14 DAY TRIAL // This past Thursday, significant progress was made in the fight against poaching in Africa. Thus, Symphorien Sangha, one of this region's most notorious and sought after elephant poachers and ivory smugglers, was caught by the Cameroonian Gendarmerie.
As was to be expected, environmentalists and conservationists were overjoyed at the news, and they are now asking that the Cameroonian government spares no efforts in making this man pay for his crimes against wildlife.
Apparently, not only did Symphorien Sangha track down and kill elephants in order to take their tusks on his own, but he also helped other poachers do the very same thing.
More precisely, he served as a guide for them, teaching them how and where to find the animals they were after, and how to stay clear of rangers.
Authorities have been trying to catch this man for quite some time now, yet Symphorien Sangha always managed to escape.
This was because he did not shy away from opening fire and shooting at the rangers who were trying to keep him from killing elephants.
Back in 2010, Symphorien Sangha seriously injured an ecoguard, so it is to be expected that he will also have to answer for these crimes.
Most of the elephants this poacher killed were from a network of protected areas which encompasses parts of Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, and which is listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
Commenting on Symphorien Sangha's arrest, one of the leaders of the World Wildlife Fund said that, “WWF [the World Wildlife Fund] congratulates the Cameroonian government and its law enforcement authorities for having caught one of the most notorious elephant poachers in the Central African region.”
Furthermore, “This is a chance for Cameroon to show it is serious about tackling the wildlife crime that undermines security and development in the region.”