Kenya suffers wave of elephant killings

In this file photo a baby elephant grazes with the adults in the Masai Mara game reserve, November 13, 2008. Poachers seeking valuable ivory have killed up to 20 elephants across north Kenya in the last two weeks, locals said on Wednesday.

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Poachers seeking valuable ivory have killed up to 20 elephants across north Kenya in the last two weeks, locals said on Wednesday.

Residents said the elephants were shot and stripped of their tusks in remote areas of Samburu, Laikibia and Marsabit districts, where wildlife is a major tourist draw.

Local Kenya wildlife official Robert Njue said authorities had confirmed five killings of elephants in a wave of poaching apparently driven by demand in Asia and South Africa.

"The presence of a well-organized gang of poachers on a business mission has been reported to us," he told reporters, adding that security personnel were tracking them.

The poachers have also been killing gazelles and impalas for food in a region suffering drought and shortages, he said.

(Reporting by Noor Ali; Editing by Matthew Jones)

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