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Peter Ngea on Elephant Poaching

Submitted by Ms. Lannon from Charlotte, North Carolina on October 7, 2004

Peter Ngea, Communication Manager for the World Wildlife Fund - Central African Region, shares his knowledge of poaching and poaching control.

Questions and Answers

Question #1.
How do you catch the poachers?
Answer:
Game guards make regular raids in the forest. Most poachers set up make-shift camps in the heart of the forest, where they stay for several days or weeks killing animals and storing them. Most often, game rangers arrive and arrest them, burn their camps, and seize whatever game they find. Poachers are also arrested in markets where they show up to sell bushmeat. Most major roads have checkpoints manned by game guards who easily arrest poachers or drivers found transporting bushmeat.

Question #2.
What do the poachers make out of the African Elephants tusks?
Answer:
Most of the poachers do nothing but kill the animals. The elephant tusks are sold to business people who export them illegally. Many crafts are made out of elephant ivory.

Question #3.
How do you keep the poachers away from the African Elephant?
Answer:
The only way is to carry out regular raids and checks. Poachers arrested are jailed and/or fined heavy sums. World Wildlife Fund is also encouraging local communities to raise chicken, sheep, etc. so that they could depend less on poached meat.

Question #4.
After the poachers get the tusks, what do they do with the rest of the elephant?
Answer:
Sometimes they get the tusks and collect the meat for sale. At other times, they take off the tusks and allow the rest of the animal to rot in the forest because the elephant is so large that it is impossible to carry one away at one time.

Question #5.
Why do poachers kill the African Elephant to get to the tusks; why not use tranquilizer darts?
Answer:
Even if they use tranquiler darts, the elephant will not live after the tusks are rooted out. Most of the poachers are illiterate and know little or nothing about darts. World Wildlife Fund is promoting campaigns to make everyone aware that it is illegal to trade in tusks or to kill elephants.


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