By Leocadia Bongben
Two engineers, along with two other people suspected of wildlife trafficking, have appeared at the Ebolowa Court of First Instance. They had four elephant tusks at the time of their arrest.
The suspected traffickers were arrested on July 23rd during a crackdown operation by wildlife officials of the South Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife in collaboration with the South Regional Division of Judicial Police.
Three of the traffickers, including a forestry engineer, a secondary school teacher, and an electromechanical engineer, were found in possession of 4 elephant tusks, which they were attempting to sell some kilometers away from “Carrefour Samba.” The forestry engineer works with a logging company, while the two others work with the government.
The fourth trafficker, the mastermind of the illegal trade, who tried to hide from being arrested, was apprehended shortly by wildlife officials after the first three suspects were arrested and taken to the Forestry and Wildlife Office for further procedure. They belong to a suspected ivory trafficking ring operating in the region. LAGA, a wildlife enforcement support body, provided technical assistance during the operation.
The network is composed of traffickers, with each having a role to play in the illegal sale of elephant tusks. One of them collected and stored the elephant tusks at his home. The others played the roles of middlemen and salesmen. One of the traffickers traveled with the tusks from Ambam to Ebolowa, concealed in a rice bag. The four suspects were presented before a state prosecutor and charged in court with illegally possessing ivory.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, an estimated 6.830 elephants live in the country, making it one of the largest elephant populations left in Africa, according to elephant conservation groups. This population is rapidly decreasing as a result of poaching to supply the illegal ivory trade, with high demand coming from Asia. To protect elephants, the government, through the 1994 Wildlife Law, is intensifying efforts to clamp down on the illegal ivory trade. As a result, elephants are protected in the country. It should be noted that Parliament just voted on a new law that will replace the 1994 law.
The elephant is the world’s largest land animal and plays an important role as a forest gardener, helping to maintain the forest and savanna ecosystems for other species.