Participants

Isaac Maina Mutua Koti Jacob Dadi Samuel Adero Phillip Kipkorir 2 KWS Rangers

Area Covered

This month we patrolled the Mariwenyi, Sagalla ranch, Ndii, Irima and Salt lake

Findings

The months findings were promising as compared to the last years findings where more than a thousand snares were collected. The prime areas that we visited showed a declining trend in the setting of snares. The exercise started in Ngutuni where 2 snares were recovered. Both were big in size. Another 4 snares were recovered in Mariwenyi. we camped for a week atn Sagalla ranch where 156 snares were recovered, 38 of these were set for big game. A baboon was found snared.

During one patrol we found a bow and 3 poisoned arrows which were left by a poacher who had run away. We ended the patrol prematurely however to assist the vet unit in locating a giraffe in the Satao area who was reported to be caught in a snare. Ndii area had 41 snares all of them small in size. None of these snares were freshly laid however they were still active. All of them were found on the inner side of the park and were small in size. In the park side of the Irima 14 snares were recovered while another 16 were found in the stretch between the park fence and the railway line. Lion hill area between the park access road and Voi River next to the park boundary yielded 18 snares. It’s a shame for poachers to set snares right at the door step of the park headquarters endangering a very social herd of Impallas. A joint operation with Ziwani team and Saltlake scouts was carried out on the 14th of January at saltlake sanctuary after night poachers were sighted poaching with torches. However efforts to catch them were unsuccessful as when they left they never used the routes on which ambushes were laid. A total of 251 snares were collected and a baboon found dead in a snare.

Report by Isaac Maina