Kenya: Wildlife officer, 4 poachers killed in shootout

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI (AA) – Four poachers and a senior Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer were on Saturday shot dead in a gunfight between KWS rangers and poachers at the Tsavo National Park in Kenya’s coastal region.

Voi police boss Joseph Chesire told reporters that a ranger was also shot and injured during the gunfight and is being treated at the Shelter of Hope Hospital in Voi. He said that the police have launched a manhunt to capture the two poachers who escaped with bullet wounds.

Also, confirming the incident in a statement, the KWS said, “A KWS company officer was killed and another officer is recuperating in hospital. Four poachers killed, firearms and ivory recovered in Tsavo shootout”.

Being one of the oldest and largest national parks in Kenya, the Tsavo East National Park which covers 13,747 square kilometers has suffered numerous poaching incidents. The national park is famous for its large numbers of various birds, elephants, black rhinos, leopards, giraffes, lions and buffaloes among others.