Poachers Poison 14 Elephants in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority reports that 14 elephants have been poisoned by cyanide – 11 in Hwange National Park (the same site of the Cecil the Lion killing) and 3 in Matusadona National Park in western Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and Zimbabwean police have arrested five suspects.
Not the first time
In 2013, about 300 elephants were poisoned in Hwange National Park. Cyanide is easy to get in Zimbabwe because there are so many mines in the country. It is a quiet method of killing and does not bring the same attention than gunshots do; this allows poachers to make a quick getaway.It was a deliberate attack
A source in the National Parks Office says that the attack in Matusadona was deliberate. It was likely carried out with orange peels laced with cyanide. The elephants in Hwange were poisoned using a salt lick laced with cyanide.Several of their tusks were removed
Four of the elephants had their tusks removed. Others still had them attached, so the poachers were probably interrupted. The rest were too young to have grown tusks, with the youngest being 3 months old, the office said.A silent killer
Carel Verhoef, a professional African guide, says that cyanide poisoning is a horrible way to die. It affects the body’s breathing and functionality until one dies of suffocation. Elephants are very intelligent and family-oriented creatures, so attacks like these are devastating to their communities.“It would be extremely disruptive to the herd and its structure,” Verhoef said. “If these elephants were part of a breeding herd and the adult cows died, then the sub-adults would not have any structure and the chances are high that they will become ‘problem’ elephants.”
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