Kenya's new front in poaching battle: 'the future is in the hands of our communities'

In a country hit by a devastating poaching surge for rhino horn and elephant ivory, local people are turning the tide - but the wider problems of demand, corruption and organised crime remain

"It's hard work. I cut their tusks off with an axe," said Abdi Ali, a northern Kenyan pastoralist who became a full-time poacher at 14. With three other men it took him about 10 minutes to kill each of the 27 elephants he poached, cutting off the trunk, splitting the skull and removing the ivory that would later fetch 500 Kenyan shillings (3) a kilo.

But while he became rich compared with the cattle herders, who mostly live on less than $1 (68p) a day, he did not find happiness. "Much as I had money, it was money I couldn't enjoy in peace, because I was on the run."