Participants

Kasau Lerat – Team Leader Adan Abdi – Car guard Julius Mumo – Cook Samuel lolchuraki – KWS rangers

SNARES COLLECTED 345

This time round the Gazi team joined together with Burra for a two week operation around the Voi side of the national park. Daily de-snaring patrols and night ambushes were how we spent the whole operation. A total of 345 snares were collected, of which 203 were for small game whilst the rest was for big game. Seven poachers were arrested and handed over to the authorities. Kamtonga village neighbouring the sisal plantation on the southern boundary was raided and we found 28 dik diks which had been killed and five people were arrested. Spotlights, bicycles, pangas and snares were confiscated. Mgeno ranch had a huge amount of charcoal burning which had taken place over the last month. Logs were found ready to be sold and a few people were arrested and handed over to the management of the group ranch. In Kishush it was noted that the majority of poaching occurred at night, we recovered a number of dik dik carcasses two people were arrested on the way to the market transporting the meat in a cart. In Choke ranch there was very heavy snaring as well as hunting at night, some herdsmen who have often seen flashlights late in the night in this area gave this information to us. Apparently the poachers are coming from a mining quarry in Kamtonga village. Ndii and Irima showed a reduction in poaching activities, 80 snares were lifted from the two area but they were not freshly laid. With the onset of the food shortage we can expect a rise in poaching, at least until the next rains.

Report by Kasau Lerat