The Garamba National Park in Congo is the scene of an elephant mass-slaughter where 68 protected endangered elephants have been hunted down in a span of two months by poachers who had shot them with high powered rifles aboard helicopters. Aside from poachers, the Garamba National Park is also in the crossfire between daily assaults by Congolese soldiers versus a ragtag team of fighters from South Sudan and neighboring, troubled regions.
Garamba National Park Manager, Jean Marc Froment laments at the poaching situation in Africa. "The park is under attack on all fronts," he adds.
According to the African Parks group based in Johannesburg, South Africa, around 4% of elephants living in Garamba have been killed by poachers. In the 1960's, there had been 20,000 elephants recorded in the National Park but that number is down to 2,000 in 2012.
The rise of elephant poaching in Africa may be due to the growing demand for ivory in Asia. Conservationists say that the ivory market in Asia is thriving despite efforts of discouraging use of ivory tusks in herbal and tribal medicine. In China, ground ivory is believed to cure impotence.
The African Parks Group further report that poachers now use helicopters and chainsaws for poaching. One group of poachers have been shooting down on elephants grazing in the fields from helicopters while another group, based on land, is tasked to cut down their tusks, brains, and genitals with high-powered chainsaws. Even young elephants, especially those without tusks, are victimized by poachers.
Poachers have been identified in the past by African Parks as renegade army members. According to a report, some of the gunmen were part of the Lord's Resistance Army led by Joseph Kony, the subject of a 2012-viral campaign known as "KONY2012" which called for his capture. Other poachers are former members of of the Congolese army.
Conflicts between park rangers and poachers have also become more violent in recent months. In one encounter, South Sudanese poachers hurled hand grenades at park rangers. The assailants were reportedly wearing military camouflage. In 2009, another group, the LRA, attacked the Garamba National Park headquarters, killing 15 employees and their relatives.
Cynthia Walley, spokesperson for the African Parks Group, credits Garamba's lush vegetation for attracting elephants in the region. The large concentration of elephants has, in turn, attracted poachers.
In the previous year, an approximate total of 20,000 elephants have been killed by poachers in Africa.
