Two arrested with elephant tusks worth 1.9 million shillings in Tigania

Two suspected poachers were arrested last weekend in possession of six pieces of elephant tusks in Tigania East, Meru County.

When police and Kenya Wildlife Service personnel intercepted them, they had packed the tusks, which weighed 18.5 kilograms, into four bags.

According to police, the two were arrested on July 18 in the Muriamburi Junction Mulika area while delivering the item to a potential buyer on a motorcycle.

The suspects are charged with possession of trophies of endangered species, contrary to section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013.

Officials said the seizure revealed that at least three elephants had been killed and that the incidents likely occurred in nearby parks.

The seizures continue despite harsh penalties for those found with tusks and a ban on the international trade in ivory.

African elephants are still being poached in large numbers for their tusks, which fetch a fortune on the black market. The growing demand for ivory continues to fuel the illegal trade.

Demand is growing from Asia and the Middle East, as elephant tusks and rhino horns are used for jewelry production and traditional medicines.

Regionally, Kenya has also become a major transit route for ivory destined for the Asian market from East and Central Africa.

To halt this scourge, KWS and other stakeholders have taken measures to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, especially poaching.

Kenya uses advanced surveillance equipment, including drones, to track poachers and monitor elephants and rhinos.

Other measures include enhanced community outreach, multi-agency cooperation and intensive intelligence operations.

Thanks to these efforts, in 2020, for the first time in twenty years, no rhinos were poached in Kenya.

On April 30, 2016, Kenya set fire to 105 tons of elephant ivory and 1.35 tons of rhino horn.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta led world leaders and conservationists in burning the remains of 6,500 elephants and 450 rhinos, killed for their tusks and horns.

Parliament has also passed strict anti-poaching laws and the government has tightened security in parks to combat poaching, which threatens the tourism industry.