Lake Nakuru park threatened by rise in poacher attacks

The Kenya Wildlife Service managed park is used as a breeding ground to replenish rhino stocks at other national parks and private wildlife conservancies.

Late last month, the park lost two white rhinos to poachers. Another gang sneaked into the sanctuary on Monday night but it was fought off by wardens, leaving one poacher dead.

The park Senior Warden, Mr John Wambua said rangers discovered the slain poacher’s body on Tuesday morning.
He added that a gun, M16 with seven rounds of ammunition was also recovered.

Mr Wambua said his officers spotted the poachers just before they (poachers) could kill a family of rhinos following a tip-off by the public.

“A member of the community neighbouring the park called here at about 10pm telling us that he had seen three people sneak into the park through the fence at Nganyoi area,” he said.

Mr Wambua said following the tip-off, a team of rangers was deployed to Makalia, within the park which neighbours Nganyoi to lay an ambush for the poachers.

“We knew the poachers were targeting a certain white rhino territory near Makalia Falls and our officers lay in wait, at about mid-night, the rangers spotted the intruders and a shoot-out ensued,” he said.

The latest incident was the third attempt in the past five years at the secured park which is surrounded by communities, both urban and rural.

The 188 square kilometre Lake Nakuru National Park was established as a rhino sanctuary in 1984 and solar powered electric fenced constructed around it two years later by Rhino Rescue Trust.

It is the first and the largest government-managed sanctuary for both the docile white rhinos and the hostile black rhinos.

The park has more than 100 white and black rhinos. It is also a bird and Rothschild giraffe sanctuary.