Three individuals suspected of poaching were apprehended over the weekend while transporting two elephant tusks weighing a total of 60 kilograms in Nkubu, Meru County.
Authorities from the police and the Kenya Wildlife Service reported that the tusks are valued at 6 million Kenyan Shillings.
This arrest was the result of a coordinated security operation conducted in the Kigene area of Nkubu Township.
The suspects were found transporting the tusks in a sedan, having hidden the items within a sack.
The operation took place at night on April 11, 2025, and law enforcement is currently seeking additional suspects connected to this case.
Investigators aim to determine the origin of the tusks, which are believed to have come from an elephant killed in the nearby Meru National Park.
The three individuals are expected to appear in court to face charges for possessing wildlife trophies from endangered species, in violation of Section 92(4) of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act of 2013.
This seizure occurred despite ongoing efforts and campaigns aimed at combating poaching in the region and across the country.
Elephant tusks command high prices on the black market, driven by increasing demand for ivory in the East, which continues to support the illegal trade of elephant tusks, particularly from Africa.
The illicit ivory trade is primarily fueled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks and rhino horns are utilized in the creation of ornaments and traditional medicines.
Officials have noted that, despite a global ban on the ivory trade, African elephants continue to be poached in significant numbers.
In response to this crisis, Kenya has begun employing advanced surveillance technologies, including drones, to monitor poachers and track elephant and rhino populations.
The Kenya Wildlife Service, along with various stakeholders, has implemented strategies to eliminate all forms of wildlife crime, particularly poaching.
These strategies encompass enhanced community education, interagency collaboration, and intensive intelligence-driven operations, among other initiatives.
As a result of these efforts, Kenya achieved zero rhino poaching in 2020, marking the first occurrence of such a milestone in nearly twenty years.
