Kenyan wildlife rangers have killed three poachers in a shoot-out in the north of the country, dpa cited a spokesman for the Kenya Wildlife Service as saying Thursday. "The three suspects from a poaching mission were shot dead in Isiolo County after a shoot-out with Kenya Wildlife Service personnel," said Paul Udoto, spokesman for the KWS. "Also impounded were two motorbikes carrying 30 kg of ivory. The killings are the latest in deadly battle between rangers and poachers looking to profit from the illegal trade in ivory and bush meat. Earlier this month, two rangers were shot dead near Kenya's sprawling Tsavo East national park while on patrol. The ivory trade has been banned since 1989, but illegal sales have thrived with demand being fuelled largely by the Far East. Kenyan authorities last year made more than ten seizures of ivory, both carved and raw, at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta national airport and Mombasa port.
