Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican police have arrested a person trying to sell four elephant tusks in Mágoè, Tete province, central Mozambique, a source from the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) has said.
“This is an arrest in flagrante delicto, which occurred in Mágoè district, where this individual was in possession of four ivory tips, weighing approximately 22 kilograms,” Sernic spokesperson in Tete, Celina Roque, told media.
Roque said that police officers posed as buyers to locate the sellers of the tusks, which are believed to have been taken from elephants slaughtered in Mágoè National Park, a conservation area near the border with Zimbabwe.
“When the man was arrested, two [suspects] managed to escape, but we already have leads and are tracking them down so they can be neutralized and held accountable,” Celina Roque said.
The police also appealed for community cooperation in reporting the criminals.
In the same province, Mozambican police on June 20 arrested two people in possession of 140 pieces of elephant tusks as they boarded a train at Moatize station.
“They had 140 ivory tips, and this led to their being taken to the Moatize district command,” police spokesperson in Tete Feliciano da Câmara said at the time, adding that one of the suspects escaped.
Poaching in Mozambique has been a serious threat to wildlife, but authorities estimate that elephant killings have decreased in recent years as a result of monitoring and conservation efforts.
According to data from the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC), Mozambique has around 10,000 elephants, which continue to be targeted in attacks by poachers looking for ivory to sell.
For More News And Analysis About Mozambique Follow Africa-Press
