Ivory poachers nabbed in Kenya

2011-01-08 20:56

Nairobi - Three suspected poachers were arrested on Saturday in northern Kenya and found with 80 pieces of elephant ivory worth 2.5 million shillings, the Kenyan wildlife service said.

"During the operation carried out by KWS officers and the police, three suspects were arrested and 80 pieces of ivory recovered," said Paul Udoto, a KWS communications manager.

"The ivory recovered weighs 249kg, and a rhino horn weighing 5kg", he said of the operation carried out at the village of Ntugi in the Meru region of north-central Kenya.

"Thirty-six pieces of the ivory... were found buried underground" on the property of one suspect, he said.

The rest of the ivory was found in a saloon car where two of the suspects were arrested.

The third suspect was arrested at his home where police also found "derivatives of the endangered Mountain Bongo, the colobus monkey and game meat... night vision equipment, rifle scopes, a digital weighing balance, poisoned arrows, bows and ammunitions among other paraphernalia that aid poaching," said Kentice Tikolo, KWS communications chief, in a statement.

"Prospects for more arrests and trophy recoveries are high following an ongoing investigation. The KWS canine unit has been deployed to reinforce the operation," he added.

One of the suspects "is a notorious ivory dealer with a pending court case in Kibera law courts in relation to similar offences of illegal ivory trafficking and trade," he said.

According to the investigations, most of the trophies impounded originate from poaching in various areas of Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia and Mount Kenya.

- SAPA

I hope they get a tall tree and short rope!!!!!!!!

Well, since they had night vision equipment, rifle scopes, and a digital weighing balance, it takes them out of the subsistence poacher category and puts them in the big leagues of 'poacherdom'.

I wonder who is supplying them with this kind of sophisticated gear? It would not surprise me if it came from the Chinese Triads, or even through the diplomatic pouches of the Chinese embassy... but at the end of the day, maybe that is the same thing.

I hope they can follow the evidence trail up to the top of the food chain, and although they won't take that proverbial 'long trip on a short rope' that we all wish, a long enough stay in the HIV infested prisons of Kenya might eventually serve the same purpose.

Always amusing to read KWS comments on poaching.

+1 Milo
the new icon is great Milo you shaved for the picture!!!!!!! TIA or AAW

quote:

Originally posted by Milo Shanghai:
Always amusing to read KWS comments on poaching.

Amen to that.

a friend of mine from Kenya called it living in La La land because nothing was like the real world