Area of operation

The December operation targeted the railway stations within the Park triangle. The Stations, namely Mtito, Kanga, Kenani, Kyulu, Tsavo and the Chinese construction base were visited. On completion the team made a surprise visit to Manyani, Ndi and Irima stations.

Participants James Mbuthia - Team Leader Francis Itumo - in camp John Malonza - Tracker Hussein Kala - KWS Ranger Wilson Mingati - KWS Ranger Juluis Kyalo - in camp

Findings

A total of 336 snares lifted into roles of wire found during the December operation. The number of snares lifted per station is shown below:

Station

Number of Snares

Other Findings

Mtito

2

Tree Harvesting

Kanga

1

  Kenani

5

  Kyulu

3

  Tsavo

6

  Chinese Construction Base

90

1 roll of wire

Manyani

16

  Ndi

144

1 roll of wire

Irima

69

  Total

336

You can see from the table above that the railway stations within the park triangle have a minimal amount of snares, this is very positive as these areas have had large amounts of snares in the past. De-snaring operations around the stations as well as talks on conservation between the teams and the railway workers is certainly contributing to the success. However, the stations that fall beyond the Tsavo River reflect very much higher snaring levels although the figures are slightly lower in comparison with July’s findings. The snares at Ndi, Manyani and Irima stations were made exclusively for large game.

The results are encouraging but the pressure must be maintained.

Report by James Mbuthia