The Mount Kenya Wildlife Guards
Due to a steadily increasing level of wildlife poaching using packs of dogs in the Mount Kenya forests, six former poachers were employed by the BWMKT in 2001 and they are known as the Mount Kenya Wildlife Guards. Levels of poaching had been steadily increasing during the previous 5 years. Experts estimate that there had been a 50-60% decrease in wildlife over the 10-year period between 1989 and 1999, and it is well known that large gangs of poachers operate throughout the Mount Kenya region. While the relevant law enforcement agencies are restricted in their capacity to deploy enough rangers to deal with the current level of illegal activity on the mountain, the presence of the six BWMKT Wildlife Guards is immensely valuable. It is significant that 5 of the Wildlife Guards were once poachers themselves. This is an indication of what can be achieved by changing attitudes and providing people with alternatives to poaching for a living. Unfortunately large and expanding markets for bush-meat exist all over East Africa, and the Trust works hard to lobby against this growing illegal trade. Poaching for wildlife is no longer just a subsistence activity and severely threatens our wildlife and the viability of anti-poaching efforts in and around protected areas.
De-snaring Projects
The Trust runs regular de-snaring operations on Mount Kenya with the objective of reducing poaching incidences around the mountain. By destroying and removing snares in key locations and including an aspect of community education within the operations, the aim is to protect the biodiversity of Mount Kenya and raise awareness about the benefits of doing so.
The de-snaring operations are joint efforts between three organisations, namely BWMKT, KWS, and Youth for Conservation. The aim is to conduct and coordinate quarterly de-snaring operations in locations specified by the Senior Warden of Mount Kenya National Park and Reserve, and target those areas known as poaching “hotspots”. Each operation runs for approximately 20 days, with up to 5 days in each location.
The Joint Wildlife Protection Team
Thanks to the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (USA) we have the set-up costs for a dedicated anti-poaching team. This team will be made up of KWS personell and trained community scouts from the Mount Kenya area. We have a veicle and equipment and have recently trained the community contingent of the JWPT. We are pleased to announce that Tusk Trust have recently made a donation to help start up this unique team.
