Four men at the weekend were arrested after they were found with elephant tusks weighing 100kgs in Kangari town in Muranga County. Kenya Wildlife Service working with stakeholders has put in place mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching. This translates into 55 elephants killed daily or one elephant killed every 26 minutes with a population of 35,000 elephants. On April 30, 2016, Kenya set ablaze 105 tonnes of elephant ivory and 1.35 tonnes of rhino horn to smouldering ash. The illegal ivory trade is mostly fueled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns are used to make ornaments and traditional medicines.

Source: The Star August 02, 2021 05:15 UTC