The Backstory- 81 Elephants Dead

Remember how 81 elephants were killed a few days ago?  Well the police discovered that the leader put deadly mixtures into the watering holes of elephants and other wildlife.  

HARARE, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe's government said Monday that a "poaching syndicate" has killed at least 81 elephants, unknown numbers of buffalos and kudus by poisoning in the country's largest national park.

Six suspects were arrested two weeks ago but the scale of the cyanide-poisoning has only gradually unfolded as more elephant carcasses were discovered in the sprawling Hwange National Park. Authorities on Monday warned "huge spiral effects" as primary predators like lions, vultures, and others that feed on the contaminated elephants carcasses would be poisoned as well.

Police revealed that the syndicate, led by a South African businessman, mixed up a combination of cyanide, salt and water and poured the cocktail in about 35 salt licks at watering holes known to be frequented by elephants. At other watering holes the poachers would dig holes and place containers containing the deadly mixture into the holes.

Zimbabwe's newly appointed Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Savior Kasukuwere declared a "war" against poaching.

"We declare zero tolerance to poaching. We must put a stop to this. We cannot continue with this non-sense," state media quoted Kasukuwere as saying after he went to inspect the ecological impact of the poisoning -- his second trip in a week.

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Walter Mzembi, who accompanied Kasukuwere to Hwange, described the poisoning as case as "murder" of Zimbabwe's our wildlife and pledged to take the fight to those international source markets.

Hwange, spanning 14,651 square kilometers, is home to about 50, 000 African elephants. Over the years, elephant population in Africa has been rapidly declining due to rampant poaching. Zimbabwe is among a few countries, mostly in southern Africa, that still have a significant number of elephants.

The Zimbabwean government allows ivory trade in the domestic market, but puts strong restrictions on exporting the ivory products. The country's law provides maximum 11 years in prison for people convicted of poaching.

~Africa News
September 23, 2013

Go make a difference!