Nairobi — The Government will recruit 600 game rangers to curb the thorny issue of human/wildlife conflict in the country.

Tourism minister Karisa Maitha said the rangers will be recruited over the next six months.

For some years, the wildlife organisation has not recruited rangers though hundreds of them have retired, leaving very few to contain the rogue game menace effectively , he said.

"Wild animals have been terrorising people and wreaking havoc on their property and crops and we must end this," he said.

Maitha made the remarks when he toured Malindi Marine Park accompanied by KWS director Evans Mukolwe and Tourism director Kipkorir Lagat.

Earlier, Malindi District Commissioner Mabeya Mogaka said wild animals such as elephants and hippos had occasioned the residents huge losses by destroying their crops.

This crop destruction had in turn aggravated the famine situation in the area, said the DC.

He said there was need for KWS to increase patrols in the areas bordering Arabuko, Sokoke and Jilore forests to curb the human/wildlife conflict.

The Malindi marine park senior warden Wilson Korir said the shortage of rangers was making it hard for them to patrol marine reserves and forest areas.