Category: Hippos, Poachers | Date: Jun 18 2008 | By: Kimojino

Rangers Nelson, Bett & Kimanjoi with dried hippo meat.

Last Sunday rangers from Serena Station were patrolling the border area with Serengeti when they received a radio call that a man had been spotted in the bushes on the Narok side of Mara River.

Immediately they were sent to the area and joined Ngiro-are and Mara Bridge Patrol Teams, as well as members of the GSU who had spotted the man and radioed our men. The area was searched and rangers quickly found scraps of paper recently discarded as well as some pieces of string.

Evidence of human activity inside the park.

Unfortunately the poachers were nowhere to be found. We searched all the surrounding thickets and along the lugga, but it was difficult to see where they had gone. Rangers did however find a poachers camp with dried hippo meat hanging in a tree.

Hippo meat hanging in a tree.

On Monday, rangers patrolling the Serengeti side near Mara Bridge came across another
poachers camp near Sand River, which had been deserted about 10 days earlier. It was very close to where the poachers camp was found on Sunday, as well as the man that the GSU had spotted. Rangers were able to tell that the poachers had been able to kill two hippos and had left with all of the meat.

It was agreed that although outside the Mara Triangle, this area is now a key area to check for poaching and should be patrolled regularly.