Poachers Killing Elephants, Their Protectors in Northern Cameroon

GAROUA, CAMEROON —

Cameroon says a wave of attacks by armed elephant poachers has killed at least eight soldiers and rangers in a northern national park. The poachers killed elephants too, further shrinking the population of the increasingly endangered animals.

A decomposing carcass of an elephant without its tusks lies in Cameroon's Bouba Ndjida national park some 17 kilometers from the border with Chad.

Forest ranger Lamza Abdoulahi says two of his colleagues were killed less than a week ago by heavily armed poachers. It was just one of several attacks within the past month.

The ranger, Abdoulahi, said the poachers invaded Cameroon through its northern border with Chad, killed so many elephants and people who tried to resist and then escaped across the border before military reinforcement could come.

He said the rangers' old weapons, like the rusty rifle he carries, are no match for the poaching gangs. Village self-defense groups protecting the park have just machetes and spears.

Jean Abate, governor of the north region of Cameroon where Bouba Ndjida is located, said eight soldiers and forest rangers as well as several members of village self-defense groups have been killed.

He said the government of Cameroon has taken energetic measures to stop the attackers. He said the protection of Cameroon's territorial integrity and all of its resources must be assured to secure the population and prevent a mass killing of elephants like what happened in 2012 when the park lost 200 of the majestic animals.

In 2012, officials reported incursions by Sudanese and Chadian poachers armed with machine guns and also operating in gangs on horseback. Prior to that year, Bouba Ndjida was home to an estimated 1,000 elephants. Conservation groups say the park lost at least 400 elephants in 2012, double the government estimate.

Eric Kaba, of the international conservation group the Last Great Ape, said Cameroon is not alone. Vast numbers of elephants in Africa have been slaughtered to feed consumer demand for ivory in Asian countries.

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Hong Kong’s ivory ban sparks fresh hope for endangered elephants

Along with China's ban last year, the Hong Kong government's decision to outlaw the sale of ivory has conservationists hopeful it will bring down the rate at which elephants are being poached in Africa.

March 2, 2018 —Smooth white bracelets, intricate carvings of women in flowing gowns, and majestic horses are among the countless items that are disappearing from shop windows in mainland China as the government implements an ivory trading ban for the world’s largest consumer of ivory.

And now Hong Kong, the largest ivory retail market, is preparing to do the same. Lawmakers voted Jan. 31 to ban the sale of ivory starting in 2021, and increase penalties for wildlife crimes. Both bans include exceptions for certain antiques and cultural relics.

Wildlife researchers say the ivory bans in China and Hong Kong are promising steps toward conserving elephant populations, as legal markets often function as a cover for illegal markets. By closing legal markets of ivory, legislators and conservationists hope to further restrict access to ivory and lower prices and demand for ivory products.

“Bans on ivory reduce the incentive to poach for elephants because there’s nowhere for the ivory to go,” says Elly Pepper, deputy director of the wildlife trade initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington.

Banning ivory, along with wider efforts to crack down on the illegal ivory trade, is ultimately aimed at saving elephants whose numbers are threatened by high levels of poaching.

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