Participants

Wambua Kikwatha James Mbuthia desnarers Julius Mwania Josphat Nzue KWS Rangers Ekal Rotini Kyalo Muthoka in camp

Findings

This operation took place just two weeks after the previous operation. As noted in the August report, Mangelete reflected an influx of snaring. The reason for this is lack of desnaring pressure and community awareness. This area has not been properly addressed due to an impassable road which has now been graded and so we reached much further upstream than the previous operation.

This area has much more agriculture than downstream. Farms adjacent to the river are well irrigated and a variety of vegetables and other crops are planted for commercial and subsistence purposes. Assuming that the landowners are financially better off, if not stable, some pressure coupled with conservation awareness could be the remedy to the poaching. We met some of the community members who revealed that the real culprits are not the landowners but their employees. Similar observations were made along Ngumo, Iviani to Mtito Town which are equally productive areas. This area is now snare free as a result of desnaring but no tangible material input has been employed in the community here to yield the same positive results as downstream.

During this operation the team was based at the Kamboyo campsite. A total of 472 snares were lifted around the Mtito River Mangelete curcuit. Many of the snares were targeting dik dik and larger antelopes. Only one buffalo snare was collected. We rescued one dik dik, and collected ten bird traps set for guinea fowl.

After exhausting this part, we moved to Mtito East Gate so as to patrol the lower part of Mtito River. Nguumo, Iviani and next to Mtito Railway Station area was patrolled. A total of 28 snares were lifted. All the 28 snares were old and inactive, some were found camouflaged in the bushes and rusty, others set on tracks but inactive showing that they haven’t been serviced for a long time. A snared dik dik was found rotten. The September operation yielded 500 snares.