Kenya Wildlife Service rangers have killed two poachers and recovered two tusks and a G3 rifle.

The tusks are for an elephant which was killed on Monday at the Lower Imenti Forest.Meru KWS senior warden Joshphat Erupe said the rangers were hunting for poachers who had killed an elephant on monday when they found the tusks.

At the scene where they found the tusks, there was freshly prepared tea and a sack of clothes."The rangers then laid an ambush until 3am when the two poachers, one of Somali origin and the other we believe is a Mkamba, arrived. They defied orders to stop and our rangers opened fire killing them on the spot," Erupe said.

He said the poachers had not been identified but added they are believed to be members of a cartel in Meru.Erupe said the poachers may have killed another elephant as the spear had fresh blood stains.

He said there are several cartels of poachers in the region. He said they have the names of suspects but they are still conducting investigations.

"We have names of several members of these cartels but we are yet to confirm where they are really poachers. We can't link this incidence with those cartels. We believe this is a new cartel since we do not have their names," he said.

He called on the community living near the forest to help stop poaching. Erupe said poachers are destroying the national heritage.