Nairobi — Mara Conservancy Company rangers have arrested 222 poachers in the Maasai Mara Game Reserves since the beginning of the year.

The conservancy firm's Chief Executive, Brian Heats, said about 215 of the poachers are foreigners while the rest are Kenyans.

Mr Heats said Kenya had some of the world's best wildlife species but the country's tourism future had been threatened by the large number of poachers who had invaded the park in search of animals parts.

He said rangers from his company, which is managing the park on behalf of Trans Mara County council, and those from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), had been deployed near Serengeti National Park, where it is believed that scores of elephant poachers are hiding.

Heats said his firm had also enhanced the security of tourists to the park by ensuring that strangers were totally denied access to the site.

"Night tourism is on the increase in Maasai Mara and the guests are being accompanied by heavily armed rangers," he said.