Photo: Amboseli Park

Increased poaching to render Elephant population extinct in the country.

The Mt Kenya region Hotel Keepers Association yesterday asked the government to stop elephant poaching.

Anthony Kashero, the vice chairman of the association, yesterday led hundreds of hotel keepers in a peaceful walk in Isiolo to pressurise the government to act on the increasing cases of poaching in the country.

Kashero said 134 elephants were kiled in the region last year, 101 in 2011 and 63 in 2010. "We want the government to declare this a national disaster because hundreds of elephants have been killed by poachers," he said.

Kashero said the poachers are now using sophisticated equipments. "We are worried because poachers penetrate into protected areas to kill the wild animals and no one notices," said the vice chairman.

He said poaching is slowly affecting the tourism industry which is Kenya's main income earner. The group later moved to court to petition the Kenya Wildlife Services, the Isiolo County Council and the county commissioner for laxity in curbing poaching.

According to recently released elephant statistics, the number of elephants in the area has reduced from 7,415 in 2008 to 6,361 in 2012. Grevy Zebras have gone down from 2,400 in 2008 to 1,870. KWS blamed the decrease to poaching.