NGOs urge Central African leaders to protect elephants from poachers

Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) – Eight NGOs have urged leaders in Central Africa to be personally involved in the fight against elephant poaching in the region, a communiqué in Brazzaville made available to PANA indicates.

It said the heads of State in the sub-region must implement solutions in a bid to save their elephants, animals representing a natural universal heritage.

The Deputy General Director of the NGO Wildlife Conservation Society, Jerone Mokolo, said “the situation is more than disastrous”.

“Twenty years ago, there were more than one million elephants in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today these animals number between 7 to 10,000. And Congo has lost over 5,000 elephants between 2009 and 2011," Mr. Mokoko deplored.

For the NGOs, “the alarming situation needs to be tackled urgently and efforts ought to be intensified by Central African leaders to save their elephants and put an end to criminal acts of poaching…”

The eight NGOs which made the appeal are the African Parks Network (APN), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Tri-national de la Sangha Fondation, Support Project on the Implementation of the Law on the Fauna, TRAFFIC, the International Union for Nature Conservation, Wilfe Conservation Society, World Nature Funds (WWF).
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