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Narok: Security agencies launch investigations on killing, chopping off of wildlife reproductive organs

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022 18:40 | By
KWS Officers taking a look at an elephant killed by poachers PHOTO/Courtesy

Narok county security committee is investigating a bizarre incident where poachers are killing wildlife in the Maasai Mara game reserve and chopping off the animal reproductive organs and fleeing.

This is after 5 elephants and 3 giraffes were found killed under mysterious circumstances in the last two months with their reproductive organs and tusks missing.

The discovery has thrown the Narok county security committee and Narok county government that manages the 1,510 sq kilometers reserve to issue warnings to the poachers to stop the act of killing the animals raising concerns over the intention of the poachers.

Narok County Commissioner Isaac Masinde sounded a strong warning to those trading in wild animals’ organs that their days were numbered as the government had put in place necessary measures to arrest them.

The killing of wildlife comes against a backdrop by the ministry of Interior last week to transform some 592 game rangers to from the game rangers elevated to the National Police Reservist in a bid to boost security at the game reserve.

“The security team has now been strengthened with the conversion of the county rangers to National Police Reservists. We will leave no stone unturned until we bring to book the perpetrators of these illegal acts,” he said.

Gracing the elevation ceremony of the rangers at the Keekorok Lodge in Maasai Mara, Interior and National Administration PS Dr Raymond Omollo said the move was informed by the fact that the status of a ranger comes with limitations in terms of equipping, training and operational capacity in the rapidly emerging security threats within the Maasai Mara Game Reserve.

Dr Omollo revealed his ministry, through the National Police Service, has allocated 464 modern guns including G3 rifles and AK47 to replace the old Mark 4s previously used by the rangers to keep sentry in the Mara.

The PS said the county rangers had been taken through a rigorous paramilitary capacity training in different government training colleges such as General Service Unit (GSU) training college, Administration Police Training College, Kenya Forest Service training college and Kenya Wildlife Service law enforcement academy in Manyani.

He expressed confidence that cases of poaching, perennial human- wildlife conflicts, illegal logging and environmental degradation especially in the Maasai Mau forest will be a thing of the past.

Narok Governor Patrick Ntutu said the county government will purchase modern troop carriers, land-cruisers and regularize maintenance arrangements for the firearms.

Ntutu also said the county government will ensure standardized provision of food ratio, fuels as well as improve housing facilities for all NRPs.

In 2013, the country came up with strict sentences for wildlife offenders under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013 which imposed stiffer penalties for wildlife related offences in order to save the wildlife.

According to last year’s first wildlife census, Kenyan authorities have welcomed the progress made in the fight against poaching, which should serve as a basis for improving environmental conservation.

According to the data, Kenya has 36,280 elephants, among other things, a population that is up 21 percent from 2014, when poaching peaked.

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