Simba Team Ziwani Update: 01 December 2005
Participants Wambua Kikwatha - team leader Henry Lekochere Bura Okicha Gerald Maghanga 2 KWS rangers – Said Bashane & Alphayo Muok
Area Covered
During the month we carried out our de-snaring operations in the following areas: Murka, Salt lick, Mbuyuni, Maktau, Kishushe and the Lumo Community Sanctuary along the railway line.
TOTAL SNARES COLLECTED 55
Findings

Sadly this does not mean that poaching has stopped taking place entirely. What has happened is that the poachers have also changed their tactics and instead of using snares are now night poaching, which is less risky and costly in terms of wire loss. Our intelligence efforts have shown that there is poaching taking place at night using the lamping method. The areas in which night poaching is prevalent are Maktau, Kishushe, Lumo and the Lumo park boundary. The poachers operate at night using powerful torches and confuse the animals using a gadget that beeps.








We have also found that apart from night poaching some poachers have moved their operation areas to the ranches where security is at a minimum. The ranches that we visited are Oza, Taita, Lumo and Kishushe. A total of 22 snares were recovered, 18 targeting big game and 4 targeting small game.
Our aggressive ambushes and patrols in the ranches resulted in one poacher surrendering his snares to us and promising not to engage in any poaching in the future.
On the 20th of December, the Lumo community sanctuary staff sent a report about an orphaned elephant. The calf had been seen with a herd of buffaloes. The report was given to the Warden who mobilized a rescue team to rescue the baby elephant. Our team was called in to assist in the search of the calf which was rescued and taken to the Voi orphanage.

TRAINING In order to increase the efficiency of all the desaring teams, it was important for the teams to become better acquainted with all the different bush skills needed to be highly effective in the field.




Report by Wambua Kikwatha