"We have sent reinforcements to curb killing of wildlife there," said Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) spokesman Gichuki Kabukuru.

On December 22, KWS rangers killed two Ugandan poachers, recovered two AK-47 assault rifles, 110 rounds of ammunition and a quantity of eland meat, Kabukuru said.

In recent years, elephants in the park on the foot of the extinct Mount Elgon volcano, which straddles the Kenyan-Ugandan border about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of Nairobi, have been hit by poachers as well as clashes between tribes in both countries.