Another two poachers killed at Solio Ranch

Two suspected poachers have Wednesday morning been shot and killed by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers at the Rhino Sanctuary in Solio Ranch.

This makes the number four of suspected poachers killed at the ranch in a span of one month.

Poaching is currently threatening Africa’s rhino and elephant populations.

Speaking at the scene of the crime, the Assistant Director of KWS Mountain Conservation Area Aggrey Maumo stated that at around 2am, the KWS anti-poaching unit heard of an intrusion by suspected poachers who entered the sanctuary through a fence and they laid an ambush.

"An unknown number of men got illegal access to the Rhino Sanctuary through the fence and attempted to kill a rhino.

Our rangers acted promptly after hearing a gunshot and laid ambush where two men who we suspect to be poachers targeting the endangered rhinos were shot dead as they attempted to escape,” Mr Maumo said.

However, he said the poachers did not manage to kill any rhino.

Mr Maumo revealed that they had received a similar alert on Monday night but no animal trophies were stolen and the unknown suspects managed to escape from the reserve.

RIFLE RECOVERED

A rifle, three rounds of ammunition, a sword and a pair of pliers believed to have been used to cut the fence wire were found in the pockets of the deceased suspects by scene of crime police.

According to Mr Maumo, the recovered firearm which had only one bullet used and which missed the target would be sent for ballistic tests to ascertain if it had ever been used in committing a similar crime in the country.

He warned those with similar intentions of dire consequences if caught in the act.

“This is a serious issue and it is quite unfortunate we did not find any identification on them.

But this ought to be a lesson to those people who want to finish our wildlife.

It is important we deal with such crimes with multi-disciplinary operations because the police cannot win the battle alone,” Mr Maumo said.

Further, the KWS official noted that the government together with police and the public in reserve estates will continue to execute such operations in future to dismantle syndicates that trade in products from the country’s endangered species.

WILDLIFE ACT

The new Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, he said, is a clear signal that the country is determined to deal with those responsible and deter those who plan to join in poaching.

“We are happy that convicted poachers now face a fine of Sh20 million or life imprisonment,” he said.

Meanwhile, suspected poachers killed two white rhinos at Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy early Tuesday morning.

Speaking to Nation.co.ke, Ol Jogi General Manager John Weller confirmed the incident and stated that investigations were underway.

“As of now I cannot confirm any arrests but KWS rangers in collaboration with officers from the police Dog Unit are investigating the matter,” Mr Weller said.

Mr Weller also revealed they first brought sniffer bloodhounds for rhino protection in 1989 and additional Belgian Malinois attack dogs were ordered from Europe in 2012.

Poaching has risen sharply in Africa in recent years.

Besides targeting rhinos, gangs eyeing lucrative international markets have slaughtered whole herds of elephants for their tusks.

This has led The United States Tuesday to ban elephant ivory trade in an effort to support African countries stem the threat to wildlife.

(READ: US bans commercial ivory trade)