KENYAN SECURITY NABS SANDALWOOD POACHERS
(Posted 17th June 2015)
News received from KWS’ Paul Udoto, the organization’s Corporate Communications Director, indicate that the organization is not only fighting wildlife poaching but also has to combat increasing cases of poaching of rare wood species. In a coordinated operation yesterday was a lorry intercepted along the Kiserian – Magadi road in Kajiado County, which carried two tons of Sandal Wood, a tree species now highly endangered in Kenya.
The driver of the lorry and one occupant are now in police custody undergoing interrogation as to the where the illegal cargo came from, so that the wood smuggling ring can be exposed and the culprits be brought to book. The two individuals, a man and a woman, who are in police custody are expected to be arraigned in court in the morning and charged with being in possession of timber from a protected tree species.
Meanwhile has another source close to KWS suggested that the recent apparent change of direction by the Chinese government vis a vis ivory possession and processing and a temporary ban of legal imports has much to do with the mission two months ago, when senior KWS officials visited Beijing and engaged with key individuals in the Chinese government. Wrote the source: ‘Change has to start somewhere. We took our problems to the main market for blood ivory and drew parallels with China’s protection of the Panda. For us elephant are like their Panda bears. China is a major partner of Kenya in trade and for investments and financing of big infrastructure projects. That does not mean however that our laws are going out of the window. Staff of Chinese companies must respect our laws. Chinese travelling from somewhere in Africa via Nairobi must know that they cannot carry ivory and other prohibited items or else get arrested and prosecuted at the airport. It is such issues which were discussed, among others, to increase an awareness campaign, to increase putting out information about the impact of poaching and the consequences. Me I think that China is getting the message now. They do not want to be singled out in the international arena as the country responsible for the extinction of the African elephant’.
Other conservation sources from Kenya have also confirmed that there seems to be a sense of positive change in the air since Dr. Richard Leakey was appointed as the chairman of the board of KWS a few months ago, manifested in renewed confidence among the file and ranks of the organization that the challenges ahead can indeed be met head on.
