Ivory poachers have poisoned 14 elephants in two of Zimbabwe's national parks. Over the past two weeks, three elephants have been killed in Matusadona National Park and 11 more in Hwange National Park, the same park where Cecil the lion was shot in July.
Autopsies on the elephants' livers and kidneys have shown all of the deaths were as a result of cyanide poisoning. The cyanide is believed to have been placed in oranges in Matusadona and salt licks in Hwange. According to The Guardian, cyanide is readily available in Zimbabwe as it is used prolifically in its mining trade, helping to separate metals from ore.
At Hwange, five elephants of the 11 elephants still had their tusks, suggesting that the poachers had fled after being disrupted.
Experts estimate that 70% of ivory ends up in China where it is made into trinkets, ornaments and cutlery. The economic boom China experienced prior to this year has created a huge market for ivory, creating such a demand that a pound of ivory can sell for over $1,000 (£650).
Image: Ivory with a street value of $4.5 million (£3 million) seized in Hong Kong in 2013. Credit: IFAW/Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Hwange national park has been the site for numerous poaching incidents. In 2013 it saw the worst poaching massacre in southern Africa for 25 years when 300 elephants were slaughtered there. The UN has said that the number of elephants killed has doubled and illegal ivory trade has tripled in the last decade.
“We have had a number of poaching activities in the province – they are actually increasing each day. Some are done through the use of firearms and, of course, we have cases where we suspect there is cyanide poisoning,” said local police commander Clement Munoriarwa to state television.
According to Discovery News, five suspects have already been arrested and the Matusadona Anti-Poaching Project is offering a cash reward for any information about the crime.
Main image credit: Bruce Monroe/Flickr. (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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