Ivory poachers have killed 87 elephants in Botswana. They mainly targeted male animals with larger tusks.

Elephant killings

According to animal rights activists, poachers in Botswana have killed at least 87 elephants within the past three months. Above all, they targeted older male elephants, as they have the largest tusks, as the Organization declared Elephantless Borders on Tuesday.

The group is currently conducting a survey from the air on the number of elephants in the country in southern Africa. “Every day we see elephants killed,” said Mike Chase, the organization’s director. The extent of poaching is frightening.

The WWF animal rights activists warned that hunting for Botswana’s elephants was worrying for the conservation of the species. “This unprecedented attack shows how ruthlessly the up-graded wildlife mafia is advancing,” said WWF Wildlife Crime Officer Katharina Trump.

Botswana was previously considered a safe haven for the pachyderms. It is said that about 130,000 to 150,000 elephants live there, about one third of the total population in Africa.

Most elephant carcasses are said to have been found near the northern Okavango Delta National Park. Poachers are out to kill elephants because of tusks. They sell ivory illegally for expensive money, often to customers in Asia.

Sources: BBC