At least 22 elephants have died from suspected poisoning by poachers near Zimbabwe’s main game reserve as conservationists struggle to stem a spate of attacks.
“We recovered 22 elephant carcasses in the Sinamatela area yesterday and so far we have also recovered 35 tusks,” Caroline Washaya, spokeswoman for the parks and wildlife management authority, told reporters, adding: “Initial investigations indicate that there was cyanide poisoning. We continue to lobby for deterrent penalties for people found with poisonous substances such as cyanide. We can’t continue to lose wildlife at such a rate.”
The latest deaths came less than two weeks after 26 elephants died from poisoning in two separate incidents outside Hwange National Park, in the resort town of Kariba and near Zimbabwe’s border with Botswana. Four out of five suspects were jailed for a minimum of 15 years over that attack. And last month, at least 14 elephants died of poisoning in various attacks.
Poaching is common in Zimbabwe’s game parks with elephants and rhino as the main targets for their tusks and horns which are smuggled to eastern Asian countries.
Last year, more than 300 elephants died after suspected poachers placed cyanide near their watering holes.
There are more than 120,000 elephants roaming Zimbabwe’s poorly policed national parks.
Elephant tusks and other body parts are highly prized in Asia and the Middle East for ornaments, as talismans and for use in traditional medicine.
