's tail and an ear.
  • The killing of the jumbo comes barely six months after two other elephants-an adult and a calf were gunned down in Jaldesa.
  • Five suspects were also arrested with ivory tusks , an AK 47 rifle, 16 round of ammunition and five spend cartridges.

Suspected poachers killed an elephant at Marsabit National Park on Tuesday.

The suspects made away with the jumbo's tail and an ear after invading Qubiqallo.

The park senior warden in-charge Peter Lekeren said gunshots were heard coming from the area and after a search, they found the carcass of the young elephant with bullet wounds.

"The rangers found a carcass of the two-year-old elephant calf with its tail and ear chopped off. Security personnel have been deployed to hunt down the unknown number of poachers believed to be from Ethiopia," Mr Lekeren said by phone.

He said rangers were pursuing the suspects.

The elephant tail and ear are said to be significant in some Ethiopian cultural rites leading to poaching.

The killing of the jumbo comes barely six months after two other elephants-an adult and a calf were gunned down in Jaldesa.

Five suspects were also arrested with ivory tusks , an AK 47 rifle, 16 round of ammunition and five spend cartridges.

They were charged and four fined Sh20million each or serve 20 years imprisonment.

In June, President Kenyatta set ablaze 105 tonnes of ivory and rhino horns seized from poachers in various parts of the country to make the country`s stand clear on poaching.