14 DAY TRIAL // Rumor has it that a total of 17 poachers have somehow gained access to an elephant stronghold in Congo.
The area that conservationists and wildlife guards are now keeping a close eye on is Dzanga Bai. This region is a clearing in the forest, which also features a waterhole.
About 200 forest elephants visit this area quite often, Mongabay says.
Should poachers have in fact entered this area, conservationists fear that the animals living here will soon all be massacred.
“Unless swift and decisive action is taken, it appears highly likely that poachers will take advantage of the chaos and instability of the country to slaughter the elephants living in this unique World Heritage Site,” stated WWF International Director General Jim Leape.
“Wildlife crime is not only a consequence of instability, but a cause. It fuels violence in the region, in a vicious circle that undermines the stability of these countries and their economic development,” he further argued.
The WWF and several other green-oriented organizations are now asking that immediate action be taken to prevent further bloodshed.