Poachers will be killed as a measure of curbing the problem in Kenya, a BBC report has said.
Michael Dyer of Borana Conservancy said a hand-picked team of local men were enrolled as Kenya Police Reservists and "given the right to use lethal force".
"They operate as a four-man team, comprising a sniper, two rifle men and a signaler," he said.
Dyer said the team is trained by a former special forces instructor from the British Army in order to curb the menace, as rhino population continued to decrease despite the establishment of sanctuaries.
"We lost 17 from a population of 90, we were outgunned and outwitted and so we had to up our game," he said.
Boda bodas have made it even easier for poachers to be ferried into the bush where cached weapons are retrieved for the hunt.
Dyer said the militia are equipped with night vision gear and digital radios to enable them call in for ground and air reinforcement when need arises.
He said this was the "safest way" of dealing with poachers, who face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
"We offer them the opportunity to surrender their weapons but after they have been incapacitated. It's brutal but it works," he added.
The team monitors 102 rhinos and has so far killed 19 poachers.
In 2015, no rhino was poached in Lewa while one was shot last July in the Borana Conservancy.
