On December 18, 2024, a pastor of a Born Again church was arrested for trafficking in animals. He was discovered in Yaounde with two other people who were illegally in possession of six elephant tusks that they were trying to sell.
They were captured during a crackdown operation by the Center Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife’s wildlife officers and the Regional Division of Judicial Police.
The suspected smugglers had concealed the six ivory tusks in a flour bag in a Yango cab in the Emana area. Shortly before the arrest, they took a cab to the transaction location. The Last Great Ape Organization, LAGA, provided technical assistance during the operation.
They were escorted to the wildlife office for questioning and additional research. The arrest’s facts indicate that the pastor was the ring’s mastermind and obtained the tusks from a former magistrate whose family attends the Born Again Church. One of the suspects, a close neighbour to the church, also played the role of middleman and salesman.
According to the Monitoring the Unlawful Killing of Elephants initiative, 3004 unlawful elephants have been slaughtered over the past 20 years to protect African savanna elephants. According to Global Conservation, less than 2000 African forest elephants survive after more than 95% of them were exterminated.
The largest terrestrial mammal in the world, elephants serve as forest gardeners, preserving savanna and forest ecosystems for other species. But there are too many hazards to elephants, such as poaching, which feeds the ivory trade.
Elephants are protected in Cameroon, and the government is increasing efforts to combat the illegal ivory trade through the 2024 wildlife law.
According to the 2024 Wildlife Law, the three suspects could be imprisoned for up to 20 years and/or fined up to 50 million FCFA if convicted.