Participants

Wambua Kikwatha - team leader John Mungai Henry Lokochari Boru Okicha Gerald Maghangha 2 KWS rangers

Area Covered

During the course of the month we carried out patrols at Lualenyi, Maktau, Taita Hills, Lumo and the Kishushe Park boundary.

TOTAL SNARES COLLECTED 32

Findings

Taita Hills and Lualenyi Sanctuary The Taita Hills and Lualenyi Sanctuaries were patrolled at the beginning of our operations for a period of five days. From past months we have found that the area has yielded many snares and snared animals.

Contrary to the past no major poaching activities were seen this month. Al the areas where snares are usually found were visited but nothing was recovered. It has been established that during the rainy season the animals move from the Taita Hills sanctuary to safer areas. Both Salt lick and the Taita Hills Sanctuary have permanent water sources which attract animals from the park and other areas during the dry season. The poachers have noticed the trend that the animals have of coming to these areas during the dry season and leaving them during the rainy season which could account for the decrease in poaching activities in these areas this month.

Maktau, Lumo Community Sanctuary It has been established that night poaching is a very serious problem at the Lumo Sanctuary. The only problem we encounter in arresting poachers in this area is the fact that there isn’t a specific track that can be used by us to lay an ambush. We organized a number of night observations at strategic points but were only able to confirm what we already knew, that night poaching is taking place. Poachers were seen poaching inside the sanctuary at night, but we were unable to approach them in the dark as it is too risky. During the day patrol, we observed blood stains where Dikdiks were slaughtered during the night. We found a dead Dikdik which had been cut by the poachers but as it did not die immediately they lost track of it in the darkness.

At Maktau, near the railway line, 18 snares which targeted small game were recovered. The snares were made of railway telecom wire. We were able to arrest one night poacher after acting on information given to us by an informer about the poacher who was selling lesser Kudu meat.

The Ziwani de-snaring team was able to move in and arrest him. The poacher was booked at Taveta police station where he is awaiting sentencing.

Kishushe Park Boundary and Tsavo River At Kishushe group ranch, 8 snares made for small game and 2 big snares were lifted. The ranch is mainly used by livestock keepers who have been forced to move to other areas because of the drought. Their presence in the area is important as they lift the snares to prevent their livestock getting caught in them. The area along the Tsavo River was patrolled at the end of our operations. Five big snares were lifted along the Mzima spring pipeline. Hardly any animals were seen along the water points which could be due to the recent rainfall which has enabled the animals to find water elsewhere.

On the 22nd of April a baby Zebra was rescued in the Ziwani area. The baby which had become separated from its mother was sighted by community members near the Mhoho farm. The community members reported it to the Ziwani section who rescued the baby.

The baby was found to be stable and was taken to the Voi stockade to join the other baby Zebra there, Serena.

Report by Wambua Kikwatha