Kenyan police arrested three people in Narok Tuesday (July 30th) on suspicions that they were on their way to poach animals at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya's Daily Nation reported.

They were apprehended following a tip-off from locals that armed men had checked in a lodge at the Sikinani trading centre, said Mara District Officer Samuel Mbuto. The three were carrying a firearm, an axe, two hacksaws and night vision binoculars.

"The three checked in on Friday and asked for services at the bar and butchery but they never left the room," Mbuto said.

The suspects include one former Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer who had been fired for poaching elephants and was under warrant for arrest after jumping bond, he said.

The KWS recently announced that 162 elephants and 21 rhinos have been killed in the past seven months.