The Largest Elephant Slaughter in Ethiopia

At least six elephants were killed in a single day by poachers in Ethiopia last week, wildlife officials said. “The elephants were killed while they ventured out of the Mago National Park to drink water,” Ganabul Bulmi, the park’s chief warden, told The Associated Press. “The poachers then removed all the tusks from the elephants. It was a mass killing. We haven’t seen anything like this before.” Two other elephants might have been killed the same day, May 26, the warden said, and an investigation continues. “It also has proved difficult to apprehend the perpetrators because the locals who live in the area are armed and were not willing to engage officials,” Ganabul said. According to wildlife officials, Ethiopia had more than 10,000 elephants in the 1970s but poaching and habitat degradation have reduced the number to about 2,500 to 3,000 in recent years.

SOURCE: ABC NEWS