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Suspected poacher charged in Kenyan court |
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07:25, July 10, 2007 |
A Kenyan court on Monday remanded a suspected poacher until next month after he denied poaching related charges.
The suspect, who was arrested at Chakaola in Kenya's coastal town of Malindi over the weekend, was charged with illegally having four elephant tusks, a leopard skin, and dik dik meat.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers with the help of game scouts tracked down the suspect in Malindi on Saturday after its intelligence had received information from the public that an elephant had been killed and the ivory tusks taken away.
The arrests bring to 13 suspects arrested over the weekend in a renewed crackdown on poaching and game meat trade.
KWS said more of the suspects are expected to be arraigned in court any time from now in the authorities renewed crackdown on poachers and game meat dealers.
On Saturday, KWS rangers arrested seven professional Tanzanian hunters and their Kenyan guide for illegally hunting around Tsavo West National Park.
The KWS rangers who had laid an ambush at Koranze in the coastal region also recovered three powerful sporting firearms, 43 rounds, two powerful spotlights, a panga, a knife and assorted foodstuffs in the Saturday 3 p.m. incident.
Three other suspected game meat dealers and their driver are being held by police on the outskirts of Nairobi for illegal meat trade and poaching.
KWS special operations personnel have stepped up security along the international boundary having lost several elephants to poachers in the recent months.
The Tsavo West National Park incident is the second involving professional hunters straying across the border to shoot wildlife in Kenya.
Several incidents where KWS rangers have exchanged fire with Tanzanian poaching gangs leading to the recovery of many weapons and the elimination of several gangs have been reported.
Kenya Wildlife Service and Tanzanian Wildlife Authority work closely on wildlife security through a cross border agreement facilitated by the Lusaka Task Force.
Source: Xinhua
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