De – Snaring Report for October 2004

Participants

Peter Wambua Isaiya Ndei Julius Muthoka

TOTAL SNARES COLLECTED 180

Area Covered

This month we carried out our operations on the private farms adjacent to the Athi River as well as the community areas that border the Athi River. Findings

The abandoned farms seem to be the area where the majority of snares are collected, even though they are set in the evening and taken down in the morning we are still collecting a fair amount. In other areas where we have patrolled in the past snaring levels have to reduce to nothing and animals are now returning. On a patrol we came across footprints that led us back into the village, we entered a house where we found a poacher in possession of a bow and arrows snares and DikDik meat prepared for sale at the market. Once he threatened to kill us we then decided that we needed a KWS ranger to make an arrest. Unfortunately before we managed to get him into the car he broke free and ran away, by the end of the month we had still not found him. The community however will inform us if he returns. We collected 180 snares this month, most of them were designed for larger animals, no animals were found in snares. We also paid a visit to schools in the area to check on the Neem trees that had been donated earlier in the year. Kamunyu primary school now wishes to start a tree nursery and so holes are now being dug and the seedlings will be donated once they are ready.

Report by Peter Wambua