The month of March saw an increase in many illegal activities. A total of 35 arrests were made, mostly for illegal logging in the Chyulu Hills National Park (14 arrests were made by the Chyulu team). Twelve bush-meat poachers were also arrested. Seven of these arrests were by the Ziwani team who have been doing an outstanding job in the last few months of cracking down on the illegal bush-meat trade in their area of operation.

Significantly, Mtito team, after much perseverance, were able to apprehend a very notorious ivory poacher and his accomplice who had been poaching elephants with poisoned arrows in Tsavo West near Kamboyo. The pair of poachers were found in possession of two tusks, a poached impala and various hunting paraphernalia including poisoned arrows. They had been responsible for several injured elephants in the area in the last three months, most of which were successfully treated by the KWS vets with assistance from Mtito and Ziwani teams; these elephants have since fully recovered.

The total number of snares recovered and collected this month was 457. The majority of these were discovered by the Meru team who lifted 228. The Chyulu team recovered 84 snares and confiscated a further 18 from poachers before they could be set out, of a total of 43 for all of the teams.

You can read more about the KWS/DSWT Anti-Poaching teams’ in our monthly report: