Kenyan game wardens shoot dead two poachers

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Nairobi - Game wardens have shot dead two poachers in Kenya's Amboseli National Park, the Kenya Wildlife Service said Friday.

Three others escaped with injuries during the incident on Thursday.

"The dead, a Kenyan and Tanzanian, were gunned down while shooting at a herd of elephants," the KWS said in a statement. "The other suspects escaped with injuries and are still being pursued."

The gang is believed to have killed two elephants in the same park three weeks before.

The ivory trade has been banned since 1989, but illegal sales have thrived with demand being fueled largely by the Far East.

Kenya's elephant population plummeted from 153,000 to 19,000 over the fifteen years prior to the ban. It has since recovered to around 35,000.

However, poaching is on the rise again. According to the KWS, 204 elephants were killed by poachers in Kenya last year, compared to 47 in 2007.