Participants

Isaac Maina – Team leader Mutua Koti - Tracker Jacob Dadi - Tracker Feisal Muteti- Vehicle guard 2 K W S Rangers.

Findings

The New Year activities began by revisiting some hot spots identified last year. This was aimed at ascertaining whether the rate of snaring is ascending, descending or remaining constant on these previously patrolled spots. First on the list was Kariokor, a neighborhood area where poachers had been using dogs to drive the animals towards the set snares. Here, no new activities were identified though six old snares were recovered. At Ndara new and old snares were recovered. Twigs that had been cut to secure snares were seen to be chopped two to three days previously. 39 snares were retrieved here.

A cause for celebration was Irima that had previously topped the list in magnitude and frequency. Only three old snares were found indicating major decline in snaring. However the situation at the neighboring Ndii area was very depressing. Altogether 230 new snares were recovered, 13 dikdiks found dead in snares in two days and fresh footprints identified. From the design of snares loop and the manner at which there were secured to the branches, we could easily tell the possibility of three poachers.

Sagalla ranch yielded 63 snares. The personnel there narrated of how a goat had been snared two days previously by a poacher who went away with it. A snare that had netted the goat was left behind and the ground mark where the catch had been struggling before succumbing to death could be seen. We were also shown a cow’s hide that was said to be the remnants of a cow that had rotted on a snare. But what intrigued us most was the arrest of two poachers who we found eating baboon meat which they had caught.

In total 356 snares were recovered, 13 dikdiks found snared and two arrests were made.

Reported by Isaac Maina.