Elephants massacred in Cameroon
Wildlife protection groups have raised the alarm after 200 elephants were killed in the Bouba Ndjida National Park in Northern Cameroon. Such a figure constitutes approximately a third of the Park's total herd, and the death toll is expected to rise in light of the fact that orphaned calves are at severe risk of dying of hunger and thirst.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has accused a group of Sudanese poachers of the unprecedented attack. IFAW official Celine Sissler-Bienvenu explained that armed gangs commonly cross the border from Sudan during the dry season. "The ivory is smuggled out of West and Central Africa for markets in Asia and Europe, and the money it raises funds arms purchases for use in regional conflicts, particularly ongoing unrest in Sudan and in the Central African Republic," she explained.
"Since 2009 IFAW has provided anti-poaching assessment, training and support to rangers and conservation officials in central African countries which face severe challenges in the fight to end the bloody and cruel illegal ivory trade. What these countries now need is the commitment of the international community to financially support these highly skilled and motivated trainees to be able to meet the task of protecting elephants." she added.
High demand for ivory in Asia has fuelled poaching in recent years, and prices have rocketed due to unprecedented demand from a newly prosperous China. The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) banned all ivory trading worldwide in 1989.
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