Man Arrested as Cops Recover 20 Kilos of Elephant Tusks at Roadblock in Baringo KahawaTungu Reporter April 2, 2024 See link <https://kahawatungu.com/man-arrested-cops-recover-20-kilos-elephant-tusks-roadblock-in-baringo/> for photo. A man was arrested and 20 kilos of elephant tusks recovered from him at a roadblock in Loruk, Baringo County. The man had stashed the tusks valued at Sh2 million in a gunny bag when he was arrested on March 31, police said. The suspect was riding in a public service vehicle when police flagged it down at a multi-agency roadblock in Loruk Trading Center. Officials are investigating the source of the tusks. The suspect was expected in court to be charged with the offense of being in Possession of Wildlife Trophies of Endangered Species Contrary to Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013. Officials said the seizure shows elephants had been killed and there is a likelihood the incident happened in the nearby forests. This is despite stringent measures in place to address the menace of poaching in the country and region. Elephant tusks fetch a fortune in the black market as a surge in demand for ivory in the East continues to fuel the illicit trade in elephant tusks, especially from Africa. Officials say despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, African elephants are still being poached in large numbers. As part of efforts to stop the menace, Kenya has started using high-tech surveillance equipment, including drones, to track poachers and keep tabs on elephants and rhinos. Kenya Wildlife Service and stakeholders have put in place mechanisms to eradicate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching. These mechanisms include enhanced community education, interagency collaboration, and intensive intelligence-led operations, among others. These efforts led to zero rhino poaching in Kenya in 2020-the first time in about two decades. At least 20,000 elephants are killed annually in Africa for their ivory. This translates to 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. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta led world leaders and conservationists in burning the remains of 6,500 elephants and 450 rhinos killed for their tusks and horn. Parliament has also passed strict anti-poaching laws and the government has beefed up security at parks to stop poaching, which threatens the vital tourism industry. https://kahawatungu.com/man-arrested-cops-recover-20-kilos-elephant-tusks-roadblock-in-baringo/