Four suspected traffickers, two engineers, and two others shall take the stand at the Ebolowa Court of First Instance on October 25 to answer to charges brought against them. They were indicted for illegal possession of 4 elephant tusks.
On July 23rd, wildlife officials from the South Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife, in collaboration with the South Regional Division of Judicial Police, arrested four suspected traffickers: a forestry engineer, an electromechanical engineer, a government secondary school teacher, and one other suspect.
The presiding court deferred the case from August 23 to October 25 to hear the parties’ presentations and arguments. LAGA, a wildlife law enforcement support organization, aids officials with the legal procedures.
The ivory trade is rampant in the South, making it a high-risk area for elephants. In August, customs officials recovered 15 elephant tusks near Ambam. In 2021, 120 elephant tusks were seized there. In 2017, Djoum authorities captured 216 elephant tusks and 81 elephant tails. These seizures indicate approximately 85 elephants were slain, considering each elephant possesses two tusks.
Elephants are protected in the country, yet despite a ban on ivory trading, elephants continue to be murdered, most likely due to weak court rulings that do not dissuade traffickers. If proven guilty under the provisions of the 1994 wildlife law, the four suspects could face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to ten million FCFA.
The new wildlife law (promulgated on July 24, 2024) imposes harsher penalties for such violations. Article 173 of this law provides for a maximum prison term of 20 years and a fine of 50 million FCFA.