Four poachers, Angolan, Namibian, and Zambian, were sentenced in the province of Cuando Cubango to five years in prison for the slaughter of more than 40 elephants in the municipalities of Rivungo and Dirico, per the director of the Service of Criminal Investigation (SIC).
Subcommittee Miguel Arcanjo Sumbo said it was a crime against the environment, recalling that the slaughter of the animals took place between January of last year and June of this year, with SIC seizing 84 tusks, corresponding to 42 elephants.
Miguel Arcanjo Sumbo condemned the action and recalled that Cuando Cubango is still the preferred location for poachers, especially those of Namibian and Zambian nationality, due to the vulnerability of the border between Angola and its respective countries.
“Unfortunately, as long as the borders remain vulnerable and still aggravated by having a reduced number of environmental inspectors combatting this practice, there is a risk of similar situations occurring” he warned.
Meanwhile, the director of the SIC ensured that he continues to work in coordination with the other organs of the Ministry of the Interior, with emphasis on the Migration and Foreigners Service, the National Police, and the Border Guard, in order to reverse the current scenario, which it considers to be a matter of concern.
As part of the actions carried out between January 2017 and June of this year, the SIC also registered 4,046 crimes of a different nature, of which 2,404 were reported by the population and 1,642 by operational initiatives.
https://africasustainableconservation.com/2018/07/22/angola-40-elephants-killed-by-poachers/
I have read an accurate comment under the report: I agree with. In addition I must say the following:
Germany also has a poaching problem: since the return of the wolf in the year 2000, 306 animals have been found dead. 141 times a traffic accident was the cause (??), illegally killed 30 wolves according to official documentation.
Until now, and despite very high rewards (25,000 Euros !!), NO ONE of the poachers in Germany is covered. And when they are captured, they can (maximum) rake with a 5-year penalty.
And if we take into account that only 60 rudders and 24 pairs of wolves live in Germany today, soon the wolf will have the fate of elephants in Angola or in Africa at all, namely eradicated!
That is why I find the tightening of the court in a country like Angola against the poachers very paradigmatic for other “rich” countries.
Best regards, Venus
The Comment:
Matias
The target is all: Who sent and who executed. The enforcement of appropriate penalties leads the warrants to better assess the possibilities of escaping unharmed from their criminal actions. Criminal networks are also volatile, their members will also be replaced when arrested – there is no vacuum of power. We must value all police and judicial actions that cause, even minimally, monetary damages, as well as causing negative impacts on the hiring of criminal labor.
Angola is losing its wildlife at an alarming rate. If the issue of conservation is conditioned to the resolution of the social and economic issues of its poorest population, local extinction will be inevitable. This country has undertaken to take effective measures against illegal hunting when it has formalized its participation in the Kavango-Zambezi TFCA.
World Animals Voice 