Kenya Wildlife Service rangers gunned down three suspected poachers in a national park and seized an AK-47 rifle on Sunday.

Two rounds of ammunition, a spear, an axe and a scale also were recovered after a fierce firefight in Aberdare National Park, about 160 kilometers north of the capital Nairobi.

An elephant in the park was poached on May 12, and since then, KWS had intensified patrols and intelligence-gathering there, according to a KWS statement.

It also said KWS security personnel have been following up intelligence about three men who are believed to have been poaching in the last three days.

At about 6:30 pm, two rangers, while gathering intelligence, were informed that the three men had already entered the park. The two rangers, who decided to mount an ambush on one of the routes frequently used by poachers in the park after their efforts at tracing failed, heard murmurs around 8 pm.

The suspects refused to surrender and opened fire on the rangers, according to KWS. They were found dead after the gun battle.

Police identified two of the deceased as Lazarus Kanyiri Kaheho, 33, from Tetu, and Erastus Kagara from Mwiyogo location in Nyeri County. The third body has yet to be identified.

houliqiang@chinadaily.com.cn