By Leocadia Bongben
Two persons found in possession of two elephant tusks and attempting to sell them in the Bonaberi neighborhood have been arrested for wildlife trafficking in the Littoral region.
A crackdown operation carried out by wildlife officials of the Littoral Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife in collaboration with the Regional Division of Judicial Police with the Great Ape Organization technically assisted in the operation leading to the arrest.
The tusks concealed in a bag were taken from the home of a former civil servant of the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife and used as decoration in his house.
According to the arrest facts, one of the suspects traveled from Ngaoundere to Douala to sell the tusks. He was the middleman. He is also at the center of some wildlife trafficking networks in the sub-region, including countries like Congo, Chad, and the Central African Republic.
The suspects belong to social media groups like Facebook, where they advertise and trade wildlife products, including elephant tusks.
Continued efforts in the conservation of elephants by the government and its partners have started to show early signs of success, although several challenges still plague meaningful change. Recently, a new survey carried out by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in collaboration with the government revealed that the forest elephant population has remained relatively stable in some parts of the East region.
However, more effort is still needed to fight the illegal trade in elephant tusks due to human greed that targets these tusks.
The elephant is an iconic species. It plays an important role as the forest’s gardener, helping maintain the forest and savanna ecosystem for other species, including humans.
Elephants are protected under the 2024 Cameroon wildlife law, and the two suspects may face imprisonment terms of up to 20 years and/or pay a fine of up to 50 million FCFA if found guilty according to the provisions.