Poachers slaughter 30 elephants in DR Congo – ‘Poaching onslaught’ carried out by militias and military

Desdemona Despair

Kinshasa, 23 March 2015 (AFP) – Ivory-hungry poachers have killed 30 elephants in a Congolese national park in the past two weeks, park authorities said Monday, adding that the culprits were likely Sudanese militia.

News of the Garamba National Park slaughter came as wildlife experts warned at a major summit in Botswana that elephants could become extinct with a few decades if poaching continues.

Sudanese raiders are suspected of killing the endangered pachyderms, conservation director at African Parks Jean Marc Froment said.

“We have a group of north Sudanese coming inside the park, spreading in small groups and during 15 days they killed 30 elephants,” said Froment, whose group co-manages Garamba National Park, located in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Garamba is home to 1,700 elephants, according to wildlife surveys, making it a target for armed ivory poachers.

With just 150 rangers patrolling 13,000 square kilometres (8,000 square miles) of grassland and forest, it is difficult to keep the giant mammals safe.

Froment believes Sudanese militia are behind the latest killing spree. They spread into Garamba after finding the elephant population density was thinning in Central African Republic and northern Congo, he said.

“These are very experienced elephant hunters,” Froment added.

In 2012, Sudanese poachers killed as many as 300 elephants in 10 weeks in Bouba N’Djida National Park, northern Cameroon.

Some of those poachers wore government uniforms and carried army identity documents.

The Ugandan rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), whose ranks are infamously swelled by abducted children, have also poached in Garamba.

Ugandan troops who are meant to be hunting fugitive LRA chief Joseph Kony down, as well as members of the South Sudanese and Congolese armies, are also believed to be involved in poaching.

Last June, African Parks warned of a “poaching onslaught” in Garamba after 68 elephants were killed in just two months. Ten of them were slaughtered on a single day.

The parks authority singled out the LRA as a main culprit for that slaughter, though at least nine pachyderms were shot dead by a military helicopter. [more]

Poachers slaughter 30 elephants in DR Congo

Washington, D.C, 25 March 2015 (IFAW) — While highlighting some important progress in the fight against illegal wildlife trade, a high-level government meeting in Botswana will most likely be remembered by the broken promises of almost half of the countries who just 13 months ago committed themselves to a global effort to end the scourge.

The Kasane Conference on The Illegal Wildlife Trade, a follow up meeting to the February 2014 London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade, presented a progress report in which 15 of the 41 countries which signed onto last year’s London Declaration provided no evidence to show they were delivering on their commitments.

“It is appalling that countries like Chad, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo, with elephant populations under extreme threat from poaching for their ivory, can’t show any headway whatsoever in slowing the slaughter,” said Jason Bell, Director of the IFAW Elephant Programme.

“In Garamba National Park in the DRC, 30 elephants were killed in the week running up to this conference, and 68 have been killed in the park in the past two months alone.

“On the more positive side the progress reports from most signatories show a much more concerned effort to tackle illegal wildlife trade through international and national law enforcement capacity building operations; the destruction and removal from any possible of use of seized items such as ivory stockpiles in countries like Chad, Belgium, China and, as recently as last week, Ethiopia; and governments allocating significant funds into campaigns against illegal wildlife trade,” said Bell.

Bell said IFAW welcomed the recognition by governments of the role of non-governmental organizations in helping bring about behavior change, gathering vital intelligence for law enforcement agencies and sharing their expertise to train law enforcers.

“The report highlights various examples of where NGOs have contributed, including a conference hosted by Ethiopia and facilitated by IFAW where nine countries gathered to address issues experienced while fighting illegal wildlife trade and trafficking; the launch of the iThink awareness campaign in China of which IFAW is a member; and such endeavours as INTERPOL Operation Worthy where IFAW is involved; not to mention the acknowledgement of the need to tackle wildlife cybercrime,” said Bell.

The IFAW report, Wanted – Dead or Alive, Exposing Online Wildlife Trade documented a 2014 investigation into Internet trade in wildlife and wildlife products, which found over 33,000 endangered animals and wildlife products available for sale across 280 online marketplaces in 16 countries over a six week period. Information gained from the investigation was passed onto the law enforcement authorities for investigation,” said Bell.

Overall, IFAW believes much more needs to be done to ensure that wildlife crime is treated as serious and organized crime.

“As one of the world’s most lucrative criminal activities, valued at US$19-billion annually, illegal wildlife trade ranks among damaging and dangerous global crimes such as trafficking in drugs, people, oil and counterfeiting,” said Bell.

“Countries that say they have a commitment to fighting the scourge of wildlife crime need to step up to the plate and be seen to honour their promises. Otherwise important forums such as Kasane Conference are nothing more than talk shops.”

The 2013 IFAW report, Criminal Nature: The Global Security Implications of the Illegal Wildlife Trade, documents the threat the illegal wildlife trade poses to elephants, rhinos and people.

To combat this deadly illegal trade, IFAW trains law enforcement officers – more than 2,600 to date — in wildlife trafficking prevention in  source, transit and consumer countries throughout the world. The organization collaborates with INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Program, regional law enforcement bodies and national wildlife law enforcement agencies.

About IFAW

Founded in 1969, IFAW rescues and protects animals around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Photos are available at www.ifawimages.com.

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Progress and Broken Promises at Illegal Wildlife Trade Meeting