Poachers have slaughtered 170 elephants in Niassa National Reserve in the last nine months, conservation area administrator Cornelio Miguel says.
With just over 42,000 square kilometers, the Niassa reserve is the largest of its kind in Mozambique, covering Mecula, Mavago, Majune, Muembe, Marrupa and Sanga districts of Niassa province and extending into Cabo Delgado.
According to Miguel, quoted by Noticias, the number of elephant and other species carcasses found during the period has grown alarmingly over the last two years.
Miguel says that despite increased surveillance by the police and others linked to the reserve, an increasing number of people are turning to poaching. Ten elephants were killed in just one week, he says, their meat used for human consumption and the tusks traded in the Asian market.
Cornelio Miguel reports that recent police investigations recovered 10 guns of various calibers, including AKM-47s.
The poachers have been charged and will be to court for trial.
http://clubofmozambique.com/news/poachers-slaughter-170-elephants-niassa-national-reserve/