Conservation Community of Mozambique calls for 'immediate and decisive investigation and response' ...
Police seize 16 guns from poachers in Matutuíne – Mozambique
1:35 CAT | 08 Mar 2017
File photo
Police have seized 16 weapons used by poachers in the Matutuíne district of Maputo province, spokesman Inacio Dina revealed at the weekly police press conference.
The seizures were the result of awareness-raising work in local communities, “essential for the identification of criminals” involved in the poaching of elephants tusks in the Maputo Special Reserve.
“There was serious work with local authorities. In the end, this was the result,” Dina said.
Dina did not specify the number of arrests made during the operation, but said that all those who were illegally in possession of weapons were in police custody.
“The offensive against poachers is ongoing and we hope everyone will cooperate with the authorities,” he said, citing the cooperation of the Matutuíne community in particular.
Poverty and the growth of the international market for ivory are cited as the main causes of poaching, and Mozambique’s location near countries considered the centre of the activity has contributed to its spread here.
The south of the country is home to many poachers who also cross the border to shoot elephant in South Africa’s neighbouring Kruger Park.
Official figures indicate that Mozambique has lost 48 percent of its elephant population in the past five years and may be banned from international trade as a result of lack of clarity in animal management.
The rhinoceros is also under heavy pressure, and currently almost non-existent in Mozambique.
The illegal trade extends to Asia, where elephant tusks and rhinoceros horn are used in traditional medicine and the manufacture of ornaments.
Source: Lusa
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