They were also in possession of the remains of primates and unregistered firearms.
Two men in Tonga known as poachers were arrested by a joint team of officials of the Departmental Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife Ndé department, the elements of the gendarmerie Bangangté company and an international organization supporting the implementation of the wildlife law: The Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA). It is reported that these two traffickers including a former civil servant, aged 55 and 56 years respectively, were caught in a bar on the outskirts of the city as they were about to sell a mandrill skull (ape), a jaw and an elephant femur. During a search of their home, a gun and traps to capture animals were found.
Pending their court appearance, they were remanded in custody. They risk, if found guilty, imprisonment up to three years and/or a fine of up to CHF 10 million CCFA in accordance with the 1994 law governing forests, wildlife, and fishing.
According to one source, this elephant was shot in the Waza National Park and its ivory sold many years before the arrest of the two men. Waza National Park is located in a region that faces terrorism and trafficking in wildlife products—another source of funding for terrorists.
It should be noted that trafficking in wildlife products has a negative effect on wild populations, including elephants. According to an online publication, statistics show that in Africa, the current number of elephants was estimated at 434,000 against 10 million in 1900. The situation of pachyderms is serious. Moreover, according to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which lists all the rare animals, the African elephant is classified as “vulnerable.”
In other words, this species “is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.” The Asian continent is an important area of ??demand for ivory on the black market because of its rich and emerging population, which obviously favors the killing of elephants. By cons, China, which is considered the largest market in the region has just taken an important measure banning the import of ivory for at least one year—an example that has to be spreading!