Elephant poachers were shot dead by rangers as they tried to kill the animals at a national park in Kenya.
Wildlife troopers had been on a routine patrol at Mount Elgon National Park, which straddles the border of Kenya and Uganda, “when they encountered a gang of five men last Thursday”, reports The Independent.
The rangers, from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) exchanged fire with the poachers, who were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Equipment associated with poaching was later found at the scene, the wildlife service said.
“KWS officers were on patrol inside the park when they spotted the poachers,” Trans Nzoia county police commander Samson ole Kine told Nairobi-based newspaper The Standard.
“A fierce shoot-out ensued and three of the poachers were gunned down while two others escaped. AK-47 rifles were recovered.”
Police county commissioner, Erastus Mbui, said authorities had stepped up security and surveillance operations along the Kenya-Uganda border to deter poachers.
“More officers have been deployed to conduct regular security patrols at the park and ensure wildlife is protected from the poachers,” he said.
“We urge communities around the park to report people they suspect to be on a poaching mission.”
Poaching has declined sharply in Kenya from a peak in 2012 but “it remains a problem, with some 69 elephants and nine rhinos killed last year”, says Metro. Despite a ban on the international trade in ivory in 1997, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers.
“Their tusks are the most sought after, with the ivory being carved into ornaments and jewellery”, adds the paper.
China remains the biggest consumer market for the tusks.
-
‘It’s hard not to feel for the distillers’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
A long weekend in FontainebleauThe Week Recommends Less than an hour from Paris, this historic town is perfect for a short break
-
Political cartoons for December 16Cartoons Tuesday’s editorial cartoons include calibrating fonts, Christmas classics, and more
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
