MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) – Suspected ivory poachers have slaughtered 26 elephants in the Dzanga Bai reserve, in the Central African Republic, known as the “village of elephants,” the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said on Friday.
“At least 26 elephants were massacred in the Dzanga Bai World Heritage Site in the Central African Republic (CAR) after 17 heavily armed suspected poachers entered the site on Monday, May 6th,” the WWF said in a statement.
Local residents have already started taking meat from the carcasses at the site, which has been described now as an “elephant mortuary,” the wildlife officials said.
Dzanga Bai is a unique World Heritage site where between 50 and 200 forest elephants congregate every day to drink mineral salts present in the sands.
Wildlife officials warn that more elephants could be killed by the poachers for their tusks.
The suspected poachers are believed to be part of a rebel force that seized power in violence-ridden country in March.
