It is considered the most serious elephant slaughter ever. In Botswana, 87 carcasses of animals killed by poachers for their tusks have been found, in great demand on the Chinese market
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIt is considered the most serious elephant slaughter ever. In Botswana, 87 animal carcasses were found killed by poachers for their tusks, which are in great demand on the Chinese market.
The battered bodies of elephants were found near a famous wildlife sanctuary in Botswana. The Elephants Without Borders group, which is conducting an aerial survey, said this poaching-related slaughter is the largest ever seen in Africa.
Botswana has the largest elephant population in the world. Much of the 87 dead elephants were killed for their tusks a few weeks ago and 5 other white rhinos have been killed in the past 3 months.
"I am shocked, I am completely amazed," said Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders.
The last elephant census, conducted in the country in 2015, recorded double the number of elephants compared to the rest of Africa. The bad news is that according to the census, one third of African elephants had been killed in the last decade and 60% of those in Tanzania had been killed in 5 years.
Il Botswana it is home to the largest number of African elephants in the world, around 130.000. This is also due to the hard line against poachers, at least until recently.
Despite the lack of fences on the international border, data from the detection collars showed that the elephants withdrew from Angola, Namibia and Zambia and decided to stay within the borders of Botswana, where they were thought to be safe.
Poaching incidents in the country have been rare due to a series of armed anti-poaching units but the new government of President Mokgweetsi Masisi disarmed them in May.
A senior official in the president's office, Carter Morupisi, told Botswana reporters that "the government has decided to withdraw weapons and military equipment from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks," but did not explain why.
These latest killings were found in the heart of Botswana - near the Okavango Delta Wildlife Sanctuary, which attracts tourists from all over the world.
"People have warned us of an impending poaching problem and we thought we were ready to do so," said Chase, who said that the cause of the increase in deaths was the disarmament of the country's anti-poaching unit.
Where do the fangs go?
The suspicions fall on the Asian market and in particular on China. Although the country has banned the ivory trade, it is likely that there is an underground market, which also passes through Cambodia and Vietnam, where Chinese operators recover it and then put it on the black market or sell it to tourists.
READ also:
- Horrible slaughter of elephants in Dzanga Bai, the "elephant village" (Strong images)
- Elephants are being born without tusks to protect themselves from poaching (PETITION)
- Slaughter of elephants in Africa: ivory sold for bullets
Francesca Mancuso
Foto: Elephants Without Borders
