Poachers have killed more than 200 elephants in Cameroon in just six weeks, in a "massacre" fuelled by Asian demand for ivory.
A local government official said heavily armed poachers from Chad and
Sudan had decimated the elephant population of Bouba Ndjida National
Park in Cameroon's far north in a dry season killing spree.
"We are talking about a very serious case of trans-frontier poaching,
involving well-armed poachers with modern weapons from Sudan and Chad
who are decimating this wildlife species to make quick money from the
international ivory trade," said Gambo Haman, governor of Cameroon's
North region, Reuters reports.
Speaking on local radio, Haman said some of the poachers were on
horseback and operated in cahoots with the local population, who were
given free elephant meat and were glad to be rid of animals that damage
their crops.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said cross-border
poaching was common during the dry season but the scale of the killings
so far this year was unprecedented.
"This latest massacre is massive and has no comparison to those of the preceding years," the group said in a statement.
Citing a record number of large scale ivory seizures in 2011, TRAFFIC, a
conservation group which tracks trends in wildlife trading, has warned
of a surge in elephant poaching in Africa to meet Asian demand for tusks
for use in jewelry and ornaments.
Underlining the clout of the poaching force, Haman said a group of 50
had killed six Chadian soldiers who tried to arrest them as they fled
with the ivory.
"In January we counted 146 (elephant) carcasses and since the beginning
of this month we've had close to 60 already. This may only be a tip of
the iceberg as some may have been killed in parts of the park that we
cannot access," Haman added.
Cameroon has dispatched a rapid reaction force to the zone but Haman
said there were not enough troops to cover the remote park in Cameroon's
far north.
IFAW said it was not clear how many elephants remained in Cameroon but a 2007 estimate but the figure a between 1,000 and 5,000.
TRAFFIC has said that the spike in poaching and illegal ivory trade in
Africa was a direct consequence of China's investment drive into the
continent.
-Written by Reuters
1 comment:
I think the Government especially the Local Government should consider thoroughly the enforcement of laws regarding illegal activities like this.
Bryce Activities
Post a Comment