Participants

Kasau Lerat – Team Leader Adan Abdi – Car guard Julius Mumo – Cook Samuel Lolchuraki– KWS ranger Ibrahim Guyo– KWS ranger Billy Seyid

SNARES COLLECTED 1215

A total of 1,215 snares were lifted, 780 were aimed at capturing smaller animals and the rest were designed for larger game (435). Four Dikdiks were found dead in snares and a poacher was arrested in possession of 20 snares, ten of which were for larger mammals, he was taken to the Mtito police station.

The majority of the areas which were patrolled showed a clear increase in poaching. A slaughtering hide was also found with the remains of skinned animals and it was destroyed. Along the Athi river north bank, a lot of snaring activities were noted especially along animal trails leading to the river. Now that most of the water holes have dried up, animals concentrate near the river and thus the high yield of snares. Farms adjacent to the park harbour many poachers, explained by the huge amount of human footprints moving in and out of the park through these farms. Added to that we have reliable information that people on the farms deal in snares as well as bush meat. The bush meat trade seems to be on the increase again, lets hope that this is only a result of the drought.

Report by Kasau Lerat