A top official in a Kenyan conservation group was Monday charged with illegal possession of 19 kilogrammes of elephant ivory worth more than $20,000.

Susan Soila, 50, deputy director of the community development wing of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants , a not-for-profit organisation conserving wildlife in one of Kenya's most famous national parks, was arrested on Sunday along with her son.

Both Soila and her son, Robert Ntawasa, 30, were charged on three counts of having ivory without permission, found in their car when police arrested them in Emali, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) southeast of the capital Nairobi.

They pled not guilty to all charges and were released on a bail of $2,350 (1,810 euro) each.

They allege that they were framed by members of the state-run Kenya Wildlife Service.

"The accused have been ... spear heading conservation efforts," lawyer Philip Murgor said. "This seems to have rubbed the Kenya Wildlife Service the wrong way."

The case will be heard on June 17.

Last year poachers slaughtered 384 elephants in Kenya, up from 289 in 2011, according to official figures, from a total population of around 35,000. This year, poachers have already shot dead more than 75.

Drunk tourist charges at South African elephant
Johannesburg (AFP) May 13, 2013 - Video footage of an inebriated tourist lunging out of his car and charging a wild elephant at South Africa's famous Kruger National Park caused an uproar on Monday.

The footage, posted on wildlife site Latest Sightings (www.latestsightings.com), showed the unidentified man charging towards the startled animal.

With friends cheering and encouraging him, the man runs towards the elephant, falls to the ground but gets up again and bolts in the direction of the animal.

"Run at him right now, run," a voice of a fellow tourist is heard over the footage, which appeared to have been filmed by his colleagues.

The elephant initially swings its trunk towards the man, but soon makes its escape.

The man returns to his cheering friends.

Latest Sightings said on its Facebook page that it received the video at the weekend but it was unclear when the incident occurred.

Wild animals in the two-million-hectare park sometimes attack visitors and elephants have been known to overturn the cars of sightseers.

The park's officials were not immediately reachable for comment, although wildlife advocates called for charges to be levelled against the tourist.