Prompted by WWF’s concerns about poaching, the organisation said, the Cameroonian ministry of forestry and wildlife organised the raids in tandem with the national military. A combined unit of soldiers, police and game rangers uncovered the bushmeat and also confiscated more than 30 guns from the suspected poachers.
A municipal councillor based in the town of Moloundou, south of Nki National Park, was reportedly among those arrested. Three other known elephant poachers — a Central African, a Congolese and a Cameroonian – were arrested around the Boumba Bek and Lobéké national parks.
The operation was carried out in targeted villages with the help of traditional rulers and the local population. The teams also conducted in-forest and maritime patrols, during which two elephant tusks, three elephant tails and parts of great apes were confiscated.
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