Photos not suitable for the faint of heart are those that portray the massacre of 26 elephants, including 4 cubs, after a group of 17 Kalashnikov-armed poachers raided the Dzanga-Ndoki natural park, in the Central African Republic.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
These photos are not suitable for the faint of stomach those that portray the massacre of at least 26 elephants, including 4 cubs, after a group of 17 Kalashnikov-armed poachers raided the Dzanga-Ndoki Natural Park, in the Central African Republic, which is also a World Heritage Site. This was revealed by the WWF, reporting direct sources of its volunteers who work in the area of Dzanga Bai, a place known as the "elephant village".
It is a large clearing where between 50 and 200 elephants gather every day to drink the mineral salts present in the sand. This is where the rebels surprised the elephants. What remains of them is documented by the gruesome images of WWF men: it is a real "elephant cemetery", with dozens and dozens of carcasses deprived of their fangs, evidence that poachers continue to kill offspring for ivory to be sold on global markets, despite Africa's 1989 poaching ban. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, about 25.000 African elephants are killed every year. As the shots show, it is also evident that local villagers had begun to take meat from the remains of dead animals.
According to the testimonies, poachers would belong to one of the militias of the Séléka coalition who took power in a coup d'état in the country. For this reason, the WWF, which is urging the government to commit itself to safeguarding people and wildlife from these vile attacks, asks the international community "to help restore peace and order in the Central African Republic, which was shaken by violence and chaos since the beginning of the year, and to ensure a stronger local and global response to stop the crimes against wildlife that are threatening entire populations of elephants, rhinos and tigers ”.
Given the size of the Dzanga-Ndoki attack, it is easy to imagine, in fact, that such raids in a protected area could become more frequent, giving rise to one of the largest elephant massacres in recent history. The WWF also asks "that Cameroon and the Republic of Congo help the Central African Republic in preserving this heritage of humanity, which includes not only Dzanga Bai, but also large areas adjacent to these two countries". Finally, we add, this tragedy should also spur the governments of China and Thailand to take action to close their ivory markets, which are fueling the illicit trade.
Roberta Ragni
READ also:
- Stop the ivory trade. Thailand's announcement to CITES
