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Tragedy strikes Rukinga Sanctuary
WARNING: The following blog post contains graphic photos of elephants killed by ivory poachers. View at your own discretion. As the new year kicks off, we take a look back at the challenges and accomplishments of 2012. We were proud to start the year by building a nursery for Wildlife Works’ employees’ families, and thrilled to be partners with PUMA for their Creative Factory project. We welcomed our first female Wildlife rangers and happily received validation and verification for the first REDD+ project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The greatest challenge we face going into 2013 is the growing threat to wildlife from the increasingly violent ivory trade, and we…
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Three Elephants Killed in Taita Ranch as Asia’s Thirst for Ivory Grows
We’re saddened to report that three elephants were killed this past Sunday in Taita Ranch, at the far end of our project area. The poachers, four armed Somalis, were discovered by Kenya Wildlife Service and Wildlife Works rangers as they were removing the tusks from the dead elephants. They immediately fled the scene, with a brief exchange of gunfire aimed at a Kenya Wildlife Service vehicle. The poachers were pursued following the attacks but have yet to be caught. The incident reflects a growing demand for ivory in East Asia, and China in particular, where the material is considered a symbol of affluence and prestige. Despite the efforts of Wildlife Works and…
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POACHERS-Caught on camera on Wildlife Works Rukinga Sanctuary
By: CARA BRAUND- Conservation Intern- 17th October 2011 As part of their efforts to track biodiversity levels on Rukinga and the rest of the project area, the Biodiversity Division have been testing out camera traps to photograph unsuspecting wildlife in their natural habitat. The first six test cameras are on day and night and the first trials have been going well, with elephants, lesser kudu, giraffe, kongoni civets and even aardwolf being captured. The team got a bit of a surprise, however, when checking the recent results of their work. Mixed among the shots of buffalo and kudu was the image of several men walking through the bush several hours…
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Statement made in Kenya to Heighten Awareness on Elephant Poaching
Article by Jason Straziuso, Independent Newspaper Kenya has publicly burnt elephant ivory worth £10m – at Manyani, Tsavo National Park – in an attempt to focus attention on rising poaching deaths. President Mwai Kibaki personally wielded the torch to light the bonfire of 335 confiscated tusks and 41,000 ivory trinkets. He told several hundred people gathered at a rural Kenya Wildlife Service training facility: “Through the disposal of contraband ivory, we seek to formally demonstrate to the world our determination to eliminate all forms of illegal trade in ivory.”We must all appreciate the negative effects of illegal trade to our national economies. We cannot afford to sit back and allow…
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Elephant Poaching on Rukinga Sanctuary
3 JANUARY 2011 – Eric Sagwe, Head Ranger On Monday 3 January 2011 having checked into Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project headquarters in the morning, I and my team of eight Rangers, went out on an afternoon patrol through Rukinga Sanctuary. At 3.00pm we found some footprints of three people who we tracked off Rukinga and into a neighboring ranch. As we followed their tracks in the sand we came across their lunch break camp which was very recent, and showed evidence of bush-meat having been eaten – a small team of poachers. The tracks kept getting fresher and clearer until an hour and half later we knew we where very…
