Participants

James Mbuthia – team leader Feisal Muteti Francis Chege Masaku Mbanga Mathew Kiura 4KWS Rangers

Areas Covered

The areas that we visited this month were The Mtito river stretch, the triangle, the railway stations, the pipeline, the Chulus and the Athi River stretch from Cottars upwards.

361 SNARES COLLECTED 13 ARRESTS

Findings

A Total of 149 snares were lifted and 13 people were arrested in the park. Those arrested included 1 bushmeat poacher,

2 charcoal burners 9 cattle grazers and 2 Sandle wood harvesters, who were in possession of approximately 10 tons of Sandle wood whose collection we were able to intercept. No animals were found in snares.

As the drought persists, the influx of cattle and herdsmen into the park has increased especially in the west. The herdsmen were arrested about 5km from Mtito town & along the Chulus.

It was noted that there is alot of competition for grazing reserves, water, saltlicks, due to this the amount of destruction and degradation in these areas is high. We found that wild animals are also being pushed away from the water points in these areas.

About 10 tons of Sandle wood was recovered in the park. The wood had been hidden in the park near Nthunguni awaiting collection and consequent delivery to points of sale.

This is the second haul of Sandle wood that the Mtito de-snaring team has recovered along the Chulus.

GAZI OPERATION

The Mtito Team worked in conjunction with the Gazi team for a period of three days during which time 389 snares were recovered. The two team members share ideas and experiences about their operations which could help in their future performance.

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Pupils from Ngiluni and Kamunyu primary schools were able to enjoy their natural wildlife heritage via video shows. The aim of this was to instill in them, the young generation, the importance of conservation. On the 1st and 29th of January 2006, the youth from Mtito township, Kamunyu and Ngiluni battled it out in soccer matches organized by the Mtito de-snaring team to create awareness and gather support for conservation efforts.

Report by James Mbuthia