Terrorists in central Africa poach elephants from the air and saw off their tusks

#elephantpoaching #garamba #LRA #ivory #tusks Elephant poaching by terrorists in central Africa is assuming unimaginable proportions – reports in foxnews.com dated 3 February 2015 indicate that the extremist groups shoot the animals from helicopters and then use chainsaws to saw off their valuable tusks.
As per information, in the Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a total of 131 elephants were slaughtered since last April.
Poachers normally relied on “low technology,” and used to kill one or two elephants at a time. However, with the emergence of heavily armed groups like the Lord’s Resistance Army and Al Shabaab, right now the count is up to eight animals at a time. The tusks are then sold on the black market to be converted into luxury goods in places like China.
It seems the Lord’s Resistance Army, which is a vicious guerilla group, is the biggest offender. Elephant poaching has helped to breathe new life into the militant group. Ivory trafficked through Sudanese-held territory, apart from gold and diamonds, has become a major source of financing for this group.
As per rough estimates, nearly 100 elephants are killed across Central Africa every day for their ivory tusks. In 2012 around 35,000 elephants were believed to have been killed by poachers. As a result, the elephant population is on the decline – it has reduced more than 50 percent in the last 30 years.