Since 14 April, 14 elephants were killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The upsurge in poaching in the region is said to be in reponse to the arrival of Chinese ivory buyers, reports AFP

Fourteen elephants killed in eastern DR Congo: activists
AFP
2 May 2008

KINSHASA (AFP) — Rebels and villagers have killed 14 elephants in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in the past two weeks, a wildlife group said Thursday.

Since April 14, Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda killed four; Congolese FARDC and Maimai rebels killed eight and local villagers killed two elephants in Virunga National Park, the Nairobi-based WildlifeDirect said in a statement.

"This is the worst month we have seen in a long time in terms of recorded elephant deaths," said Alexandre Wathaut, the provincial director for the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN).

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hQH2A3Ljj4ma2gR7FB3i3e9pQScA

Visit the above URL to read the full story...

News items on this page are from external sources and TRAFFIC cannot be held responsible for the authenticity of their content, nor for the continuing presence of original links

News items are provided for information only and are not intended to represent TRAFFIC policies, positions, opinions or views on the issues raised in the item