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| 28 elephants killed |
Poachers are quite active in Cameroon, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo as they are looking for ivory. Officials indicate that over the past few weeks the conservation organization WWF has found 28 elephants killed and stripped of their tusks in the national parks. Sadly the poachers are using AK-47s and other automatic weapons on the elephants, and this poses an enormous risk to the population of endangered elephants in the area.
The price of ivory in Asia is quite high these days, sparking increased activity from the poachers. Last year around 200 elephants in the Bouba Ndjida National Park were slaughtered by poachers. The country is trying to protect the park and the elephants, but given the rate this is happening, it seems a difficult problem to rectify. Previously it seemed the savannah elephants were a popular target. The news that 28 elephants were killed over the past month in these parks indicates that the endangered forest elephants have become a new target now as well.